March 2007
Boston, MA, USA

Allow me to let you in on a secret, one I wouldn't dare tell anyone else.

Despite my neutral expression, despite my scientific mind, and despite all my cynicism, I'm an eternal optimist. Sure, I'd rather be alone in my dorm room. Not gonna lie. But this night doesn't have to be all bad, right? It can't possibly be as horrendous as--

No, no! I take it all back.

Horror is in the eye of the beholder. And this is fucking terrible.

As soon as I enter the nightclub beside my best friend Helena, it reeks. A potent miasma of sweat, perfume, alcohol, and pure lust. The raw bass hurts my eardrums and the strobe light has triggered my flicker vertigo to the point it's making me seasick. But I grit my teeth and bear it.

For her.

Cliques of people huddle like lost lambs, bleating for more alcohol and sex. It's all the disgusting aspects of humanity wrapped inside one convenient yet expensive little package called Soulless Knight.

Man, the name makes the club sound so much cooler than it is.

Maybe that's what I should call my comic book...

Dressed to kill in a skin-tight red dress that ends mid-thigh, Helena has accepted the crook of my arm. Here we stand just inside the entrance of the exclusive venue. You know the kind? One with semicircular nooks complete with ornate tables and beautifully upholstered booths?

It's so fancy I've had to don my gray suit and Oxfords. Hope to hell no one barfs or spills a drink on me because it's the only fancy attire I own. If it gets ruined, no way can I afford a replacement. And I don't need Helena taking pity on me.

Again...

"This means a lot to me, Ace," Helena whispers. "Thank you."

A polite smile tugs at my lips. "Thank you for inviting me."

She's the only one for whom I'd enter such a place, I swear.

And she damn well knows it.

I hate parties. And I really fucking hate clubs. But I do love Helena, and I want to make sure she and her friends stay safe. So here I am. Contrary to all logic, reason, and moral fiber.

Guess there's one saving grace: I do love to dance. After years of practice and training with Helena, I'm not half-bad at it.

"Hey, Hellz!" exclaims a crass, familiar voice over the music.

There's Ariana, waving as she approaches, a veritable Greek goddess. Onyx waves, gorgeous curves, and the darkest, most soulful eyes you've ever seen. She's also got an expressive face. It's like she lays her heart and soul on a silver platter for all the world to see. Endearing and a bit disarming. Bouncing around like there's coffee in her veins instead of blood, she's a tiny little bundle of unfettered energy.

When Ariana hugs Helena, it's like a fluffy unicorn meets a Terminator robot. They're partners in crime. Even though they're complete opposites in almost every way.

Ariana turns to me. "Bring it in, Ian!"

When she extends her arms, I bend down and wrap her in a warm embrace. Caught in her vice-like grip, part of me could imagine myself with a girl like her. Short, cute, smart. Except for one problem: I could never keep up with all that extraversion. Four hours with her tops up my sociometer for an entire week.

"I brought someone for you to meet," says Ariana in a singsong.

Oh, damn it! Not again!

Why do people always do this? You say you're happy being single, but they can't accept no for an answer. They set you up. Invariably it goes wrong, ruining the entire night, when you could have enjoyed some fun with your friends instead.

"Don't gimme that look!" Ariana gives me a playful little smack. "You'd be perfect for one another. I've known her since forever, for fuck's sake!"

Ariana also curses like a pirate whose last bottle of rum got smashed in a bar fight. Believe it or not, this is her toning it down.

"Thank you, but no thank you."

"C'mon! Sylvia's wicked smart and super driven," she gushes. "Super sexy, yet conservative like you. She loves all the nerdy sci-fi fantasy shit you like. At least give it a chance."

Tempting. Very tempting.

"Once you catch one glimpse of her," concludes Ariana with a dramatic flourish, "you won't be able to look away."

A wry chuckle slips past my lips. Highly unlikely.

"Alright, cut it out!" says Helena in a tone that makes Ariana stand like a startled meerkat. "Ian is perfectly capable of choosing his own girlfriend."

"Just sayin'," Ariana mutters, half-annoyed, half-hurt, but it only lasts five milliseconds before she bounces toward some other friends she's found. "Be right back."

"Sorry about her." Helena shakes her head and smooths her mouth into a thin line. "She means well."

"I know."

"Wanna dance?"

"You know it."

Helena leads me to the floor and starts to shift her weight to the music until I match her rhythm. She's taught me how to hold her gaze and how to move on the dance floor without looking like a deranged puppet.

Trust me, it did not come easily, but it was worth the effort.

Electricity crackles between us.

In those heels, she's almost as tall as me. Legs for miles. No curves at all. Not even her face, which is all harsh angles and high cheekbones.

Where Ariana is short and cute, Helena is sleek, svelte, and graceful. Where Ariana is from the lower-middle class, raised by her mama and yaya, Helena comes from a prominent family of well respected lawyers.

My best friend is the reason we've both got access to this den of misery.

Lucky us.

What's striking about Helena, though? It isn't her posture or her provenance. It's her eyes. They're this unusual sapphire blue. When her blonde waves frame her face, it's a work of art.

More than that, when Helena stares, it isn't at you. Or near you. It's through you. They pierce deep down to your core, to the essence of your being. They can make you feel seen in the most beautiful and terrifying of ways.

Despite her incredible poise and grace, when she speaks it's with all the subtlety of a Panzer tank. With an intellect that's harsh and unyielding.

If you meet her on the academic battlefield, she'll eviscerate you.

Without mercy.

I'll give you three guesses as to her future profession.

"Loosen up, Ian." Helena runs her hand over my closely cropped buzz cut. "Stop thinking. Stop analyzing for two seconds and live in the moment."

That flips a switch in my mind.

After Helena twirls from me, she returns with her back to my front. She places her hands upon mine and leads them to her hips.

"Hellz?"

"Relax," she whispers. "You're the only guy I trust to touch me. In fact, you're the only guy in my life full stop."

When the DJ cranks up the volume, Helena begins to grind against me. We don't actually touch, but it gives the optical illusion that her ass is pressing against my crotch with each sensual swing of her hips.

She's right. Most guys would have taken her into a dark corner by now. Not me, though. Even if I did like her that way, I pride myself on my self-control.

"That's it." Helena turns to me and speaks in a sensual voice. "Forget the past. Forget the future. Lose yourself in the moment."

"God, Hellz. You're like the devil on my shoulder."

"Tease her," she breathes. "Make her want you."

"Who?"

"The girl who can't take her eyes off you," she says with a chuckle. "Don't tell me you didn't notice."

"I didn't."

"Ten o'clock," she whispers in my ear. "Your very own Revna Engel."

Because Helena's the only one who has seen my drawings, she knows about the dark fantasy character who haunts my dreams. A figment of my imagination, Revna features in every single sketch I've ever made.

After scanning the room, my eyes quickly home in on a girl whose skin glows an eerie shade of pale in this unnatural light.

That's when our gazes meet for the first time.

Holy Jesus!

This girl--this lady--is the embodiment of my every secret desire. All the elements of Gothic beauty without the over-the-top makeup, hairstyle, or clothing to go with it. Dark hair, pulled back in a severe bun. A prominent widow's peak like a vampire. A round face that might be almost angelic if not for the analytical harshness of her gaze.

Silently judging.

Her glazed eyes tell me Goth Girl's lost in a secret fantasy. But there's a hint of wistfulness. Almost melancholic. So lost that she doesn't realize she's staring. She reminds me of a horror version of Alice in Wonderland, caught in a waking dream. And I long to know what's dancing through her mind's eye.

Horror is in the eye of the beholder. And she's fucking gorgeous.

Does she feel as lost here as me?

"Closer," says Helena. "Drive her crazy."

"Are you certain?"

"It's just a bit of fun," she says. "Make her wish she was me."

Jesus Christ! It's like the two of them together have set my body on fire. The electric gaze of that girl plus the tantalizing sensuality of Helena's body against mine have heightened every sense and every nerve.

In my mind's eye I'm dancing with Goth Girl instead of Helena.

That's when my best friend turns around again and arches against me. The entire time, I can't take my eyes off the Gothic princess who has captured my attention. After drawing a sip through a straw, she pops her lips.

Helena whispers in my ear, "Go get her, tiger."

All gawky limbs, I approach Goth Girl's table and mutter, "Can I sit here?"

She narrows her eyes. "What?"

Somehow I muster the courage to repeat my request.

"What?" She stands more than a foot shorter than me. "I'm hard of hearing in places with lots of loud background noise. Talk in my ear, please?"

When I bend down to the pretty little shell, it almost does me in.

To my great relief, Goth Girl doesn't reek of alcohol.

After two failed tries, I've found my confidence at last. "May I sit beside you, please?"

"Yes, go ahead!"

The way Goth Girl smiles up at me, so innocent and kind, almost unravels my mind. Do good girls like her go to places like this? If so, why? And why is she alone?

"It would make it a lot easier to hear you," she adds. "Or across from me so I can read your lips."

God, can I kiss your lips instead?

I shoo the thought away and scoot into the booth beside her. And I continue to lean over and talk near her ear.

"Why aren't you dancing like the others?"

"Because I suck at it." She speaks louder than necessary, probably because she can't tell. "To be honest, I don't know what I'm doing here."

"Not your scene?"

"Heck, no." She laughs and takes another sip of her soda. "I came here with my roommate. Ugh, she dragged me here to meet some guy."

"Didn't like him, huh?"

"He hasn't shown up yet." She groans. "But he'll probably be a loser. Who goes to a place like this voluntarily to pick up girls?"

Raising my eyebrows, I laugh. Only then does she register what she's said and flushes crimson.

"Gosh, I didn't mean you, sorry." She shakes her head. "You seem really polite and kind. Your girlfriend is very lucky."

"Girlfriend?"

"Yeah, the pretty blonde lady."

"She isn't my girlfriend, look!"

I point at Helena dancing with languid movements and a sensual stare while a pretty redhead grinds against her. Just her type. Short and slender with a boyish physique. Some random guy stares at the two ladies from a foot away as though strategizing his next move. Social chess. Other people are gathering around my best friend and her pretty dance partner.

That's Helena's superpower: rallying people and drawing them close.

Except Ariana. She's dancing nearby with a big, burly dude that looks like a football player. I've kept half an eye on them for any signs of trouble.

So far, so good.

"Oh! It just looked like..."

"We do that for fun," I say. "We aren't together. I'm single."

"You are?" She sounds astonished before her voice turns slightly wary. "Are you--?"

"You're pretty." I stop her before she asks the question I dread to hear from almost every girl. Simply because I'm a traditionalist who doesn't fuck every girl he meets on the first date. "I'd like to get to know you better."

She sighs, almost in relief. "If only we weren't in such a loud place!"

"If only I weren't on guard duty," I say. "And the designated driver."

But, alas, here I am. At least I've got decent company. Maybe.

"Where do you go to college?"

"MIT." I cast my gaze away, self-conscious. "You?"

"Wow, that's amazing! What do you study?"

Inwardly I cringe. Here we go...

Her eyes will glaze over in three, two, one...

"Five-year master's degree in computer science and engineering."

Her eyes twinkle. "What I wouldn't give for a brain like yours!"

Wait, what?

The way Goth Girl gazes up at me with this look of pure admiration. It isn't what I expected. Most girls think my subject is boring and expect I'll be boring too as a result.

My heart swells with pride while I try my best to keep it real. "What about you?"

"I'm a freshman studying political science and German at Holy Cross," she says, and my jaw drops. "What?"

"Holy Cross?" My throat turns dry. "Who's your roommate?"

"Ariana Petrakis?" She furrows her brow. "Why? Do you know her?"

My heart plummets to my stomach. Jesus! Goth Girl's my blind date? 

Damn it! If I'd known Goth Girl was the lady Ariana had planned to set me up with, I would never have walked away. Or teased her by dancing with Helena. Or approached her without thinking.

"You look like I told you I came with the Grim Reaper," she says with a curled lip. "Ariana's not that scary, I promise. How do you know her?"

"She's friends with Helena, the girl I was dancing with."

"The blonde girl is Helena?" She parts her lips. "That means you're--?" She does this cute thing where she turns away and covers her mouth in one swift motion. "Gosh, I didn't know you were my blind date!"

"Neither did I."

We stare at each other, incredulous for a second, before bursting into laughter. Hers is cute. Heartfelt. Genuine, if a bit embarrassed.

"I should have followed Ariana to the dance floor like she asked." She covers her face with her hands. "None of this would have happened."

And just like that, this Goth Girl begins to melt the ice around my heart. Maybe because she's authentic? Despite the harshness of her features, there's a softness. A sweetness. 

One that draws me in like a freaking magnet.

A soft chuckle. "Hey, it's no big deal. We can pretend they never set us up in the first place and get to know one another the old-fashioned way."

She gives me a wary look. "As friends right?"

My heart sinks a little. "If that's what you want, sure."

"At first, yes." She gives a curt nod. "I have big plans, so I can't allow myself to get distracted by dating. Besides, my faith doesn't allow it."

Whoa, color me impressed! And disappointed. And confused. The collision crashes my brain like it's an overheated motherboard. "As you wish..."

Who the hell says that? Pull yourself together, man!

Sylvia gives me a broad smile, though I'm not sure why.

Unless she's one of the few girls who admires Darth Vader more than Han Solo. Wouldn't put it past her, to be honest. She's a bit of an odd duck, but that makes her all the more intriguing.

Before I can dig any deeper, Ariana comes rushing to the table, dragging my best friend behind her. "Hey, Vee! I see you've met Ian. And this is my friend Helena. They both play D&D online! Whaddya think? Should we join them?"

Vee...I wonder what that stands for? 

Victoria? Veronica? Vanessa?

Nah...

Vee gives Helena a demure smile and shakes her hand. "Sure, I'd love to join you. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Sylvia."

Sylvia...what a beautiful name.

No, no! She doesn't want to date. Stop that!

"C'mon, let's dance!" exclaims Ariana. "You too, Ian."

Caught in the whirlwind that is Ariana Petrakis, Sylvia and I dance as a group with Helena and Ariana. Though I stand close enough to Sylvia that she's in my general vicinity, I make sure not to get too close. Just like she asked. 

Gotta respect the lady's wishes, no matter how I feel.

When Sylvia bounces to the rhythm, a beautiful smile crosses her lips. To my surprise, she casts a furtive glance my way before her eyes dart away again.

What does that mean? Doesn't she want to stay single?

Or is she simply cautious of men she meets in clubs?

Though I try not to stare, I can't help the occasional glance. It's like Revna Engel has come to life right before my eyes, the dark fantasy character I created to ease my loneliness because no woman has touched my heart.

Until now.

And I can't even admit it to her.

___

Word count: 2,835
Total word count: 2,835/40,000

Achievement unlocked: 2,000 words!