Painting Flowers

Jack wasn’t too hard to find.

It took three phone calls and a handful of Nancy Drew sleuthing tips to locate him in the back of a dingy strip club with a tall brunette attached to his lips. In a Jerry Springer knockoff-move I pushed against his shoulder blade and forced him away from the half-naked dancer.

The swirling orbs of light from the disco balls overhead spun in Jack’s eyes as recognition finally began to set in. “You’re fucking crazy,” the musician hurled at me.

Although I wasn’t expecting the warmest of welcomes, the accusation caught me off-guard. It was to my surprise when Alex stepped, “Hey, you decided to go missing. We were trying to find your ass all over town.”

“Doesn’t give her the right to come in here and push me around,” Jack grumbled while touching a near-empty glass of vodka to his lips. Taking a second look, I noticed that his eyes were spider webbed with red. Jack wasn’t drunk, just using alcohol as the remedy to a hangover.

After he set it back on the fingerprinted glass table I snatched the drink and took the last shot myself. I couldn’t stand Jack making himself miserable for no good reason. As everyone stared at me, I shrugged, “Sorry, I was thirsty.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I surveyed his companion with curiosity. She was a pretty girl with a little too much makeup on. The overdone eyelashes and mascara made her features garish instead of enhancing her natural beauty. Maybe that’s what the dancers did intentionally. Hide their features from the world so that the horny middle-aged men sneaking out the backdoor at close went home with only a vague memory and less dollar bills.

Instead of getting caught in the drama, the dancer discretely left the table and readjusted her thong on the way to the stage. She knew that money was to be found elsewhere that night. Easy come, easy go. But it wasn’t my place to judge her or the profession she was involved in. Hell, I made a third of my rent because of the drunk bar patrons that hit on me and tipped me extra.

I turned my attention from the gyrating pole dancers to the conversation at hand. Alex had been busy explaining the search sounding very much like a New York Times reporter. In contrast, Jack looked sullen, almost resembling a small child. The repetitive dance beat pumping from the loudspeakers drowned out the finer details of Alex’s words which seemed to somewhat please the other musician.

It was strange seeing Jack again after sleeping with him. Something about his demeanor tipped me off that he was thinking along the same lines. My body yearned for him again. Whether it was from knowing he was the last person to touch me or actual feelings, I wasn’t sure. Audrey Parish wasn’t too good about tapping into the feelings department. The mere thought made me squirm.

Anything too real frightened me. Anytime I let someone in they ended up stamping all over my heart. Case and point: the most recent ex-boyfriend, Ethan. We had shared much more together than a bed. And now he was gone, off to better things with a different girlfriend.

I worked hard to prevent those thoughts from creeping back up into my consciousness. Sometimes it was impossible. And those were the moments I drank away. With that, I signaled to the female bar tender dressed in a typical white T-shirt and black shorts. “Another one of these.” I held the glass up for identification and she began the drink-making process.

In mental defeat, I took a seat at the table with Jack and began to make myself comfortable. Or as comfortable as one can be in a strip club when reminiscing of the scars in recent past. After receiving the fresh drink, I slipped on the alcohol steadily, taking in the surroundings.

The anger directed at Jack was quenched due to my somber mood and the overall feeling of relief at finding the musician safe and sound. The two best friends took the next few minutes to catch up. Jack had been missing-in-action for quite some time and seemed to be out of the loop with his friend. But after a few minutes of the endless chatter even the vodka couldn’t silence the dark thoughts ebbing their way into the crevices of my mind.

Ethan.

That was all I could focus on. My heart began to drop and instead of finding the atmosphere fun and upbeat, it began to smother me. “I’m stepping outside.” I interrupted one of the boys, but didn’t particularly care.

“Guess I’m paying for your drink.” Jack shouted. I didn’t stopped to answer him or acknowledge his words. Weaving my way through the foot traffic and stiletto heels, I finally made it to the other side of the room and out into the cool air.

I rummaged through my pocket and scrounged up my last cigarette. Lighting it in an instant, I leaned against the chipped pink walls of the club and stared at the flickering neon light overhead advertising ‘Hot Honeys.’ Somewhere down the way there was a domestic dispute next to an old pickup truck, but I didn’t strain to hear.

In and out the smoke went. Tonight I was just doing all sorts of hazardous health violations. That didn’t seem to matter at the moment. In the back of my mind I wondered whether Cain would still be awake for a late night affair. I might need to find a new job, but something like that was sure to ease my mind.

As I was just about to locate a phone to make the call, Jack came out of the club and noticed me on the sidewalk. “Picked up your drink tab.”

“Thanks,” I told him quietly. It was rare for me to have a silent moment. “Next drinks are on me.”

“Might have to take you up on that.” He half-smiled. The night air seemed to be clearing his head and lifting his mood. “Alex was about to head on out of here, but I was planning on moving to another bar.”

“Are naked girls involved?” I questioned hesitantly, remembering the dancers from inside.

Surprisingly, Jack actually laughed. It seemed a little stale from lack of use, “Not if you have any objections. I was just looking for a drinking buddy.”

I put the stub of the cigarette out on the concrete. “Not sure that I’ll be that much fun tonight to go out with. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

“Alcohol helps.”

“Somewhat.” My smile was crooked. Another thought entered my mind, “Why’d you go running off earlier? Hopefully it wasn’t my dashing good looks.”

The bandmate rolled his eyes, “You’ve got a pretty big ego.”

“Could say the same for you.” My eyes narrowed and my words sent an arrow right through him, “You avoided my question. I don’t give up easily, you know.”

“Come out with me tonight and I’ll tell you.” Jack urged. This change of heart was a total flip from the earlier man I had seen tonight. The way his eyes met mine communicated that there was much more going on than just the surface level.

I shivered. Whether it was from the rolling breeze or Jack’s gaze I couldn’t tell. I didn’t take the time to decipher it, only to answer, “Sorry, I don’t feel like going to a bar tonight.”

Jack smiled down at me, “I’ve got a place in mind. Just trust me.”

He held out his hand and for some crazy reason I accepted it.