Chap 2 - The Club

Saturday night, and the club was bursting with all kinds of people. Typical for weekends. 

At the bar, Tsuki hadn't had a moment to stop or talk to anyone. Thursdays were slower, making it easy to chat with regulars or lonely newcomers eager for conversation. But on Saturdays, she could barely keep up with the flood of orders. Moving from one end of the counter to the other, her eyes didn't linger on any customer for more than a second—just long enough to hear the order and immediately start grabbing bottles and ice. 

"A margarita, please." 

Tsuki heard the order as she set down another glass. On autopilot, she replied, "Coming." 

Busy days were fun, even thrilling. The rush to fulfill every order, the loud music, and the dim lighting were comforting in their own way. Not being able to hear your own thoughts was a welcome break sometimes. Just action, no thinking—and a margarita was ready in the blink of an eye. 

"Here," Tsuki said, sliding the drink toward a girl before already looking for the next order. 

"Tsuki?" 

A familiar voice made her freeze. She scanned her memory, trying to place where she'd heard that voice before turning around. The rush vanished, and her heart seemed to skip a beat. Tsuki turned back and looked up from the counter to the girl holding the margarita. 

"Elena?" 

When their eyes met, Elena was smiling. Tsuki's heart unexpectedly started racing in confusion. Somehow, the girl looked so different under the colorful, pulsing lights—a completely different person from when they'd first met. Why was she here? 

"You work here?" Elena shouted over the loud music. 

"What?" Tsuki couldn't hear her, her mind still miles away, questioning why her heart had raced so suddenly. 

With a gesture of her finger, Elena beckoned Tsuki closer. For a moment, Tsuki glanced at the crowd of people clamoring at the counter, shouting their orders. Even though duty called, she leaned over the dark wooden counter and offered Elena her left ear. 

"Hi…" Elena began, pausing to take a breath, her warm breath brushing against Tsuki's exposed neck. A chill ran down Tsuki's spine, settling deep in her core. "Do you work here?" A soft giggle escaped Elena's lips as she finished. 

She had come so close that her words were barely whispers. Her lips brushed lightly against Tsuki's ear, making her heart pound so hard she felt breathless. 

"Wait here," Tsuki said, pulling away. 

She walked off and started taking orders again. 

From one person to another, Tsuki moved up and down the bar with cups and bottles, and Elena's gaze followed her every move. She watched every inch of Tsuki's medium-height frame. Tonight, Tsuki's short hair was pulled back, forming falling waves on the right side of her head, leaving both of her large gauges visible. The holes were so big Elena felt an odd urge to run her finger through them. Lower, the firm lines of Tsuki's jaw gave her a serious, almost arrogant look, as if she didn't waste time on pointless conversations or inconvenient people. 

As the night stretched into the early hours of Sunday, the club was still crowded. Tsuki noticed Elena saying goodbye to some girls but staying in the spot where she'd been told to wait. Elena hadn't left her seat for a second, her gaze never wavering from Tsuki. Even as Tsuki rushed to serve the line of customers, Elena's burning stare remained fixed on her. Every word, every gesture was monitored by this enigmatic girl. What was she thinking about? 

By the time the clock neared 4 a.m., the bar was almost empty, with only a few groups of teenagers lingering on the dance floor. No more orders—it was time to return to that suspended conversation that had been watching her from across the counter with a familiar smile. 

"What is it?" Tsuki asked as she took the final steps to stop in front of Elena. 

"This is my first time here. I live around the corner, but I've never come in before," Elena said, her eyes locking onto Tsuki's, searching for something unknown. "But today, some friends wanted to go out, and I mentioned this small, shady club close to home. And here you are." 

How was she able to hold eye contact for so long? Tsuki wondered, feeling trapped in the mysterious spell of Elena's gaze. 

"I've worked here for years. It's your fault you never came to find me," Tsuki said, aware that with that line, she was stepping into an unknown game. 

"I'm happy to see you. I didn't know if we'd ever see each other again." 

"I had the same doubt. Want something to drink?" Tsuki broke free from the invisible cage of Elena's gaze and scanned the bar. 

"Sure, whatever you're having." 

Tsuki disappeared below the counter and emerged with a bottle of whisky in hand. She grabbed two glasses and looked at Elena. 

"Come with me." 

She led the way to a narrow staircase behind the bar, its walls made of wooden planks. Shadows danced on their faces under the small, warm orange lights on the high ceiling. At the top of the stairs was a small VIP area with three round black tables lined side by side, connected by a black leather couch. No one was around. From up there, they could see the dance floor and the large panels behind the DJ booth, with the entrance to the right. It was a small space, nothing fancy about it. 

"Pretty small, huh?" Tsuki said, taking a seat at the corner table on the left and pouring the whisky. Elena stood near the railing, looking down at the nearly empty dance floor. 

"How did you end up here?" Elena asked. 

"I used to come here a lot as a teenager. One day, the manager offered me a job," Tsuki replied, leaning back in her seat and watching Elena. 

"That simple?" Elena said, turning away from the railing to face Tsuki. The backlight made her caramel hair shine, casting her face in shadow. 

"I'm a simple person." 

"Is that so?" The sarcasm in her voice was clear. 

As Elena stepped away from the railing and moved toward the table, both of them felt a chill of excitement in their stomachs. Elena was unpredictable. There was no telling what she might do. She was a mystery in that moment, but then the reason they'd met flashed in Tsuki's mind. When Elena sat down and took a sip of her drink, Tsuki felt uneasy. 

"How are you?" Tsuki asked, her tone serious. 

"I'm…" Elena hesitated, searching for the right word. "Better. Don't worry." She offered a faint but confident smile. "I have to thank you again. You made me feel better." 

"I did nothing. You're the hero here." 

Tsuki watched Elena closely, trying to decipher her intentions. She didn't miss the flicker of pain at the edges of Elena's smile. It was intriguing how the same lips could form smiles so full of sincerity and happiness, yet in the next moment, carry a loneliness so profound it could crush anyone's heart. 

"Did you go to the police?" Tsuki broke the silence. Though music still played below, they heard nothing but each other's words. 

"No… I couldn't bring myself to go through the trouble of talking about it again." 

Elena confessed this while looking into Tsuki's eyes, both of them half-hidden in the shadows. She didn't need to mention that she'd never spoken to anyone else about that night. What happened in that alley was something she'd never forget, and she had no desire to share it with anyone else. It was their private secret. This strange girl had become her refuge. 

"Would you take me home?" 

Elena's eyes held a familiar warmth, yet there was an unsettling hesitation, like stepping on a loose rock in a trail. They drew Tsuki in, deeper and deeper, with every heartbeat.