Chapter Two

Stu and Mike walk in single file down a narrow brick alley, laughing heartily at the taxi driver’s misuse of profanity in relation to other road users. Mike is numerous inches shorter than Stu with a similar haircut, but longer on top. He’s also older by two years, but hardly looks it. He has a far different physique to his best friend, enjoying life rather than exercising through it. They are both in smart shirts and jeans, Mike’s a mish-mash of light blue checks across a white background, whereas Stu’s is a solid deep red. The top two buttons on his are undone, whereas Mike has just the top one undone. Stu’s hands are buried deep within his pockets, fingering loose change.

They duck off to the right and into their first stop of the night - The Iron Anvil. It is a well-lit but small, old pub fashioned from dark wood which is rumoured to be salvaged from a shipwreck of the same name. Inside is relatively empty - a few tables are taken up, some people are chatting by the bar, and a group of teenagers in haunted rock t-shirts play pool at the far end. Mike instantly tails off towards the fruit machine to the right, nodding at Stu to get the drinks in. Rolling his eyes and smiling, Stu rounds a trio of older people chatting, one of the women perched on a bar stool closest to him. Looking for an absent barman, he then realizes a presence to his right, slithering a little closer.

A woman in her mid-to-late-forties, hair shortened to her ears and crinkled face daubed in thick make-up is staring at him. Her eyes are small and narrow, mouth big and smile wide, creasing her face more as she grins and winks at him.

“Hi.” he says, bemused by her interest.

“Hey. What are you up to tonight then?”

“Trying to get drunk. It’ll take a long time.” Stu replies, trying to disguise his repulsion in her interest.

“Really?” She pauses, looking him up and down. “How old are you?”

Stu stifles a laugh. “Young enough, thanks.”

The woman checks out his physique again. “I’m with my mother, tonight. She likes young guys.”

Stu leans his head over to look at her even-craggier mother on the stool behind, winking at him right on cue. The other man, seemingly silent, takes a long swig of his lager. “Nice.” he replies, shuffling further down the bar and well away from the unwanted attention. “Two pints please!” he asks as the barman finally appears, pointing to the nearest pump.

***

Mike gladly takes receipt of a pint with too much head, Stu shaking some spillage from his fingers. “How’d it go?” he asks, taking a long swig to start the proceedings. Stu takes his own mouthful, trying to work out the answer as the premium lager cascades down his throat.

“What?” mumbles Stu, somewhat confused by where this is headed.

“That bird you were chatting up.” Mike replies, resting his pint proudly at the side of the quiz machine. “The usual, you reckon?” His eyes scan across the first five game selections he’s faced with.

Stu remains completely blank faced. “Seriously, what the fuck are you on about?”

“That bird.” Mike’s eyes gaze across to the bar. “The fit one you were...” he immediately stops, and turns back to the glowing machine in front of him. Pausing, he grabs his pint and takes a lengthy swig. He then pivots back to face Stu. “Right.” Mike adds. Stu is finding Mike’s reaction highly amusing, but remains stony faced. “You need the practice. Please, show your balls and pinch her arse. On that note, grab some peanuts while you’re there.” Mike subtly smiles, tipping his head sideways at the quiz machine. Stu glances toward the bar, flicks his fingers, and Mike selects their first game, a smile lingering upon his lips.

“Practice? Am I that bad?” Stu complains, turning to the machine, the cold pint glass held tight in his hand.

“You know how long it’s been. You keep reminding me, but I struggle to remember.” Mike mentions, gleefully watching the start-up animation of their favourite - word search puzzler Block This!

Not really considering his options and the ramifications of hitting on someone so unlike his usual catch, Stu takes a swift swig of his lager and plants it down as gently as the most inconspicuous of slams could be. Mike smirks as he realises that Stu is on his way back to the bar. “Dry roasted!”

Stu avoids eye contact as best he can, aware that the forty-something woman could be eagerly directing her eyeballs at him. Standing a few feet away, he senses that she is off the scent, not even acknowledging him this time. Ordering a single shot of absinthe and a bag of nuts, he pays, turns back and, as he swoops past the group, suddenly finds something new to gaze upon.

The entrance creaks open and two slim and quite attractive blondes walk in, chatting feverishly to one another. Stu tries to engage them with his eyes but they are much more interested in their shared words. However, a third woman enters soon after. She’s a brunette of similar physique, head bowed as she curls a hair around her ear. She looks up at him, their eyes locking, slight smiles forming for both of them at the same time. Her eyes flutter at the sight of him, and he stumbles into a misplaced stool, depositing the entirety of his shot across the floor. Looking down in stunned silence, he looks back up to see that she’s already ghosted by and is at the bar, now engaged in conversation with her friends.

“How did it go?” asks Mike amusingly as Stu slaps the peanuts in front of him, at the same time that his first attempt signals a bold GAME OVER. Looking forlornly at what’s left of his pint, Stu downs the remainder and slots a coin into the machine.

“You should know by now, I never take advice from you.” Looking back at the bar, he notices the brunette with her back to him, chatting away to her friends. As he turns back to the quiz machine, she looks over her shoulder at him.

***

“No mate, it was Nero, trust me!” Mike lambasts.

“No no no... it was definitely Caesar. Definitely!” A wry smile lurking, “Mate, you cost us a fiver!” he ribs, nudging Mike. “Come on, I had it won!” he says, trying his best to remain composed but aware of the lurking laugh.

“Right - let’s ditch this joint.” Mike states, grabbing his second pint and downing the remnants. Stu collects the two glasses and deposits them at the bar, catching a fleeting glimpse of the brunette again as they leave. She looks herself to notice him leave, spurred on by one of the blondes.

As the guys exit the alley and turn left onto the high street, Stu notices a thick black shape, roughly fashioned into something humanoid, lurking in the doorway of an empty restaurant over the road. He can just make out the legs and torso amidst the darkened interior, as if it were the outline of a person sprayed onto the doors. Stu thinks little of it, just missing the shape taking a step back to dissolve into the dark. He turns back to Mike, realising he’s jabbering on about something random, and they hurriedly cross the road as a lumbering bus shuttles by.

“So are you still up for that ghost hunt at the end of next month?” Mike asks, looking back at the trailing Stu.

“Are you still on about that? You know I get enough of that shit from this place.” he moans.

“Fair enough! One day then, when you’re bored.” He pauses unexpectedly, and Stu stops abruptly behind him.

“What’s the matter?” he asks, seeing the small black slither caught between finger and thumb.

“Who’d have thought that working in a tyre depot would make your snot black!”

“Seriously?” Stu gasps, nipping past and increasing his pace. “Either eat them or flick them, no need to examine.” He adds. Mike flicks it away, somewhat amused with himself. “Hey, did you see those three hotties in the Anvil?” asks Stu, spotting Mike catching up with him.

Mike thinks for a moment, then firmly shakes his head. “Where were they?” he demands. “And how fit were they?”

“They came in just after I got the nuts. It was two tasty blondes and a really fit brunette.”

“No - dagnangit! Keep your eye out later and point them out if we cross paths.” Mike smiles. “Are you keen, or...”

Stu pats Mike on the shoulder, just as they reach the entrance to Woktails, a Chinese restaurant and cocktail bar. “We’ll see.” he replies. One of the burly bouncers at the door checks them visually as the other waves them past.

“Cheers mate.” acknowledges Mike, Stu deciding to nod at one of them. Ascending the dauntingly steep stairs to the first floor, the sound system is pumping hard as the vibrations can be felt with each climb, the muffled noise of some belting techno rising to full cacophony as they open the glass door upstairs and step in. The set-up is high tables and bar stools on the floor, with comfy booths lining the walls. Patrons feast on various concoctions of Chinese cuisine, some accompanied with luridly coloured beverages. The long bar on the opposite wall is dead, the only present barman sipping slowly at a soft drink as he waits for his next customer. The kitchen slicing through a whole wall is buzzing, the sound of sizzling food almost as loud as the pulsating tunes. A pretty waitress paces past the pair carrying a stacked order to its destination table - the place is busy already and, looking up to the balcony edging the second floor, there are a handful of people milling around by the bar up there. Stu and Mike immediately head that way, ascending yet another set of stairs tucked away in the corner.

As they reach the next level the other group are on their way out, leaving the pair to order alone. The DJ is beside the bar, shouting into the ear of the barman to get his next drink, cordless earphones slung around his neck. As they reach the semi-circular oak bar Stu has a fleeting look at the drinks menu, passing it over to Mike who examines it more thoroughly. Looking just over the balcony and down to the restaurant below, he spots a familiar trio enter, one of the blondes looking round as if trying to spot someone. Stu smiles upon sight of the brunette, immediately nudging Mike enough to put him off balance. He realizes the barman is stood waiting, looking at them in turn and anticipating one to put the order in.

“Two Fiery Flambards and a pair of Long Island Iced Teas as well, cheers.” Stu shouts, leaning over the metal rod that circles this side of the bar. He turns to Mike who nods his approval, half clenching his eyes and pursing his lips.

“Good choice.” he mouths, words inaudible.

“Remember those girls I was telling you about outside...” Stu yells, leaning over Mike’s shoulder. He nods back. “They’re here, and I expect they’ll be up with us any minute.”

Mike draws back, mouth agape and eyes widened, smiling profusely. “Tonight’s your night then, mate!” he calls into Stu’s ear, just as the next track melts in over the previous belting tune, this one much smoother and calmer than the last. Mike now feels he can talk to Stu easier, without having to shout so much. “Are you okay with the idea, the possibility?” he asks, expressing concern in his voice. “I know it’s been a long time, and I know all of this is still a bit raw.”

Stu nods a few times before answering. “I’ll never forget Anna, you know that. And I never got to know Sam as much as I would have liked, but I have to get back on with this sort of thing. I miss warmth, I miss touch. I can’t keep attributing what happened with Sam to - to... to you know what. I can move on from it. There’s so much heartache from the aftermath of both of them, but there was something... a feeling that I got just by looking at this brunette. It’s... it’s kind of awoken something in me.”

Mike draws back and winks. “Haha, I know what you mean!” he grins. They cackle in tandem.

“Seriously mate, there’s something about her. Something that reminds me of my time with Anna.” Stu replies. Mike puts his hand on Stu’s shoulder and nods at him. He can barely remember what Sam looked like, and Anna is a memory long gone.

“If that’s really how you feel then good luck, mate. I hope she turns out to be just what you expect.” Stu smiles at him, the pair taking their flaming shooters and downing together. Slamming the empty glass back down on the bar, Stu notices the three women appear at the top of the stairs led by the brunette, who looks once at him and smiles, before turning her attention to the barman and approaching him instead. Mike, having also spotted the trio, turns back to Stu. His mouth gapes and eyes goggle almost comically, astonished at the beauty of all three of them. “Good luck!” Mike mouths, Stu smiling back at him. They turn round to look at the ladies, Mike grinning at the first blonde that notices him.

“Hi.” he grins. “I’m Mike.”

“Aimee.” she replies, nodding once. She is dressed in a flowing pale green dress that curves out at her cleavage, tiny straps struggling to hide the line of her black bra. It drops to her upper thighs, obscenely short and modesty surely hard to protect when she sits. Black boots that spiral up to her knees finish the outfit off. Her natural light hair is tied back at the crest of her head, strands shooting out like reeds. “Who’s your friend?” she asks, unashamedly changing her gaze. Stu laughs, shying away from her admiring look.

“I’m Stu.” Locking eyes with her, he realises that she’s nearly as tall as him in those boots. The brunette meekly watches on whilst the other blonde orders. Aimee looks over at her friends, returning to Stu with her head cocked.

“So are you guys gonna buy us drinks?” she asks, now looking to Mike. He turns to Stu behind him, looking deathly serious at first before cracking a smile.

“All you had to do was ask, ladies!” Stu grins, stepping round Mike and Aimee and taking a place at the bar between the brunette and the other blonde. The barman spots him: “I’ll get these mate.” he barely tells him, the bass from the throbbing speakers now deep and dark. Stu turns to the brunette, who raises a slight smile for him, eyes a beautiful shade of blue. He is several inches taller than her, hunching his shoulders to lower himself closer.

“Hi.” she smiles, her voice almost a whisper over the surrounding din. She is cute, quite pretty, and very easy on the eyes. There is almost a hint of innocence about her, although it comes across as overt shyness rather than purity. Her skin is faintly bronzed, one eye almost covered by a slight fringe, with long straight hair tied back into a ponytail. Her visible ear is pierced at the bottom but without an earring, neckline disappearing into the brown top loosely hanging from her shoulders. Her glowing blue eyes are the most engaging he’s ever come across.

“I’m Erica!” a voice calls from his right.

Stu turns to the second blonde. “Nice to meet you!” he responds, examining her choice of a tight black shirt buttoned up to her cleavage, heaving bosom pressed together to reveal the top of her spherical breasts. Her washed out denim jeans are just as tight, clinging to her skin to accentuate her near-perfect figure. Her blonde hair, much longer than Aimee’s, is bunched into two pigtails neatly placed across the front of her shoulders. Stu struggles to keep his gaze away from the sight of her impressive cleavage and, realising the barman has placed their orders on the bar, smiles at her but then turns back to the brunette. “Great choice.” Stu remarks as he indicates they have the same drink. She smiles faintly back at him, coyly playing with the straw. Stu grabs his wallet and extracts the first note he finds. Neither of them notice Erica move to join Aimee and Mike.

“So, you’re Stu then?” she asks, swallowing a mouthful. He nods just as she speaks again. “As in Stuart?”

He stops nodding. “Kinda...” he smiles, noticing her two friends walk over to a table with Mike. The brunette looks herself, turning back to Stu and drinking some more. She stays put, prompting him to remain with her.

“So what are you guys up to tonight?” she says, running a finger around the brim of her glass to clear up some seeping liquid. “Are you looking for some fun?” She inadvertently licks her finger as Stu smiles back at her.

“Just a normal night out. A few drinks, a good laugh - that sort of thing. My old friend over there is already taken I’m afraid, although your companions look a little disinterested in him!” Stu remarks smartly, grinning at Aimee’s reaction to one of Mike’s impromptu jokes. The brunette turns her head to look, noticing Erica pull a face as Mike waves his arms in the air, no doubt regaling the tale about the mutant fish with testicles bigger than his head. Just as he is about to turn back to the brunette he notices a fleeting shadow cast upon the window closest to them, no doubt a remnant from the light show. But he sees the black shape form into a humanoid. This time he unexpectedly reacts to it, a tingle trickling down his spine. Is something watching him? A memory alerts him like a ringing bell, prompting a feeling that he can’t quite place. He looks down at his company to see her staring into space, pondering. Stu is back with her, ignoring whatever the shadow relates to. He lowers his head to catch her eye, and she smiles at him.

“What’s his girlfriend like?” she asks, making conversation. “If he’s not careful Aimee will have him - she doesn’t seem to care whether anyone is truly single or not, herself included.” She smiles a little, trying to ease herself.

“She’s very nice, easy to talk to. They’ve been together for quite a while.” Stu replies. “You know, I think he likes the attention, makes him feel wanted. No fear of him straying, he’s quite docile normally.” he grins, seeing that Mike is already onto the story of the dog with two tails.

“How about you? Anyone special at the moment?” She takes another quick sip of her drink as if she didn’t really want to ask the question. Stu takes a drink himself, a long gulp that oozes down his throat as he forms his reply.

“Not for a long time. I... er... my last girlfriend was a long time ago.” He stammers. The brunette looks at him, oddly.

“Is it a touchy subject?” she asks, looking a little concerned. Stu looks longingly into his drink, brain working overtime.

“No... not in the slightest.” he answers, choosing his words carefully. “It’s... it’s just been a very long time. The situation is complicated, work gets in the way.” Stu is instantly aware that it was the wrong answer. The brunette wants to sympathize and rub his arm, but isn’t confident enough to make the move. Then she turns away, hearing her name. Stu can hardly hear it over the throbbing bass up here. He establishes that the blondes, Aimee and Erica, have finished their drinks and are looking to move on.

The brunette quickly slurps the remainder of hers, smiles at Stu, and goes to leave. Just after her second step, she returns to his side. “You can tell me about it later... if you can find me.” she winks.

“Hopefully.” Stu answers, the first thing that came to him. The brunette disappears down the stairs. Stu sees a Mike-shaped figure bounding his way from the corner of his eye, watching the top of the stairs intently, hoping that she’ll return again. She doesn’t.

“How’d it go, mate?” Mike asks, trying to gauge the situation from Stu’s very generic expression.

“She asked if I had a girlfriend, and it brought back some hard memories.”

Mike bites his lip, and finishes off his cocktail. “No matter mate, no matter.” he says, swallowing the remainder.

“What about her friends?”

“Boring fuckers.” Mike replies. “Not interested in any of my tales. Went down like a sack of shit.” Stu chuckles heartily, and looks over the high balcony down onto the restaurant. The three girls are just leaving, but the brunette fleetingly looks back at him. He smiles just as they catch sight of one another.

“Same again please maestro!” Mike calls to the barman, cheerily thumping his fist onto the bar. Stu, a wry smile curling the corner of his mouth, returns to his comrade’s side.