The Strange Man

Guns Blazing

Before the pair knew it, it was 8 AM. They rushed to pay so that Charlie could get to work. He always had a lot to do (he was usually the only person at Paddy's Pub who had a lot to do). He refused to be late.
  Dahlia noticed that Charlie was beginning to panic and grabbed his shoulders like she did at the bar. "Breath, Charlie. Just breath." She was very gentle and kind. Her face displayed a comforting smile. Charlie took a few deep breaths and smiled back at her. "I still think that you should be a brain doctor," he said joyfully. "At least part time," he added. Dahlia responded, "I'll think about it," before entering the cab they had called. Before Charlie could give the driver the address of their apartment, Dahlia said, "I would like to accompany you to the bar. I'd love to see you in action." 'Wow,' Charlie thought. 'Maybe today will be a good day.'
  When Charlie and Dahlia arrived at the bar, it was dark and empty. No one had arrived yet. Charlie flipped on the lights. "Where is everyone? It's 8:30. Shouldn't they be here?", Dahlia questioned as she went to sit on a stool. Charlie went behind the bar and stood across from her. "They usually don't get here until later. I don't question it." Dahlia crossed her arms on the table. "Interesting," she mumbled.
  They talked for awhile before someone finally walked in. It was Mac and Dennis. They seemed to be arguing about something yet again, which kept them from noticing Dahlia and Charlie. As they walked over to the bar, Mac finally noticed the pair watching them. "What is this?", he questioned. "What is what?", Charlie responded. Mac motioned to the both of them. "This!", he yelled like his point was clear. "This bitch was here last night! She caused a huge conflict to take place, and now she's here flirting with you?!" Charlie straightened up. "Don't call her a bitch or I will come at you with all I've got!" Dahlia began to scrunch up and cover her ears. Yelling made her anxious.
  Charlie noticed her behavior and calmed himself down. "She's actually really nice and cool, dude. She's a PI and she likes cats!" That was when Dennis made his presence known. He cleared his throat and said, "Great... a female Charlie. Now we have two annoying morons." His sassy attitude made him seem like a dramatic teenage girl, which made Dahlia laugh a bit.
  Dennis's angry eyes fixated on Dahlia. "What's so funny?", he asked tensely, as though he was about to explode. "Nothing," Dahlia responded. She instantly regretted laughing. Dennis replied in a fake sweet voice, "No, no. Please share with the group what you find so funny." She glanced at Charlie before looking at the floor and responding, "Your attitude... it just reminds me of a teenage girl." Dennis closed his eyes and made his hands into fists. Dahlia looked at Charlie with fear in her eyes. "What's happening?", she mouthed to him. He didn't respond. He just stared at Dennis and slowly began to reach to grab something from under the counter. Dennis began to open his mouth and Charlie pulled a gun. "What the hell, Charlie?!", Mac yelled. "Put that down!", Dennis demanded.
  Dahlia swiftly dropped to the floor and covered her ears. She didn't want to take part in whatever was happening. All she heard was some yelling followed by complete silence. Was it over? Just as she began to uncurl, someone tapped her on the back. She jumped and turned around to see Charlie squatting behind her. "Are you okay?", he asked in a concerned tone. Dahlia looked him dead in the eyes before punching his arm. "Ow!", he said. "What was that for?!" "You pulled a gun!", she responded. He looked confused. "It wasn't loaded," he explained. She couldn't seem to remain mad at him. 'He really doesn't understand, does he?', she thought to herself. She smiled and hugged him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have punched you." Charlie tensed up at first, but soon began to relax in her arms. "Wow," he said as she pulled back, "you're a good hugger."
"What is happening here?!", Dee questioned. Dahlia and Charlie stood up and looked at the concerned woman. "Charlie pulled a f***ing gun!", said Dennis. "What the f***, Charlie?!" Dee responded. "You guys are obsessed with guns! We need to get rid of them; it's not safe." Frank (who had been standing behind her for a mysterious amount of time) said, "No one's taking away my guns!" He pulled out two guns and held them up. Everyone protested, telling him to put his weapons away. Arguments broke out.
  Charlie and Dahlia stood silently watching the gang quarrel. Charlie leaned closer to Dahlia and whispered, "Wanna leave?" Dahlia smiled and nodded. She was relieved that he wanted to leave as much as she did.
  They slipped away into the bar's office. Due to their intense bickering, no one seemed to notice. They closed the door behind them and laughed about the whole situation. "Does this kind of stuff happen a lot?", Dahlia asked. Charlie smiled and nodded before sitting at a chair behind a wooden desk. "Things can get pretty wild," he said as he leaned back in the chair, trying to be cool. Too bad he wasn't quite as cool as he thought he was, which he realized as he began to fall back. Dahlia grabbed his arm quickly before he fell. "Careful!", she said. "I don't want you to get hurt." She smiled at her new friend. Charlie seemed shocked by her comment. 'Does she actually... care about me?', he thought to himself. The gang had never really seemed to care about him. "What?", he questioned. She felt a bit embarrassed. Considering they had just met, she might have been a bit too compassionate. "Sorry," she said anxiously. "I just thought that we were friends and that it was okay to care...", she explained. 'Friends?', he thought. He had never had many friends. He knew that he was a bit of an odd apple. She didn't seem to see that though...