I’ll never forget the night I met Juri. He asked his friends about me, persued a conversation with me. Took me out for coffee.
I stayed out too long, I knew I did. I knew it meant a long walk if I didn’t let the thrill of a new crush make me separate myself from him. There was always tomorrow.
I’ll never forget our kiss, the way his dick pressed against me. Teasing each other before I pulled away. I was already out too late. In a place that could spell disaster for a pretty young thing like me.
I left Juri, dancing my way to my bus. I sat there, listening to my headphones, finding the hidden meaning in all the lyrics I’d heard a dozen times, but was truly hearing now for the first time.
Reliving the kiss over and over in my head.
I don’t even remember the bus ride home, forgetting it’s after 1 in the morning.
Not caring that I will miss the last connecting bus that will bring me steps from home..
What’s a little walk when you are as elated as this?
Exiting the bus, still enamored with Juri, I start the 2 kilometer journey home.
It’ was dark, it’was quiet. I’ was alone with myself and my puppy love down this empty 4 lane stretch of road.
It’s usually bustling, but there wasn’t a soul now. Just me and my imagination. Just me and my Juri.
Suddenly, every hair on my body stood straight up. I didn’t know why. Nothing was going to take away this feeling from me now. Fuck off anxiety. I’m not losing this.
I spin around, I see a man. He’s far off in the distance on the opposite side of the road. He poses no threat.
I make note of his presence, and continue to float down the road, Juri on my mind
His dreamy eyes, his throbbing.. Wait… Why am. I suddenly so scared?
I look behind me, and my new found aquantance is now on the same side of the road as me. Much closer than he was before.
No matter. I cross the empty 4 lanes, just to be sure, taking my headphones out, quickening my pace. He poses no threat.
After only a short distance, a glance behind again. Fuck. He’s on my side, closer than ever.
I realize now, whatever this game is, it’s on.
I cross one last time. Of course he follows. I berrade myself. I knew the danger of staying out too late. How could I be such a fool?
I take up a full on sprint. Faster than my little body should be able to take me, rounding the corner onto my street.
As I hear the my pulse thumping in my ears, I’m aware of the foot steps slapping the pavement behind me.
Remembering something I heard somewhere, if you are ever in this situation to steer clear of the sidewalk, head straight down the middle of the road. Hoping that if they caught you, you could fight them in the road. A chance to be seen. Taken down in the bushes, I won’t be found until morning. Flies circling, naked, defiled, embarrassed for my neighbors and anyone watching the local news to see.
Fuck that.
I fly down the middle of the road. I can feel his hand flutter across the back of my neck. Somehow, I run faster.
The soft yellow glow of my apartment building is just steps away. I push on.
I burst into the first unlocked door. The vestibule is where I will certainly receive my fate. There’s no escape from here. Not in time. I’d have to fish out my keys, open the next door, slam it behind me and… There’s no time, no hope.
I weigh my options, and instead, as his body smacks into the door, I decide to make believe, like I’ve been doing since I left Juri.
As we stand there, palm to palm, face to panting face, my slight stature pressed up against the door, I pretend to lock the deadbolt that isn’t there.
The unimaginable happens then. He believes the pantomime, believes the door is locked, without even testing to see if it’s true. Nothing but my tiny frame keeping it closed.
He slowly backs away. Goes up to a nearby car, pretending to unlock it’s door, then realizing he’s probably on camera, sprints off into the night.
Shaking, I opened the second door, and once I was sure it was locked behind me, I collapsed into the Neo Deco lobby floor.
After asking the superintendent to see the video footage that was caught that night, I never went out with Juri again.