Who: Ed Strong (#1107) What: Narrative (private) When: After This... Where: Starts in 1107 Warnings: Nothing really.
He left Ella's apartment with a knot in his stomach and his teeth on edge. The night had not gone well by any rationale standards. He wasn't sure what the whole story was with regard to Leah and Ella, but clearly the word "sisters" didn't quite capture the complexity of things. At least not for Leah.
He felt badly for Ella who clearly didn't get the evening she was hoping for. At the same time he was slightly miffed that he'd been put in the middle of something like that. Whatever that was. He wasn't used to playing any role but the one he picked for himself and he had let Ella's "buffer" thing throw him into an unusual role.
By the time he reached his apartment, just two floors up, his left hand was curled in a tight, aching fist. The vein in his neck was throbbing with barely swallowed agitation and confusion. Once inside his own place, he went right to the open bottle of whiskey that waited on the bar. He didn't bother with a glass and he didn't bother opening the window to smoke. He was three shots and two cigarettes down before he gave in to the ache in his hand and the headache forming behind his eyes.
If he was going to avoid another night spent staring into the dark and not playing the piano he was going to have to find some sort of distraction. He had hoped that dinner with Ella would help with that, but instead the two women had just managed to set his nerves on edge and his mind on tilt.
He thought briefly about contacting Jude, but stopped short of sending the private message. Instead he grabbed his jacket and headed out. It was still early enough to solve this problem. He knew exactly where to go and exactly what to do when he got there.
And in the morning when he tossed money on the bed next to a woman who was definitely not a pro he'd feel a whole lot better than he did now.
He could already imagine the look on "her" face--whoever she'd end up being--and just thinking about it eased the ache in his hand. He hailed a cab and gave an address with the beginning of a dangerous smile playing across his face.