Chapter 7: We Are Strangers

Chapter 7: We Are Strangers Jamal's heart skipped a beat as he locked eyes with her. From the moment he saw her when he walked in, he had thought for a moment that he was seeing things. Her dark brown hair framed her face in soft waves, and her hazel eyes that seemed to glimmer in the dim light reminded him so much of Dawn— the Dawn he had known, not this version that was on viral sex tapes. But now that he was seated so close to her and looking into her eyes, which watched him with quiet curiosity, he could see the striking resemblance. Something about her and the way she stared back at him tugged at the strings of his broken heart. "Why do you look more like her more than she does?" He muttered under his breath and sighed deeply as he looked away from her, reminding himself that he was there to distract himself from his pain, not remind himself of it. Abigail, on the other hand, frowned, tilting her head in confusion, but she was unable to understand what he meant. This time, she didn't look away from him. She watched as he downed his drink quickly and ordered another. Although she had planned to spend only a short time at the club and leave after a glass of drink, she found herself watching him and wondering about him. Seeing how sad he looked as he drank, she couldn't help but wonder what the problem was. It wasn't until his third drink that he looked at her again. "Do you plan to stare at me all night, or is there something you want to say?" he asked with a raised brow. Abigail didn't speak, but her gaze remained steady, almost sympathetic. And to both their surprise, she nodded. She was never one to initiate a conversation with anyone, but for some reason, she wanted to hear him talk, not to anyone else but to her. She wanted him to look at her and talk to her. "What? You want to stare at me all night?" He asked curiously. Abigail giggled and shook her head. Not wanting him to know she couldn't speak, she coughed lightly, gesturing to her throat as if to explain her silence as she did earlier to the bartender. Like the bartender, he assumed she'd lost her voice, "You can just type it on your phone," he suggested. Abigail shook her head and pointed to his phone instead since she had no plans of turning on her phone until morning. "You want to use mine?" He asked, and when she nodded, he unlocked it, opened the text box, and pushed it over to her. Abigail flashed him a smile as she picked it up. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she typed on it. [You're drinking too much. Have mercy on your poor liver.] Jamal blinked when she turned the phone to him. When he read the text, he chuckled despite himself, making her smile. He half expected her to hit on him or try to get his number, as most ladies did, but he was amused that she had asked for his phone just to type that. "My liver will be fine. I rarely drink, so this is a one-time thing. Thanks for your concern." She erased the text and typed again, [Do you want to talk about whatever is making you drink? I can listen even if I can't talk right now.] Jamal sighed deeply as he read the text. "Thanks, but I don't want to think or talk about it. Why are you here alone?" She erased the previous text and typed again [Social experiment. I'm trying to find out why people like clubbing.] Jamal smiled, finding it strange that he was enjoying a conversation with a total stranger who didn't feel like a stranger to him. "I guess it's your first time in a club?" Abigail nodded, and Jamal smiled, "So, have you figured out the reason yet?" She shook her head. [Maybe you can tell me. Do you club often?] she asked, wanting to keep him talking. Jamal shook his head. "I don't. But I think most people like the loud music and vibrant atmosphere. People like to watch other people have fun and also meet new people, I guess." Abigail smiled. [I guess like we met now.] Jamal chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. By the way, I'm Jamal. What's your name?" Abigail hesitated for a moment and then typed her name. [Abigail.] "Abigail," Jamal said, testing the name on his lips. For some reason, he didn't think the name was befitting, but he didn't say so. [Do you have a girlfriend?] Abigail asked, feeling a little daring. Jamal raised a brow. "No. Why? Do you want to find me one?" He asked, wondering if she was going to hit on him like the others now. Abigail gazed at him for a moment, contemplating whether or not to say what she had in mind. Deciding that she had nothing to lose and that this was going to be a one-time encounter, she typed her response. [I'm attracted to you. I want to have sex with you.] Jamal who had been drinking from his glass, coughed and spluttered when he saw the text. He had had ladies asking for his number and flirting, but none had outrightly asked to have sex with him this way. "You want what?" Jamal asked in disbelief. Abigail almost found herself laughing at how red his face had become. Although she knew she was being reckless, she had thought about it as she watched him drink earlier, and she figured that if she was ever going to have sex in her life, then this was her one and only chance. It wasn't like having sex was her priority in life, but she figured this was the kind of night to do such a thing without Genevieve in the picture to steal Jamal's attention. Tonight, she could forget about Genevieve and pretend not to be mute. Who best to have sex with but a stranger she felt so strongly attracted to? It wasn't like anyone would care about her enough to post her nudes on the internet like they did Genevieve. She just wanted to feel like a normal lady this once in her life, and maybe she could face her reality again by tomorrow. Thankfully, she didn't need to repeat herself, so she pointed back at the text, which was still directed at him. "How can you ask me that? You don't even know me. We are strangers," Jamal said with a frown. He had always thought that the first time he had sex, it would be with Dawn, and now here he was on Dawn's eighteenth birthday, being propositioned this way by a total stranger who looked like her while her nudes were all over the internet. [I'm only asking you because I don't know you, but I'm attracted to you. If I knew you, I wouldn't ask. It's a no-string attached sex. Just tonight. We never have to face each other again.] Jamal's brows pulled together as he read the text, and he couldn't help but wonder why someone as pretty as she would want to have sex with a total stranger. He was even more confused because, for some reason, he felt just as attracted to her and wanted to accept what she was offering. Was he feeling this way about her because she reminded him of Dawn? Or was he tempted to have sex with a stranger because he couldn't have Dawn anymore? Would he have felt this way about this stranger had he not seen the news of the viral sex tapes? He pondered. Whatever the reason was, he figured that if he was going to do this with someone who wasn't Dawn, he could as well do it with someone who reminded him of her— someone who, for a fleeting moment, could make him forget. Since it was a no-string-attached sex, he wouldn't have to see her again after he left Blue York, and he would finally put Dawn behind him and move on with his life. "Fine," he said, standing and tossing a few bills onto the counter, more than enough to cover both their drinks. "Let's go to my hotel." Abigail's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't believe that he had accepted. She was giddy with delight as she rose and followed him.