Chapter 1: Introduction
There are three things my mom always tells me: buckle up, call if you're going to be late, and never talk to strangers. Today, I broke all three.
The late-night bar I just walked into was dimly lit with red-tinted Edison bulbs that hung like stalactites from the ceiling, casting long shadows. The air was thick with smoke and something earthen, maybe incense or some licentious concoction brewed behind the bartender's station.
I looked around to take in my surroundings: a mishmash of velvet booths, cracked leather bar stools, and mysterious alcoves draped with velvet curtains.
It was a different world from my spartan apartment, a bubble removed from the city grime, with spaces designed to incite clandestine temptations. I felt a surge of excitement and nervousness that came from venturing into uncharted territories, and I welcomed it, if only for one evening.
I sauntered to the bar to quench my parched throat with a drink, maybe two—before returning home.
As I settled onto a rickety barstool, a ripple of awareness coursed through the room. I sensed it like a subtle wave that pulsed against my skin, reaching into the dark corners and shadows, as if bestowing\* an invitation for something secretive to emerge—a dance with the unknown.
And then, she appeared: luminous like the moon amidst the crowd, her emerald eyes captivating everyone in her wake.
Her porcelain skin glowed under the shadowy atmosphere of the bar, enhanced by the rosy shade of her lips and the inky midnight hair cascading down her shoulders. I felt a magnetic pull to her, a curiosity that surpassed all common sense, and I couldn't resist.
"M-may I join you?" she asked tentatively, her eyes flickering up at me. She was momentarily dazzled by the light behind me, obscuring her even more into the shadows.
"Please," I responded, smiling and gesturing towards the empty barstool beside me.