Blood Runs Deep
I am a killer.
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Mae Bellerose said.
Thomas smiled slightly. "Me neither."
If Mae could, she would've stomped on his awaiting foot with the heel of her shoe, but she restrained herself. She had to keep herself in control. Control.
She was still having second thoughts- even as they neared the Erotica Strip Club.
Strip clubs just weren't her thing. Actually, any activity that involved loud music and large crowds were not her thing. Besides, it was not her fault that she was even going. Thomas Cruz, the smartest and most annoying person Mae knew, had broken into her apartment. Mae had been lounging around, eating week-old ice cream and watching television. And for some reason, Thomas took that as an indication that she was sad and a hermit in need of some fun. Naturally, he dragged her to a strip club. So, technically it was his fault.
"I don't want to go," Mae hissed under her breath.
Thomas looked over at her. His chocolate-brown eyes were filled with familiar warmth. Just seeing it made Mae relax slightly. "Too bad, you already are."
"Unlike you, Thomas, I have a reputation to uphold. Famous archaeologists do not go to strip clubs. Or at least, they don't let people see them at strip clubs.
Thomas rolled his eyes. "Yes, archaeologists are boring hermits who don't do anything but dig up old fossils and stare at gold."
"Artifacts! We study artifacts. There is more to archaeology than just looking," Mae replied indignantly. "You are lucky you aren't in an archaeological museum right now. I am much nicer than my co-workers."
Thomas laughed, finally glancing away from her. "Ooh, I'm so scared. What are they going to do? Chase me with a magnifying glass? Bury me in a tomb? Now Science is what really matters."
Mae rolled her eyes.
"Without Science you guys wouldn't even know that the fossils you dig up belong to dinosaurs."
"The nerd train's left, Thomas," Mae replied as they neared the Erotica Strip Club.
It was a fairly ramshackle building, shielded on both sides by a bar and a lingerie clothing store. Though that did not stop the club from being lit up like a disco ball from the inside. Mae could hear the pounding music from all the way outside. It made her blood curdle.
She glanced away. She could spot the Brooklyn Bridge in the distance, partly covered by towering skyscrapers reaching for the inky sky. Some of their windows were dark, though some still shined like the winking stars in the sky. The moon was full and looked down upon the Hudson River, making the water seer like a blanket of watery silver. Even though it was late in the night, cars still whizzed down the streets and people bustled left, right, and center. New York was a city that never seemed to sleep; it was a cauldron of teeming life.
Mae sighed calmly for a moment, letting the cool air brush against her skin, ruffling her golden, blond hair.
She loved those moments, the moments when she realized how truly large New York was, and how much was in it. They made her feel insignificant at times, a tiny star in an expansive sky. But they also reassured her that she was not alone, that she was a part of something greater. Though Mae was not sure what. After all, she already knew her place in the world. She was already settled down...
Mae turned back to the strip club and eyed it warily. "I am not going in there."
Thomas reached for her hand, but then quickly pulled his away. His cheeks reddened and he became particularly interested in the gravel beneath their feet.
Mae decided not to think to much of the gesture and brushed it out of her mind. She would ponder over it later. Right now was not the best time for thinking.
Thomas took a deep breath and smiled at her, though his angular cheeks still had a slight, red tinge to them. "I'm sorry. I don't know what that was. But anyway, you must. We have already come so far."
Thomas's apology sounded so sincere. Honestly, everything Thomas said always sounded sincere. But Mae did not appreciate being told that she must do something.
"I don't like parties."
"It's not a party. It's a strip club," Thomas replied, though his voice was gentle.
"Does it have people? Loud Music? Yes, so it's no better. Besides, clubs are always full of people who don't know what the meaning of personal space is," Mae said.
Thomas expelled a laugh and looked back at her. Their eyes met, albeit briefly, before Thomas quickly looked away. Though Mae found herself realizing that even though his eyes were dark, they had shined like the stars gazing down on them from the sky- just for a moment.
Mae quickly pushed the thought out of her mind. It was certainly only the light emanating from the club, she told herself.
"And this is exactly why you should go," Thomas said. Come on, Mae. You work harder than anyone I know. You deserve to have a break from time to time."
"Well...a strip club?"
Thomas grinned. "It's the best way to let loose."
"I am going to pretend you never said that."
Thomas held out his elbow. It was something they often did. Mae stared at it for a moment, his inviting hand. It was an invitation. And if she took it, there was no going back.
Thomas's brown eyes flicked up to hers. Mae looked at him, really looked at him. At the familiar warmth in his eyes, at the dark hair that curled up at his ears, at his bushy brows, and his freckled nose. His face was so familiar that she could count the freckles upon it.
How could she ever say no to him? He was Thomas.
Mae's face split into a smile and she linked her arm with his.
Thomas seemed to heave a sigh of relief. He looked back at Mae with a smile that was brighter than the interior of the club. "With two nerds taking over the club, they don't stand a chance."
Mae laughed. With him she felt at home. She always would. Especially since she no longer had one. Not really anyway. Not after what she had done...
As Mae and Thomas walked arm in arm towards the Erotica Strip Club, Mae could not help but feel deep down that she was making a terrible mistake-
But she would do it, for Thomas. When Thomas was there everything was alright. There were no mistakes that Mae would not do for him-
And that scared her more than anything.
