chapter 2

The three shuffled their way between bouncing bodies as music blared. The bass rumbled up through Eddie’s chest, and heat rose from his open shirt, charged up from the dense crowd.

The three met with Luca’s friends, the three of them sitting alone at a table with bottles and glasses spread on top. Luca shouted indiscriminately as his friend rose and the two embraced, and Mateo followed shortly after. Eddie recognized his face and recalled meeting him at a party at Luca’s, but could not remember his name. He leaned in to dap, and shouted something into Eddie’s ear, which he could not hear over the music.

“Great to see you, bro!” Eddie shouted back. He looked over to Luca, who was sitting and talking with one of the strangers. To his right, Mateo was pointing into the crowd while the other stranger shouted into his ear.

“So how long you guys been here?” Eddie shouted.

“Been alright, my man! How about you?” He reached to his side with the back of his hand and tapped Eddie on his gut. He instinctively flinched and sucked in.

“Oh!” Eddie stumbled, “Yeah! Same shit!”

After a few moments, Mateo gestured to Eddie.

As the two shuffled around the club, Mateo turned to look at Eddie. With a look of disapproval, he slashed at his throat and shook his head.

Back at the table, the four sat, talking amongst themselves.

“Hey!” Mateo shouted, “I thought you said this place was loaded with girls!?”

“Yeahh…” Luca’s friend responded, “a big group of ‘em just left. Hang in there, bro! You know places like this let any girl skip to get in.”

For the next half hour, the six sat at their table, shouting in each other’s ear. When one of the two strangers stood up, Eddie replaced him next to Luca.

“Hey, what do you think if we bounced?” Eddie asked.

“Bounced? Already? Man! The night’s just getting started!”

“Yeah, yeah...I just feel like Matty’s getting a little antsy. You know how that goes. Only a matter of time before he’s a total bummer.” Eddie responded.

“Where do you want to go?” Luca asked.

“I dunno. Maybe we really will find those girls from earlier?” Eddie laughed.

“I mean, you guys can do what you want, but I’m probably gonna hang back with my buddy here. His friend is trying to start this business and I think we could make some money off it.”

Eddie laughed and shook his head. “Alright man, I mean, good luck with that!” He shook out Luca’s hair and faced Mateo.

‘Yo,” he continued, “what do you say we get out of here?”

“Oh my god, yes. Please!” Mateo shouted.

“Luca’s gonna hang back, said we should bounce if we’re not feeling it.”

“Luca!” he shouted before blowing a kiss. “Adios my love!”

Luca, sunken deep into his seat, flashed a middle finger below a sly smile. “Fuck you!” he shouted.

--

“Bro, I’m not going to be able to hear anything for weeks after being in that place.” Mateo complained.

“I think the bass re-set my heartbeat.” Eddie testified.

“Bro, we gotta be dancing with a couple of girls in 10 minutes or I’m going to go crazy.”

“Yeah, I thought you might want to dip.” Eddie laughed.

The two started walking before Eddie continued.

“So, where do you want to go? Find those girls from earlier?” Eddie chuckled nervously.

“Honestly dude, they probably went to that place on Lenox. That’s where they were walking. And you saw how they were dressed, that place is filled with girls like that.”

“Yeah? I mean, I’m down to go there if you want.”

“Look at you, Eddie! Chasing down girls.”

“Yeesh...you know, that doesn’t really sound like a compliment, especially coming from you.”

Mateo laughed. “I mean for real though, you’re gonna have to approach a girl at some point. You know I mostly go overboard with this kind of stuff around you guys for the joke, but the truth is you really can’t be so scared. Just be confident, be yourself.”

“Wow, sage advice there, King.” Eddie pushed Mateo’s shoulder.

As the two entered, Eddie glanced above the bobbing heads in the dimly lit club. After wading through the jubilant mass to get a drink, the two headed for the center of the room. In the dancing mass, Mateo led them to a mixed group, rowdy and well into their booze. Adorning a silly face, Mateo launched into his classic dance moves to the group’s intense approval. One woman, especially fond of his general buffoonery, emerged from the group with moves of her own. Eddie gestured to his friend incredulously as he merged into the group and bobbed with the music.

The group roared in response to the display of madness being led by Mateo while Eddie scanned the club. In the distance, his eyes locked onto a familiar figure as time again slowed.

He watched as brown-and-white striped shorts, inflated near bursting, shook rhythmically to the beat, wobbling dramatically with each flick of the hip, waves jiggling down her immense thighs. Her friend grabbed her by the hips and pulled her ass into her body, and the four screamed as they grinded against each other. Her friend laughed and lightly spanked her as she twerked. When the two disengaged, they nearly collapsed in laughter.

Eddie watched on, careful to pull his eyes away if he felt his gaze was disrespectful. He watched as the woman from his wild group danced closer to Mateo, and he placed his hands on her hips. His eyes again darted to the woman across the room, who now twirled in slow circles while swaying her hips to the music.

His heart skipped as the two made eye contact. Eddie’s dance turned artificially present, quickly looking away engage with his new group.

Before long, his eyes were again pulled across the room, as though my magnetic force. The woman again met his gaze and smiled without breaking rhythm.

He looked to Mateo, who was now front-to-front with his foolish equal, grinding to the rhythm which bounced through the floor. ‘Just be confident, just be yourself.’ he heard Mateo preach in the distance.