only the lonely // josh klinghoffer

ch. 2

"Okay, you look REALLY hot. Gabe seriously doesn't know what he's missing!" Ashley exclaimed as she dressed me in the tightest black dress she could find in my closet, along with the hottest pink high heels. I was definitely feeling a bit out of my comfort zone but at this point, I really didn't care. I was letting her have her fun with me. 

As soon as she said Gabe's name, I immediately looked over at her and gave her a sour look. Even hearing his name killed me inside. She realized what she did and gave me an apologetic look.

"It's okay, just buy me a drink and we're even," I said laughing, forgiving her for her tiny mistake. Nothing was her fault. I was just going to have to be a big girl and get over small shit like hearing his name said aloud. This was a challenge I was ready to accept.

"I'm excited. This is going to be so good. I can't even remember the last time we went out together," she replied, fixing her hair while adding a tiny amount of pink lip stick to her perfect  lips.

She took my hand and led me outside our apartment in West Hollywood. We lived near the beach, thankfully, because when I first met Ashley, she hated the beach. It took her a while to warm up to the idea of living near the water, but I was glad she eventually obliged. I loved living near the crystal blue water, home to so many wonderful lives. 

We took a cab to a nearby bar called Arcadia, a classy venue that seemed legit. The entire ride to the place I could feel my nerves begin to rise. I don't know why I was nervous or feeling uncomfortable. I convinced myself maybe it was just my mind trying to adjust to this new change I was experiencing. I was no longer attached to someone else. I was by myself, but in a good way. I think I was just having a difficult time realizing that I needed to move on with my life, without him. While Ashley looked out the window, I split open my clutch and pulled out a couple of Xanax's. I could feel my brain begin to tell me that this probably wasn't a good idea, but I didn't care. I needed to calm down and I was pretty sure this was the only thing that would help with that. I was determined to enjoy the night. I threw the pills in my mouth and washed it down with the mini tequila bottles Ashley brought with us.

I let out a sigh of relief.

I wanted tonight to be great. For Ashley. & for myself.

We arrived at Arcadia, fancy and fresh. I wouldn't necessarily say the night was a blur, but I do remember Ashley shoving me towards so many different handsome men that came our way. They were sweet, buying us countless drinks, feeding us water, laughing and having wonderful conversations with us. But I wasn't interested. Even with the Xanax in my system, I wasn't entirely fixated on the idea of finding someone here tonight to temporarily cure my loneliness.

At this point, I wasn't even sure what I wanted. I just knew the pills were wearing off and I didn't want them to.

"Hey, I'll be right back," I slurred slightly, patting Ashley on her shoulder to signal my departure. I headed towards the back, near the bathroom. As I fished out the pill bottle, I grabbed the bathroom door and suddenly felt the door press me against the center of my head, catching me off guard. What the fuck?

The bottle of Xanax fell from my hands, almost in slow motion. I looked up to see what had almost knocked me over, and that's when I saw him.

This tall, pale figure who wore such loose clothing and a navy blue beanie that covered his golden brown hair, leaving a few strands that clung to his ears.

I wasn't sure if my inability to speak was due to the drugs in my system or this handsome man in front of me. I had no idea what was happening.

"Oh no, are you okay? I didn't see you there.. I should be more careful. Is your head okay?" his voice was so shy and sultry. I couldn't remove my eyes from his lips.

After a few seconds of silence and my non existent reply to his concern, he reached down and grabbed the bottle of Xanax.

"This must be yours," he said, holding out the pill bottle in front of me.

"For a friend, actually," I said, trying to cover up the fact that I had just consumed Xanax carelessly hours earlier.

"Been there, done that," he chuckled. "Are you feeling okay? I can't believe I didn't see you there, that was my fault completely."

"Oh I'm fine. Nobody really ever sees me so you're all good, I promise," I replied, trying to lighten up the mood by feeling my forehead and smiling.

"That can't be true. You're beautiful," he gushed. As soon as he complimented me, my immediate reaction was to remove myself from this situation because I was assuming that maybe he was drunk and only trying to be nice to me. Nobody ever really complimented me, and that's why I was clueless on how to accept them.

Instead of being a spontaneous newly single gal and allowing myself to experience this encounter, I ran away. Typical me.

"I should go. Thanks for this," I said, suddenly grabbing the bottle of Xanax from his hands. I turned away from him and headed towards the spot where Ashley and I were, shaking my head because I knew I made myself look like a fool.

What just happened?