by Unknown
As I parked the car, I noticed something lurking beside my stoop. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I was looking at. A dark shapeless mass hovered a foot or so off of the ground. It wasn’t the porch’s shadow because it was closer to the streetlamp than the porch was. Whatever it was, it was not solid; I could see tiny beams of lights through it that were cast from the street. Surely, I wasn’t watching a ghost. They didn’t exist, did they? No. Of course not.
I glanced away for a second to grab my bag out of my car and, when I turned, it was gone. Whatever it was. The hairs on my neck stood on end as I gazed up and down the streets, watching for the darkness that had been there. After the shake up in the reptile house and running late, I was tired, stressed, and more than a little on edge. My mind and body had to be so starved for a restful sleep that it was trying to kick-start my dreams a bit early. I had to have been seeing things, hallucinating. Stress did that, right? I just needed sleep. Badly.
Cautiously, I approached my door and unlocked it as quickly as I could manage. I twisted the lock and threw the deadbolt as soon as I slipped inside, then I ran to every door and window and locked them tight. Even knowing the thing I had seen outside was more than likely a vivid hallucination conjured by a heavily taxed mind, I wasn’t one to take chances.
“I must really be losing it,” I mumbled to myself as I leaned back against the door.
Moonbeam distracted me from the unease with her meows and rubbing against my legs.
“Time for dinner, huh?” I walked into the kitchen and pulled open the cupboard, reaching for her favorite, Fancy Feast seafood feast. I pried open the can and laid it on the floor in her dish next to the counter. A smile spread across my face as she attacked her meal.
I was reaching into the sparse refrigerator when I heard the ding of my cell phone notifications. Smiling, I grabbed the previous night’s leftover alfredo and threw it in the microwave. There was no rush. I knew exactly who was texting me. It was our Monday night ritual. Angela, my sister from another mister, was texting to tell me all about her work day. I didn’t have any siblings so she was the closest thing I had to family.
We’d met on the first day of kindergarten. I was shy and scared and she was her usual outgoing self and just by some miracle of chance, we hit it off. We’ve been attached at the hip since. Angie had always been a bit of a wild child. It was just in her personality to be a livewire and a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I loved her all the more for it.
Angie coming over meant that she probably had a new flavor of the week or she saw a major celebrity at work. She was a line cook at Emeril Lagasse’s Delmonico’s, but was hoping to catch her big break at becoming a sous chef. As for flavors of the week, her love life was a revolving door of men. I was anxiously awaiting the day she met a man she couldn’t just run through.
“On my way, be there soon,” was the message waiting on my home screen.
“Ok,” I quickly responded before returning to my meal.
It was almost twenty minutes before her characteristic knocking sounded throughout the apartment. Of course, the knocking was just for the convenience of a head’s up that she was there. She had her own key and let herself in.
“In here!” I yelled from the kitchen.
The moment she walked in, I noticed her mascara was streaked down her cheeks. Her puffy red eyes stared back at me. “What-?”
“He hasn’t called me back,” she interrupted my concern.
“Oh hun, I’m so sorry. I know you really liked Mark.”
“Not Mark. Brad! Brad hasn’t called me back!”
“Wait, who is Brad? And what happened to Mark? Hold on. You can tell me over coffee.”
Angie settled on the bar stool while I spun about the tiny kitchen collecting sugar, milk, and setting the coffee maker.
“I quit talking to Mark last week. He just wasn’t my type and things definitely got weird after the first date. He completely changed and was suddenly really self-absorbed, like he was God’s gift to women, or something. I can’t handle that. Not to mention, he was late picking me up last Tuesday night because he took longer than expected getting ready,” she explained.
Eyebrows raised in disbelief, I asked, “Really?”
“Seriously. I can’t be with a guy that is higher maintenance than me. Not to mention, one that takes longer to get ready. It’s a deal breaker!”
I set two steaming cups of coffee with chicory on the counter and settled in next to her. I added milk to my cup for the perfect café au lait. I watched as Angie added a heaping teaspoonful of sugar to her drink before filling the mug to the brim with milk. She sipped from her mug and sighed happily as she set it back down. Angela had always had a serious sweet tooth. I could relate a little bit because I enjoyed a slice of chocolate cake from time to time, but I never understood how people could add that much sugar to a cup of coffee. It’s practically not drinkable. Coffee needs to taste like coffee, not like a sugar cube. I inwardly cringed.
Angie wiped the mascara from her cheeks, ignoring my shudder over her mountain of sugar.
“Okay, now, tell me about Brad. How did you guys meet and what happened?”
Taking a deep breath, she spilled all the gory details.
“About four or five days ago, we were completely slammed at work, so a few coworkers and I decided to head down to the Spotted Cat for a few drinks after work. Well, I was there and so was Brad. He bought me a few drinks and we just really hit it off. It was going so well! I invited him back to the apartment since Carrie was gone for the weekend.”
“Where was Carrie? I thought she had to work this weekend?” I inquired.
“Oh, no, she found someone to cover for her at work so she’s at her fiancé’s parent’s house over in Baton Rouge.”
While she spoke, I got up to grab the bottle of Jack Daniel’s from the cupboard; I needed something stronger to get through the rest of her story. Listening to her man problems conjured the constant ache I worked so hard to bury, so I added a dash of Jack, the only man I could count on, to my coffee and settled back in.
“Oh my god, Maya! He was so good! Nothing about it was selfish. Brad was definitely a giver,” she said, winking. “He spent the night and even stayed for breakfast. He showed up to take me out to dinner later that night, but now, I haven’t heard from him in two days! I can’t reach him at all. He’s not answering any calls or texts! I know something’s wrong!”
“Calm down. There’s no way you can know that, Ang. You barely know the man. I mean, hell, you haven’t even known him a full week!” I set my Jacked coffee down, giving Angie my undivided attention.
“Maybe he’s really busy or his phone broke. Who knows, Ang? Maybe he’s just flaky like that and moved on? I know it really sucks. Maybe he just needed sex and wasn’t shopping for a relationship.”
Anger and sorrow brewed behind those blue eyes and that was as unpredictable as a storm in the Gulf. And just like that the tides turned and a vindictive look came over her face.
“Fine. You’re right! But we are going out before I lay the Brad issue to rest. He said he always likes to hang out at the Spotted Cat, so let’s go!”
“Why are we going exactly where you think he will be? Isn’t that just asking for trouble, and wouldn’t it cause a scene to boot?”
“Because I need closure and I want to be damn sure he’s just an asshole and it’s not me.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell her that it kind of was her. She had absolutely horrible taste in men and, seriously, who got attached that fast?
She wouldn’t give up so I stood. Walking around the couch, I went to my room to find an outfit that wasn’t sweatpants or a work outfit. Angie followed me in and headed straight for the closet. She grabbed out a simple grey t-shirt and my best jeans and threw them down on my bed. As I stripped down and started putting on my clothes, Angie headed back towards the closet.
“Hey, you had a leather jacket somewhere in here the last time I looked. Where is it?”
“It should still be in there. I don’t wear it much.” My words were muffled by the shirt covering my mouth.
“Never mind, I got it,” was all I heard before it smacked me right in the chest.
“Gee, thanks,” I mumbled under my breath as I tossed it towards my bed. I slipped into the jeans and threw a glance over my shoulder at Angie as she made her way out toward the living room. I sat hard on the bed and slipped my combat boots on before grabbing the jacket and heading back out to the kitchen where Angie was collecting her necessities. I checked over my sparse makeup in the hallway mirror. It was still decent from when I’d applied it at lunch. It made me feel fake. I wanted people to actually see me and not a painted face.
We stepped out the door and locked it behind us. It was only a five minute walk to the Spotted Cat from my flat so we walked. It wasn’t until we crossed Ursulines Avenue that I saw a quick, dark blur out of the corner of my eye. The sight of it sent a prickly shiver up my spine and held my attention tightly.
The shadow was back and much more solid. It actually had taken a form now. In fact, it was almost humanoid-like. The long talons extending from its fingers didn’t escape my notice. The shadow was standing on the other side of the street watching us. His eyes couldn’t be seen, but I knew he was observing me. There was no doubt in my mind that this was the same thing that had been outside the flat earlier.
I could’ve only been staring at him for a couple of seconds before I realized that Angie was talking to me.
“Maya!” Angie said, snapping her fingers in front of my face.
I blinked a few times, coming back to myself.
“Sorry… what did you say? I got distracted,” I said, glancing over at her only to see an irritated Angie staring back at me.
“I said that if Brad is there, then he’s getting a piece of my mind and maybe my boot, too.”
I turned back to the corner where the mystery man had stood, but nothing was there. He was gone. Peering up and down the streets, I realized the creature had pulled another disappearing act. There wasn’t a single sign that he had ever been there. I shook my head, trying to regain my clear mind. I’m imagining shit again, I thought to myself. I balled my hands into tight fists and released them as I let out the breath that I had been holding in.
Chapter TWO
The Spotted Cat
It hadn’t taken long to reach the Spotted Cat after the encounter, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the shadow creature. He had to have been real, right? Normally, sane people didn’t just start hallucinating. My entire life was stressful so it wasn’t like that was a new thing that might cause a psychotic break.
My best friend looked like a woman on a mission. It distracted me from my own problems, if only temporarily. We settled at the bar, and ordered a beer each while Angie sorted everything out. She was preoccupied. Angie was like a bloodhound with men when they had wronged her. She would be hot on their trail, checking frequent hangouts, friends, and even stalking social media. While she was a sweet girl, she could go from June Cleaver to Carrie at the drop of a hat. It was her super power. She always knew exactly where they would be. This time was no different.
Angie spotted Brad in the back corner and made a beeline straight for him before I could say anything. My eyes followed her path through the throng of people to a broad shouldered, bronzed beefcake. Just her type. His golden hair, gelled to perfection, shone brightly under the bar’s recessed lighting. The rest of him was at odds with his dark, hard eyes. A leggy redhead adorned his lap while he whispered into her ear. This was going to be bad. Really, really bad.
“Well, look at this! Isn’t this just fucking rich! Not even twenty four hours and you’re already on the prowl. Seriously? Why haven’t you returned any of my texts? Returned a phone call? I thought things were going great.” It all spewed out of her mouth so fast it was a miracle that she could be understood.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but you are?”
At this point, even my eyebrows were raised. Wow, this guy had a pair to pull off that kind of shenanigans.
“Is that really what you’re going to go with? Act like you don’t know me and we didn’t just spend the last three days together?” Her cheeks grew red as the flush worked its way up her neck. It had been a long while since I’d seen her that furious.
“I don’t believe we have met before, ma’am. I am very sorry, but I am afraid you have me mistaken for someone else,” Brad said with a smooth southern drawl, brown clear eyes gazing upon Angie as if it was truly the first time he was seeing her.
I’m not really sure what bothered me more, the fact that Angie had picked up such a prick or that this guy was that good of an actor that he seemed genuinely baffled by her accusations. Turning ever so slightly, Angie finally addressed the redhead perched on Brad’s lap.
“Just so you know what you’re in for, he’s looking for a friendly, open-to-experimentation kind of gal for a threesome with his blow up doll.” Looking back at Brad, she said, “And by the way, I had to fake it. There was no way it would happen with your little problem.” Angie slugged down the remainder of her beer, slammed it down on the small table in front of the tangled pair and turned, fleeing into the crowd towards the bar.
As I turned back for one last glance at Brad, I noticed his narrowed gaze was fixed on me. A cruel sneer formed. I got the very distinct feeling that this man, who was a complete stranger to me, wanted to do me serious harm.
I followed Angie’s back to the bar, feeling Brad’s eyes on my back the entire time. Angie was already part way through a very large long island iced tea by the time I reached her and she didn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon.
“What an asshole. Can you believe that guy?” Shaking my head, I ordered a cold beer.
“Whatever, I just need to forget about him and move on. He clearly has.”
Looking at my surroundings within the darkened bar, I noticed that people were starting to gather around the stage. This evening’s main show was starting and the brassy jazz floated throughout the club, soothing those who needed it most, primarily Angie.
“Ang, hun, just take a break from guys for a while. You’re stressing yourself out. Look at me.” I lifted one shoulder in a shrug, “I’m happy and I don’t have anywhere near the amount of drama you do. Just focus on you for a few and don’t just jump right back into the dating game.”
“Yeah, but you never date! You haven’t dated anyone since Mike left for that construction job in Miami and rarely since your parent’s accident. You need to get out there and meet someone,” she said with a dramatic eye roll. Mike was my ex and still, after six months, was a bit of a sore spot.
The bartender returned a minute later with my Abita.
“I’m not looking for a relationship though.”
“I’m not saying you need a relationship per se, you just need someone to knock those cobwebs off your cave of wonders. I know it’s had to have been forever since you’ve had a good…” Angie finished with a dramatic thrusting motion and a waggle of her eyebrows. She chuckled as I choked and sputtered into my beer.
“Nope! We are not going there! I haven’t had nearly enough to drink for that conversation and you should know by now, I don’t like to kiss and tell.”
“Aw, come on! I’m your best friend! Doesn’t that come with some kind of detail perks?”
“Well, there aren’t any details to tell so, no, but we can revisit the subject the next time I meet a guy and am drunk enough to succumb to your line of questioning,” I retorted.
“Touché.”
After two more beers, Angie was pretty toasted and thankfully, ready to go.
“Yeah, let’s go back to your place. Just let me use the ladies room real fast,” Angie slurred much louder than she normally would; she was hard to hear over all of the saxophones, trumpets, and trombones. Angie slipped off her stool and straightened up before venturing off towards the bathroom on not so steady feet.
I stood up and collec
ted my purse and Angie’s clutch. I was beyond ready to get out of here. Bars weren’t my scene. As I stepped backwards around my stool, not paying as much attention as I should have been, I smacked straight into a very solid person.
“Oh my god! I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention. I can’t believe this. Sorry again,” stammering, I turned to look at my victim and found myself staring into the face of the most beautiful man I had ever seen. He could put Channing Tatum and Ryan Reynolds to shame.
The mountain before me looked flawless. He was tall, well over six feet tall, and broad shouldered. Large muscles peaked through from under his grey v-neck t-shirt which was strained at the sleeves and across his chest. Dark hair was clipped short on the sides and given a little more freedom and length on the top to form soft waves. His eyes were so dark that their true color was hard to make out in the dim light and so piercing that you could easily get lost in them. His nose was very straight, almost aristocratic. At first glance, he appeared to be very refined and beautiful, but upon closer inspection, he had a hard edge to him. He was absolutely mesmerizing.
“Don’t worry about it. No harm no foul,” he purred, his voice deep and as smooth as rich caramel.
My brain had completely disconnected from my mouth and I couldn’t form a single coherent sentence. The mirth dancing behind his eyes and the smirk plastered on his perfectly formed lips said everything. He seemed to find my bewilderment amusing. I followed his gaze as it traced over all of my ample features, taking it all in with hunger that I hadn’t seen before. Having the curves that I did, I wasn’t unfamiliar with male attention, but this was different. His gaze was almost reverent and not in any way as disrespectful as some of the men before him had been. It was a look that made my mouth dry up and set loose a tornado of butterflies in my stomach.