I made my way down the familiar street, not letting myself drive to the house knowing I was intoxicated. It was around 2am and I desperately needed a quick escape, my girl's constant hovering was making me feel suffocated. I hadn't felt like myself in months and I knew keeping her around me was just making it worse.

It wasn't like I was the type to commit anyway. She knew that. I wasn't an asshole though, I didn't treat her poorly. But I couldn't bring myself to hold her or kiss her, tell her all that bullshit she needed to hear, mostly because I didn't feel it. I didn't love her, she probably didn't love me, we were just using each other.

My thoughts became irrelevant when I spotted a small figure sitting on the swingset near the house. Very carelessly, the figure swung slowly, the creaking only audible if you were as close as I was. I rubbed my eyes to try to focus my vision and dared walk a little closer, a scowl plastered on my face. This was the wrong place to be at this time.

Surely they noticed my presence as the swing came to a halt. As I came closer I realized it was a girl, no older than 18, staring at me wide-eyed like a deer caught in the headlights. Something unsettled me about the way she just watched me, like she was looking right through me.

Beautiful, long, brown hair fell down her shoulders. She wore a lace dress, white sleeves covering her arms but I could still see bruises that contrasted with her caramel skin. I just stood there very awkwardly taking her in, feeling guilty for some reason. The girl appeared nonchalant.

"Hi," I spoke up.

"Hi," a tiny voice replied, she took a drag of her cigarette.

I found myself sitting on the swing next to her, but still kept my distance no matter how badly I wanted to reach over and touch her to make sure this wasn't some drunken hallucination.

It wouldn't have been the first time that happened to me. This could all be my fault, lack of sleep maybe triggered psychosis. I felt like I knew her from somewhere.

"What are you doing out here?"

She cleared her throat. "I like the way the street light shines."

I smiled at her choice of words. "That doesn't seem like a good reason, though."

The girl shook her head as she blew smoke. "Why are you out here? Shouldn't you be with Alex?"

She offered me a smile and it left me winded, a fucking smile. She was talking to me as if we had known each other for a long time.

"You know Alex?" I questioned, catching me a bit off guard.

The girl sighed, "Everyone knows Alex. I've seen you around."

"Ha. Have you?"

"You're the guy with the model girlfriend."

There she was again. I had managed to forget her for a second, but obviously it wasn't happening. Still, it was easier to relax when this strange creature was talking to me. It all came so naturally.

I'm trying so hard not to think anything sinister. So many thoughts race in my head and I'm left trying to make sense of them. God, if she knew what I was thinking she'd run away and probably never come outside again.

"Yeah, Marisa. You're friends?" Stupid question, of course they weren't. Marisa would immediately write this girl off just for being attractive.

She laughs and shakes her head, "God, what a question. No offense, she's kind of a bitch."

"Yeah... She can be. I guess," her honesty catches me off guard. I can't really deny it. "What's your name?"

"Aurora."

I looked up at the sky and then back at her, not paying much attention to the stars. "My name's Abel."

"I know," For some reason, her expression falls and she looks nervous all of a sudden. "I've gotta go."

"Why?" I ask stupidly.

Aurora gives me a little smile. "It's 2am. I'm talking to a stranger. I have to go to work."

"Work? It's late."

"Yeah, ever heard of Paradise?" She lights another cigarette.

"You work there?"

She nods. "Yep. I'm surprised you don't remember."

Fuck. I was starting to. I knew there was a catch. "It's okay," she said, "I imagine it's hard to recognize me when I'm not naked."

"You're really something," I confess. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like that?

Aurora shrugged. "Making money. Having fun."

"That's no place for you."

Fuck. I catch myself staring at her and I remember it all.

The girl stands from the swing and raises a brow at me. She's unreadable but I sense she's not at all fazed by my statement. There was nothing wrong with being a stripper, but something about talking to her made me feel like I didn't want her there for selfish reasons. I couldn't believe that I was talking to the girl I had thrown money at so many times. Sure, we talked. Once. It was hardly a conversation, it was more like me demanding she bring me more whiskey.

"Every place is a place for me. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Yeah, I think so," I reply. "I'd like to be."

Her very strange behavior makes me feel like I have the upper hand, as I always tend to have. Looking at her somehow glowing under the cheap light makes me want to take her home and leave Marisa outside, to do as I please with her and then keep her locked in forever. Something about her strikes me as very odd, though.

"I know what you do, let's not judge each other. I don't wanna be saved and neither do you."

It all begins to come back to me. The girl with the red lingerie, swaying softly on a stage, her skin adorned with glitter and the lights reflecting off her. I remember feeling entranced. But I'd remember her eyes anywhere.

"Maybe I should take you away from that and save you anyway," I said, half joking.

She smiles. "Subtle. I gotta go. See you around."

I get off the swing and before she can walk away, I grab her arm a little more roughly than I intended to. She doesn't flinch, instead, Aurora appears amused. "Meet me tomorrow at the Lux. Have a drink with me."

"That easy, huh?" She scoffs, "Try a little harder. It won't be that easy."

"I'm not asking. I'm telling you that you're meeting me tomorrow for a drink."

"I work the afternoon shift."

"I'll send a car for you after. Be ready. Look nice."

After a few moments, she finally sighs. "Okay. Fine. You win."

I let her go and before I know it, she manages to press against me. I take in a deep breath, the scent of her hair is so alluring, like peaches. I want to feel this warmth more often, but it's not so simple. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

What do I even want with her?

She steps back and as I watch her walk away from me, I decide that this is what I'm going to pursue. Though my behavior is not something I can explain or understand, I ignore the nagging in the back of my mind.

Tomorrow. The Lux.