Page 5 of Strut
“Girl, what's happening to this place.I think they've taken this gentrification way too far.”I slid next to Alexus.“What man buys a drink to engage in debatable conversation?I mean,really!”
Alexus burst into laughter as I kept talking.
“He literally walked his ass over here to engage in aconvo?”I used his term.“Please tell me this is not a new thing.When I want a hit, I just want to hit it.Talking though?Now why would…”
A deep voice interrupted me, “because a debatable conversation tells me a lot about a woman.I can hit it but then what's the fun in hitting it with an airhead or a ditz.I'd rather hit it with someone who can properly put together a sentence on where they want me to hit it again!”
Damn!
He shrugged his shoulders again.
Hell.
“Ugh,” I groaned as Alexus laughed.
“So, you were saying something about gentrification.I have thoughts on this.”The man continued while Alexus was outright laughing at this point.
Me, on the other hand, had my mouth open, and I was ready to spit all sorts of fire at him.
“I think the hippies need to leave,” he said with a straight face.
Taking him in, the man had long blond hair, cuffed khaki pants, with a long brown leather fringed vest, shoes, no socks, white shirt with rolled sleeves.He had an angular face, one that could have been chiseled with its sharp features, a deep set of sea green eyes, and he wasn’t bulky but looked like he took care of his body.Probably a runner.
In any event, his appearance in light of his comment made me burst out in laughter.
“Youarea hippie,” I tried to say through my chuckles.
The man looked himself up and down before he said, “Is it that obvious?”
Alexus and I both yelled, “Hell yes!”
He laughed and boy did my heart skip a beat.It was hearty and manly, yet infectious.Under normal circumstances, I probably would have laughed as well, but my most vital organ decided to skip some more beats.He lifted his glass and said, “Let the hippies stay!The name is Chris, short for Christopher.”
We all laughed at him and continued to chat more about his hippie status.It turned out, he only lived a few blocks from me, which I did not share with him.His family was from the Philadelphia area, but they had moved out of town to be closer to his father’s job with the government in Harrisburg.Chris said he missed the city of brotherly love and had been back for four years.
Alexus asked if he was single because she drunk whispered that she liked him.Chris leaned into me and said, “I like her too.”
My eyes hit his as he winked at me, but I just shook my head.The sting of rejection was long gone, but a scary tingling feeling replaced it.I liked him or at least what he represented.I didn't want to like him, but the damn man was very engaging and likable.
Around eight o’clock, Alexus’ man, Devin, showed up by kissing her smack dab and full fledge on the lips.It was quite a scene and one, that not only me and Chris witnessed, but almost the whole bar.Hoots and the clinging of glass could be heard around the room.
“I guess the cavalry is here,” Chris leaned and whispered to me.
“Yeah,” I answered as I watched Devin murmur something against Alexus’ lips.
“Let's get out of here,” Chris said but did not ask.
“And where, pray tell, do you think we are going?”I countered.
“My place,” he answered.“It's right around the corner, and you can see what a hippie’s apartment looks like.”
I tried not to laugh, but Chris was already standing up with his hand outstretched.Those come-hither eyes had me rethinking everything that happened prior to him coming over for the second time.
My eyes lingered on the man’s large hand, and without another thought, I took it and stood with him.
“Well, Alexus.We're going to be going now too.”Chris said.“It was nice meeting you and you…” he let that linger for the moment.
“Devin,” the man unwrapped his arm from around Alexus’ body and shook Chris’ outstretched hand.