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Melody

A surprising night out.

By Annie McDonaldPublished 3 years ago 11 min read
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Melody
Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash

The sound of the city rushed by below, making its way in to the room above. The sun streamed through the window, the curtains still pulled back from the day before.

“Damn it!” a muffled voice came from beneath the blankets.

Melody usually closed the curtains before she went to sleep because she hated waking up early. However, last night was different.

Melody buried her head further under her blankets and smiled to herself.

Last night.

It began as any other night. Her roommate Kate burst into the bathroom, as usual, demanding that she get ready immediately.

***

“Excuse me, I am sort of in the shower. Remember that conversation we had about personal space?” Melody said, slightly annoyed.

“Oh right. Sorry. But anyway, you have to come out with me tonight! I just finished my assignment and I need to celebrate!”

Melody laughed. “Isn’t that what you said the other day?”

“I know but this time I actually finished it! Come on, you never go out. You need to socialise. And anyway, you promised you would come because you blew me off the last time I asked.”

Fuck. She’s got me on that one.

“Fine I’ll come. But you have to promise me that we won’t be out too late, I actually have to go to class tomorrow.”

‘Yes, you won’t regret this! We leave in half an hour!” Kate happily left the room, oblivious to Melody’s obvious hesitation.

She quickly got out of the shower and dried herself, heading to her room to get changed.

Her room was pretty big for a university student’s. The bed sat against one wall, facing the window, the blankets falling off one side. Her desk sat in the corner piled high with papers hurriedly tided into two stacks at each end, a space in the middle where her laptop sat. She walked over to her large, built in wardrobe on the opposite side of the wall to the door, clothes spilling out all over the place. After rummaging for a while Melody chose her favourite pair of denim skinny jeans and a nondescript singlet top. Basically what she wore every day.

As she walked out to the kitchen Kate looked at her and shook her head, her over-the-top chandelier earrings jingling as she moved.

“You can’t wear that! We are going to a club, not to some 6pm lecture that you plan to sleep through.”

Kate was wearing another of her many bandage dresses, extremely short and tight. She was attractive, with her long brown hair and wide blue eyes. You wouldn’t think the two girls were friends by looking at them. Kate loved to party and Melody was more of a stay-at-home type of person. In terms of looks Kate was what you’d call a ‘classic beauty’ whereas Melody’s beauty was more subdued, more subtle.

“This is what I always wear. It’s this or I just stay at home.”

“Oh my god, you’re so annoying. But okay, fine, wear that. As long as you let me do one thing.”

You could see Melody begin to question Kate’s actions as she walked closer, wrestling with her purse as she tried to get something out of it.

“Here it is!” She said in triumph, holding out in front of her a tube of lipstick.

“I don’t think this is a good idea, it will just all rub off and look gross by the end of the night.”

“No don’t be silly, you will look fabulous.” She protested as Kate put the lipstick on. “There, beautiful! Now go like this.” Kate rubbed her lips together, Melody copied. “Perfect, now let’s go!”

As they two girls walked out of their two bedroom apartment Melody stopped to look at herself in the mirror in the hall.

It doesn’t look too bad I suppose, she thought as she locked the door behind her.

***

The sound of the shower being turned on broke Melody’s reverie. With the smile still playing around her lips she wiggled out of her blanket cocoon and sat up, her eyes squinting at the light from her window. Yawning, she got out of bed and padded to the kitchen, grabbing her robe and messily tying it on her way out.

The kettle sprang to life with a hiss and Melody waited patiently for it to be done, busying herself with a mug and a teabag. She was just sitting down to enjoy her morning caffeine when Kate came out of the bathroom, grinning from ear to ear.

“I made you a cup of tea,” Melody motioned.

“Thanks,” she blew gently on the hot liquid. “So, last night hey?”

Melody flushed and smiled into her cup, looking down at the Sunday paper hoping that Kate hadn’t noticed.

She didn’t.

“The club was pretty fun. I hooked up with Matt again did you see? Isn’t he gorgeous?”

“Mmhm,” Melody agreed.

“And I mean, he doesn’t really seem like a dick anymore does he? He told me he’s a changed person. I really think we have another chance together again, don’t we? Of course there’s always…”

Melody wasn’t really paying attention, she was too caught up in her own thoughts to even begin thinking about Kate’s boy problems. Luckily for her, Kate never really needed anyone to keep the conversation going. As long as she had someone to talk to she didn’t care if they didn’t talk back. As she spoke Melody was transported back to last night at the club.

***

After fifteen minutes on a bus that smelt like old people and feet the two roommates arrived at the club.

As you can probably see, Melody hated clubs. She pushed through the crowd of rowdy drunken people with Kate in the lead, the loud and pointless music reverberating inside her skull. Luckily they found a bar table with two seats that was completely empty and with the gusto of girls who had been standing in heels for far too long they raced to the table, claiming the seats as their own.

“Isn’t this great?” Kate yelled.

“Yeah, totally!” The sarcasm in her voice was lost in the music.

“What?”

“Oh never mind.”

“What?”

This is stupid.

Melody tried a different approach. She lifted her thumbs in a gesture of happiness while attempting a half-hearted smile.

“That’s the spirit!” Kate mouthed. “I’m going to get some drinks.”

“What?” Melody laughed internally.

Kate angrily sighed. Fed up, she mimed drinking and walked off. Melody gave another thumbs up in response.

Ha-ha maybe tonight won’t be as bad as I thought.

She knew Kate would be a long time getting drinks so Melody settled herself into her seat, throwing her handbag over to the other chair in the universally recognised gesture of ‘bagsies’.

So childish. But hey, at least I get to keep the seat!

Melody scanned the room, trying to find something interesting enough to fill in the time until Kate got back with the drinks. Across the room sat a group of boys, loudly and enthusiastically singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the guy in the middle wearing a party hat and a badge.

Obviously a birthday party.

The party was laughing loudly as the ‘groom’ struggled to finish three shots of what looked like vodka, wincing as he swallowed each one. As he drank the last mouthful he slammed the shot glass to the table and grabbed at his beer for a chaser, washing out his mouth with the brown, frothy liquid.

Suddenly, Melody was forced out of her voyeurism as Kate came back to the table.

Finally. At least now I’ve got alcohol to try and make this night worthwhile.

Kate gave Melody her vodka-raspberry and motioned for her to get up. Grabbing her purse she followed Kate outside where it was a bit quieter.

“That line was hell! But guess who I saw?” She looked to Melody for a reply, getting instead an uninterested response. “Come on, lighten up. Anyway I saw Matt! Can you believe it? He asked me to come to ‘Puzzles’ with him and his mates. You in?”

Come on Melody, think. Make an excuse so you can go home.

“Um,” She fumbled. “Umm no thanks I’m fine, I met this guy and he and I are going to go someplace else.”

What the hell are you thinking? You never do stuff like that. She’ll never believe you.

Kate was not fooled. “Oh really? So where is this guy? Prove that he exists.”

“Um well you see, he um…” THINK DAMNIT. “He went to the bathroom.” Yes that’s it!

“Okay, well then he should be back soon yeah? I’m happy to wait for him to come back. You know, to make sure you’re all safe before I leave you alone with this ‘guy’.” Her fingers made quotation marks in the air as she said the last word. Kate crossed her arms in triumph, knowing very well that Melody couldn’t just pull her made up person out of thin air.

As if by chance a guy with short brown hair and a genuine smile crossed through Melody’s vision.

She spoke before she had time to think about what she was saying.

“Here he is,” She said, grabbing his sleeve. “I was wondering if you’d be able to find me out here, ha-ha.” Melody held her breath.

The boy looked confused. He surveyed the situation and for some unknown reason decided to play along.

Thank-you so much random guy!

“Oh yeah, there you are!” He replied.

Kate was shocked.

“So you’re the mystery man are you?” She looked him up and down. “Well you’ll do I suppose.” She looked back to Melody. “You be safe, I’ll see you when I get home.”

Kate bounded off in blissful ignorance.

Fuck, now what do I do?

“Um hey, thanks for that. You have no idea how helpful you were just then.”

“No problem, I was happy to help. Ha-ha, but can you explain what that was about now? Oh I’m Cooper by the way.” He held out his hand.

Melody awkwardly took it and shook. “I’m Melody. That was my friend Kate, and I promised her I’d come out with her tonight but now I want to go home and I had to make up an excuse and you just happened to be in the right place at the right time.” Oh god you’re rambling. Stop rambling. She smiled gawkily.

“Slow down ha-ha! Fair enough, I’m glad I could have been of service. So where are you off to now?”

She hadn’t thought that far through her plan.

“I suppose I’ll just head home now…” She could see a glint in his eyes.

“Or, you know, your friend is going to be asking all sorts of questions in the morning, maybe we should do something so you don’t have to lie again.”

Oh god. What do I do?

“Umm…”

He didn’t give her time to speak again.

“Come on. It’s the least I could do. Technically you saved my life, I was forced here against my will too.”

“I suppose…” Melody was confused. She never did spontaneous things like this. However, Kate’s words about her needing to socialise more were floating around her mind. “Okay fine, let’s go.”

Cooper led Melody outside the club and down a few streets, into a quiet bar.

“At least we can actually talk here,” he commented.

Melody looked around, awestruck at the simple, old-world beauty of the place. There was a round bar in the middle of the room with and old man standing behind it, his wistful eyes staring down at the glass he was dying. Surrounding that were many mismatched tables and chairs as well as a few booths tucked into the many nooks and crannies.

“It’s lovely.”

“I bet you never knew the night life could be a peaceful as this huh?”

“No, Kate always just takes me to a club, gets drunk and then I take her home. It’s her sort of ritual.”

“She doesn’t sound like a very good friend,” he mused.

“No, she’s not that bad, we’ve been friends for a while and she looks after me in her own way. She’s just a party person; I’m not.”

Cooper went and bought them drinks and they sat for hours, talking about everything and nothing. He was different than anyone else Melody had every met, he was interesting and funny; but Melody could see something more, something hidden under the surface that she couldn’t quite work out.

But she was going to.

***

“…But then he was always getting me to buy stuff for him and that’s not on. Right? I think I’ll stick with Matt, he’s so attractive and charming… Melody, are you even listening?”

“What?”

“I’m talking about Matt?? Should I date him?”

Oh, she’s still talking about him?

“Oh right, yeah. Go for it.”

Kate, oblivious as always, smiled and agreed with her, happily walking back to her room.

*Buzz Buzz*

Melody picked up her phone and checked her messages. She had one text from an unknown number. All it read was ‘Brunch? –C’

With a smile Melody was up, excited for the day ahead.

Short Story
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About the Creator

Annie McDonald

Writing to heal and appreciate the world surrounding me.

Short  stories, memoirs, poetry and everything in between.

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