Played like a Guitar

Chapter 22 : The Note

"You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore." - William Faulkner

Chapter painting: "Antique Pelikan Blue Ink Bottle with Pelikan Fountain Pen" by Kalyne Soldanels.

***

The light drizzle and fresh air only added to the exhilaration I experienced when leaving the club unescorted. I felt like running a marathon, climbing the tallest mountain, jumping off an airplane, anything to waste this ginormous burst of energy surging through my veins. I managed to overcome something that stroke me as impossible only a month ago and it felt liberating.

Biding my time while Elektra was helping Leo pay for the drinks, I took the opportunity to dance alone in the gentle rain to the muffled songs resonating from the rooftop, hopping from one puddle onto the other. Oh golly, I'm so excited to find a job, excel at it, ravish myself in new garments, find an exciting partner and live the dream life. I knew deep down these optimistic thoughts wouldn't last long but Great Scott were they irie for a change. As soon they pulled out of the nightclub, I took Elektra by the hand, spinning her round and round in graceful circles.

"Someone's in a good mood today." - she noticed, grabbing my hips and swaying left and right. I had a bit of practice since the last time we went clubbing.

"Did you fall in love on the dance floor again?" - Leonardo messed around, but there was some truth to it. Who knew overcoming the end of this bizarre 'relationship' felt nearly as good as diving into it? If I had known my significant others would be whirling and twirling in nightclubs, I would've transformed into the old Elektra in the blink of an eye. 

"No, tonight was all about me." - I smiled confidently, letting the raindrops fall on my face.

"Well, once you two are done making fools of yourselves, shall we head back home?" - he suggested while yawning into his hand.

"Actually, there's something I need to do before we call it a night." - I informed them, remembering a quest I promised myself to complete a month ago.

"Slightly scared of that. I'm in!" - she accepted, taking advantage of my excess energy while it lasts.

"There's no need to stress out, it will be fun. Come on, this way!" - I started jogging in excitement.

The walk uphills was regarded by my friends as a challenge after hours of dancing but not for me. It had to be done in order to officially seal our past once and for all. It was an old neighborhood with little colorful houses located miles above the shore, with narrow streets made of cobblestone and that nostalgic vintage feeling to it. The older residents were peacefully sleeping in their cozy cottages, protected by the feline inhabitants monitoring us from the roofs with their green glowing eyes. Among them was a partially-destroyed house with broken windows, graffiti-covered walls and a wrecked entrance, abandoned a long time ago. I turned on my phone's flashlight, checking through the massive hole on the left side for any intruders apart from the occasional cockroach or rat.

"If I had known you'd bring us to a haunted house, I would've taken the first flight back to Italy. Are you out of your goddamn mind?" - Leo complained, stepping away from the door.

"My old gang used to crash in one of these when their parents kicked them out of the house." - Elektra confessed, holding on to her umbrella, not wide enough to cover both of them.

"See, nothing to worry about! It's like a little rent-free flat for students...with a bit of dust and mold. You can stay here if you're scared, I need to grab something real quick." - I stepped on foot inside, the sudden determination outweighing my fear of being stabbed in the dark by a lurking stranger.