Valleys and Mountains: Chapter 2

[center]2: The Hunt.
Wednesday, 13 December 2006, 22:00[/center]

I don’t know what’s coming over me. I’m overly excited for so much as a friendly drink. New friend? Maybe that’s it. It’s been a while since I’ve met a new face.

I slipped on my Calvins and rummaged through the closet for something decent. I stopped on a pair of Abercrombie shorts and black shirt. Awful dressy for a Wednesday night. I knew it was in the lower fifties out (cold for Southern California this early in the evening), but I didn’t care. It was almost like a spell that put me on autopilot from there on. A very fast autopilot. Whatever the reason, it couldn’t have been 5 minutes before I was already in my brand new 2006 yellow-with-black-racing-stripes Camaro, squealing out of the complex.

It was only a five minute drive to The Hunt. Lots of parking spaces were abandoned… It seemed almost dead from the outside. I parked in the first spot beside the building, wiggled the gearshift, applied the parking brake, and killed the Camaro. I felt an odd need to gussy up in the rear view mirror before stepping out. The door slammed, echoing through the rain. I got a sudden whoosh of uneasiness; the place looked closed. I walked around to the entrance, and out the door stepped a giant… Well, at least six-foot-two.

“You expected?” he grunted.

“Uh. Yeah. Jack Mitchell.” What kind of place is this? ‘You expected?’ Really?

“Jack is waiting for you. Inside, to the right.”

I eyed him for a moment. I couldn’t figure it out, but something was really off about him. I nodded and entered.

I was greeted by awesome music upon opening the doors to the main bar. Sounded a lot better inside than it looked from outside. The bartender smiled and waved from across the room. I gave my usual ‘peace’ sign and grinned. Looking further back, I saw a familiar face gazing back at me. It was strange… Jack’s eyes looked as though they were glowing green… And stranger still, that glow turned me on, almost as if they ignited a fire within my veins. I walked across the bar. It was packed!

It wasn’t until I was halfway through the bar when I realized something: all the bar’s patrons’, bartenders’, waitresses’, and dancers’ eyes seemed to glow. I pegged it on the blacklights, thinking little of it. “Jack Mitchell?”

Jack looked the same as I had remembered. Very fit. You could see his muscles outlined in his tight-fitting grey shirt. He even still wore the same black ski hat.

“Kaedan! I figured you wouldn’t want to lose out on a free round of drinks. Glad to finally meet you after six years.” He motioned to the drink in front of him, raising his own.

“Hell no. What’d you order?” I asked as I gulped down a taste.

“That’s just a normal Long Island,” he announced almost begrudgingly.

I looked at him inquisitively. “Contrary to your ‘not normal’ Long Island?”

“Yep.” He took a sip.

Oooookay then. “So do I kick your ass in pool now or later?” I taunted.

“Sit down, relax a minute! The rain’ll be waiting for you when you leave, no rush! It’s only ten thirty. We just got here.”

“Alright, cool.” I took another gulp. It was damn good.

This time, I could say he was actually staring at me for certain, jade eyes peering into my soul. He said nothing for an eternity, it felt… And, oddly, I was OK with it. Normally I’d have started rambling.

I hated to admit it to myself, but Jack was HOT as HELL. I’d never pegged myself so much as even bisexual, but damn.