When I look back, the Mothman is staring at me. Despite the packed bar, my ears are full of the silence lingering between us.
One antenna raises a few inches. “Come on, Piper, your money’s no good here.” A little purr in his voice sends a shiver down my spine.
“You know my name?”
He raises a hand, it's large. Like, really large. The skin dark like his fur, his nails long but dull. One long slender finger pokes at the clearly displayed name on my credit card. I wince.
“You didn’t memorize the number too, did you?” I bark out a nervous laugh and then force myself to stop. Crap, the laugh is embarrassing.
“What if I did?” He’s definitely interested in me; there’s no other way to interpret the way he puts a little purr in his voice as he leans forward.
The bartender pushes my drinks forward and pours the Mothman something without asking.
“Do you come here often?” I let myself laugh this time. So he will know that I’m joking.
The Mothman shrugs. “Often enough to know you've been here before.” He reaches around me slowly, his arm grazing mine as he collects his beverage. I feel a little heat creep up my cheeks.
I started coming here a lot when Colin and I moved into an apartment nearby a couple months ago. It can be tricky to find a good bar in a new neighborhood. Moonshine is a great place, with a perfectly cozy atmosphere. It’s frequently crowded, but rarely packed. With plenty of seating for the nights they project movies on the large screen behind the stage, and plenty of floor space to dance when there is music, like tonight. It’s their monthly silent disco. The tables are pushed to the side and in one corner a DJ spins a spooky Halloween mix through wireless headphones, so you can control the volume of your own music.
“You want some help with those?” The Mothman nods to my small tray of drinks. I begin to shake my head, change my mind, and open my mouth to say yes when Kelly pushes over to me.
“Hey, Piper! What’s taking so long?” She steps between me and the Mothman, her expression reads she thinks she's doing me a favor.
The Mothman doesn’t say anything else, giving me a tiny nod before he retreats into the crowd.
“Shit. Sorry, did I clam jam you? I mean, you weren’t into the cryptid, were you?” Kelly asks.
“I’m not even sure if he was interested in me.” I grab our drinks and push past her to head back to our table. I’m a little disappointed the Mothman gave up so quickly. Who wants to flirt with the woman wearing a shin length khaki skirt to the bar? I thought the outfit was cute at home, but standing here surrounded by gorgeous women in skimpy outfits, I feel a bit dowdy. No one is going to pick me when there’s a sexy blonde devil in a bright red corset that pushes her boobs up to her neck available.
I should have shoved my boobs up to my neck.
Instead, I’ve got them squirreled away behind a starched white button-down. My boobs have always been my best feature. Colin loved them. Although, he didn’t necessarily love when I wore tops showing them off.
I guess I’m allowed to show them to anyone I want now. Next year, I’ll wear a fun, slutty costume and let everyone enjoy them. The Mothman wouldn't have walked away if I was wearing something he could see my boobs in.
Kelly and I make it all the way back to our table, where Anam waits, before I cave into my urge to check over my shoulder to see what the Mothman is doing.
I think he’s staring in my direction. With his compound eyes, I can’t tell exactly which direction he’s looking, until he holds up his hand, clawed fingers separated into the Vulcan ‘live long and prosper’ salute. Classic Spock move. That makes me feel a little less like an idiot.
There was something between us; it wasn’t entirely my imagination. I feel a satisfying heat creep up my cheeks. I can do this. I can be single. I can flirt.
“To Kelly’s potential art show!” Anam interrupts my thoughts by holding up one of the shots for a toast.
“Here here!” Kelly agrees as she picks up a shot glass. “And to Anam’s grant being awarded!”
Anam pumps her fist in the air. “And to Piper getting laid tonight!”
“I don’t know about that.” I laugh, and I clink my glass with theirs anyway.
“To Piper being single and finally having some fun!” Anam says.
I agree more enthusiastically to that suggestion before choking back the shot. Fun. Right. I thought I was having fun. I thought I had life neatly sorted. Good job, cute apartment, committed boyfriend. On my way to marriage and kids and home ownership??3. I'm not sure what I did wrong to make Colin leave.
“Was he a real cryptid?” Kelly asks the second her empty shot glass hits the tabletop. She adjusts the hem of her short black cocktail dress. It highlights her running toned legs, and slim frame. Her long brown hair is pulled into a French twist. She looks elegant and sexy, because Kelly knows her strengths.
“Did he try to hit on you?” Anam yells, because once she gets drunk she begins speaking at twice the volume she thinks she is. She’s wearing a low cut sexy bee costume, with letters cut out of construction paper taped all over her outfit. A ‘Spelling Bee’, because Anam also knows her strengths, humor and boobs.
“Yes? No? I don’t know? He paid for these drinks,” I admit.
