Open Your Eyes

The sun had finally set behind the horizon, the smell of rain filled the air, as the cold of the night set in. Ellie pulled her jacket tighter around her body, leaning against the wall to see around the line of people filing out of the nightclub. Temptations await you was spray painted on the bricks just under the welcome sign. She stood on her tiptoes to see over the ridiculously tall man in front of her. He smelled like tobacco and body odor, she gagged and stepped back into her place in line.

Ellie had never been to this particular nightclub but it didn't seem to be as sketchy as the previous ones she'd went to. As she looked around she noticed a lot of the men in line were not her type, too old, too short, or too rough around the edges. She glanced behind her and her heart skipped a beat. Is that Mike? She was about to turn and run when she heard heels clicking frantically on the sidewalk.

"ELLIE!" a familiar tiny voice squealed from behind her. She turned around to see her best friend, who'd convinced her coming here was a good idea, running toward her. "You came! I thought for sure you were going to be a total party-pooper. I'm so happy!" she squealed again and hugged Ellie tight, nearly knocking her off her feet.

"I only came because I knew you would give me hell the rest of the week if I hadn't," Ellie groaned. Olivia had been her best friend since pre-school. Their mothers were inseparable so their families spent a lot of time together, too much time in Ellie's opinion. "Plus, it's about time I put myself back out there."

"You're right! It's time we found you a man," Olivia giggled, as she bounced up and down in excitement. She had a tight, lowcut tanktop on that was covered in black sequin, and her push-up bra made her breasts unavoidable to the eye. She paired it with a short black skirt and black high-heels with small spikes on the edges matching her spiked earrings.

Ellie hated going anywhere with her if it involved men. Olivia was olive skinned and her long black hair always perfectly curled around her heart-shaped face. She had the greenest eyes Ellie had ever seen, complimented by her long, full lashes. Ellie knew Olivia was much prettier than she was, so she always got the attention. Olivia, this. Olivia, that. Give me a break.

"Oh, look, the line is finally moving." Ellie peered around the king of B.O. to see the bouncer at the door ushering everyone inside. She noticed his shiny bald head, the way his black long-sleeved t-shirt clung to his ridiculously muscled arms. Too old for me, definitely too old. He took the next girl's ID and peered at it thoughtfully, looking from the ID to the girl, back and forth, then nodding, allowing her inside.

"You are going to love this place. There are so many hot guys! You won't know where to start, but I can help you don't worry," Olivia said, placing her hands on Ellie's arms as she moved forward. Olivia always smelled like peppermint, it lingered wherever she had been. "Finally! Come on, Ellie!" she cheered, handing her ID to the bouncer and flashing him her infamously heart-melting smile. He raised an eyebrow at her, studying her ID before grunting and waving her inside.

"Here you are, sir." Ellie handed him her ID and waited patiently; this time he barely seemed to acknowledge her existence. He handed it back and nodded his head in the direction of the door, looking over her head at who was next. "Next, we don't have all night."

"Uh... thanks, I guess?" she mumbled making her way inside.

***

Inside the club the air was muggy, making it hard for Ellie to breath as she sat up against the wall near the bar. She had been searching for hours for her "one true love" as Olivia would say, claiming she would know exactly who he was the moment she set eyes on him. The glass Ellie had been holding was dripping down her hand. The ice inside had melted leaving her gin and tonic watery and unpleasing. She'd spent the better half of an hour swirling her glass and watching the lime twirl in the vortex, hoping Olivia would show up at any moment to tell her it was time to leave.

"Doing alright down there, little one?"

Ellie jumped as the deep voice took her out of the trance, her glass nearly slipping from her fingers. She raised her head and saw a tall, devilishly handsome man staring at her in concern. His eyes were soft, but his jaw set in a tight line. She opened her lips to speak but was cut short as the DJ cut the music and stood on top of the bar counter.

"Thank you all for coming out tonight! Are you ready for the night of your lives! Are you ready to feel the music in your bones and in your groins! Let's do this!" he screamed into the microphone, the crowd cheering loudly as he bounced his way back to his soundboard. In my groins? What an odd choice of words. Ellie couldn't help but smile at her own thoughts. Her smile quickly faded as she noticed the man from before was gone.

"There you are! I have been looking for—what are you doing on the floor?" Olivia sighed, holding out her hand and rolling her eyes. Ellie gripped it and pulled herself up. She scanned the crowd and felt a jolt of disappointment, unable to see where he had gone. "Let's get out of here. These people are lame!" Olivia dragged her toward the door, stomping as if throwing a tantrum.

"Yeah, you're right, totally lame..." Ellie sighed, peering over her shoulder with the small hope he'd be there chasing her out the door. She sucked in her breath. There he is! He was leaned against a table, his arm around the back of a chair where a scrawny brunette was giggling and leaning into his chest. He had dark-washed jeans and dark boots, his white t-shirt was tight against his body, Ellie swore she saw the outline of his abs. His golden-brown hair shined in the neon lights, small curls pressed against his forehead and neck with sweat. "Wow..." she hadn't realized she spoke until Olivia stopped dead in her tracks.

"What is it? Let's go!" she whined. Suddenly his gaze was on the two of them. His brows were raised, deep blue eyes gleaming. Ellie felt like they were piercing her heart. She gasped, unable to take her eyes off of him. He grinned at her before stalking off toward the bar to order another drink. I'd know it when I saw him...

***

That night, Ellie laid in bed staring at the glow in the dark stickers she and Olivia plastered to her ceiling in second grade. They didn't glow much anymore but she couldn't get herself to take them down. She stared at their shapes; hearts, stars, planets... but all she could see was him. The look in his eyes as she was frozen in place on her way out the door. The way his voice was deep and soothing, replaying the words little one over and over.

I am obsessing. This is just getting creepy. She admitted to herself, rolling over and pulling the covers up to her chin. She closed her eyes and thought about what work would be like tomorrow; considering she needed to be out the door in roughly five hours. After having her thoughts shift back and forth what felt like a hundred times, she finally fell asleep.