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Dean
The computer screen flickers before me. I got it fixed just yesterday. Why the hell was it not working now? I hit the side of the computer, making it go back to normal again. I never understood why things worked after you slapped them.
You’re probably wondering why I think about things like this. Who sits around getting angry about slapping things? Jesus, they sound like an old man. I’m not an old man, I’m actually very young. I should probably explain why I’m like this. I grew up in the town of Boring, Montana. No, seriously. I’ve lived here my entire life. I don’t have any good talents.
I was a straight A student, but still average in a sense. I had a couple of friends and no aspirations for the future. My father always pestered me to get out and travel the world, but I never listened to him. What I actually did was sit at home and daydream about how it would be. I didn’t attend college because I wasn’t accepted to any. I think that’s where I lost most of my motivation. I would come to know years later that my mother had trashed all of the acceptance letters because she didn't want to lose me. That’s an opportunity that I’ll never see again. I took up a 9-5 job here, and moved out about 5 years ago.
I’m currently 27 and living the life of a middle-aged man, which I actually don’t mind. I know that by now, most people would have blown their head off, but I’m totally fine with sitting at a desk all day. I’ve never really been adventurous or spontaneous. I’m more the type of person to just stay in.
The only spark of fun that I get to have is after work, when I head straight to the buses to start an unofficial tourism business. Only two types of people attend the tour: White, rich and “adventurous” people that are looking to “have a night out on the town”, or foreigners that didn’t get the memo that not all of America is great. I exploit them for their money, basically. I have around 6 stops on the tour. I show them a few places in the national parks, the sunset over a cliff, and then I take them to a fancy restaurant and bar in Downtown Boring. There, they can finish a meal, and then head home. I can’t afford a party bus, obviously, so I just use public transportation. The bus driver doesn’t seem to mind, as long as I pay for the tickets.
That’s pretty much my life. I don’t have too much going for me; and I’m not waiting for anything to happen.
Adeline
I love talking to people on planes. I know a lot of people think it’s annoying, but it’s an amazing way to meet people. A lot of my friends have advised me against it, since I could be conversing with a serial killer, for all I know! But I don’t really care. I already live an amazing life, and I’d be content even if I was killed tomorrow.
I work as a food critic now, at 26. I’ve gotten pretty famous, so now I’m invited from all over the world to be on TV, to review restaurants, and I’ve even been offered a cookbook deal that I’m still thinking about. Food is such a big part of my life. It’s something I really cherish and am very passionate about.
I’m the product of a teenage pregnancy that wasn’t taken very well with my mother’s family. My father took off years ago, which I don’t exactly blame him for. It was a hard situation. I can still catch myself getting mad at him sometimes. Anyway, I digress. Since my mother was kicked out and had to start working 2 jobs to feed us, she wasn’t able to feed us a lot. I wasn’t as lucky as the other kids in school, who could go and travel wherever they wanted. School was already bad, since it was in the heart of Chicago, Illinois, where I was raised my entire life.
Now, I was rich and I was full every single day. It almost feels like some kind of security for me. By the time I entered 8th grade, my mother entered a stable job that just about got us by. I picked up small jobs wherever I could, and worked 2 jobs throughout high school to pay for culinary school. Part of it was also a scholarship. During my time in college, I started a small food blog that went viral overnight. Soon, I started to get invited to places all over the world. After culinary school was over, I sold my apartment and decided to travel the world. I’m technically homeless-yes. If everyone just decides I’m old news in 5 minutes, I’d be out on the streets with nowhere to live. I don’t want to burden my mom again, so I don’t stay with her. Most of the time, between places, I crash at my friend’s place in Nashville, Tennessee.
Now that I’ve gotten a taste of the life, I’m not going back to the way it was. No matter who or what tries to convince me.
Dean
Eleanor rolled out from her cabinet and wobbled over to where I was. Eleanor was around 60 years old, but she continued to work, since she quote, “doesn’t have anything better to do”. I’m surprised she lasted this long here. In the office, not her life. I may come off as rude, but I’m not that rude.
“Did you go anywhere yesterday?” she asked me, setting down a file full of paper.
“No, I stayed in and watched Netflix.”
She sighs and starts back to her chair and collapses down. “As your only friend in your pathetic life, I’m telling you. Take advantage of this time to go out and find friends. Or a girlfriend. Or just someone to be with you, dammit. I can’t drink beer with you anymore. I’m too old.”
I shoot a look at her, and go back to my work. She’s always nagging me about finding a friend. I don’t need friends. She thinks that I’m going to end up dying alone. I’ve never had a serious relationship. Last time I kissed someone was a year ago, after a first date. Then I told her that I would never leave Boring, Montana, and she disappeared the next day. I understood what Eleanor was saying, but that’s just not the way I roll. I guess I just have to deal with it---the fact that I might just end up by myself.
Eleanor’s not going to be around much longer and I can’t spend my lifetime waiting for her. I’m almost 30. I should probably focus on love at this point. For the rest of the 30 minutes I have, I think about what it would be like to meet a girl. A girl perfect in every aspect: beautiful, respectful, nice, caring, but also funny and goofy and interesting. I want someone. So Eleanor was right. I am very damn lonely.
Adeline
The soup is placed in front of me. A foul smell protrudes off of it. I wrinkle my nose, but still manage to give a small smile to the chef, who insisted that he brings it out himself.
It’s a simple tomato soup. It’s orange, it’s got a little bit of cilantro on top and a hair. Wait a minute. A hair? A long piece of a woman’s hair is very evident in the soup.
I stick my finger in the soup and pull the hair out, maintaining eye contact with the chef the entire time.
“Is there something wrong, because you’re messing up the presentation-” He shakes in his place. I stop him before he can go further.
“I think I should go right now.” I get up out of my chair. The food was really bad so far and I honestly felt kind of bad about how this could hurt them. If I made a bad review on this restaurant, chances are people wouldn’t even consider it anymore.
Instead of walking out without another word, I grabbed the chef’s arm and pulled him over to the side. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s embarrassing people in public. I’ve had teachers, even kids do that to me because of how poor I was as a kid. I know the feeling and I would never wish that upon anybody else. He looks at me with scared eyes. I knew, then, deep down, that he was going to cry. He was a crier. This was going to be 10 times harder.
I looked into his eyes, took his hands and straightened my posture. “I’m so sorry, but I am going to give this a bad review. This probably means that you might not get as good of service anymore.” He looked at me with glass eyes.
“So you’re just going to destroy my entire livelihood and walk away? So you can stay in 5-star hotels while ruining good, hard-working people’s lives?” I couldn’t say anything to him, because I knew he was right. What I was doing here wasn’t just or fair, but he needed to know that he won’t be able to be great with this in the future. It’s the one thing I hate about my job. With my influence, I can put people out of a job, and I hate that I have that kind of power. But I don’t have time to stop and think. I just have to keep going.
Dean
It’s Saturday night and I’m getting ready to take the tourists on the tour. They’ve been waiting patiently, but for some reason today feels different. I button up my shirt and walk out the door, straight towards the bus stop next to my house. Everyone that was going on the tour stood at the stop.
This time the group was entirely made up of internationals. I couldn’t tell from where, but I was pretty damn sure that they were from somewhere in Europe. Or they could be Canadians. I continue with the tour, showing them places that they think are the most important places of Boring, Montana, when in reality none of them are actually interesting.
We finally reach the last of the stops, a fancy restaurant called Flora. It’s the most expensive place from this shitty town, and it’s the prettiest. It’s the only thing on this tour that’s worth the money that I charge these gullible folks.
I let everyone out of the bus, and I waited for everybody to gather outside of the window. Somebody drops their purse, and everything falls out, so the others scramble to help them. While they do that, I take a look inside of the restaurant.
Like usual, the only customers are rich people who don’t care about anyone except themselves. I scan the room, waiting to see my only other friend: the waiter that works here. Eduardo. This son of a bitch was the person who convinced the manager to allow me to bring people as a part of my tour in the first place. He and I have somewhat of a brother relationship. After my parents died a few years ago, I sat in the back alley of this restaurant a lot. One day, Eduardo decided to find me and help me out. He was the one who gave me the idea for this tour in the first place.
He waves happily at me, but quickly shuts it down when his boss turns around and barks at him to attend to a customer. I continue to look around the room for an open table. Now was the rush, and I don’t know if Eduardo had saved us some seats today. I don’t even know if there are enough.
That’s when I see her. Her. With the beautiful hair and eyes and nose and lips and body. Her with the beautiful face and soul. I just knew that she was going to be a part of my life, she had to be a part of my life. I was going to make her a part of my life. While I was daydreaming and creating a future with this woman in my mind, she turns to me and looks me straight in the eyes, giving a little smile.
I might actually die.
Reality comes crashing in the next second and the hideous woman that’s part of the tour taps me on the shoulder. She’s not actually hideous, but she’s super ugly compared to the goddess sitting across from me in the window. Maybe my standards are super low without having anyone for a long time. But I can’t talk to her. I could never, I’d slip up and say something stupid.
“Can we go in now?” The lady asks with a thick accent.
I snap out of my thoughts and nod, allowing everyone to come inside before I follow along. I meet up with Eduardo in the middle of the place, and he leads them to a table to get situated.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Flora. The meal is not covered by the tour, but I assure you that this place is nothing but the best and deserves every single cent. This place is actually famous and known for its drinks. Matter of fact-let me and my friend here go grab some for you guys. Please, get comfortable and look at the menus.” Eduardo and I turn around as we walk towards the kitchen, looking at the free food we sneak out of here. I see one order and walk towards it. I grab the wine glass and pour it all out into the sink.
“Where’s the new wine?” I ask Eduardo impatiently.
“Chill, it’s right here.” He pulls out a big bottle from underneath a sink, opens it, and tastes it a little. “Tastes much better.” He fills the glass up and puts it back on the tray.
“Why is there only one glass? There’s like 15 of them over there.” The smoke from the food fills the air with a sweet smell.
“How should I know? This is their order. Tiny here said so himself.” I look over at Tiny, the short guy cooking behind the counter. Tiny grunts and looks away.
I roll my eyes and grab the tray. As a second job, I used to work in this restaurant. I’m still getting paid by this restaurant to do a tour, but I refuse to spend any of it on a tacky bus. I’d feel like an idiot.
As I walk out of the kitchen, I spot the beautiful girl again. I have the same overwhelming feelings again, and they only intensify now. She turns towards me and smiles again, and this time it’s not just a polite smile. I know she knows. She’s doing it on purpose, to mess with me. Well, I won’t fall for it. I’m not going to be her little toy that she can play with and then throw away. That’s what all rich girls want anyway.
But despite those harsh words, I find myself naturally walking towards her with the tray of food. I caught myself about 10 steps from her, and quickly turned around. When I turn around, I can see her beautiful face following me towards the tourist’s table.
What I wanted to do was throw the food down, rush over, and pull her into the biggest kiss ever, but that wasn’t right. I don’t even know who she is. What I did instead was walk towards the tourists and set the food down in front of them. A hairy man takes the glass and raises it towards me. I shoot him a fake customer service smile. Before he can drink it, I hear a big shout.
“Hey! Dean, stop!” Eduardo comes running at me, and the man puts his drink down. Everyone looks at him, including the gorgeous girl, but he waves them off and they go back to eating their food.
“Hello, everyone. There’s a tiny problem. This is not your food, actually, it’s someone else’s and it’s an important person, so we kind of need to switch the food. Your food will be out in a second.” Eduardo nods at me to take the food, then looks around, then straight at the gorgeous girl.
The muscles in my neck tense. I’m gonna punch him in the neck if he says something stupid.
“Take this food to her. She’s the food critic and you know we’ll be dead if you don’t give it to her fresh.” I suck in a breath and I pick up the tray again and walk towards her again. She’s got eyes on me, the same seductive smile she was giving me before. I put the items down in front of her.
“Excuse me, where is the bathroom?” she asks me. Even her voice sounds utterly heavenly.
“Down that hallway to your- uh- your left.” I smile at her and she smiles back at me again. Fuck. She’s killing me.
Something clicks in my head. If she gave me that smile, and invited me to the bathroom… that means she wants to make out with me. I almost pat myself on the back as I watch her walk to the bathroom. Good job, Dean.
Adeline
I walked into the bathroom to wash my hands. It was a weird ritual I had to do before I ate a meal. I know it’s normal but every time something new was put down in front of me, I have to get up and wash my hands again.
Why was I so flustered? The waiter is just a waiter. Sure, he’s hot, polite and crazy handsome, but that shouldn’t mean anything. I’ve always done things like this: small little flings all over the world with meaningless men. This guy should be no different, but there was a part of me that was telling me not to leave him, not to hurt him like the other guys.
So I didn’t. I excused myself before I would inevitably start flirting with him.
The door opens and closes. I take no notice and lean down over the sink. The door then locks, then I feel someone come up behind me and grab my waist.
My instinct naturally kicks in, and I push down their arms and swing it around. I look in the mirror and the man in front of me is no other than the waiter.
“What the hell?!” I yelled, pulling harder on his arm, earning a small yelp.
“You called me in here!” He shot back, twisting around and somehow pushing me away from him. So much for those $500 self-defense classes.
“I just wanted to know where the bathroom is! That’s not code for anything else.” I yell. He calms down and smoothes out his shirt.
“Well, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I thought this was consensual.”
To me, it kind of was, but I wasn’t about to say that to him. I cross my hands. “Well, you thought wrong. I don’t even know your damn name.”
Just then, we hear a loud scream outside. We both look at each other, then rush out to find one of the tourists that the guy brought. A hairy man had thrown the expensive wine to the ground-the one that was really good.
“These drinks are bullshit! This place is a joke!” His wife inaudibly says something over his shouting, clearly embarrassed by his loud and irrational yelling. I step back behind and let the guy take care of the situation.
Dean
Before I can realize what’s happening, my boss is walking up to me. He grips my arm, hard and leads me forward towards the screaming hairy man.
“You caused this. Your customer, your problem. Figure it out or you’re fired and you can kiss your promotion goodbye.” I widen my eyes and walk towards the man, approaching him with caution.
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to step outside.”
He grunts and steps down from his seat, maintaining steady eye contact with me.
“No need. I’m never coming back to stupid town again.” The rest of the tourists slowly get up and walk after him. Every single part of me was screaming to go after them and try to convince them otherwise, but deep down I knew that I had lost them because of this one douchebag. They all file out of the door as the other people in the restaurant watch along.
My mind was racing. I was so distracted by the woman in red that I forgot to switch out the drinks of the tourists. My job is now on the line.
I ran back into the kitchen. I stomp right up to Eduardo and ball his shirt in my fingers.
“What the fuck?! You were supposed to switch out the drinks? Now the boss is going to question us? We’re gonna be fired before dawn.”
Eduardo smiles.
“Why are you smiling? Are you out of your mind?
“I’m smiling because the boss already talked to me. He said that he’ll forgive us for this one, but if it ever happens again, we’re gone. He’s also planning on changing the stock of drinks.”
I feel a weight drop inside of me. I was safe, but that was too much of a close call. And yet, I find myself cursing the woman.
Adeline
I finish my food and write down some quick notes in my phone. I head outside to find the guy from the bathroom sitting on the steps of the place. I sit down next to him.
He looks at me. “What do you want?” He asks harshly.
“I just wanted to tell you that I didn’t think the drinks were that bad. And I want to apologize if I gave you any weird signals there.”
“It wasn’t your fault, it was mine for assuming. And you liked your drink because I replaced it. The drinks here are shit so I always replace them with my own so people won’t complain.”
I wait for a second. Why was he opening up to me? I don’t want this to be another throwaway fling.
“I’m Adeline.”
“I’m Dean.”
“You do this for a living?”
“Yeah, I worked at this restaurant. The boss created a fake tour as publicity for this place and then put me in charge of it. I don’t complain. It gets me more money on the weekends.”
We both laugh.
“I work as a food critic. I travel the world, never stopping and eating the best and worst food ever.”
“Are you famous?”
“In the world? No. In the food community? Sure. You could say that.”
“Sounds like an unstable job.”
“How?”
“Well, you don’t really have a home, do you?”
“No, but that doesn’t bother me.”
“What’s the longest you’ve had a relationship?”
“A few months. That was before I left. When I took this job, I haven’t had one that’s lasted more than a week.”
“I could probably never do that.” He sighs. “It sounds way too lonely.”
We sit in silence for a second. I move my knee closer to his and he doesn’t pull away. It feels calm for a while.
“I would ask for your number, but I don’t want to hurt your feelings.” I look at him, but he continues to look forward.
He completely ignores what I said and instead asks, “Where are you headed next?”
“Vegas. Some celebrity chef’s restaurants. Kenji Barron, I believe.”
“Nice.”
It’s awkward again. Usually I talk a lot with men, but this guy was leaving me speechless for some reason.
“I have to get going,” he says as he stands up. “It’s getting pretty late.”
I smile and stand up.
“Maybe you’ll see me again if you’re lucky.” I say. I lean over and give him a kiss on the cheek. It leaves a red mark, but he doesn’t seem to mind. I walk away, feeling weird about it.
“Goodbye, Dean!” I yell out. I turn back to get one good look at him, then turn away and leave.
Dean
My apartment is dark as I walk in and loosen my tie. Today was the most interesting and exciting evening I’ve had in almost a year.
That girl… something about her made me drawn to her. I wanted to ask her out, take her to the spot on the football field under the stars and point out the constellations as bright as she was.
I snap out of it.
What was wrong with me? I’m acting like I’m still in high school. She was just a random girl, and whatever happened, happened. I shouldn’t be practically fantasizing over her. Plus, I’m sure she’s the type of person that always has small flings with people. She doesn’t seem like the type of gal to take something like this seriously, which there’s nothing wrong with but we would never last.
So why was everything in this apartment reminding me of her? I look at the table and I still see her dress blowing in the non-existent wind. I go to the fridge and see the same brand of wine that I gave her in the restaurant.
Not one part of my mind was focused on the fact that I almost lost my job. All my mind was focused on was her.
I walk to the bathroom and strip down and get on the shower. I never wash my face in the shower - Eleanor once did that when I was a kid, and she slipped and took a fall. That’s why her hip is messed up now. She was a fairly active woman and it’s ironic that she would mess up her hip by falling.
Falling. I am literally falling in love with a woman I’ve exchanged a few words with. Words. She speaks them exquisitely, as if she’s had years and years of education. She values it deeply. I can tell from just the way she acts.
I step out of the shower and wipe myself down. With one hand, I wipe off the steam from the mirror. Eleanor calls me psycho for still taking hot showers at night, but it’s the only way I can sleep. Sometimes, it’s also the only way that I can get any other work done that I need.
I lean down to wash my face, then look up again. The red mark that she left was STILL on my cheek. It hadn’t washed off? That’s weird. Usually lipstick washes off in the shower. Not from experience - of course - but from basic common sense. My ex used to never clean her face with the pack of makeup wipes I got for her. She used plain water and nothing else. Maybe that’s why her eyes were always red when she got out of the shower.
Part of me wanted to wash my face, I mean, imagine the germs, right? But another part left it alone. When would a guy like me get a chance like this again? This is creepy, I know, but I didn’t feel like washing it off. Partly because I was tired and partly because I felt like I was somehow keeping her spirit with me. She already took my heart. I needed something of hers to keep with me.
Adeline
As I was boarding the plane, everyone around me looked like Dean. It was weird. I was expecting him to run in after me.
Why would he? We were only strangers that talked for a little bit. I don’t understand what was running through my head when I performed that little stunt of leaving a mark on his cheek.
Now that I had taken off all of my makeup, my face felt bare and somehow more clean. I gave the flight attendant my ticket. She smiled and handed it back to me as I walked into the plane and boarded my flight.
Traveling like this didn’t bother me. I made sure to never leave connections in places. But there was a small feeling deep in my stomach telling me to go back to Boring, Montana. What unfinished business would I have there? Dean. It all came back to him.
I’m not a big believer in love anyway. I hated romance TV shows, movies and novels. I tried to stay away from them as much as possible. For the longest time I just believed that it was something that I hated for technical reasons and actual taste. Now that I think about it, I never hated the stories themselves, because they were beautiful.
I’ve never been in love. I’ve watched friends and family fall in love over and over again and watched them be broken over it. Although love is hailed as this amazing thing that every human should experience, I’ve seen firsthand what it does to my friends. I’ve also never found the right person.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m jealous. I’m jealous that I never got anything like that or any kind of feeling that was shown in those movies. And now, all I could imagine was myself with Dean in all of those movies. I could fantasize about him all day long.
Stop. That’s so weird. I don’t even know him.
As I plug in my earphones, he seeps back into my mind as the button presses play, and I let the sappy love songs fill my mind.
Dean
Eleanor’s mad at me. I can just smell it in the air. She wobbles over to me and throws a file folder at me.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“You almost got yourself fired? For what? A stupid girl?”
Eduardo. That son of a bitch had snitched on me.
“I’m 27, El. I should be able to chase after women if I want to.”
“You can do whatever you want, but you almost lost your job to a woman that you’ve never met.”
I sigh and sit down. Since Eduardo would make fun of me, I decided to tell Eleanor about Adeline.
Her name still coursed through my veins and I felt myself getting chills just thinking and talking about her again. I explained in great detail about the thoughts in my head last night.
I turn my head to her and show her the lipstick mark that was on my face.
She quickly pulled out her handkerchief, and before I could do anything, she wiped off the lipstick stain, leaving behind nothing but a patch of dirty skin in its wake.
“Are you kidding me? Why would you wipe that off?”
“You idiot, you’re madly in love with this girl. You haven’t gotten any type of action in 3 years. You’re also a creep for leaving her lipstick stain. Here’s an idea: go after her, tell her how you feel and see where it goes.” Eleanor shakes her head in disbelief as she says this.
“I can’t do that. That’s so stalker-ish.”
“Didn’t she tell you where she was going?”
“Yeah, but-”
“So go. I’ll cover for you here.”
I stare at her in disbelief. Where was all of this coming from? For as long as I could remember, Eleanor had been single. She had a husband, but he died a long time ago because of a car accident. Ever since then, she never talked about love or pursuing love. Even when I was in high school, she advised me against having any kind of relationships so I could focus on school.
I got up and started walking-no, running-out of the door. My chest swelled with pride. I was going to see her again.
Adeline
Another city, another person, another time zone. My mind still went back to him.
---------------AFTER DEAN ARRIVES IN VEGAS----------------------
Dean
The big neon sign glowed bright in front of me in Sin City itself. KENJI BARRON, the sign read. What made this guy so good that people came for him and not the food? A little part of me couldn’t help but wonder if Kenji himself had invited Adeline over. Just the thought of that made me disgusted. Him and her? Ugh.
It was pretty clear that I was going after her. My mind trifled through the different ways that Adeline would feel when she saw me here. Would she think I was a stalker? Or would she be flattered? I’d understand some type of concern. But I’m also sure men have done this for her before.
I entered the restaurant. I ignored the person at the front desk saying hello to me and walked straight in, looking for her.
We meet eyes across the room and I can smell the burning from the electric sparks that shot between us. She’s wearing the most beautiful blue shirt ever that hugs her curves and lights her eyes up. She’s the most beautiful and radiant woman in the room.
Before I can admire her anymore, she pulls me aside by grabbing my arm.
“What the HELL are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you.”
“I don’t even know you that well.”
A part of me broke inside. She didn’t feel the same way?
But when she said that to me, I could see her heart breaking in her eyes. I wanted to give her the biggest hug...so I did. I walked forward and took her into my arms. She relaxed into me. It felt right-it felt like the universe had made me take every possible pathway to find myself to her. It was perfect. I think she started to realize that people were staring at us. She grabbed my hand.
“I guess you can stay. We can get to know each other better. Come, sit with me.” She leads me to the table.
“Do you need to pay for all of this?”
She looks around then smiles and whispers. “They give it to
me for free.”
I smile and sit down. That’s my girl. No, not MY girl. Not yet, at least.
The food arrives soon and we begin to talk. Everything from our childhoods to our first kisses to our biggest aspirations in our life. The more I learned about her, the more I craved for her.
“Can I ask you something?”
I snap out of my thoughts. “Yeah.”
She thinks for a second, then asks, “What made you want to come after me? It’s one thing to have a crush on a stranger, and it’s a whole ‘nother thing to follow them to Vegas.”
We both laugh, because we both just understand.
“I felt something that night that I had never felt before. Sure, I’ve been in a relationship but I’ve never felt any kind of attraction or passion that I’ve felt since I met you. I can’t keep you off of my mind no matter what. I’ve been trying so hard, but I can’t. I gave up a long time ago.”
She smiles. I wish I knew what was going on in her head.
“I feel the same way. It’s weird for me because I don’t know exactly how to put it into words, but Dean, this is different. I just..know. It just feels right.” She pauses. “You know, I never believed in love. I never thought it was a real feeling and even if it was, I would never want to experience it. Until I met you.”
-------------------AN HOUR LATER--------------------------------
Our stomachs were filled and we were ready to head back to the hotel. Part of me wanted to fall asleep with her and never wake up. Part of me was scared that if I closed my eyes I’d wake up and be back home in Boring, Montana.
We made our way back to the hotel, and I dropped my suitcase off. The entire time, we continued to talk. It felt right. I knew it all this time. She was the one meant for me.
Adeline
My heart was still feeling like it was about to burst out of my chest. My stomach’s cage was rattling, filled with butterflies trying to get out. My mind was racing with every exaggerated thought, with every single sappy scene from a rom-com. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. After learning that he lost his parents, after learning the real reason behind how he never got into a university, after learning about his two friends Eduardo and Eleanor...I was madly in love with this guy. I had to take a deep breath. I was in LOVE with him, and I have only known him for a couple of hours, not even a day. It’s like every decision I’ve ever taken led me to him. I don’t want to let go of this feeling. It’s taking over me in a way that I’m surrendering myself.
It’s late at night in Sin City, and I’m holding onto Dean tight. We’ve been running around the streets, laughing, and exchanging stories with each other, not worrying about work, or friends, or family. It just felt like us two together. The only feeling that was overwhelming was how much I liked him.
His fingers found mine. We were just horsing around, jumping and playing around on the streets. Although they weren’t empty, they were still clear enough for us to walk around. We were walking through the crowd, and our hands were barely touching. Then, we had to get through this stupid, sweaty crowd of people that I didn’t want to touch. Before I knew it, I was chest to chest with Dean.
The tension would murder me.
His fingers found my wrist and he gently pulled me out of the crowd, and I felt myself following him. He pulls me beside the tall fake Eiffel Tower.
“Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?” He inspects my fingers.
I can’t focus. I had felt his hands before-I was sure of it. Could there be a possibility that I had known him before? In a past life or something. It felt weird, but that immediate connection was even stronger.
The first drops of the rain started coming. What? It rarely rains in Vegas. They never get this here.
People begin to rush inside, holding their hands over their heads, desperate for shelter. Dean began to go, but I grabbed his hand and pulled him back.
“No. Let’s stay out here instead.” I turn around, letting the rain consume me, fall down around me. I fit with the rain. Just like I fit with Dean. I feel like I’m on the clouds.
Dean
Damn. She looks beautiful in the rain. Her makeup was washing away to reveal her radiant skin. Her hair flipped around as the most beautiful expression took over her face and she laughed. She turned around in circles, her eyes closed, accepting the rain as her own.
My heart was hammering out of my chest. I love her so much. It’s not just physical attraction, it’s emotional attraction. I know every single thing about this woman, and I still love her. I know her regrets, her hatred, her love and her passion and I don’t think I could ever find adequate words to describe how I feel about her.
I couldn’t resist it anymore. I walked up to her. She stopped and turned to me, scared. My eyes reassured her otherwise as I swept her into my arms, and planted a kiss on her lips.
Fireworks went off inside my head.
I was feeling everything at once: love, passion and happiness. This is the woman I was meant to find. The entire universe clicked into place, as the raindrops fell around us. There was nobody else in this place except us two. No one except her. My darling, my love, my girl. She was my girl. There was no discussion there. I can’t get enough of her. I want every part of her, everything, I can’t come up for air-
She pulls away and I can see the raindrops on her eyelashes. I wipe some of the water from her face with my thumb. I brush her soaked hair back, and pull her back in.
And then I realized. I don’t ever want to let go.
Adeline
I couldn’t catch my breath. He kissed me. Everything else just fell into place. My mind felt like it was about to burst, my chest was heaving up and down, and my legs turned to jello and I felt like they were going to give out. Dean held onto me tightly, and we joined again. This time my eyes were screwed shut but I could still see all the colors of the rainbow, and feel all the feelings a creature in this universe could. I didn’t care that people were watching us, that people were judging us. It was just the two of us underneath the fake tower.
I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this man. I might be thinking weird, but I know for sure that he was going to be a big part of my life. It was a gut feeling that was stronger than my connection to him.
We slowly made our way back to the hotel. Although it was almost a half hour after midnight, the streets were still crowded with people. The rain had stopped a while after we had left the fake Eiffel Tower. We weren’t drenched, but I was shivering from the rain anyway. Dean had given me his jacket, and I had it draped around my shoulders. It didn’t fall off once, like it was supposed to stay there and stick to my shoulders because something told it to.
We entered the lobby and made our way through the casino. Women in cocktail dresses and men in suits surrounded us as we made our way through the countless money being gained and lost. Was Dean looking at those girls? No. He can’t.
Sure enough, his eyes were straight forward as his hand gripped mine a little tighter. He pulls me through the crowd.
We make it to the elevator..and there’s no one there. The tension was so much to take. We both knew what was going to happen anyway.
We found our way back to each other very quickly, igniting the passion, and picking up right where we left off. The cold of the metal hit my back, and I was feeling so many different things at once. I could do this with him...but then I remembered. Whenever I spent the night with someone, I always left them. That was how my flings went.
I didn’t want that with Dean. And I was thinking to myself, I can’t lose this guy. He’s the best part of everything. I stop him, pushing him back.
“What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” He pulls back, but still holds onto my shoulders. Shit. Maybe I hurt his feelings.
“No...it’s just that I don’t feel comfortable going further. Maybe we should just hang out?”
I was expecting an adverse reaction, an outburst, something to tick him off. But he stayed quiet and smiled.
“Of course. Whatever you need.”
My mind was racing as we walked to the room. Dean immediately collapses on the bed, falling on his face and letting out a small groan.
“You should take a bath, Dean. It’ll help you relax.”
“Will you join me?” He smirks.
“Definitely not. I am WAY too tired for that.”
He gets up and walks into the bathroom with a straight face, but the minute he turns around his shoulders are shaking. I just knew he was laughing to himself.
Dean
My mind is all over the place once I’m in the shower. How could all of this have happened in such a short amount of time? It felt liberating and suffocating all at the same time.
This gorgeous, elegant girl was now spending the night with me. How could this be normal? I still feel this pull towards her, like I have to be with her every moment of every day.
I step out of the shower. My hand is about to reach for a towel, but instead I grab a robe. This should be fun.
I walk out in a robe, and Adeline almost falls off the bed laughing. Her laugh is the most beautiful sound in the world and I can never get enough of it.
“What? Does it look weird?” I try to see if something’s stuck to me.
“No..it just looks ridiculous.”
I sit down on the bed next to her.
“So what happens now? We can’t go to sleep.” She says this to me as she looks like she’s about to collapse.
“We could watch a movie,” I suggest. “We can pick one out together.”
She nods and we both sit back on the bed and open Netflix on the TV in front of us.
[DEAN puts his arm around ADELINE. She snuggled into his chest. It works out perfectly, just like the universe intended.]
DEAN: How about Star Wars?
ADELINE: Gross! And I don’t even think they have that on there.
DEAN: Are you kidding me?! Star Wars is pure genius.
ADELINE: No it’s not. It’s boring and no one knows what’s going on half the time.
DEAN: You have to watch all of it to understand it.
[ADELINE smiles and shrugs her shoulders.]
DEAN: Fine. What movies do you like?
ADELINE: Baby Driver, I, Tonya, Ready or Not, Dirty Dancing
DEAN: I have never heard of any of those movies in my life.
ADELINE: Are you kidding me? They’re cinematic masterpieces.
DEAN: That’s a load.
ADELINE: What?
DEAN: Dirty Dancing sounds like a porno.
ADELINE: It’s not! I swear. C’mon, just admit you have bad taste in movies and TV shows.
DEAN: Never. Because I don’t.
ADELINE: How about we settle on a good horror movie?
DEAN: I can live with that.
-------------------------THE NEXT MORNING-----------------------------
Adeline
It’s finally 5:30 and I need to make my way to the airport, since the flight is at 6:00. I don’t feel like getting out of his arms. Dean and I have spent the entire night talking and spending time together. I don’t want to leave without him. In fact, after learning all this stuff about him, I don’t ever want to go anywhere else without him by my side. He brings out this different part of me that I’ve never met.
I want to be this girl. This girl is confident, knows what she wants. This girl isn’t lonely or yearning for normal human connection anymore. Because this girl- I - have found that with Dean. He just makes me a better person.
I watch his face, exploring every part of it. His eyes just exude happiness, and I can see them light up whenever he talks about something he loves.
We haven’t slept at all, but I’m not tired. I’m still on a high from him and the kiss we shared last night.
[ADELINE slowly gets out of bed.]
DEAN: Do you have to leave? Can’t you postpone or cancel? We can stay another day.
ADELINE: What about your job?
DEAN: Eleanor’s taking care of it. Don’t change the subject.
ADELINE: Unfortunately, I can’t. But, you can come with me if you want to.
DEAN: I could.
[A beat.]
DEAN: But for how long?
ADELINE: What do you mean?
DEAN: How long is this going to happen?
ADELINE: What?
DEAN: I mean...how long would I have to keep chasing after you? It’s not like I can just leave my job and my life behind and travel the world with you. No matter how convincing it sounds.
ADELINE: Then what are we, Dean?
DEAN: I don’t know.
ADELINE: What are we?
DEAN: I don’t want this to just be some fling. Something that you’ll throw away.
ADELINE: Is that what you think of me? That I’ll create a connection and then leave you in the dust?
DEAN: No, I just meant-
ADELINE: Tell me.
DEAN: You are too valuable to me to leave. But I can’t give up my life for you.
ADELINE: You either walk out this door with me right now or don’t even bother again, Dean. I can’t go after you and I can’t have you running after me to the next city over and over again. I can’t be hurt like this again.
[DEAN stays silent.]
ADELINE: Ok, fine. Get dressed and grab your stuff. I’m leaving. I - uh- have to check out.
[A coldness sets over the room. She walks away wiping her tears as they fall down her face rapidly. DEAN sits back with the same look on his face, tears forming.]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dean
I knew I messed it all up when I stayed silent. I should’ve been able to go along with her - it wasn’t like I had anything valuable besides Eduardo and Eleanor back in Boring.
Some part of me knew that I would continue to be hurt if I followed after her. Plus, what could I even do? There would be nothing that I could earn on my own and I didn’t want to make it seem like I was mooching off of her.
I felt actual, physical pain as I watched her walk out of the lobby. Her last words were, “So long, Dean.” She kissed me one more time, this one on the lips. Then she disappeared again.
I should’ve done something, anything. But I couldn’t bring myself to move.
Maybe it was for the best.
Adeline
I can’t believe I’m crying in an airport bathroom. I get up and walk out of the doors, still wiping away the tears. My mom always told me that there was no reason to cry over a man. I stood by that for my entire life-until now.
After the hotel fiasco with Dean, I changed my clothes, made sure my face was presentable, then ruined it by crying again. I board the plane, each step breaking my heart into more pieces. He was so accepting, so loving in so many different ways that made me feel at home in his arms.
He took care of me in a way no one else ever will. I can’t stop thinking about his mind, something that fascinated me with its curiosity and intelligence. I couldn’t stop thinking about his childhood and the way he was shaped into the amazing person he is today. Don’t get me wrong- he’s flawed- but aren’t we all? I was back to square one again, except I had a whole night with him that was stuck in my head no matter what I did.
I sat down in my seat next to an old man. I plugged in my headphones, hoping it would give me the solace Dean wasn’t here to give me.
The old man turned to me. “Why are you crying, dear? Are you ok?”
I shook my head. “It’s nothing, really. I wouldn’t want to bother you with it.”
The old man shook his head. “I insist. And we’ve got hours before we land.”
I sigh and take a deep breath. I explain everything, from the first time I met Dean, to the cold goodbye I gave him. By the end, I’m a sobbing mess. The old man offers me tissues, and I gladly accept them.
“I had something like that once as well. I met this girl named Eleanor in college. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever met in my life. We were addicted to each other from the first meeting. Soon, the only thing on my mind was her. I come from a very wealthy family. When I decided to take a gap year, it was solely for traveling. I met her and I couldn’t let go of her. However, she wouldn’t give up her life to come live with me and I wouldn’t give up my lifestyle to stay with her.”
“And then what happened?”
“I made the biggest mistake of my life. I walked away from her. I haven’t seen her since.”
“Where is Eleanor from?”
“Montana. Boring, Montana, I think.”
“That’s where Dean’s from!” I felt a warmth spread through me. The universe wanted me to find this old man to find Dean again.
“Dean can’t chase you forever, Adeline. Go get what you want. Everything else will adjust soon enough. Oh, and if you ever see Eleanor, tell her that Roberto always loved her and still does.”
I smile and hug him. “Thanks, Roberto. I’ll see you again sometime.” I grab my suitcase and stand up just as the plane begins to move.
“WAIT! I HAVE TO GO TELL SOMEONE I LOVE THEM!” The plane stops as the flight attendants rush towards me. They look at me, then at Roberto. He takes out his ID and shows it to them. Their eyes immediately widen and so do mine. The card read, “Roberto Giling”. Giling was one of the richest bloodlines alive. So why was this man in economy class? I don’t care. I have to find Dean.
Dean
Another failed love. What was I expecting out of this that was new? My phone rings and I pick it up. Nothing seems to be processing well.
“Hello?”
“Is this Dean? Adeline’s Dean?”
“This is... Dean.”
“What happened with you and Adeline? She called me the night after she met you and now she’s-”
“Who the hell are you?”
“I’m her friend, Alex.”
“Why should I answer any of your questions?”
“Because you broke her heart-”
I immediately hung up. The more I hear about Adeline, the longer it’s going to take to get over her.
Eleanor turns to me in her chair. “Stop pouting over her. Whatever happened, happened. All we can do is move past it.”
“I don’t think you understand, Eleanor, what it feels like.”
She hits me in the back of my head.
“You don’t know shit about me, boy. A long time ago, a very wealthy man traveled here and we fell in love. He was the nicest and most handsome man I had ever seen in my life. But, I refused to give up my life for a man, and he refused to give up his travels to stay in one place. It’s the biggest regret I’ve ever had in my life.” She angrily turns and hobbles back to her desk.
I felt a little bit bad. Wasn’t I supposed to fight for love? Adeline was the best thing that had happened to me in a long time. Yet she was the most selfish woman in the world if she thinks I can just leave everything behind. We don’t fit. We’re just two different people.
Adeline
I’m going to see him again. I’m going to feel his lips again. I’m going to love him again.
Dean
Everything about the tour feels painful. Everything, especially Flora, is painful because everything reminds me of her. I didn’t want to think about it. I pushed away every thought but somehow it was drifting back into my brain for the past week. Eleanor kept bugging me to go back to Adeline, to find her again. I always dismiss her and tell her not to worry about it. Eduardo has called me out for being “depressed” during my shifts. He’s not wrong; I feel like I am, but I have to move on. She has.
I always wanted to travel, like she did. I wanted to become a travel critic, but I never did since I didn’t get into universities, which wasn’t really my fault if you think about it. What would my life be like if I was one? Would she want to be with me then? Would I have met someone else? I felt like I was supposed to meet her. Maybe she’s not my endgame, but rather a stepping stone to my endgame.
I count the number of people getting onto the bus. There’s an extra woman, but I don’t bother with her. I could just ask her for the fee once the tour is over. I don’t pay attention to her as the time flies by and we are finally at Flora. I get down from the bus and help everyone down. The mysterious woman walks down the aisle as I finally get a good look at her. The way her body looks is familiar. And that red dress… it can’t be Adeline, can it? She’s gone. She should be in another state right now.
She takes off her scarf and glasses and puts down her hair. It’s her. Adeline walks down the steps and runs into my arms. I should be angry at her, but I can’t do that. I hold her as tight as I can. Because no matter how much hate I have towards her right now, it’s slowly melting away.
Adeline
I’m finally in his arms again. Everything feels good.
“Adeline! What are you doing here?”
“I realized something Dean. I don’t want to leave without you. The feeling that I get when I’m with you, I want to feel it forever.”
“Shouldn’t you be in Arizona?”
“I postponed it. There was an old man, but that’s another story. Are you happy?”
“...Yes, but-”
“I’ll stay here, Dean. I’ll get a job as a chef and I’ll stay with you and we don’t have to fight.”
“No. I’m coming with you.”
I step back. What? What made him change his mind? Rain begins to fall from the sky. I feel like gagging. This is too much like a movie.
“Adeline, I realized that I want to travel with you. I want to see everything with you. I know you enough to know that you wouldn’t thrive here. Me… I can fit in anywhere I need to. I’m not leaving you. Not again. I’ll say my goodbyes and cut the ties here and we can leave together.”
“But what about jobs, or money-”
He cut me off with his lips and all over it felt like we were in sin city again, right underneath that lit-up fake Eiffel Tower. I could feel the breeze again. I could feel his love through the way he kissed me, like he never wanted to stop or let me go again.
Everything clicked into place.
Dean
We ran inside Flora together. When we reached the kitchen, Eduardo was already switching out the drinks.
“Hey! I haven’t seen either of you in forever. How ya doing, Adeline?”
I remember that Eduardo was one of the people that bugged me to go back to her besides Eleanor. He told me to do what my heart told me. My heart told me to do what would make Adeline happy. I realize that I’ve underappreciated Eduardo. Despite his stupid shenanigans, I wouldn’t trade him for anyone else.
“Eduardo, I’m quitting.”
“What?”
“Yeah bro, I’m gonna tell our boss. The tour is yours.”
“You son of a bitch, I love you.”
Eduardo runs forward and gives me a strong hug. Our boss walks in.
“You should be working!”
I smile. “Actually, I quit. I passed the tour onto Eduardo. Have fun!” I grab Adeline’s hand and we rush out of there as the boss throws a slew of colorful words at the both of us. She was in heels and yet she was faster than me. That’s my girl. Now, I can actually say that. She’s now my girl.
We stop outside as Adeline sits down to take a seat on a bench. It’s still raining and we are still drenched, but I don’t think she cares anymore. I call Eleanor. I have to let her know.
“Eleanor?”
“Where are you, Dean?”
“She came back. I’m going with her, I’m going to travel with her. Listen, have Eduardo move all my stuff into your place. We can use that as a landing crash pad if we have time in-between.”
“I knew she would save you, Dean.”
“I love you.”
“Your parents would be so proud. And I’m proud of you, my grandson. Go get your girl.”
“I love you too, Eleanor. Or Grandma.” I laugh. I never felt comfortable calling her grandma, and she never wanted me to because it made her feel old. I hear her laugh one last time and she cuts the call.
I looked over at Adeline, her hair wet and flipped over to one side. Her dress, once flowy, is now sticking to her with the water. I can see her silver necklace glistening in the moonlight.
“Ready?” I ask her. I hold her hands and pull her up.
“Ready.” I kiss her again, as the rain comes down around us.
THE END
ALTERNATE ENDING(READ ON IF YOU WANT)
Dean
I kissed my wife’s forehead. She looks as beautiful as the day I met her.
“Are you ready for the 45th anniversary of Flora?”
“Yeah. Ready for it to be over with.”
We both laugh. She never lost her sense of humor. She laces her arm in mine and we both walk out the door of the apartment.
Adeline
I haven’t been back in Boring in forever. But we have to go back, since my husband is from there.
“Adeline, are you ready yet? We have to be there in five minutes!”
“Coming!”
I put on the silver necklace I had when I met him for the first time and walked down the stairs.
“You look so beautiful.” He kisses my forehead. I laugh, lace my arm through his and we walk out the door.
Dean
It’s been years since I’ve seen Flora decorated this well. Ever since Eduardo and his wife became the owners of the place, they disbanded the tour and have had extremely good business.
His wife is a beautiful and smart woman. They fit perfectly and she’s one of the main reasons why he’s so wealthy now.
We come up to Eduardo and his wife and shake hands and give hugs. But I didn’t want to hug his wife. It was too painful for me.
“Hi, Dean. How are you?” She says to me, eyes twinkling.
“Hi, Adeline. I’m amazing. How are you?”
THE END
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