Beautiful Stranger

Three

“Yo, Boots!” I removed the towel covering my face. The dance was so exhausting, I literally tried to sleep despite the fact that the noise was way over the top and everyone around me was moving. I sat down and found afolded note on top of my bag.

“Who’s this from?” I asked nobody in particular since everyone has their own business. I unfolded the note.

                       Just don’t hide your problems behind your SEXY steps.

It took me a couple of minutes to register the message. And a few couple more to remember its sender. “Are you kidding me?” I shouted. I got everyone’s attention now, they stopped walking and stopped talking and just stared at me.

“What does it say, Boots?” It was Jim. He sat beside me and tried to take the note from me. He failed.

“Stop calling me Boots.” I said and nobody’s moving. “Didn’t even leave a name or a number.” I grinned. All they said was something between ‘seriously’ and ‘you need a doctor’ and I smiled at my instant prank.

“Who’s it from?” Jim asked. He was still sitting there with his gooey smile.

“Someone who thinks my steps are sexy, why’d you ask?” I slipped the note to my pocket and started to stand up when Jim pulled me back. He looked like he’s about to say something but he held it back.

“It’s nothing, Jim. No need to alarm the boss.” I said before finally walking away and started searching the crowd. By boss I meant Kylie. Kylie, Jim and I were friends since I learned the meaning of it. Jim liked Kylie but Kylie liked me so to cut the story short, Jim appointed himself as my own paparazzi: telling Kylie every smile I give, flirty sentence I say, and the likes. His reports drive her crazy. I hated how she trusted Jim more than me but at this point, the relationship was kind of on hold. I think we’re getting bored with what we have to offer each other so, we’re on a break but I don’t want her to think I found a replacement already. And, well, I never intended to hurt her.

 But, I did what I have to do:  I searched.

The crowd was crazy! I didn’t see her anywhere. My picture of her was a little hazy but I’m pretty sure I’ll know her deep-set-eyes when I see them though. I was still scanning when Jim called me back to prepare for another performance. I gave up looking.

Before going home, I passed by the club where I first saw her just to take a quick glimpse of the people inside. The bar was full of crazy perverts and women who were 'asking-for-it'. No signs of her so I took a cab home. I took out her note and mixed it with the receipts inside my worn-out wallet.