Its a..

How it all started

It's a girl.

It's a twirl.

Another drink,

A tad too pink.

Too many stairs,

And tousled hairs,

That little note,

And it's 4am again.

Essena's POV

Yay, my last night in San Francisco. Practically, the most beautiful city in California. I will never get tired of the essence of freedom which seems to effortlessly exist throughout these streets. The cool air, which whips your face like an ironically soft, cold, knife. The traffic congestion which makes it not only practical but also a necessity to travel by foot. Little caffes buzzing, tall black suits hustling and bustling. There's no place like home, I thought to my self on the cool July night. But my parents wanted to eradicate my connection to this place, choosing to move to the Bay Area. I swear, Bay Area? What i've heard is "So Cal" from time to time.

I sighed, burying my face into the Robert Frost book I was devouring. Saturday night, and here I sit in my favorite San Fran library. The walls are tainted with mahogany, the chandeliers ever so glistening with a touch of antique, and the cream wooden floors. The place was engulfed in an inviting darkness, lit slightly by the illuminating chandeliers. I inhaled deeply, taking in the crisp smell of the old book in my hands. Ah, the library, I thought. English Literature, my little idiosyncratic dirty pleasure. Lost in my world, I was startled when I heard a throat clear behind me.

Giving me a partial smile, the librarian beckoned her head to the direction of the large clock towering above us. Oh, time had completely fleeted me. It was eleven, the library had been closed for half an hour now. I had been so engulfed in my book, pausing only to take muffled little breaths between chapters. The librarian herself lost track herself, I concluded. My cheeks burning up with embarrassment, I thanked the librarian and saw myself out. On my way out, I stood before the old gray mirror beside the entrance. Anticipating the chilly summer weather outside, I pulled out my leather jacket and fastened it tightly around my waist. Shrugging, I looked down at my bordo skin-tight dress, and regretted my lack of stockings. I smoothed over my wavy brown hair, trying to prepare it for the strong winds it would encounter any moment now as I went outside. Fixing the slightly smudged eyeliner beneath my brown eyes, I stepped outside the library.

The cold wind hit me hard. I felt my dress hike up a bit, and could see distant smirks from businessmen returning home. Wrapping my arms around my shoulders, I crossed the street and began walking around. Surely, this wasn't how I would spend my last night in San Francisco.. Being the gregarious girl that I can portray myself as, I can show myself a good time regardless of place. Sighing, I heard some crickets whispering in the garden I was standing beside the Library. I couldn't help but smile a little, their noise being little sentimental jingles of the summer time. Looking down at my knees, I felt another gush of cold wind rush between the gap between them. I sighed and clicked my boots together, pondering where I should embark on this night.

So it was somewhere between running across the street and almost getting hit by a car that I ended up on a curb I surprisingly didn't know. I felt a pang of awareness, being the sixteen year old that I was alone on that night. Well, I like to say seventeen, because I practically will be seventeen in half a year. Regardless, I caught my breath and looked up at a blinding light before me. In electric, red, letters, I saw the word "BAR" inscribed atop of a building entrance. I shrugged and decided to live a little, seeing it would be my last night in the city. I flashed a dazzling smile at the bouncer, and he let me in without even checking. I chuckled, I never thought my looks could coerce people so strongly.

I heard the faint tune of a song playing. It was Keane.. and the song.. I puzzled the lyrics as I sat on an empty black stool on the bar. Moving my head side to side, I whispered out broken verses of the song to myself.."Oh simple thing, where have you gone.." To my surprise I heard a muffled voice next to me melodiously chime in another verse, "I'm getting old and I need something to rely on.." I let out a small laugh and looked up. I needed to catch my breath for a moment. A pair of dazzling, green eyes, were staring right into mine. I felt my pupils dilate a little in the moment, and the stranger tousled back his wavy black hair and pulled his hand out. "Max," he said, looking into my eyes. Being slightly mesmerized, I giddily replied "Keane" without thinking. He ponderously looked at me and asked, "Well, I knew the song that was playing, but it was your name I wanted to know." I laughed and buried my head in my hand for a moment, and looked up at him again. I shook his hand and told him my name.

"Two shots of tequila?" He rhetorically asked me, while chivalrously taking the initiative to order the drinks regardless of my answer. I smiled, putting down the the book I had in my hands. He glanced at the cover, and gazed at me with intrigued eyes. "You're a fan?" I asked him while gulping down the drink he gave me. "I suppose you could say so," he answered, flashing me a crooked grin. I laughed while we chatted, and time seemed to surpass me. In the middle of our conversation, I saw him glance down at his watch and look at me. "I need to get up a bit early tomorrow Essena..would you care to join me?" he offered, while dangling his car keys before me. Not knowing why, I simply responded while staring at the small dimple on his left cheek.

We stepped into his car , a black Audi R8. The engine revved up and there were vibrations within the car. The vibrations seemed nothing compared to the electricity I felt between us. I shrugged and thought to myself, it's completely benign what I'm doing. I nodded, reassuring myself, It's not like i'll ever see him again. Breaking my thoughts, I remembered we were midway through a conversation and I hadn't answered him. Forgetting his question, I cocked my head to the side and asked him to reiterate it. "Your major, Essena. What was it?" he urged. A pretty lie is always better than the ugly truth..especially the sixteen year old ugly truth..Grasping my book, I conjectured I could fabricate something to tell him "English Literature," I mumbled, looking down at my knees. Well, It wasn't a complete lie. I DO want to major that in the future, but I'm far from being through college..He excitedly smiled and told me it was his major too. He shared the he would be starting a new job in completely new circumstances, and that he was excited to embark upon his first teaching job.

I felt the car jolt to a halt, and we were parked before an apartment complex. Once upstairs, I became completely preoccupied with sneaking glances at his chest rising and falling slowly beneath his white v-neck. In that moment, I was completely infatuated. "Welcome to my humble abode," Max chimed as the door shut behind us. There were Uhaul boxed stacked against the walls, and following him I saw that only his bed remained intact. Puzzled for a moment, I then remembered he had told me his new teaching job would be elsewhere. I sheepishly grinned at him, and he apologized for the mess. "You see, it's not usually like this," he began explaining.

Before I knew it, I found us entangled between the sheets on his bed. Everything was perfect, his smell, the moment, his nails brushing against my back..

Little did I know, this would be anything but the last i'd see of him..