The Forum

by Marie Reyes

  "Oh, yeah." He coughed, looking totally unprepared for the offer.

  "Only if you want to, of course. We can always go to another bar if you want? There's a good place for live music nearby too." She second guessed herself. Maybe this was too quick. Maybe she actually wanted to take it slow. Did she actually like this guy?

  ~~~

  The wine had already had an effect as she struggled to get her key in the lock. He laughed. "You having trouble there?"

  "I got it." Finally, the key played ball and slid into the lock. She tried to remember if she had left clothes everywhere when she was getting ready, although she suspected he wouldn't care one way or another. She turned the hallway light on and took her coat off, placing it on a hook. She took his coat from him. "Make yourself comfortable."

  She walked into the living room. Netflix and chill was probably the best course of action. Before she could even turn on the television, he was kissing her. It caught her by surprise, but she leaned into it. It was everything she had hoped for. Soft at first, but then more urgent. She pulled his T-shirt up over his head and discarded it on the floor.

  In her rush to take off her top, she struggled, stuck in one of the sleeves and burst out laughing.

  "Having trouble there?"

  "Everything is under control." She pulled her hair out of the way as she removed her top and chucked it on the floor. He pressed his body up to hers. Skin on skin. That was what she wanted. That contact was everything she needed in that moment as the outside world melted away.

  ~~~

  Great, that was a bust. Kristen lay on her side, pretending to be asleep, squeezing her eyes shut. It had started well enough. Hot and passionate. She tried to pinpoint the moment that it all went downhill. Once they were both fully naked, his earlier confidence had vanished, and it was like he had no idea what he was doing. It was awkward. The fumbling. Then his hard-on was well and truly gone, vanished, never to return. There was nothing less arousing than trying to resuscitate a flaccid cock for half an hour.

  Oh well. If she was in a better place, with the mental energy to deal with it, maybe she could have worked on it with him. Seen him again and tried to get past it, but that wasn't what she needed right now. That wasn’t what tonight was about. Maybe she could say she had work early in the morning and ask him to leave. No, she would just have to be polite and worry about it in the morning, except she couldn't sleep. It was impossible to get comfortable, and she didn't want to move, out of fear of waking him up. His arm was underneath her, resting in the crook of her neck. If she made any sudden movements, she was certain he would wake up.

  ~~~

  Why had she offered to make him breakfast? She couldn't relax with this stranger in her house. This was not one-night stand protocol. She pulled bacon from the frying pan with her tongs and put them on a plate with a kitchen towel to absorb the grease. Her stomach groaned at her in protest at the smell of bacon fat. Next, she turned her attention to the pancakes. The hotplate was ready to go. As predicted, the first one came out misshaped and the plate hadn't got hot enough yet.

  Hungover, she watched the batter of her second pancake spread out in a perfect circle. Then, she watched as small bubbles formed on the surface that signaled it was ready to flip.

  "Here you go." She placed the plates on the table and sat down. She cut a triangle section from her pancake and dipped the end in syrup. She liked to keep the two separate to avoid pancakes going soggy.

  "So. You want to do anything today? We could watch a movie."

  Kristen prepared herself for the conversation that was about to follow. "Listen. It's been nice, but it was just supposed to be a one-night thing. I'm sorry, I just... wanted to take my mind off stuff. I should have been more clear."

  "Plans can change though."

  "It's just not the right time. I've got a lot on my plate. I'm sorry."

  "Is this about last night? I swear that's never happened to me before."

  "It's not about that," she lied. "We were both drunk. It's just me, and the place I'm in right now. Please understand."

  "We can still be friends though."

  "I don't know if that would be a good idea. I'm so busy with work, plus personal stuff."

  "I can help you with that. You know I was going to study psychology once, but stuff got in the way."

  "I'm feeling rough today. I need some time to myself. I think you should go. I will message you at some point. Just, I need some me time."

  "Fine." He backed up in his chair and shot up. "See you around." He turned towards the front door. Part of her wanted to say wait, and to say something to make him feel better, but she didn't have the energy.

  "I'll see you out."

  "Don't bother." He slammed the front door behind him like a petulant teen and a feeling of relief washed over her as she sat in silence at the kitchen table.

  She went to remove him from her dating profile, so that he couldn't message her, but his profile had totally disappeared.

  Chapter

  Twenty

  LONDON

  His skin prickled with heat. There were too many bodies packed together in a small place. It was the busiest he'd ever seen this venue and almost felt as nervous as he had at his first performance ever. Nadia sat at a small table with her friend, perched on tiny stools and nursing their drinks. He gave them a brief wave.

  The first gig with new material was always daunting, and he preferred it when Nadia wasn't present as she would always dissect his performance in minute detail when they got home, and she was never a fan of his more inappropriate jokes. Luckily the guy on stage now, the guy before him, was about as funny as cancer.

  His palms were sweating now. Great, that would make holding the mic fun. Some people left it on the stand, but he couldn't do that. His body would twitch with nervous energy, and he would pace from one end of the stage to another.

  It seemed like the other person was wrapping up, and Aadesh downed the remainder of his drink. Vodka and coke. He couldn't have anything gassy like beer or cider, not since the burping incident. That had actually got more laughs than his jokes.

  Okay. It was time. He watched the guy walk offstage and Mike, the compère, was saying his piece. His nerves were in overdrive now as he became increasingly aware that he was sweating profusely by the damp patches on his T-shirt. Why the hell did he think white was a good idea? This wasn’t a wet T-shirt competition. No doubt it would be obvious to the audience as well. It was an awful feeling, yet he kept coming back for more. Okay. This was it. He glanced at his friend Steve and gave him a nervous smile before going up.

  The light was blinding, so thankfully, he couldn't make out any of the audience's faces, just vague silhouettes shifting around like shadow puppets. He waited for the applause to die down before forcing words from his dry throat.

  "Thank you. Thank you. So, let me tell you what I've been up to in the last few days—"

  "You suck!" someone yelled from the audience. He could make out a flash of ginger hair on their head. Normally the hecklers didn't start until he actually told a few jokes, and hecklers were rare anyway. For some reason, his usual witty comeback wouldn't come to him, so he decided to just ignore it, pushing down the feeling that this was going to be a disaster.

  Before he could even get another word out, Mike walked onto the stage. What the hell? He took the microphone from him.

  "Ladies and gentlemen. I'm going to need everyone to leave right away," Mike said, his tone deadly serious.

  "What's going on?" Aadesh asked, but Mike put his finger up to silence him.

  "Please remain calm and evacuate the building immediately." He put the microphone back in its stand and turned to Aadesh. "Let's go now."

  Aadesh’s legs wobbled as he walked down the steps from the stage. He felt like he was walking out of the gym after leg-day. He looked for Nadia, but she had gone. They had been seated close to the back, so they must have left already. There were still a lot of people and it was impossible
to hear over the panicked voices. Everyone was supposed to get out as quickly as possible, but some people milled around curiously, while others seemed to get further away from the exit, looking for their friends and blocking the way for others.

  There were no fire alarms and Mike wasn't saying anything. What the hell was going on? They joined the back of the crowd. "What is it Mike?"

  "I didn't want to alarm anyone. It's harder for people to evacuate when they're panicking, but I got a call. A bomb threat," he said, just loud enough for Aadesh to hear, but not anybody else.

  "Oh my god." They walked forward as the crowd started thinning and it wasn't long until they walked through the door and into the fresh air to join the rest of the crowd that had spilled out onto the street. Everyone was talking over each other as Aadesh scanned the sea of bobbing heads. Steve emerged from the crowd and walked towards him.

  "Mate, that was fucked up."

  Mike started talking in a raised voice, informing everyone that there had been a bomb threat called in, and that they should go home. There was no way that the evening would carry on as normal. After he had addressed the crowd, he called the police, pacing the street.

  "Steve, have you seen Nadia?"

  "I don't know. I wasn't keeping an eye out for her. Let's go have a look. It's a shame you didn't get to do your thing."

  "It's for the best, I think. My performance didn't start well. I knew I was going to bomb; I could just tell."

  Steve cracked up, doubling over with laughter.

  "What's so funny?" Aadesh tried to convey his annoyance and bemusement in a carefully orchestrated glare.

  "You were going to bomb."

  "Oh shit. Did I say that? I didn't even think." Then he saw her. "Nadia," he called, his voice cutting through the air. She ran in his direction.

  "Babe. You okay? That was scary."

  "I know. Most bomb threats are hoaxes though, so it's probably okay."

  "These days you never know. You can never be too careful." She put her arms around him and gave him a squeeze tight enough to leave him breathless. He waited for Mike to finish his telephone conversation. "What did they say?"

  "They are going to check the place out."

  "Do you know who called in the threat?"

  "No idea. Probably just a stupid prank. I feel bad for the owner. He's going to be down a lot of money."

  "Do you want us to wait with you?"

  "'Sup to you mate. I'm fine."

  "Then that's settled. Addy, we're going home." Nadia linked arms with him, pulling him in the direction of the taxi-rank. He didn't want to leave Mike to deal with all of it on his own, but he didn't have the energy to convince Nadia to stay.

  "We going back to yours then?" Steve asked.

  "Sure. It's going to be hell getting a taxi with everyone leaving at the same time."

  Nadia pulled her phone out. "I'll call my sister. She will give us a lift, considering the circumstances."

  ~~~

  Nadia's head rested on Aadesh's lap as she slept and he scrolled through his phone while Steve tucked into a kebab, getting mayonnaise down his chin and carrying on eating, regardless. The odor of garlic and chilli sauce permeated every inch of the room, working its way into the fabric of the sofa and the carpet.

  "You know it is possible to close your mouth while eating."

  "Get over it. We're all just animals."

  "Some more than others."

  "Ooooo," he mocked in a high-pitched tone. “Is it your time of the month?”

  "Sorry, it's just been... a lot."

  "A bit of excitement."

  Aadesh ignored him and continued scrolling through his phone and ending up on the forum. A new message was there waiting for him. He straightened up, almost waking Nadia up as he saw who posted the update.

  Not.all.heroes.wear.capes: Hope you had a good show tonight Shortstacks. Sorry, I mean, Aadesh.

  The blood felt as if it had frozen right in his veins as a chill ran through his very core. "Crap. Oh crap." He couldn't control the words from bursting out of him. This was bad, very bad.

  "What's up?" Steve asked in-between fries.

  "This is bad."

  "What?"

  "I have to phone Mike." He picked up his phone from between the sofa cushions and unlocked it with trembling fingers. He found Mike in his contacts and pressed dial, but was met with the drone of the engaged tone. "Shit."

  "Seriously. What's going on?" Steve had put down his take-away carton, his curiosity piqued.

  "The bomb threat. I know who it was."

  "What? Who?"

  "That person we've been following. You know, that killer that posted the video." He felt dizzy, like he’d had a lot more to drink than just his vodka and coke.

  "No. Don't be stupid. You're just paranoid. How do you know?"

  "He messaged the board for the group that I'm in, to try to find him. He knows my name. He asked how my gig went. I never gave anyone my name."

  Steve's demeanor changed in a split second, and he leaned back in the armchair. "Come on. He could have found out that stuff easily. Besides, he only asked how your gig went. Did he actually say anything about a bomb? Besides, didn't you say this guy lived in America, it's probably just a troll trying to freak you out," he said dismissively.

  "It's him. I know it. I just do."

  "What's going on?" Nadia stirred and looked up at him with her make-up smeared face.

  "Aadesh thinks he's being stalked by that internet killer." Steve laughed.

  "Shut up," Aadesh snapped.

  Nadia sat upright, with that serious, you're in deep shit look on her face, which was probably even scarier than being stalked by a murderer. "You said you weren't going to go on that site again. I can't believe you lied to me. Again!" Her face screwed up.

  "Let me explain."

  "Don't bother. I told you it was dangerous, but you didn't care. I was at the club, because of you, and I could have died because of you."

  "Don't be so dramatic." Steve laughed again and threw a chip at her.

  "You know what? Screw you. Screw you both. I'm getting out of here." She stood up and marched to the door.

  "Wait, you can't just leave. At least let me order you a taxi. We can talk about this when you've calmed down."

  "Calmed down." She snorted. Telling someone to calm down. He knew that was the last thing to say, yet the words came out anyway. "I am leaving. I'm going outside to flag down a taxi."

  "Let me go with you. It's not safe."

  "Since when do you care if I'm safe." She stormed off and Aadesh leaped from the sofa to follow her. There is no way he was letting her get home alone at this hour with a potential killer after him.

  Chapter Twenty One

  MAPLE RIDGE – BRITISH COLUMBIA

  "Hey George. Hope your interview went well," Martin said as he dished out some rice for one of the regulars. He'd loaned him one of his own suits... it's not like he needed it at the moment.

  "Not so great. I don't think I got it."

  "You never know."

  "Sometimes, you just know. The manager was a jerk, I could tell. Little jumped up jackass on a power trip."

  "If you need any help with interview stuff, I used to be pretty good at them. I know all sorts of tips and tricks."

  "Used to be?" He looked unconvinced.

  "I'm kind of struggling at the moment. I can feel it turning around though. This place has really helped." He wondered what George thought. If he judged him. He was privileged. He had a lot of things George didn't. He was a lot luckier in life. Some people have real problems, he told himself. Now he had somehow made it all about himself, so he changed the subject.

  "Martin." Lisa came up behind him. It was probably because of her that he had come back, and he was glad he had. "Would you mind taking out the trash?"

  "Of course." He flashed her a smile and headed to the kitchen. Lisa had obsessive-compulsive disorder, but her therapy was helping. It was her therapist who encourage
d her to start volunteering to push herself. Although she was getting her disorder under control, she still couldn't take the garbage out. Her compulsions were all germ related. When she had told him about her mental decline, he understood. The medication had helped her so much that he finally took the step to start antidepressants.

  She was still affected though. She had always wanted children, but the reality was too much for her. Once, she and her girlfriend had started looking into adoption, but she would wake up in a cold sweat with nightmares about sticky fingers, snot, and dirty nappies. After that, she had given up on that dream. Martin questioned it. After all, if she could volunteer here, surely, she could deal with a baby.

  He hadn't been here long, but someone had already pissed all over the floor, and there were multiple instances of vomit. Still, he didn't push. She explained that if things were to go downhill again, she wouldn't want to inflict that on anyone else. That, he could understand. Responsibility terrified him. He used to have many a responsibility at work, but now, he could barely look after himself. His diet consisted of junk food and hard liquor, and the house was a mess. Before he went to pull the trash bag out of the can, he checked his cell.

  Shortstacks: I'm serious guys. We need to stop. I know we don't think he can see what we type in the private group, but I don't know. His post was a clear threat. He means business. I can't be involved in this, and I urge you to do the same if you want to stay safe.

  Pickletubs118: But what about his next victim? She's in serious danger.

  Shortstacks: We notified the police. We've done our bit. It's their job.

  K-meister: I can't stop. I'm doing this for my dad. This POS can't get away with it. I won't let him. The police, they still don't have a clue.

  Shortstacks: If you don't want what happened to him, to happen to you, I think it's a really bad idea. He wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger, would he?

  Martin wondered what the hell had happened and scrolled up through the chat history. He read the message left by the user not.all.heroes.wear.capes, and although it was an obvious threat, Martin didn't know if he could stop trying to find this guy. This, and the volunteering, were his life now, his reason to get up in the morning.