Dark Signs
I sit in my car across the street from The Neon Rose so that I can watch Thalia. Her arms are folded across her chest, and her purse hangs on her shoulder over her leather jacket. Strumming my fingers on my black steering wheel, smiling, I watch Janice, Jace, and Thalia exit the bar.
I get out of my car quickly as if I am a teenage boy filled with butterflies about to pick up my date for prom and head towards her, picking up the pace as I watch her get closer to the sidewalk.
Her bright red lips turn into a smile as the distance between us closes. Your desperation is showing, Alan.
“Hey!” She yells as she sees me approaching the curb. My heart just skipped a beat.
“Hey, are you ready?” I ask, gazing a little too long at her full lips.
“Y-yeah, let’s go.” I grab her free hand to lead her across the street to my car. She nods at Jace and Janice before making the step out onto the road. They both return her gesture with smiles of their own and climb into their taxi.
I direct her to my silver Lexus and open her door. The corners of her mouth move up, and she slides into the black leather seat. Like the gentleman I am, I shut her door after I notice her black combat boots were safely tucked in the car. Quickly, I walk to the other side and climb into my seat.
“So… coffee?” I ask, turning on the ignition.
“Yes. Coffee sounds good.” She shyly places her purse on her lap. “So, where are you taking me?” Her voice is quiet.
“Just this little diner, not too far from here. They stay open pretty late, and I figured you would be hungry after your shift.” My focus stays on the road.
“Very,” she pauses. “You’re still in your work clothes.” Her eyes scan my lap down to my dress shoes. My body grows hot at the way she runs her eyes down my form.
“Yeah, I wanted to look good for our date.” My wide smile stays in place while my hands grip tightly around the steering wheel.
“This is a date?” The pitch in her voice goes up at the question. The shocked expression on her face is adorable .
“It’s whatever you want it to be.” I pause, pushing my foot down on the accelerator. “I would gladly go on a date with you.” Another pause, as I let up. “Or, it could be just a night between friends who find each other extremely irresistible.”
“A night between friends sounds good.” I watch her out of the corner of my eye, fidgeting in her seat.
“So, you think I’m irresistible?” I laugh. Her smile is the only confirmation I need.
I come to a stop and park at the curb in front of the diner. She reaches for her door handle, but I put my hand on her thigh, stopping her.
“I’ll get that for you.” My voice is harsher than intended. I peer down at her from behind the lenses of my glasses. She pulls her hand away and places it in her lap. She’s already so obedient.
I get out of the car and quickly move to her side to open her door, watching her slowly climb out. Like clockwork, my eyes move up the curves of her body. Fuck, I could stare at the vision of her forever.
My arms are covered in goosebumps, and my hands start to get clammy.
Am I nervous? No. Nervous isn’t what you would call this…
I am in disbelief that she’s here with me.
Thalia Smith climbed into my car and agreed to come and have coffee with me.
It’s as if I’m one of her obsessed followers.
Why even hide the truth now? She’s always on my mind.
Being near her is a constant desire that I can’t rid myself of.
My attention comes back to me when the impact of the door shutting interrupts the quiet tension between us.
She walks close to my side with her hands in the pockets of her jacket.
I open one of the double doors and hold it open for both of us.
Biting my lower lip, I stare at her ass as she walks in the space between me and the glass door.
“I think this is one of those places where you sit yourself,” she says, breaking the silence. I move my hand forward and motion for her to pick out our seat. It’s a gentlemanly gesture, but I also want to use the small moment of unsupervised freedom to trace over her figure with my wanton eyes.
I watch as she slides into the bright red cushion of the booth, placing her black leather purse next to her.
She takes off her leather jacket, exposing her pale, slender arms. After setting my coat next to me, I roll up my white sleeves.
She sits with her hands on her lap, anxiously looking around the diner .
“Nervous?” I ask.
“A little,” she admits. Me too.
“With me?” Maybe she should be. “I’m harmless.
” Only to you, Listener. She loosens her stiff shoulders and slouches back into the booth.
Perfect. “Why don’t we start with ordering something to drink?
” She nods as the back of her head touches the booth.
I offer my charming grin and a small wave to the waitress at the counter in front of the open kitchen window.
She eagerly beams and walks over to us. Her large hips sway from left to right as she holds tightly onto two menus.
“Hello, there!” She starts, seeming too happy to be working at three-thirty in the morning. She must be working hard to earn her tip. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“Coffee,” I answer quickly.
“I’ll take the same, please.” Thalia’s quiet voice comes out behind the plastic-covered menus. Her eyes scan the picture on the front page. “Actually, can I order a hamburger and fries as well? Oh, and a chocolate milkshake,” she adds while handing back the menu. My eyebrows raise at her question.
“You know, I think I’ll have the same,” I say, handing over my menu also. The waitress smiles, writes down our orders, and heads towards the back.
“So…” Thalia starts.
“So… it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other,” I add. It’s only been a few days since I saw you with your legs spread on your couch.
“Why did you want to meet for coffee tonight?”
“Why did you agree to meet me?” She responds to my question with a leer.
Smirking at what I'm hoping are lustful thoughts. The waitress sets down the small white cups of coffee in front of us, leaving my question unanswered. “Maybe let’s just start by getting to know each other,” I suggest. I bring the small mug up to my lips.
“Yeah, we could start there.” She fills her coffee with two of the creams the waitress provided in a white ceramic bowl in the middle of our table. She tears open two sugar packets and adds them to the mixture.
“Okay, we’re getting somewhere. Now, I know how you like your coffee.” I keep my eyes on her fingers stirring the metal spoon in the small white mug. “Ask me anything,” I insist.
“Okay…” She pauses to think. “What made you so interested in true crime?” She picks up the white cup by the small handle on the side. She slowly moves it to her lips, blowing on the hot liquid before taking a small sip.
“Good question to start with.” I fold my arms across my chest and lean back in the booth.
“Watching that show, Unsolved Mysteries, with my grandmother. The idea that the killer could still be out there was so intriguing to me. I pictured many ways the Feds could have caught them and what they could have done differently. I tried piecing all the small clues and details together to determine who the killer was. It’s the small details that matter.
Of course,” I continue with my explanation, “we have more of an advantage these days. Our technology has improved so much over the years. However,” I pause while taking a drink from my cup.
“These days, there are still so many cases that go unsolved. You never truly know anyone. The killer could be right in front of you, and you would never know.” Careful, Alan.
Her gaze is hypnotizing and intoxicating.
The way Thalia hangs on to my every word is like a new drug that I can’t get enough of.
“Who do you think it is?” She leans forward. The volume of her voice is in a hushed tone. I can’t help but sneer at the hint of excitement and fear in her eyes.
“Who?” I ask as if I am playing dumb.
“You can’t be serious. Don’t fuck with me, Alan.” The look on her face is almost humorous.
“Here you are, you two,” our waitress announces while cheerfully bringing us our entrees. Thalia and I give her a polite nod and follow her swaying hips as she walks away.
“I think it’s nothing you should worry about.” I lean in and match my volume to hers.
“I-I’m not worried.” She grabs the giant hamburger in both of her hands.
I study her as drops of grease make a small puddle on the plate next to her fries.
She eagerly takes the hamburger into her mouth and clamps down through the bun and the patty.
Casually, she wipes the grease off the bottom of her lip with the back of her hand, smearing some of her lipstick in the process.
“I’m more interested to see who it is and why they went through all of the trouble with everything they did.
” Even with oil running down her chin, she’s still so fucking beautiful.
“Why do you think he did what he did?” I probe while dipping a single fry in a blob of ketchup. “He?” Choose your words carefully, Alan.
“What makes you think it was a man?” I internally sigh at her question with a bit of relief.
“I guess there weren't any real witnesses that we know of. It could be either a man or a woman.” Nice. I look at her as I take a bite off the end of my fry.
“That’s what I’m saying!” She takes a drink of her milkshake by wrapping her mouth around the tip of her straw. Oh, the places I would love to have your lips.
“So, let me rephrase my question. Why do you think they did it?” I take another bite of the same fry.
“Well, it couldn’t have been just some nonsense reason.
It had to have been done with passion.” The animated way she moves her arms in her explanation is addictive to watch.
My listener has turned into my little crime solver.
She swallows another bite of her hamburger and continues to tell me what she thinks of the mysterious killer in New York City.
“A random killer wouldn’t just cleanly remove someone’s eyes, let alone their fingers. They had to know what they were doing, and there had to be a reason; people like that don’t kill without a motive.” You have no idea.
“Do you have any suspicions as to who it could be?” I press, wrapping my hands around the cheeseburger in front of me.
The view of her porcelain neck in my grip replaces the greasy buns in my mind.
The fantasy of her exposed breasts and the sounds of heavy breaths underneath me blocks out the small pause she makes in between bites of her sandwich.
“No fucking idea,” she says as she swallows another morsel. My eyes zoom in on her throat closely until she goes in for another.
“Oh, come on, little crime solver. You don’t have any clue?” I glance up at her as I take a long drink from my straw.
“Like you said, it could be anyone.” Her lips turn into another upturned smile.
Peering down at our empty plates, her eyes go from wide and animated to discouraged.
She takes a sip of her now cold coffee and sits in silence.
It’s okay, listener. I’m not ready to leave you either .
I could talk to Thalia for hours on end.
Before she has a chance, I grab the check on the table between our empty plates and pull my credit card out of my wallet before handing it to the waitress who is standing next to our table.
Her rosy cheeks light up when I flash her my smile before she walks back to the register.
“Did you get enough to eat?” I ask, holding my head in my hand, propped up by my elbow on the table.
“Yes, thank you.” She looks up after glancing down at her phone screen.
“Please don’t tell me you’re ordering an Uber?
Thalia, I can take you home.” I reach my hand across the table and graze my fingers against her hand.
She appears almost shocked at the feel of my touch.
My nerve endings feel as if they’re purely static electricity.
Did you sense that too? She straightens in her seat.
“That’s okay. I don’t want to make you do that.” She places her phone in her purse.
“Please cancel the ride. I really don’t mind taking you home. What, you’re just a few blocks away? Not to mention, there is a killer on the loose. I can’t let you get in a car with someone you don’t know.” My knee bounces in anticipation. I’m not ready to see you go.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” She reaches back in her purse, scrolling on the screen.
“Of course. I can easily take you home.” I rest my hand on my thigh to calm my bouncing knee. Please just be with me a little longer.
“You know, I appreciate this, Alan.” I love the way my name sounds leaving her lips. Say my name again .
“Of course. What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t offer you a ride home?” She gives me a small smile, and we both reach for our jackets, checking our booth to make sure everything is accounted for.
“Ready?” I test as we both slide out of our booth. I walk up behind her and wait for her to lead us out of the front doors. She flinches just slightly as I touch the small of her back. What else can I make you do?
I quickly move to her side, making sure I open her door before she can.
She nods with her adorable small smile and clutches the strap of her purse before sliding into the passenger seat.
Like a desperate idiot, I climb into my seat and shut the car door.
Now that I have you here, what the fuck do I do?
“Okay, where do you live?" I already know. I turn on the ignition and place my hands on the wheel.
“Turn that way.” She directs, pointing left.