Ch.1

The Way We Hurt – Ch. 1

          He felt numbed against the hypnotic beat that was pounding, pounding its frenetic rhythm, irritably out of sync with the flashes of colored lights. Maybe it was because of his last beer, or any of the previous five that he had downed.

          Rob dangled the bottle as he motioned to the man behind the counter. “One more,” he mouthed. He didn’t bother with attempting Cantonese again; most Hong Kong bartenders understood enough English anyway. He didn’t bother shouting over the music; it was futile and he lost his voice for three days last time. Eric would have laughed at him for it.

          A bottle with symbols he didn’t recognize slid its way across the counter and into his palm. Thank God it was cold. He touched it to his forehead, breathing in a sharp breath of pleasure. Ice cold. His other senses might be dulling, but he was still painfully and keenly aware of the blunt heat in the club. He could even smell the heat; a fever riding on a wave of sweat, sex, alcohol and probably drugs, which originated from the dance floor and radiated its way outward, inundating him at full force at the bar.

          Looking in the direction of his thoughts, he spotted his two friends, their limbs in motion, caught in images of contorted and aesthetic grace by the intermittent flashes of the strobe light. Lei Lei enjoying her Saturday night as best she can with her tall, hulking date, Bo.

          He was startled as fingers snaked into his hair, coyly toying with his brunette mane, but restraint forced down any visible sign of his surprise. He turned. It was one of the girls he had been dancing with earlier, a slim Asian wearing a head full of shocking blue hair and too much perfume. An almost electric laugh danced out of her mouth as she slid a hand along his arm, hand pausing on his bicep.

          “Dance again?” she yelled into his ear, her accent less noticeable with the roar of Chinese hip hop beats thundering in the background.

          He smiled politely but shook his head no. Still playful, the girl hooked a finger on the gold chain around his neck and tugged sharply on it, her face wearing an assertive come-hither expression. Rob smiled again, but firmly separated her hand from his necklace.

          As the girl disappeared into the crowd with a huff, he lifted the bottle to his lips and drained an ice-cold mouthful down his throat. His mouth lingered on the mouth of the bottle, suddenly mesmerized by the way the way the smooth glass felt against his lips. He worked in his lips, almost imagining himself kissing…

          He killed that line of thought, and with a determined gulp of the beer, reminded himself, “Thou shalt not covet other people’s shit, or their girlfriends.” Not even if you knew they’ll break up in less than a week anyway. Besides, it was probably just the alcohol taking over his thinking. He was getting fucking hammered.

          Feeling the craving for a drag, he felt his shirt pocket for his cigarettes, and exhaled a curse when he remembered that this particular club was smoke-free. He weighed the option of going outside to smoke a Camel. True, it was the middle of January, but Hong Kong winter nights are considerably milder than what he was used to in Boston. Still, in the end his apathy won out and he decided that he wasn’t that desperate for the nicotine fix.

          The thought occurred to him that maybe he should have just stayed home for the night. Of course he always intends to say no whenever Lei Lei asks if he wants to go clubbing, but for whatever reason he always ends up tagging along, and always of his own accord. He didn’t want to be alone. The relapses hit him the worse when he’s alone, then come the pills, and he was damn tired of the pills. And hey, this was definitely what Eric would have done on a Saturday night.

          The thumping of the song’s over-amped bass surged through the floor, throbbing through the soles of his leather (and now beer-stained) shoes and pulsed through his veins as it invaded the steady beat of his own heart. The rhythm was alien even to the underlying melody of the song that had been mixed and remixed beyond recognition. With that hammering rhythm surging through his nerves, he almost didn’t notice a trill vibrating against his hip. He fished his red Nokia out of his pocket and eyed the text message.

          DANCE YOU LOSER.

          He looked out across the dance floor, aiming his gaze over bobbing heads, past upraised arms, and found Lei Lei’s gaze on him and Bo’s hulking dancing body almost towering over hers. Lei Lei pointed at Rob, then jerked her thumb toward the dancing crowd, her personal sign language for “Get your ass out here.”

          Well, who could refuse such a courteous invitation? Especially considering the source. Despite the sarcasm in his thoughts, Rob felt the corners of his mouth tug upward into a smile, but maintained a disinterested expression on his face as he swayed to his feet. He hadn’t realized how drunk he was until he found he had trouble pushing his way through the dance crowd, his footing unsteady and his balance easily unsettled by the pushing, moving bodies around him.

          Not entirely without difficulty, Rob finally stepped up next to Lei Lei, setting his body into motion with the music, and moving his hips into a slow grind. She rested an arm on Bo’s bulky shoulder, but smiled at Robert. He recognized the smile. Lei Lei liked it when her orders are obeyed, be it at work, behind the badge, or at play.

          He danced closer to Lei Lei, until he felt a pair of hands on his hips, and the scent of Coolwater reached him. This time he knew who to expect before turning around and being greeted by the riot of blue hair, which now appeared more violet in the glare of the flashing lights. The girl smirked and said something in Cantonese, something he didn’t quite catch but probably referred to his change of heart for the dance floor. Rob could have sworn heat of the club was suddenly redirecting into him as the rapture of the music hit his body with a seductive vibe, and he felt hot again… and strangely aroused… As the blue-haired girl moved in closer still, she effectively locked their two bodies in direct contact, hinging the connection at their hips. In spite of himself, Rob felt himself smile. Well, this wouldn’t be so bad.

          “There’s no such thing as getting too much attention from a beautiful woman.” At least, that’s what Eric had always said. Amen to that.