He Said, She Said

He wasn't exactly looking for love. He wasn't exactly not. He was just doing his job as a sleazy strip-club DJ, announcing some semi-erotic competition which required people to show the DJ a tattoo in order to get free tickets to a big-screen UFC event. She nonchalantly strolled up to the front of the line, dropped her pants to show the word "Bitch" in scroll tattooed across one of her ass-cheeks. She was cute as a button. She won tickets. But she didn't go away. She said, "You know, I know you." Suuuuure she did. Everyone knows the DJ. He was cocky and arrogant in his comfortable DJ role and responded with his usual comic line. "Yeah, we used to date a couple of years ago." She was not amused, but she was also not deterred. "No. We didn't." He thought her tattoo was all too accurate, but she continued. "But we're gonna." Now she had his attention and she softened her defensive posture. "Actually, I do know you. We met a couple of years ago at Peter Pan Water Park. I was with my kids and you were with yours and your girlfriend."
A flood of memory hit his mind and he remembered the petite bikini clad lovely who had struck up a conversation with him. She was cute, sexy, and obviously very articulate and intelligent. The electricity between them had been apparent, even noticed uncomfortably by her chaperoning mother, but as they were both in relationships, they had gone their separate ways and fallen out of memory - or so he thought.
He was stunned and flattered that she remembered him. He was amazed that a 'real' woman was approaching him in the club and he couldn't resist. It was his habit to offer his number instead of asking for hers so that girls didn't feel like he was coming on too strong. "Can I give you my number so we can go out for coffee or something sometime?" She was coy and confident and responded through a sensual grin. "I'll never call you. You're the boy. You call me," and she scrolled a number on a piece of paper. She paused and looked at him. "Do you still have a girlfriend?" There was a moment of knowing laughter in the DJ booth as he looked around at his smug posse of groupies. The conversation in the booth immediately prior had been about how his latest girlfriend had abruptly and emotionally violently left him. He was definitively single, and through an equally coy grin, told her so. At that knowledge she smiled even bigger, scratched out the number and wrote a different one beneath it. "In that case, you can have my private cell number." She thrust the paper into his astonished and enamoured face, flipped her long hair as she spun around and wiggled confidently away in that way a girl does when she knows she is being watched but pretending she doesn't. At the end of the night, she was not so composed. She stumbled across him, half-drunk and surprised as he closed up the club. She was embarrassed and rambled on pathetically about not usually being a drinker, and how she hoped he would not judge her, and she was adamant that he must still call. He was bemused. He grinned. He assured her - several times - that he would call. She stumbled away. He couldn't wait to call.

They met at the public pool. His kids weren't with him, but hers were. It was a strange 'first date' but as mutual parents, not that strange. He was happy to be able to see her in her bikini again. It wasn't awkward. A week of flirting via text-message had broken the ice nicely. But she was distant, reserved, cautious. He played with her kids and they had fun. She softened again. He attempted affection. She rejected it and pushed him away. He became wary. He didn't try to kiss her good-bye when he left, but was very careful to remember to kiss her hand. They decided to meet again, for a real date.

He picked her up in his family-sized mini-van. She was forgiving. She had kids too, and drove more or less the same thing. He had the evening planned. A semi-classy sushi restaurant with aristocratic ambience would be just the thing. They parked and walked to the front door. 'Closed'! for the annual staff party - the only day all year it was closed. Typical. She was forgiving again, and they decided to stroll about downtown to see what they could find. She suggested another sushi restaurant of which she knew and instructed him to follow her. She was also enamoured and lost in thought - moreover, lost. She had no idea where she was going but he followed blindly. It began to dawn on him that every corner, of which she was sure it was just up ahead, was going to go on ad infinitum. Luck! - an intimate little Asian restaurant that was a local favourite of his was right there. It was not exactly upscale, but he figured he had better come up with something before he blew the whole night. She agreed. They walked in and the counter attendant apologized, but they were just closing. He smiled and said that's okay. He grabbed her hand and they departed together. The owner of the restaurant was on the street loading boxes into a car. "Where you going?"
"It's just closing up", he said. The owner spied them holding hands and a grin came across her face. "No, no. You go back in. We stay open for you."
They had the restaurant to themselves - a delicious meal and red wine. He was nervous, but charming. She was demure, but the wine flushed her. It was truly romantic. She became wary. "I have to go home after this. I promised my friend that I wouldn't do anything foolish and I have to meet her in an hour." He laughed, "No you don't. You're coming back to my place with me for more wine - and you won't do anything foolish. I'll make sure you get to your friend's house later." She wanted to resist but she couldn't. She gave in to him fully and willingly and they left together. At his house they listened to music and danced. He spilled red wine on her - and she was forgiving. She showed him a domestic trick to get it out. He joked about his bedroom, but they never went there. He drove her back to her house, then drove her van to her friend's house with her - she was not in a condition to drive. They kissed good-night. They kissed good-night again - longer, deeper. He took a cab back to her house for his van and drove home alone. He wanted to see her again. He was her Prince Charming and Knight in shining armour. She couldn't sleep and texted him several times throughout the night. They both fell asleep smiling.

She cancelled their lunch-date. That was understandable. They both had professional careers. He tried to re-schedule. She declined. He began to get the message and began to let go. She suggested they meet for coffee after work. He was relieved. He agreed.
They met at the coffee shop. He was excited. She was 'carrying baggage'. He made some comment about falling for someone quickly. She said he sounded like a stalker. He was dumbfounded. She was cold. She told him that it would be a good idea if they stopped seeing each other. He was stunned. He asked if he could walk her back to her van. She agreed. She softened while they walked and told him that she didn't want him completely out of her life, but things were moving too quickly. She suggested they keep in touch. He didn't buy it. As he walked back to his van alone, he thought, "That's too bad. I kind of liked her." He tried to put it out of his mind.

Two nights later, she showed up at the night club again. He was working. She was dressed to kill. He thought that either the games are not over, or she's just cruel. She stayed the whole night in the club. She stayed the whole night very close to him. The club upstairs closed later and he suggested they go dancing. She had been drinking and was uninhibited. She wanted to go dancing with him.
They lit up the dance floor. Amazingly, they could both dance, and well, and even better together. They were stunning. They were electric. They were the envy. She was confident again. She smiled at him and did the same spin away from him she had done that first night in the club, but this time it was contrived, right in the middle of dancing and as she spun she reached up to her hair elastic and let it all down, bouncing, flowing, one fluid motion. She was beautiful! His knees buckled. But he followed.
She strode up to the dance floor stage with him in tow. It was empty except for them. They made a spectacle. She spun back towards him and began pointing and lecturing on what love means, and how he didn't understand, and how he was just another guy who didn't get it. He was confused but not deterred. He grinned at her alcohol-induced 'girlfriend-lecture' behaviour. He just kept smiling and telling her that he did understand. He became more confident and kept moving towards her. She became frustrated and kept pushing him away. The crowd on the dance floor became attentive and amused at this sweet little lady lecturing this grinning, cocky guy. She finally screamed at him, "No you don't get it!" The music lulled and everybody heard her last emphatic shout. "I'M ALREADY IN LOVE WITH YOU!" There was a silent pause. Even the listening crowd was stunned. She realized her spectacle and turned red with embarrassment. She spun around to flee him and the stage but she had misjudged how far across the stage they had travelled. She immediately collided with a stage television. With the crowd still staring, he reached out with one arm and caught the falling TV, then quickly reached out with the other and caught his falling girl. He smoothly put the TV back in its place while she ran from his uninvited chivalry, and the glaring eyes of the crowd. She dispappeared into the back. The crowd grinned at him. He followed her.
Almost in tears she told him the truth. She had carried a flame for him for two years - since they had met at the water park, but never had the courage to approach him. Besides, they were both involved. But when she became single, and he unwittingly provided her with the opportunity to approach him at the club, she had decided her waiting was over. "Then why did you break up with me?", he asked. She admitted that she was afraid - her own feelings of love had come too quickly and too strongly - and she had been hurt before. So had he. He knew he was damaged goods. She never left his side again for the rest of their lives.

See you in hell,
Shakes.