Violinist (CENTURIES series: Book #4)

4

• We're all stupid when we're solidly drunk. Let's remember that in this one. Trigger warning in this chapter. Watch out. •

Finding a tramp on the streets of New York was easy; practically every other block had a homeless person that seemed more soul-searching than the former. It really made you reconsider your own life and put everything in perspective.

It was crazy to think how far humanity had come, and yet poverty and homelessness remained problems. Where were the long marches and protests for that?

After last Sunday where me and Dan (and Kyle) had talked, I had been working every night at the club and working every day on the streets to find him. The first place I had obviously looked was in the back alley of the club, but it seemed he was smart enough to not return to the scene of the crime. Since then, I had circled all the blocks and streets surrounding the area, hoping he belonged to these neighborhoods.

But no sign of him. None. Dan had called me obsessed and tried to talk me into quitting—telling me that he was gone and that I just had to accept it and maybe turn the violin back to the club where a brooding Carlos was waiting for it, still blissfully unaware that it was back in my apartment.

But I just couldn't get myself to do it. Maybe I was obsessed, but I didn't care. Dan hadn't seen what I had seen. Hadn't heard him. As long as I knew that he was out there on the streets, I knew where the violin belonged, and I wasn't resting until it had found its way back to him.

However, by Friday afternoon, after coming home from another long, unsuccessful day of walking up and down the streets, Dan wasn't having it anymore.

"Tonight is both our night off," He told as I stepped out of the shower, having washed the city's soil off my skin. As I wrapped a towel around my body, I glanced towards Dan who stood by the sink, caught in the process of shaving. "Kyle is going to meet us at the club and you're going to forget everything about that homeless guy. You can continue all you want tomorrow morning, but tonight, you're cutting loose. Deal?"

"Deal," I nodded and dried my hair off with a second towel. I was so not in the mood to drink tonight, but I had promised them, and hey, there was still time to change my mind. It was only 5pm, after all.

"Good," Dan stated as he rinsed his razor in the sink. "Now start taming that 'fro and squeeze your ass into something tight. I'll come help you with your makeup when you're done."

I snorted, but then nodded again before grabbing my lotion. "Whatever you say, Cher."

~~~

I managed to actually get in the spirit of drinking when we made it to the club Dan and Kyle had chosen. The music was loud and the booze was cheap, but the guys I saw mingling around on the floor were hot. Hell, so were the girls. I was suddenly glad that Dan convinced me to wear the snug-fitting dress that I was wearing right now. Sure, it made me look like a high-end prostitute, but tonight I wasn't looking for love. Just a very decent fuck, and for that, this dress was perfect.

"Tonight is on us," Dan told as we all settled by the bar to get our first drinks of the night. "Me and Kyle will keep you hydrated if you just focus on finding a guy you wanna screw. From there, we'll help you bag him."

"Thanks, but I don't need you guys to help me," I replied with a small purse of my lips while Dan signaled the bartender down and had him pour us all a strong drink each. "I didn't shimmy my ass into this thing for nothing."