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♡HESITATION ♡

January 29th, 1989
Maggie laid motionless beneath the sheets. Cleo tossed and turned throughout her sleep beside her. Her eyes were slits as she inched nearer to unconsciousness. Jenny slept in the next small bedroom beside them.

The night had been decent. She worked hard and earned some extra cash from a few lap dances, but she had not forgotten the strange circumstances of the other night. She had never seen a customer just break down like that. She wasn't angry, just bewildered.

She had been wondering about him, hoping that he ended up ok after that night. He let her keep the money, which was sweet. His eyes had been so prominent, demanding the attention of every passerby he encountered. They had looked so beautifully melancholic that night.

She sometimes wished the whole ordeal hadn't happened. She found herself unfocused at work, as she wondered about him. Something had just drawn her in and trapped her. She couldn't put her finger on it.

Overall, she just hoped that was was okay.

She turned on her side, eyes aching with sleep as she stared at the alarm clock. It was 2:03 A.M. She huffed quietly, and flipped back over, forcing her eyes shut as she desperately wished for an ounce of rest.

_______________________________
January 31st, 1989
Maggie wiped her back clean of sweat with a rag. She then threw the rag onto a stool, and dug through her bag, retrieving a pack of Camels and her red lighter.

"I'm going out for a smoke." She announced to carol, who simply nodded. She clutched her belongings tight and headed out of a side door. The frigid winter air was a relief to her skin, which felt hot and clammy after her routine. She pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. The orange flame illuminated her face for a moment, before the nights darkness returned.

She stuck the cigarette between her pump glossy lips, and took a drag. The smoke tickled the back of her throat slightly, before she opened her mouth, releasing a faint cloud of smoke. She was starting to get cold in the harsh wind, and wrapped her free arm around her torso to provide some kind of warmth. Her skin warmed slightly as it rubbed against her glittery red bodysuit. It was painfully tacky, but seemed to get her customers going.

Maggie stared out at the streets of the city, which were awfully graffitied and littered with beer bottles. The street lights flickered and buzzed incessantly. She loathed Aberdeen and knew she needed to leave, but didn't know how. She knew that she needed to go back to school. She had already finished pre-med, and required medical school.

She didn't exactly know where it all went wrong. She had gotten very sick shortly after graduation, and never found her footing after that. Weeks of sickness turned into months, and eventually manifested into two years of laziness. She had stripped in college to help support herself, but never actually moved on from it. She was supposed to be in medical school, studying and working hard, but she found a hard days work in stripping.

It felt too late to go back. This felt like all she had left, and she knew she needed to continue working hard.

She shut her eyes, a tightness in her chest building as she contemplated the past and future. These thoughts were very intimidating, and brought a horrible feeling of entrapment that she loathed so much.

She took another drag of her cigarette, and bowed her head, repeating these actions a few more times, before dropping her cigarette on the dank sidewalk, and stomping it out with the heel of her thigh high boots.

She turned her back towards she street, preparing to return back inside, before a sudden yell stopped her.

"Hey!"

Her heart pounded quickly. She defensively cocked her head around, a menacing look in her dark eyes. The man from the other night stood across from her. Kirk? Oh no, Kurt.

Her expression of fierceness immediately melted into a warm smile.

"Hello. You're the guy from the other night, right?" She asked, despite being already sure of it. He nodded rather shyly. Kurt scratched the back of his neck, a look of awkward discomfort on his face. "Uh, I just wanted to apologize for the other night. I was really drunk and just..." he was at a loss for words. Maggie observes him. He wore a black puffer coat that practically swallowed his tiny frame, and his blonde hair blew in the wind.

"I had just gone through a breakup so.. that's why I was shitfaced." He continued plainly, chuckling awkwardly. Maggie's silence had intimidated him. She nodded. "It happens to all of us. Forget it. I'm Maggie." She offered out her hand for him to shake.

He accepted. His hand was warm. It reminded her of his hesitance to take her hand the other night. She shook his hand firmly. "I'm Kurt." The two then stood in silence for a moment, observing each other quietly. Maggie let out a short laugh. "The other night.. I thought you had cried because of something I did." She admitted, laughing to herself. Kurt smiled.

"Nope. It wasn't your fault. I was just drunk out of my mind." He clarified, laughing alongside her. Her laughter died down and she smiled brightly. "Well, I'm glad it wasn't my fault. Are you better now?" She asked.

Kurt nodded.

"That's good. Well, I'm gonna go back inside. You know where to find me if you need anything." The cold was becoming unbearable. Kurt nodded. "Thanks for hearing me out, Maggie." "No problem, Kurt."

She returned back inside, warmth engulfing her, and Kurt walked down the street, feeling at ease as a strange feeling blossomed in his stomach.