Dark Like Me 2: Game of Desire

Chapter 7: Melt Away

When I get to the bar after pushing my way through the now thick crowd. I sit next to a young man with slanted chocolate colored eyes, kinky straight auburn colored hair that stops at his waist but is pulled back into a neat ponytail, a muscular build from the toned muscles in his arms, and a boxed knocked goatee with mocha brown skin tone to add to his handsomeness. When the strobe lights shined on him, I can now see the tone of his skin color a little clearly, he looked as though he maybe Native American. I could ask, but I don't want to offend him and get killed or something. I glance at him as he taps his fingers impatiently on the marble bar counter. I think I have seen him around the campus a few times talking to Visellia. 

A male bartender walks over to me, "What will it be, ma'am?"

I snap my eyes to the male bartender who is talking to me. 

I answer him, "Virgin strawberry daiquiri with a sour twist, please."

The bartender nods and goes to make my drink. Another bartender brings the young man beside me his drink. The young man plays with the rim of the cup by circling his finger around it.

"Something wrong?" I ask before I knew it.

The young man sighs, "Just knowing I should be studying instead of being here with friends." He tells me.

I nod and the bartender comes back with my drink, sets it in front of me under a napkin with a straw, then glides away to help other customers.

"I can relate to that. But, we all need a break sometimes, you know?"

"Yeah, I supposed so. Are you here with friends as well?" He asks after taking a swig of his drink, he looks directly at me and I am suddenly hypnotized by his eyes.

"Yes, they are sitting over there in a booth facing the dance floor." I nod my head in the direction of my friends.

The young man looks in the direction that I had tilted my head in. "Hey, those are my friends as well."

I raise my left brow. "Really?" I ask sipping my own drink.

"Yes. The one pouting is Cayne Ford; he has a bad attitude when things do not go his way. I guess with his parents being rich and all. So, he is used to being spoiled and getting what he wants, but with Visellia; it doesn't go his way."

I nod my head and chuckle, "I got that." Remembering the disgusted look Cayne gave her when he was pouting.

The young man smiles and continues, "Rory Allen is a decent girl. She is studying to be a fashionista; she makes her own clothes and gets paid to make other people's clothes on campus as well."

"That sounds like an awesome talent to have," I admit.

He sips his drink again. "It is. She made me this bad-ass jacket one year. I cannot wear it anymore due to gaining more muscle. But, it stays in the closet." He smiles. 

"Oh? I may have to ask her to make me something nice." I smile as well.

The young man chuckles at my statement, "Then there is Visellia Apelles. She is awesome as well. She has a knack for finding these awesome spots and can really cook her ass off."

"Is that so?" I arch my brow again in question. "She is my dorm mate and I have yet to see her cook anything."

That earned me a heartily laugh from the young man. I did not know what was so funny, but I did smile at how his features lightened when he laughed. I could not help but blush a little even though my dark skin complexion allowed no one to see it.

His laugh dies down to a chuckle, "That was funny. Trust me; I know what you are saying. I guess she only cooks when she feels like it. She should be studying to be a chef and not that sociology or whatever she changed it to."

"Well, what about you?" I ask stirring my drink with the straw then taking a sip. My curiosity is a little peaked at this young man.

When he is about to answer, Visellia comes up to us interrupting what the young man was about to say.

"There you are, Sirrah. I thought you were kidnapped or some crazy shit." Visellia shouts even though the music is not that loud anymore.

"No, I am having a conversation with this young man here." I point to the young man sitting next to me.

He waves to Visellia. "Hey."

Visellia folds her arms across her chest. "So, flirting with my new friend, eh?" She raises her eyebrows waiting for an answer.

"What?" He shouts completely shocked at the sudden accusation. "I wasn't...I mean...I..."

"Psh." Visellia playfully scoffs at the young man. "She is too good for you, Shi."

Shi's mouth gapes open. "Hey! I will have you know that I am a very good man and gentleman." He defends himself.

"I know. I know. I was just messing with you, Shiriki. Lighten up." Visellia quickly defuses the argument.

"Oh." Shiriki chuckles and finishes off his drink.

A different song comes on and Visellia whoops, "Oo, I love this song!" 

She rushes to the dance floor with a bunch of other people and disappears in the middle of the crowd.

Shiriki and I watch Visellia until she disappears into the crowd of people that have also began to flood the dance-floor. A few minutes after, Cayne and Rory ambles up to us.

"So, this is where you ran off to." Cayne groans at Shiriki.

"Yep. Talking to this lovely lady here." Shiriki compliments me.

I try not to smile too big at the compliment, I sip my drink to prevent it from forming.

Cayne gives me a once over with his eyes then rolls them. "If you say so."

Rory catches the snide remark and hits Cayne in his ribs with her elbow. Cayne doubles over in pain and nearly falls to the floor, coughing, but he catches himself on a bar-stool. Shiriki shakes his head at Cayne's remark.

"Care to dance?" Shiriki asks me.

Beaming, I giggle like a school girl, "Sure."

Shiriki sets his drink and my drink on the bar counter and pulls me into the crowd of dancing and jumping people on the dance floor. I jump up and down and dances with Shiriki and the crowd, feeling pumped and more hyped than normal. A wave of ecstasy washes over me and it soon feels as though all of my problems from Cole's abandonment or Andy's bad attitude washes away with each musical lyric that played through the speakers.