Shorts. (A Compilation of Short Stories)

۰Eyes۰

Once I was told eyes were a window to the soul. However, when I was fourteen, I was involved in a staring contest and my momentary rival said he could see happy people dancing around my eyes, so I knew that was a major lie. Eyes didn't let you into the holders soul, but they could tell you about yourself. You see what you want to see in people, and what their body language towards you allows you to see. That's how the parents of heavy drug addicts can see their little angel and how your classic femme fatal can effortlessly seduce the leading man into a bear trap or something. I didn't really watch James Bond as a kid.

I knew a man once. Well, I didn't know him that well, more like I met him, we crossed paths. He was small and lanky, hardly pushing 115 lbs., with sandy brown hair and murky green eyes. He was young, they had to get four different people to look at his ID to make sure it wasn't a fake. Especially since he ordered The Special. Only the young kids and the old, hardened men drink The Special. The shit was strong enough to resemble drinking rubbing alcohol. The ID was real, though, and he was almost 28.

I have no valid reason for remembering the details of the night so vividly, I just do. I guess it scarred me. But I remember a lot of things. It was late September and the night was foggy. That stray cat we named Wilbur was licking up a pool of beer that beside Jesus, the ironically named Buddhist drunk that slept in the ally beside the bar. That night, I had tossed my half empty can of coke at him. I regret that now.

Back to where I was going, I walked into the bar. I go in there almost every night. I work in a big corporate company as an IT guy. That doesn't exactly get you friends. Especially when you're talkative. So I would go to this bar and try my hand at making a new friend.

Usually, there was the same people in every night, but tonight, there was a whole new prospect. So I bounded up beside the small man who had just sat down as well. This is when the ID thing happened. The bartender, Laila—I knew her by name, she was far too perfectly beautiful not to know her by name—showed me it and asked for my opinion. The boy looked amused at the ordeal, like he was used to this and found it to be more like a game.

"Looks real enough." I commented, sliding the card back to the boy. His ID read Clarence.

"Well,what can I get you, Clarence?" Laila asked, pushing her light coloured hair over her shoulder. This is when he ordered The Special.

"By the way," he added before anyone else could react to his request. "Cody. Not Clarence"

"Well, Cody," Laila sighed, "You might want to rethink-" He cut her off to repeat his request. I didn't like that he interrupted her, but I liked his charisma. "Alright."

I introduced myself to him when she walked away. He said my name, Ike, was stupid, but I kept my mouth shut on saying the name Clarence was as stupid as it got. Regardless, he seemed amused. That should've been the first red flag—I'm not funny.

"So, are you, like, the official card checker around here? I never thought they'd take it." he asked.

"No, but it doesn't surprise. Did you know you could pass for fifteen? Is it hard to get girlfriends? Do people assume they're, like, predators?" I rambled, eager to learn a new person's private life. I worded that badly. I liked to learn, is all. He didn't respond, he just stared at me. It took me until Laila brought his drink to realize he wasn't going to answer. "I made the key cars for my company, so, um, I can usually tell when they're fake." he nodded.

"He means to say he's a computer geek." Laila spoke, giving me a smile. Laila was pushing 30, but even though she was seven years older than me, I thought she was the most perfect woman to walk the Earth. She was smart enough to hold a conversation with, but still at a place where she was marvelled when I spoke about something intellectual which made me feel great. Some nights, we talk for hours, well after closing, just her asking me questions about concepts she didn't understand and praising me for my intelligence. Not to mention, she was stunning. She had slightly pale skin with long, dirty blonde hair with massive blue eyes. She had a medium-small build, but I loved it and I dreamt of what it would be like to touch her.