Closeted freshman student, Aries Buan, falls in love with his senior after getting partnered with him during their freshman orientation. Afraid to admit his feelings, he kept his emotion in check and watched his first love from afar, swearing to him...
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I GOT TO THE address that Gelo sent a little bit earlier than I expected, so when I arrived at the front door, the bar wasn't even open yet, and all I could do was wait like an idiot outside.
"Do I just knock?" I ask myself, awkwardly scratching the back of my head while I stare at the screen of my phone, pretending like I am looking at something, but, in reality, I was trying to act busy so others won't look at me weirdly.
I continued to stand outside the bar for a couple more minutes, but after a while, I decided to call Gelo and ask him if I was being scammed. But right before I could even dial his number, someone suddenly pats my back, immediately making me turn around.
A man about 6 feet tall appears in front of me. He was a big guy, and I felt like he could slap me once, and I'll be knocked out in an instant. He's probably the bouncer here.
"Sir, the bar is closed and will open at 8:00 PM. You can come back by then," he tells me.
"No, my apologies. I'm here for work. A friend of mine, Angelo Sanchez, asked me to come here," I explained, hoping Gelo didn't fuck me over and trick me into coming to a bar at a time like this.
The bouncer furrowed his brows in confusion, but then he snapped his fingers as if he had a eureka moment. "Oh! You're Gelo's guy," the bouncer says, almost making me roll my eyes in annoyance because of how I was labeled. "He called a couple of minutes ago. Madam Scarlet's already waiting for you inside."
Madam Scarlet?
"Follow me. I'll lead you to her," he then says, opening the large door and heading inside first while I follow behind him.
We got inside the bar, and to my surprise, the inside looked bigger and fancier than I imagined. There's a bunch of tables and a large bar area, and then there's a stage with a ton of lights. For a second, I didn't think much of it, but then I noticed a silver bar in the middle of the stage. It took me a while to realize that it was actually a stripper pole.
Wait, what kind of bar is this? Is Gelo really trying to get me expelled?
"Morning Big Joe," a man wiping the table says, and the bouncer—who is apparently referred to as Big Joe—smiles and waves at him.
We went backstage and stopped in front of a door with a star symbol. "She's inside. Just tell her you're from Gelo," he says before patting my back and walking back to his post before I could even thank him.
I took a deep breath and fixed myself to look presentable. After fixing my hair for the tenth time, I finally knocked on the door.
"Come in!" A voice from inside the room shouts after my third knock.
I slowly opened the door and stuck my head inside. I couldn't really dissect what I was looking at because I was welcomed with bright lights, a ton of colorful feathers, and the smell of perfume mixed with cigarettes.
