Ruination

The traffic was a dull hum in her ears, the early autumn wind causing her to hug her cardigan closer to her body. One thought was swirling around her head as she took in the sight of the city.
[i]I hate this place.[/i]
Eliza had been in New York for two days, having moved from Texas to start university. New York was louder than any place she’d ever been to, the people ruder, the streets dirtier. Her friend had stayed in New York with her family one New Year’s Eve, and she told her it was so cold when you’d step outside it felt like you couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t help but feel that she’d made a huge mistake by moving here. Maybe her mother was right, maybe she should have stayed humble, maybe she should have stayed in Fort Worth, applied to college in the city.
In a city so big, she had never felt so lonely.
She kept walking until she saw a small bar on the corner of the street, dark and quiet on the inside. There were only a handful of men sitting up at the bar, all eyes focused on the football on the television screen. Eliza approached the bar and waited for the barman to notice her, all the while pawing at her fake I.D. in her cardigan pocket. All she wanted was one beer, to sit somewhere quiet and read a book. Pretend she wasn’t here, pretend she was back home in Texas.
The barman’s eyes met hers and he arched an eyebrow at her.
“Coors light, please?”
She pulled her hand out of her pocket when he didn’t even look twice at her, he went straight to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer.
“Do you want a glass with ice?”
“Please,” she nodded, surprised that she wasn’t asked for I.D.
She wasn’t complaining, though. She paid and took her glass to the far corner of the bar, wanting to be invisible. Pulling her book out of her handbag, she settled into her seat and let herself get lost in the story. She managed to block out the noise of the traffic, the murmurs coming from the T.V and the swearing of the men watching the game in frustration. After a while though, she could feel someone’s eyes hot on hers. She glanced up from her book, slowly scanning the bar until her eyes locked on his. He quickly averted his gaze when she caught him staring, and she looked back down at her book, pretending to read again. Really, she was just thinking that she should finish her beer and skedaddle.
She felt his gaze fall on her once more, and this time when she made eye contact with him he picked up his beer and walked over to her.
“The Great Gatsby,” he stated, pointing the tip of his beer bottle at her book.
Eliza looked at the cover, almost as if she had forgotten what it was she was reading.
“Yeah,” she replied stupidly, not knowing what else to say to him.
“Let me guess, Leonardo DiCaprio made you fall in love with Gatsby, and you just [i]had[/i] to go out and read it?”
“You’re pretty cocky,” she arched an eyebrow at him, placing her book mark on her page and closing the book over.
She opened up the first page of the book and tapped at the stamp in the corner.
[i]Property of Tarleton State University
1980[/i]
“My father loved it so much he never returned it back to the university. I’ve been read this story since I was young.”
He threw his hands up in the universal sign of surrender before sitting down opposite her.
“I never got the hype about it. I appreciate it’s a classic, but there are better novels out there.”
All Eliza could do was shrug. It was one of her favourite books, but she wasn’t willing to start debating it with a complete stranger.
“I’m Gerard, by the way,” he extended his hand.
Eliza didn’t make to move for a few seconds, before she weakly shook his hand.
“Eliza.”
“That accent isn’t from around here,” he smirked a little, and she didn’t know why she was finding his arrogance somewhat attractive.
“Texas.”
“I would never have guessed,” he laughed, causing her to smile despite herself,
“I’m just from across the pond, New Jersey.”
“I guess we all have our problems.”
She couldn’t help herself from letting that little insult out, but all he did was throw his head back and laugh.
“I guess we do. Can I buy you a drink?”
Her brain was telling her to say no, that her mother didn’t raise no fool, but it felt so nice to be talking and laughing with someone so she found herself nodding her head at his offer.
In that small bar they knocked back beers and talked about books. In the bar one street away, they moved onto spirits and discussed movies. And on the walk towards her apartment, swaying and hiccupping from too much alcohol, they moved onto music.
“I used to be in a band,” Eliza admitted bashfully, wondering why his opinion of it even mattered to her.
“Oh, I can see that,” he teased.
“Really?”
“Let me guess,” he looked down at her, his medium height towering over her 5ft 2 frame,
“You look sweet and innocent but you’re a fire cracker, I bet you’re pint-sized fury,” he playfully nudged her shoulder with his,
“I’d bet any money you were the bassist.”
Eliza couldn’t help but let out a bark of laughter, stopping in her tracks.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Oh yeah,” he nodded, pulling a face that said [i]the homeless man on the corner could have guessed that[/i],
“I used to be in a band myself.”
“Now, let [i]me[/i] guess,” she tapped her chin with her index in mock thought,
“You’re cocky and arrogant, so I’m going to say the lead guitarist.”
“Wrong you are,” he let out another contagious laugh,
“I was the singer.”
“Really? But your voice is so-“ she cut herself off, aware of the fact that sometimes alcohol could make her obnoxious.
“My voice is so what?” he egged her on, arching an eyebrow.
“Nasally,” Eliza finished,
“And you talk from one side of your mouth.”
Gerard threw his hand up to his chest and let his jaw go slack.
“Oh, Miss Eliza,” he put on a southern drawl,
“How you wound me.”
All she could do was roll her eyes as he laughed, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She said nothing as he stared at her softly for a few seconds before taking a step towards her. His lips dropped down on to hers, and she let him kiss her, tilting her head slightly and letting their mouths mesh together. In that moment, it didn’t feel like they were standing in the middle of the street, plenty of people able to see them. His hands wandered down to her ass, cupping gently before pressing her body closer to his. She could feel him stiff against her lower stomach as he kissed her more passionately.
He pulled away slightly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
“My flat is just around the corner,” he spoked lowly, intertwining his fingers with hers.
“So I won’t have to worry about you walking home,” she smirked up at him before taking a step back.
She turned her face to the road and hailed a taxi, and thankfully one pulled up beside her quickly. Gerard opened the door for her and leaned his elbow on the top of it as she got in.
“Can I at least get your number, Miss Eliza?” he smirked once again, but it was softer this time.
Eliza reached out and clasped the door handle, pulling it gently out from under his weight.
“Thanks for a great night, Gerard,” she closed the door over and gave the driver her address.
He pulled off and she nibbled on her lower lip, unable to stop herself from looking back over her shoulder as the cab drove down the road.
Gerard still stood on the side of the road, hands in his pockets, watching the car drive off.
Eliza couldn’t help but smile.

Notes