Beautiful Stranger

One

 "Faster Jane, this'll be fun!"

Oh come on. How can clubbing be fun when you got fired from your job a day after your boyfriend broke up with you minutes after your landlord personally handed over a notice saying he's "politely asking you out"? But since I'm the type of friend who doesn't want to be cared for, I took a deep breath and glued a smile on my face before following her in.

"Look, Janie, everyone's checking you out."

"That's actually funny, Hannah." I said and turned around to face the bar. "Not even a single pair of eyes."

She bumped her fist playfully at my shoulder. "Don't throw your hopes away, dear. How about a dance?"

"I think I'd better settle here. You know I don't like dancing." Much less sitting in a stool staring at bottles of different drinks. I asked for a beer and walked around the bar. I'm the kind of girl who likes to walk so I walked back and forth. Over and over. I was getting used to the swaying walks of drunk people and slurred words of those seated and trying to converse. It was with my 3rd drink that I bumped into a guy after turning around.

"I'm sorry."

"What are you doing?" He asked with a smile on his face and a little hint of curiosity.

"Just, drinking. Isn't that what you do in a bar?" I matched his smile.

"I hate to break it to you but this is a club. You dance in a club. However this club happens to have a bar so you get to drink."

"Still, you asked me what I was doing so my answer's right. Let me just state it this way," I took a sip. "Just, drinking. Isn't that what you do in a bar whether it be out side or inside a club?"

He laughed a little as I turned around and started walking again. I almost memorized every picture posted on the wall and every face of the people drinking their way out of life before finally sitting down. I asked for another drink.

"It's the reason.." I looked to my right and saw the guy earlier. "behind the drinking that really matters."

"You again." I said with little enthusiasm. I'm not in for a flirting-period at this moment. He smirked.

"How about a dance?"

"I'm not a fan of dancing."

He looked at me funny. "You're in a club."

I laughed. "Well, I'm a good friend that's why I'm here."

"Or maybe you really just need to drink." When I said nothing, he said: "Dancing can also take your mind off, uh, things."

"And by 'things' you mean..?" I took a sip.

"I don't know, problems maybe?"

"I'm definitely fine." I assured him.

"Suit yourself then." He stood up and I turned around to bore myself with bottles of varying liquids stacked in front of me. Then, he managed to come back and was either on the other line of a phone or he was inside my ear. It was a loud whisper.

"Just don't hide your problems behind your beautiful smile."

I blinked a couple of times contemplating on whether to take it as a praise or an insult. I rejected the latter and when I turned around, he was walking to the dance floor, his back on to me.

"Who's that?" Hannah hugged me from behind before taking my drink and well, emptying the glass.

It was when I realized I was talking with a stranger. He might be planning how he'd wait for me by the door and slaughter me violently and cut me to pieces and keep me in box and throw me in a river. I'm kind of paranoid at times. But instead of feeling fear on uneasiness, I felt stupid to even think about it; like that guy would never do anything bad to me. "I don't know, just another guy, I guess."

I turned around to hide from Hannah a persisting little smile.