Chapter 3

I slowly follow my friends. I take one last time to turn back and look at my beautiful musician. He's playing his guitar again. The singer girl isn't singing this time. She's in front of him, facing him, dancing very closely. Very seductively. He's smiling, then laughs.
He is the biggest tease I've ever known.

We find Spencer easily when we walk into the restaurant.
"Oh my god I am fucking starving!" he says when we sit down.
"Yeah, what's new" I say teasing him. I sit right across from him.
"Oh my Mara, speaking her mind. I like that" he replies.
"Shall we get nachos?" I ask him.
Me and him love nachos and almost always share an order.
"Of course."
 When the waitress comes over to take our order we get a loaded nachos to share, but I'm not sure what else to get. I love Mexican food. I get a couple tacos and some rice. And a frozen margarita.
The place is packed and by the time the nachos are on the table I'm on my second margarita. My third when the rest of my food comes. Needless to say, I only eat a bite or two of my tacos.

We don't hang around the restaurant tonight, it's too crowded. When we get outside I'm so heartbroken to see he's gone. I wonder where he went and if the singer is with him. I wonder if I'll ever see him again.
We start walking down the street. Everyone wants a drink, but all the places are crowded.
We come to a place near the end of the downtown area, only a couple blocks left of bars, restaurants and cool little shops. It's not too crowded, only a handful of people in line to get in so they decide to wait here.
I just want to find my guitar player. I'm a little drunk and that always makes me despondent. I need proof that he's real. I dig around in my purse trying to find the guitar pick. Maybe he didn't really give it to me, maybe I imagined it.
I keep digging around, but don't feel it. It has to be in there. It has to be real. I couldn't have imagined it.
Amanda notices me frantically digging around in my purse. "What are you looking for?"
"I dropped something in here earlier, but I can't seem to find it."
"Oh. Well what is it? Are you sure you put it in there?" she asks.
"Yeah, I don't know what else I would have done with it. It has to be here" I say.
I sit down on the curb and dump my purse out next to me.
"What is so important that you're looking for?" she asks me.
I never carry much in my purse, especially when I go out. Small wallet with ID, debit card and cash. Lip balm. A couple tampons and pads. Hair things in case my hair starts driving me crazy. My phone. And a pen as back up to write down a phone number if my phone dies.
I keep digging through my small pile of stuff. Where is it?
"Hey pick up your stuff, come on, it's our turn to go in" Amanda tells me.
I don't even want to go. I really want to go home now.
"Go ahead. I don't want a drink."
"I'm not leaving you out here alone" she says.
"I'm fine. I'm just going to sit here and then maybe go home, or I'll come in."
"There's no way we're letting you walk home alone."
"If I decide to leave, I'll call a cab. And I'll call you to let you know. Go ahead, I'm fine" I tell her.
She looks at me. "I don't feel right about this."
"I'm fine. Just go."
She sighs. Turns and goes inside with our friends.
I dig through my stuff again. It's not here. Where did it go? Did I imagine it, or lose it? Did I imagine him? Damn how drunk am I? I feel tears run down my cheeks. What a perfect Saturday night. Maybe I should have stayed with Seth, ugly dick and all. He really was nice. I'm a really shitty person to break up with him for that.
"Hey are you ok?" I hear a beautiful deep voice ask.
I look up, it's him. My musician. My beautiful musician. Now he has all of his hair hidden away under a ballcap he's wearing backwards. His guitar slung over his back.
I wipe the tears off my cheeks. "I'm fine."
He squats down in front of me. "You're a really bad liar. What's wrong? Anything I can do to help?"
I shake my head. "I'm fine."
He smiles. "You're not.'
He stands up. I see his hand reaching down to me. I take it and he helps me up.
"What can I do to help?" he asks.
"Nothing, really. I'm fine."
"I was about to go get coffee, why don't you come with me" he says.
I take a deep breath. You can do this, you know you want to, I tell myself. I look at him. At his perfectly beautiful face. Right into those eyes. Blue eyes. Such an amazing shade of blue. So calming. I nod my head, and smile.
He smiles back. "Perfect. Come on" he says and takes my hand.
We start walking down the street.
I'm confused when we walk past the last coffee shop downtown. Confused but very relieved. It's always so crowded, like it was when we passed it.
"Where are we going? I thought you said coffee?" I ask him.
"Not in there. All those pretentious jerks, I don't go there. I have another place I go."
I'm suddenly a little nervous. I don't even know a thing about him except that his name may or may not be Ed.
We walk a couple more blocks until we come to a diner. Like a greasy diner straight out of a fifties movie.
He holds the door open for me and we go in. We walk to a booth. I sit on one of the bench seats, he sets his guitar down on the other one and slides in next to it.
We both turn our coffee cups over and wait for the waitress.
"Better?" he asks me.
I nod my head. And honestly I already do feel better, because now I know he's real and I'm here with him.
The waitress pours us coffee. "Do you want anything else?" she asks.
He looks over at me.
"Um...."
"Maybe in a little while. After we've had our coffee" he tells her.
"Ok. Just call me over when you do" she says and leaves.
I take a drink of my coffee I look across the table at him. Right into those deep blue eyes. He smiles that smile he has. The one that makes me smile.
"So, do your friends really call you Ed?" I ask him.
"They do. Ed or Eddie. And you're?"
"Mara."
"Mara the meek" I swear I hear him say.
"What?" I ask him.
"Oh it's nothing. I have this friend and he has been trying to set me up with this girl. He's always telling me how shy she is. Always saying something about my meek little Mara, Or calls her Mara The Meek" he explains.
"Spencer is an asshole" I say.
He looks surprised. "So you are that Mara. Mara The Meek."
I sigh embarrassed. "I guess so ."
"Spencer is an asshole" he says.
I don't know what to say now. I really just want to crawl under the table and cry.
"Are you ok?" I hear him ask me.
I can't look up. I can't look at him. I know my face is red, it feels so flushed.
He reaches over and holds my hand. Squeezes it.
"You know Spencer. He doesn't mean to say stupid stuff, it just seems to come out. I bet he said stupid stuff about me to you. Let's forget about him" he says.
I wonder what Spencer said about me? And he never really said anything to me about Eddie, just wanted to set me up with him.
I nod my head.
His phone rings, he looks at it. Smiles. "Guess who."
"Hey Spencer what's up?"
"Thought I would see if you can hang out" Spencer says.
"Sorry not tonight. I um...I'm busy."
"I guess I'll give up trying to set you and Mara up. I think you're perfect for each other, but neither of you seem interested. And you're always too freaking busy. We seem to have lost Mara anyway."

"You lost her?" Eddie asks.

"Not really lost I guess, I think she's outside."

"Maybe you better go check. I need to go anyway, like I said I'm busy" Eddie tells him.

"They still think you're sitting outside" he tells me.

"Should I call? What should I tell them?"

"Tell them you ran into an old friend. Or made a new one" he suggests.
I get my phone out and call Amanda.
"Hey I um...I'm going to hang out with a friend, so I'll see you later at home" I say.
"I can't really hear you, it's loud in here. So I'll see you later" she says loudly, and hangs up.
I put my phone back in my purse.
"That was quick" he comments.
"She said she couldn't hear me so she hung up."
The waitress comes over to refill our coffee.
"Do you want anything else?" she asks us.
Eddie looks at me, I shake my head.
"I guess not. Thanks" Eddie replies.
"Ok. Enjoy your evening" she says and walks away.
"So what are you going to do tonight?" he asks me.
I shrug my shoulders. "It's late, probably should just go home."
"It's early. We've got all night. Let me show you all my favorite places."
"I don't know you. I don't know anything about you" I say.
"Spencer knows me. Trust me. Trust your gut, what does it say?" he asks.
"Where are we going?" I ask him.
"Everywhere. Are you ready?"
I look at him. I try to read his face. Look at his eyes. He looks safe. I think I can trust him.
I stand up. "Are you ready?"
He gets up, gets a ten out of his pocket and lays it on the table. Picks up his guitar and we head to the door.

When we get outside he takes one of my hands and we start walking down the sidewalk. Walking away from the downtown area. I wonder where we're going. I think about asking, but decide I'd rather be surprised.
"I'm going to stop at a friend's and drop my guitar off" he says.
We walk quietly a couple blocks. He stops at a small building.
"She lives here. Do you want to come with me?" he asks.
I really don't want to stand here alone, but I wonder who this 'she' is.
"Is it ok if I come?" I ask him.
"Yeah. I can introduce you too" he says.
We go inside, into a really dark hallway. "Sorry the light is always burned out."
He takes my hand so I don't get lost.
He knocks, then opens the door. "It's just me" he says.
"It's Saturday night, shouldn't you be out having fun?" I hear a voice say.
We go inside. There's an older lady sitting on a sofa in there.
"I am. Just wanted to drop my guitar off, if that's ok" he tells her.
"Only if you play me a song when you pick it up" she replies.
He smiles. "You know I will."
He takes his hat off and puts it on her head. "You can keep this for me too."
All of his beautiful curls fall down around his shoulders.
"So is this someone new?" she asks, about me I guess.
I look at Eddie, he actually seems like he's blushing.
"Yeah. This is Mara" he tells her.
"Mara this is my friend Margaret" he says to me.
"Hi" I manage to say.
"Let me see your hand" she says to me.
I hold my right hand out to her. She takes it in both of her hands. She just holds it for a minute.
"I like this one. She's good. Keep her" she says to Eddie.
I think he's blushing even more. "I like her too."
"You show her a good time tonight. And be a gentleman" she says.
"Of course" he tells her.
He sets his guitar down in a chair, then leans over and kisses Margaret on the cheek. "I'll call you tomorrow and let you know when I'll be over."
"Have fun" she says when we're leaving.

When we get outside he grabs my hand and we start running. I can't keep up.
"Eddie, I'm wearing sandals, I can't run that fast."
He stops.
"Why are we running anyway?" I ask him.
He grabs me, pulls me to him. Kisses me. Kisses me so hard.  I kiss back just as hard. His tongue suddenly in my mouth. And then just as quickly as it happened, it's over.
He takes my hand and we start walking down the sidewalk. I still have no idea where we're going or what he has planned. I'm excited and a little scared.