The Night At his Place - Duskwood

01 - The Waiting

The Aurora was crowded, stuffy, dark, and noisy. Laughter, music... Everything contrasted with the cold, gray atmosphere outside the bar.

Our entire group was gathered, chatting as if nothing terribly traumatic had happened to us just a year ago. Tomas and Hanna were so engrossed in their cuddles and whispers that they wouldn't notice anyone else in the world. Their love warmed my heart, and from their discreet smiles and shy laughs, It was clear that she was indeed happily recovering.

Cleo was having fun at Dan's expense, who had been drunk for a while, partly thanks to the drinks Phil kept sending over to me from the bar.

"Enough, Dan. We don't need another alcoholic in our group, you already count as two," Jessy exploded, interrupting Dan as he handed me back my glass, completely ignoring who was sending all these shots.

"TeLl thAt tO yoUr bRoThEr. I'm juSt... dOiNg dAmage coNtrOl," Dan replied, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and hugging me protectively.

I let out a restrained laugh. Jessy then stood up, gently holding onto my elbow.

"Alright, come on. Let's hit the restroom, MC. I don't want you recking of booze like Dan," Jessy said dramatically.

I followed her laughing, patting Dan on the back, implying that Jessy was right and that maybe he had reached his limit for the night. He smiled, bringing my glass to his lips once more.

With Jessy holding my hand, we made our way through the crowded hallway, passing newly formed couples, noisy groups of friends, and men trying to block our path to strike up a conversation. When we finally reached the hallway leading to the bathrooms, I heard a familiar voice stand out amidst the loud music.

"You two, come over here at the counter when you come back. I want a taste of Duskwood's most sought-after celebrity too," Phil shouted as he served a bottle to a group of men at the counter.

I smiled and waved, feeling more uncomfortable than anything else. We crossed the hallway, and as soon as the door to the women's bathroom closed, Jessy squeezed my arm.

"You know he likes you, right?" She said, as if decreeing a problem that required my solution.

"Me and ten others," I replied, looking at Jessy's reflection in the mirror.

"What do you mean?" She asked offended.

"You know what I mean, Jessy. Your brother is trouble."

She knew it, I knew it, and even Phil knew it: he wasn't interested in anything serious with me.

"Trouble can be fun," Jessy replied with a mischievous smile. "But seriously, I don't think you're giving him enough credit. He's a great guy... And I would never let him hurt my best friend."

"I don't doubt he's a great guy, he's just not right for me. Plus, what could you do if he actually decided to hurt me for real?" I said, trying not to sound rude. "I don't want to change anyone; let him be the player he wants to be."

"I could... help you bury his body," she said with a cute giggle. "I mean, I know you can take care of yourself. Sometimes I think it's him I should be worried about. You could be the first woman to get so much attention from him and still not give a damn about the poor guy," Jessy commented, casually touching up her makeup in the mirror.

"So case closed. Besides, you know I'm destined for another potentially painful relationship with an even more unpredictable person," I said, mimicking a drama narrator.

"You really do have a strange taste in men," Jessy's words took on a tone of sadness and disappointment.

"Oh, come on. I'm just kidding. He's the sweetest guy I've ever known," I replied, shaking off the discomfort about Jessy having so many opinions about my love life. She was my best friend, but sometimes I liked to decide things entirely on my own.

"But do you think you really know him? - Jessy said, turning away from the mirror and looking at me. "I think that's the problem. You think you know him, MC, but I don't think you do. This Jake could be just..."

"Shhhhhhh!" I suddenly interrupted. Even though Duskwood seemed quite safe - considering the small and slow police department - I was extremely cautious about anything related to Jake. I would never forgive myself if the police found him because of me.

"Okay, okay... Geez. But..." She continued, speaking in a low tone. "He could just be a fake profile or a nerd, a loner." Her eyes showed more curiosity than judgment.

"Well, nerd and loner are practically a given at this point," I smiled at her. "Anyway, you know I can't say much about him. Stop being so curious, please," I said, squeezing her hand, grateful for her concern but certain that Jake wouldn't hurt me... At least not on purpose.

A year ago, when the mine caught fire, Jake simply disappeared. He vanished completely off the radar not only for the authorities but also for me. Alan Bloomgate was aware of our connection and naturally kept an eye on me for a long time after the incident. The plan was to ensure that the police believed Jake had died in that inferno, so he wasn't able to give me any kind of proof of life, not even by code. Jessy witnessed my sadness during that time. I just couldn't accept the fact that I might never talk to him again.

Then, he reappeared. Trust was regained, and although I hadn't seen Jake's face yet, we developed a fairly "normal" long-distance relationship, talking almost daily. After almost a year, it seemed like the right time had finally come, and we could meet. The whole case about Hanna's kidnapping had cooled down, the plan seemed to have worked, paving the way for our meeting at the Aurora.

But Jake was very late that night.