The Stranger

"We might never meet again after tonight." Hottie muttered after downing his tequila finally.

Fallon let her eyes roam around his body. The flexing of his biceps with every movements of his arms, his flat tattoo-designed stomach and the way he ran his fingers through his hair every now and then intrigued her.

"That's right. I don't even know your name." Fallon chuckled to herself.

He looked her straight in the eyes as if there was something in there he was on the lookout for.

"I'm Chase. Chase Rogersfield." He didn't stretch his hand out for a handshake. It probably wasn't his thing.

"Fallon Grey."

"Fallon." He said the name aloud to himself as if he was trying to make meaning out of it.

"Why didn't you want a lap dance from Mandy?" The question was out of her mouth before she knew it.

"Mandy? That's her name?" He asked in return.

"At least that's what people call her here. She's quite a hot catch, and you weren't even interested." Fallon told him bluntly.

He bit on his lower lip and Fallon saw the flash of the ring on his tongue.

"I don't do hoes."

Fallon shrugged. Whatever it was he said, she didn't even know him.

"That doesn't mean I wouldn't have wanted it if it was you on my laps gyrating like that and moving your hips." He had a mischievous smile on his face.

Fallon looked away. He probably went to different clubs every weekend to make girls feel special and dump them right after he was done with them.

"Besides, she's fake. She's not natural. I don't want to simp, but then, the view of your breasts from here screams; yo, I'm natural. Come eat me."

Fallon laughed hard. Harder than she had ever laughed ever since Leroy's death. This stranger had barely spent two hours with her and he was reviving the old her back to life.

"Staring at a woman's breasts is not so gentlemanly. You don't look like a pervert to me, but you're beginning to."

"Oh love, I'm no gentleman." His gaze on her was intense. She had only drunk one shot of whiskey but she was feeling heady.

And he had called her love. And she was never going to see him after tonight. The people who made her smile never did last.

He turned his wrist and checked the time on his watch.

"They'll be thinking I'm ditching you at the club, but I don't want to look any more like a pervert by offering to drop you."

Fallon laughed again. She wanted him to stay back, but that would be selfish of her. Asking him to stay a little longer when they wouldn't see again after that.

"I hope to see you around after tonight. I don't live around. I came down to New York to check out a few things."

Fallon nodded.

"Goodnight."

She watched him leave. He had not even asked for her number like most guys often did. He was so different in ways she couldn't understand. Was he married? She had not seen any ring on his finger.

He stopped at the turn stiles as if he had forgotten something. But he didn't turn. He walked out of the club and disappeared into the night.

Now she was alone. Again. Just when she was thinking she had found herself a friend.

There was a card in front of her on the front bar. Perhaps he had dropped his complimentary card. But it wasn't his complimentary card. There was something written on it, and a smiley face.

"You should smile more often, you look really pretty and adorable when you smile. I used to see you a few times before and I told myself I was going to talk to you on my last night in Manhattan. Be good."

Would it be too much if she cried?

She turned the card and in the same beautiful slanted handwriting, he had written his name. Chase Rogersfield. She held it to her chest and shut her eyes. Wouldn't it have been better if he had dropped his number at least? They could hang out and talk more, like friends.

But it was his last night in Manhattan. He said he had come down to New York to check out a few things.

A sly thought crossed her mind. She could check him out on social media. She was going to surprise him.

She hopped off the stool and went to Ashley who was still tending to customers.

"Ashley, I'll see you tomorrow." She told her before moving away so as not to block customers.

"I thought he was going to drive you home?" Ashley asked disappointedly.

"I'll explain over the phone. Goodnight. We'll see tomorrow."

"Sure."

The cold wind hit her face as soon as she was out of the club. Inside the club, she didn't know just how hot it was until she stepped out.

She didn't know how dark her life was until hottie Chase Rogersfield came tonight to lighten it up. She wished he wasn't a visitor in Manhattan. He would have been a great friend. He had made her laugh and smile so much in just two hours.

He asked her to smile more often, so she was going to. She was going to take the advice of this stranger who barely knew her or had any inkling of her rough life but had asked her to smile.

People like that were rare. Everywhere they went they lit the whole place up. They had that gift and power to infect you with their joviality and conviviality and happiness.

This stranger. She was going to search him up and find him.

She hailed down a cab heading to Rudolph. It had been one long day, standing on her feet and attending to customers. Smiling at people when you didn't even mean it. Smiling at people when there was the real you with your mouth turned downwards in unhappiness.

But Chase Rogersfield said she should smile more often.