Sometimes it's strange to think back to when you met someone, and have no memory of it, like they had always been part of your life for as long as you could remember... Other times you can remember it as vividly as what could have happened to you just moments ago.
Being able to reminisce when thinking about things- not just how you met someone, or when you heard a certain song for the first time, or even when you fell in love, is nice. This is kind of about remembering all of those things at once.
°°°°°°°°°°°°
I sat on my bed, sketching out some logo designs when my phone began to ring, interrupting me from my thoughts. Glaring at the distracting little screen, a smile quickly came to my face when I noticed that the caller ID read 'Olli.'
"Hey!" I answered excitedly, thrilled to be hearing from my friend so soon.
"Hello, Lucy," he said happily. "How are you?" he asked, his accent clinging to his words.
"I'm good, how are you?"
"I'm great- well, not great," he corrected himself, "but I'm okay."
"Yeah, I heard about the divorce... I'm really sorry, Olli," I said sincerely.
"Hey, it happens. Better things will come... Anyway, I didn't call to be sad; I called to see what you were doing tonight."
"Tonight? Nothin', just drawing up some logos and stuff," I said nonchalantly, holding the phone between my ear and shoulder as I continued to sketch and shade.
"Well, then perhaps you wouldn't mind coming to a club to hang out with me and Pepe."
"Wait, you guys are here?" I asked, dropping my pencil and sitting up straighter.
"Yeah," he said with a laugh. "We wanted to surprise you, after all, you did have a birthday recently."
"I did, and luckily for you guys, I'm free," I said, trying to contain my excitement. "Where were you guys thinking of going?" I asked, glancing at the clock.
"The Viper Room," he said loudly, trying to be heard over the background noise. "Pepe, shut up!" he yelled off to the side. "Sorry, I didn't catch it if you said anything; dude's being obnoxious," he said with a chuckle.
"I didn't say anything yet, but if I did, it would be, 'what time?'"
"Mmm, maybe, like," he thought for a moment and mumbled something in Finnish. "Eight thirty?"
"Sounds like a deal."
"Alright; we'll meet you there," he said.
"Okay, see you soon," I replied happily before hanging up.
After about an hour, I got up and opened my closet with a sigh, looking for something to wear. I decided on some leather leggings and a rose colored off the shoulder top, and set to work on my hair and makeup.
°°°°°°
"Hey, Lucy- oh, you look nice," my dad said, looking up from his phone as I headed down the stairs. "Where are you going?" he asked, pulling on one of my curls.
"The Viper Room; Olli and Pepe wanted me to meet them there," I said with a smile, brushing his hand away.
"Olli and Pepe?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the names.
"You know Olli and Pepe," I reassured with a laugh. "Remember, the Finns?"
"Oh yeah! The two weird dudes-"
"They're no weirder than you, Taime," I said pointedly.
"Fair enough," he said, rising his hands in surrender. "What time do you think you'll be back?" he asked me as I put on my shoes.
"I don't know, probably late; I wouldn't suggest waiting up."
"Well let me know when you're on your way home- or if you're going somewhere else," he said.
"Taime, you know that I'm twenty-one, right? You don't have to worry so much. I'll let you know."
"You're my only daughter; it's my job to worry," he said, smiling tiredly at me. "And the fact that you're twenty-one isn't the most reassuring."
"I know, I know. I'll see you later," I mumbled, giving him a hug before grabbing my keys and heading for the door.
°°°°°°
"No, but that's not the point," I insisted, "the point is that he is only one person, but he counts as two of the seven psychopaths, which is the part that makes me crazy! I don't count him as two people, so it really throws me off."
"It's just a movie, Lucy, relax," Pepe said with a laugh, knowing that I wasn't going to let the argument die.
"I'm fired up, what can I say?" I asked with a laugh.
"I should adopt you," Olli said, his eyes shining with amusement.
"Adopt me?" He nodded.
"We like your sense of humor, and we like you being around. I kinda wanna keep you forever. Tour would never be boring."
"Well, you'll have to take that up with my dad," I said with a laugh.
"I will when I see him again someday," he said with a smile and a nod, taking a sip of his beer.
"He really will," Pepe confirmed with a laugh. He looked over at his friend, who nodded with a smile. "Well... let's go mingle, eh?" he suggested. "We've been sitting here all night," he added as he clapped Olli on the shoulder, waving to me as he waited for the blonde to follow him.
"See you around, kid- oh! And happy belated birthday," Olli said once more, giving me a hug before they both wandered off.
I watched after them with a smile as they melted into the crowd and the neon lights, laughing with each other.
This club was buzzing tonight, and there was not a doubt in my mind that they would find something to do or someone to talk to. The floor was filled with men and women, all dancing and drinking, celebrating for one reason or another, or in some cases, just blowing off steam. Being that I was a people watcher, I was content where I was, until something distracted me from my observations.
"You know he's not joking, right?" I head a voice say from beside me.
Looking over my right shoulder, I noticed a very handsome man with long hair leaning against the bar with his arms crossed. He had some tattoos and a nose piercing, but what stood out the most was the bright blue eyes surrounded by a mess of golden blonde hair and the sparrow tattooed on the back of his hand.
"I'm sorry?" I asked, completely blanking on what ever it was that he was talking about.
"Olli; he really would try to adopt you if he could."
"Oh," I laughed, "yeah, I figured he was mostly serious on that one." I took a sip of my drink and directed my attention back to the dance floor, where a woman in a gold sequin dress was flirting with Pepe.
"I'm Archie," he said into my ear, much closer now than he was before.
"Lucy," I said, smiling at him.
"Lucy? Pretty name... what brings you here, Lucy?"
"Seeing friends, watching people, nothin' special. And you, Archie?"
"Friends," he said simply, also watching Pepe and the woman he was dancing with. "He looks like an idiot, but he's a nice guy," he said with a laugh.
"Yeah, not the best dancer I've ever seen," I agreed. "At least he's having fun."
"Yeah." he chuckled and ran his fingers through his long hair. "So, how do you know them?"
"I was just about to ask you the same thing," I said with a laugh. "I met them about two years ago. "My dad and I happened to meet them by accident, but we clicked and we're all friends still."
"That's cool," he said. "I've toured with them before; all of us Finnish guys seem to know each other," he said. "Olli and I also have a band together," he added.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. The Local Band. Bassist Archie Cruz," he said with laugh.
"Ah, so that's why you seem so familiar!" I said, recognizing his last name.
"Do I?"
"Yeah," I said with a giggle. "Hey, feel free to sit down if you'd like. I don't bite," I said, motioning to the vacant bar stool beside me.
"Don't mind if I do," he said with a smile, taking a seat beside me. "So, do you come here a lot?"
"Nope, this is my second time here. I don't usually go out."
"What?! A beautiful girl like you must go on dates all of the time!" he said in disbelief.
I shook my head, a light laugh leaving my lips.
"No, see, I'm avoided like the plague. I don't go on dates. I guess I'm too busy traveling to find anyone who'll put up with me," I joked, thinking as I sipped at my drink.
"I can't believe that anyone would want avoid you."
"When people get to know me a little better they seem to think it's better to head for the hills," I said with a shrug. "I agree with them."
"I'll take that as a challenge."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. I'm willing to bet all of the money in the world that I will never get tired of you," he said sweetly, his bright blue eyes sparkling.
"You sure you wanna risk it?" I asked playfully.
"Absolutely."
With a chuckle, I looked at my drink, my awkwardness temporarily killing the conversation. I didn't know what to say now and I slowly felt the conversation slipping away.
I mentally cursed myself for not being more outgoing; high school was like this, too; my shyness would take away from a moment, and my anxieties would make it harder to save the conversation.
"So, how can I contact you later?" he asked smoothly.
Archie to my awkward rescue.
"Oh, here, let me give you my number," I offered with a jump, mentally thanking him.
"Thank you," he said as I entered my number into his phone. "May I?" he asked, pointing to my phone on the bar.
"Of course," I replied, handing it to him.
"There we go," he said after a moment. "Now we can get to know each other a little better; more time to talk other than just tonight."
"Perfect," I said, and I meant it. He seemed nice, and my god, he was devilishly handsome.
His eyes were mesmerizing, like glittering blue gems that could see right through you. They had a strange dangerous quality to them, but like the ocean, they also had a beautiful calm. His gaze was soothing and serene, so I didn't mind when we locked eyes every now and then.
His wavy blonde hair was messy, but in a sexy way that gave him that 'devil-may-care' rock and roll look. His brown roots peeked out ever so slightly, however, it was in a way that was still very attractive. I noticed that he had a habit of pushing the long locks out of his face and fluffing it out with his fingers.
The tattoos on his hands and arms were beautiful; brightly colored in all of the right places. The tiny heart under his right eye was badass just because it was on his face, but it was also very charming. just like his smile. Overall, he seemed sweet rather than intimidating.
"So, where do you go when you travel?" he asked.
"Well, usually just around the states. I've been to England once, but that's about it."
"Really? Well, we are going to have to change that someday. You can come with us to Finland," he said with a smile.
"That would be fun," I agreed before finishing off my drink and checking the time on my phone. It was still early; just a little after 10 o'clock.
"Hey, Lucy?"
"Yes?"
"Would you care to do a shot or two with me?" he asked hopefully.
"Sure," I said with a smile.
He smiled and ordered two shots for each of us, thanking the bartender and sliding him the proper amount of money.
"To great things," he purred, raising his first shot.
"Great things," I agreed, raising my shot as well, "and good times," I added as our shots clinked together and we tapped them on the bar before downing them.