I'll Follow You Into the Dark Ch. 4

I took his wrist in my hands. They looked like the hands of a miniature doll compared to his abnormally grand ones. Large but elegant, how swiftly they had once swept across the small of my back, over my thighs, my cheeks…

“You still have it?”

I was referring to his tattoo of course. Or should I say our tattoo?

I’ll follow you into the dark. Scrawled my handwriting. We had specifically asked the tattoo artist to do it this way.

“You still have yours.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t have the money to get it laser-ed off. And getting it on was painful enough…Speaking of lasers, what’s his story of you and your chest hair….?”

He raised his eyebrow, surprised, and rolled his eyes.

I giggled. He had the cutest facial expressions that made me laugh no matter how down I was feeling.

“Sorry. Sensitive subject, I see?”

“Yeah, well, anyway…what were we even thinking?”

“Young and stupid I guess….”

“It’s really not that bad. I suppose you can apply it to anyone.”

“Not really,” I frowned “I mean…that song. It was ours. It IS ours. I still think of you whenever I hear it.”

“And whenever I hear it I think of you vomiting in my car…”

“Oh, shut up!” I was only half-mad though. That’s an embarrassing memory.

“Whatever. I was so drunk.”

“Drunk wasn’t even the half of it.”

“Psh. You pounded those vodka shots in me so you could get in my pants,” I scoffed.

“I didn’t really have try that hard! You nearly ripped them off after the third shot.”

We both cracked up at that one. The echoes of our laughter reverberated off of the cold tile walls and the fluorescent lighting.

He’s right you know. I’m a total lightweight, as embarrassed as I am to admit that.
Our first date was pretty disastrous. Even by my standards.

We arrived at the club. He wanted to take me to a quieter place, but he had promised his friends that he would meet them there. I didn’t really care as long as I was with him.

I was so nervous. I already felt a bit nervous, which would not bode well for me. My stomach was pretty weak. And the little speed devil put the petal to the metal on the way here in his cramped Audi A4. It didn’t really make anything better.

I met his friends; Mathieu, Robin, Philippe…and a few others I can’t remember. All genuinely nice guys really. But they kept winking in my direction and nudging Cesc. I guess I was the prized cow that night. I must say, I looked pretty hot.

“So, what can I get you to drink?”

“Um, a Diet Coke I guess?”

“Chloe, Chloe, Chloe! You cannot come to the hottest new club in London and simply order a Diet Coke. I’ll get you my favorite.” He winked.

Damn him and his winking.

“Oh yes, I often forget the correct clubbing etiquette. You’re the big-shot here.” I winked back.

We spent a good 30 minutes chatting with his friends. They started talking about football (I had trained my self to say that coming from the States. I wanted to sound as authentic as possible.)

“Oh, no boys! No business tonight!” Cesc yelled over the thumping music.

Clue # 1. No, I really didn’t know much about him at that point, but I felt safe. My instincts had always been my strongest gift through out my life.

Even as he was talking to everyone, he crept closer to my. Touching my hand lightly with his fingertip, stealing glances at me, smiling bashfully when I caught one of his looks. Always the perfect gentleman though, never a tongue in the ear like other boys I had dated. As I fell harder for him, the boys egged me on with the drinks.

“CHLO-E, CHLO- E. CHLO-E!”Four pairs of fists pounded on the table

I downed another one.

“WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! We all shouted as I jumped up on the table triumphantly.

“That’s 50 quid Mathieu. Pay up.”

“Shit, Cesc. I like this girl, not afraid of a challenge,” he smirked as he pulled a few bills out of his wallet.

“Thank you, my good sir.” I said as I snatched the bills out of his hand and giggled.

“Hey,” Cesc whispered in my ear. “Let’s go to the basement. It’s way too wild up here, not exactly the perfect ‘first date’ atmosphere. Is that ok?”

“Yeah,” I smiled up at him “Let’s do it.”

I wobbled as I made it back on to my feet. He put his hand around my waist. I was tipsy and he didn’t want to rush me to the emergency room after I fell on my face.
We carefully crept down the stairs. He heat from his hand on my waist transferred into my whole being like electric magic. It never dulled as the relationship went on. We sat on one of the luxurious couches, the ceiling pounded above us as the incessant techno music persisted. But it gave rhythm to our conversation

We talked for hours. The boys had all come down to say their good-byes. I kissed them all on the cheek and wished them a safe drive home. We kept talking. We talked about football, his mom, my dad, Suzette, the funny off-hand comment Coach Wenger said, the weather, the grass, Starbucks; neither of us were very good at shutting up. The manager came down after it was emptied out.

“Mr. Fabregas. I’m sorry to interrupt sir, but we’re closing the club right now.”

“No problem, thank you for your continuously impeccable service. Kudos.”

The manager grinned like a grade school child making an A on a math test.

He had everyone whipped. Including myself.

We climbed back into his Audi. I slipped off my heels. I had been sipping water the rest of the night to balance out the copious amount of alcohol I had ingested. I still felt sort of lousy. He turned on the air conditioner and the radio.

The first few bars of Death Cab for Cutie’s “I’ll Follow You Into the Dark” flowed out of the speakers like cool honey.

“Love of mine
Someday you will die
But I’ll be close behind
And follow you into the dark…”

“Oh my God I LOVE this song!” I shrieked.

“Never heard it,” Cesc replied.

I sang the chorus as any good drunken 18 year-old would. Loudly. And obnoxiously.

“If Heaven and Hell decide that they both are satisfied
Illuminate the No’s on their vacancy signs
If there’s no one beside when your soul embarks,
Then I’ll follow you into the dark…”

“Cute.” He smiled.

“I know, I’m pretty talented.”

He pulled up to the outside of my flat, as the final chorus ended.

He gave me the most luscious look I’ve ever received in my life. My breath stopped. My heart stopped. Everything stopped. Except the churning in my stomach.

He leaned over.

This is it, I thought.

“Oh god. Huaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…”

I released the vodka and the paella I had for dinner from my mouth and onto his pretty leather seats and clean-smelling carpet.

“Oh my God.”

“Are you OK?”

“I think so,” I said after I collected myself.

“Well, now we’re even I guess.”

We clutched our sides and gasped for breath are we recalled this memory. The same lines playing over in our heads. Forever on repeat. Doomed to haunt us…Inked forever on our bodies.

“…If there’s no one beside you when you soul embarks
Then I’ll follow you into the dark…”