The cold night time air was enough to make anyone huddle together with a stranger for warmth. The vomit on Andrew's pants and shirt made him feel all the more vile. There he sat in a dilapidated rat-infested alleyway, stenching of rotten meat, talking with what he had once considered the filth of the earth. A prostitute.
"You okay?" The young woman said out of a genuine concern for the sickly man she was looking at, "Do you need anything?"
Andrew wiped off the puke from his clothes with a dirty torn towel that was hanging off the side of a trash can. "It's fine. I'll be alright." Andrew said before getting back on his feet. Despite the kind gesture of a stranger, he was unable to muster a smile. And she was able to see right through him.
"You're fine?" She prodded.
"Yeah, I'm good." Andrew said thoughtlessly. Before trying to escape the conversation.
"You just threw up outside of a brothel. You don't seem good to me." The young woman said, "My name's Maria by the way. If you wanna talk I'm always open. Bleeding heart and all. Care for a cigarette?" She said holding out an open box of death sticks.
"I don't smoke." Andrew replied.
"That's what I used to say too." Maria said as she took another puff.
"Ya know what… sure. I'll take one." Andrew said. Maria gave him a cigarette and lit it for him too. There was something calming about her, Andrew thought to himself. For the first time today, he finally felt like he could breathe.
"So what was up with all that chunk spewing? You sick or something? If so, please make out with me, like really dig your tongue in my throat. I wanna go home." Maria joked.
"No. Ha. Ha. I'm not sick. Just too nervous. Or. Anxious. I don't really know the right word." Andrew replied.
"Psycho Symptomatic illness is a bitch. Before I was medicated, I could never get out of the house. I'd just writhe in agony on my bed." Maria said, "Is it your first time?"
"Yeah… but that's not exactly it." Andrew said before putting out his cigarette, "I feel like I'm spreading a poison… like anyone who I get close to will rot away. And I feel like by coming here, I'll be spreading that poison to them."
"Being poisoned wouldn't be so bad. If you want to, I could let you poison me." Maria said.
"You don't know what you're talking about." Andrew replied.
"Is that so? I mean I've never really had a real relationship before. Not even with my parents. I became toxic and unintentionally pushed everyone away. I get how it feels." Maria said.
"That's still nothing compared to what I'm going through." Andrew said, putting his head in his hands.
"Now, that's nice. Very validating… but whether or not you think I understand, I wanna help. When I look at you, I see a sad timid puppy who thinks he's ferocious. I know you're trying to "protect" me, but I can handle myself. I want to help, I can tell you have a good soul." Maria said, "You have very gentle eyes, you know."
Andrew couldn't tell if this woman was simply being kind or if she had an agenda. But at this point he truly didn't care. He needed comfort of a warm and carnal sort. But not simply sex. He needed something more. "Th-thank you…" Andrew said in response to the compliment on his eyes.
"Ya know, I work here." Maria said, pointing her thumb back to the grotesque walls of the brothel. There it was. The advertising," I could take you, if you want. I'll let you pound me as much as you want."
Andrew began to open his mouth but was cut off before he could speak a word. "On the house." Maria said.
"On the house?" Andrew asked in disbelief. His low expectations shattered.
"Yeah. Seems like you need it. I mean the old guy'll still charge ya. But I can pay it for you. Seriously, don't worry about it." Maria said, putting her arms around Andrew's shoulders. Her arms were warm.
"Umm… yeah. Sure… that sounds nice." Andrew replied.
Maria grabbed Andrew's hand swiftly and dragged him behind her into the brothel. She was right about the old man wanting another payment, but surprisingly she did exactly as she said she would and paid for Andrew in full. This made Andrew feel as though he was the prostitute in this situation instead of Maria. He simply let himself get dragged all the way to room twenty-seven. This was Maria's room. Nobody else was allowed in here. If anybody did enter room twenty-seven without her present, she'd make sure to make their life a living hell.
"So, what do you like?" Maria said holding up a couple different sets of lingerie. One was "slutty cop" themed and the other was just a lacy bra and thong.
"I think I just want nude." Andrew said flustered.
"Yeah, sure thing." Maria dropped her pants on the spot. She had been wearing a pair of leather booty shorts and fishnets, but now both of those were laying on the floor. She threw off her black leather jacket and stretched, cracking her knuckles in the process. She was five feet and three inches tall. Only a little bit taller than Andrew. She had short hair. Or at least short for a woman. Dyed a bright blue, her body was a little bit plump. Andrew looked upon her and felt that she looked warm and inviting. Likely because of her bright red complexion.
Andrew was scrawny and light. Nearly weightless. His brown scruffy curled hair and baby face made him look equally warm and inviting to Maria. They both felt vulnerable and as though they were with someone they could trust with their life. Andrew gently caressed Maria's round breasts as she lovingly nibbled on his neck. They kissed and felt each other's bodies, exploring every inch of each other. For this night, and only this night, Andrew and Maria were star crossed lovers. Two souls intimately embracing a stranger to bring warmth to their solitary night. They both moaned and screamed. Not the bad kind of scream of course, but the kind you would give in response to a wonderful unexpected Christmas present. They were each other's present.
After a passionate time of making love, the pair grew tired and sat still together cuddling in the comfort of a king size bed. Andrew looked upon the face of the woman he had just experienced everything with. The face he saw was nothing like the one he had been seeing the last several hours. Although her face radiated a vibrant joy and beauty, all Andrew could see was a loving young woman in the throes of death. He had poisoned her. Just as he had feared. Andrew felt disgusted with himself. He knew this would happen. He knew what he was sentencing her to. And yet he carried on anyway. "Was it so wrong to pretend to be happy for just a little while?" He bargained with himself. But he knew what he had done. But at least she was accepting of it. Afterall, she said she wanted to be poisoned.
"I'm sorry…" Andrew said, tears beginning to run down his face as he held onto Maria for dear life.
"Sorry? For what? That was fantastic! Best sex I ever had…" Maria said with a satisfied smile.
"I did exactly what I said I would. I've poisoned you and now you're going to die. And it's all my fault." Andrew said with his face in his palm.
"You're so over dramatic. I get the whole poison metaphor. But I've fucked plenty of men way worse than you. I'm sure I'll be fine." Maria said, "I actually really enjoyed it. I'd love it if you came back some time. Cum again! Ya know?" Maria laughed as she gently rubbed the tip of Andrew's dick. "Although, I've had some rough patches. Life's actually been pretty good lately. I don't do this out of necessity. I do it because I enjoy making men like you feel better."
Andrew slapped Maria's hand away and stood up.
"I shouldn't feel better. I'm just a sack of shit!" Andrew shouted, "You don't know anything about me!"
"If you wanna be that way, fine. I tried. Hopefully you'll come back." Maria put on a robe and sauntered off to take a shower. Leaving Andrew alone in an empty room that smelled of carnal happenings. Andrew got up and walked out of that filthy place. It was not the prostitutes that made it filthy. It was the reminders of what he had done. He couldn't stand it. He couldn't handle sitting in the cesspool of agony he had created and so he went back to the hotel. The clean and peaceful hotel. Its long halls were adorned with beautiful carpets and lovely chandeliers. There was even a serene pool. Just waiting for someone to come and dissolve the stress away in it.
Andrew went to room two-fourteen and swiped his key. When he walked in, the lights were off. All of them except the bathroom light. Andrew lied down in the fluffy hotel bed, next to Mathew, who was happily snoring away. The snoring didn't bother Andrew, yet his eyes refused to stay shut. Hours went by of tossing and turning, before Andrew resolved himself to get up. There was no way he could possibly get any sleep, so he decided to go to the gas station to get something that could help him calm his nerves. He got a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, a new thing for him, and walked back to the hotel. Andrew thought that everyone had fallen asleep already, but apparently he was wrong.
"I thought you were asleep." Andrew said.
"I thought you were off to get snacks." Anthony retorted, "But I didn't see any. And it doesn't look like you have any now either." Anthony said, pointing at the cigarettes Andrew had just purchased.
"What are you doing up so late?" Andrew asked.
"I could ask you the same thing. You woke me up when you came back the first time, you know." Anthony said, looking up at the night sky. The night had grown a little warmer in the last few hours. It now brought a sense of comfort, looking at the brightly shining stars in the clear night sky.
"I guess you're right." Andrew said, sitting himself down on the concrete steps next to Anthony. He hung his head on the still cold railing. Anthony glanced over at him.
"Something bothering you?" Anthony said after giving it some thought.
Andrew sat up in surprise. "Yeah. Actually. Something is bothering me."
"What's that?" Anthony replied.
Andrew sat for a moment stirring it over, delicately trying to find the perfect response. " I just… I wish things were the way they used to be. Things are so different now. It's scary."
"I hear you…" Anthony replied, "I miss how it used to be too… but time marches on. And sometimes you just have to embrace what comes next… embrace all the change."
Andrew froze for a moment and thought through Anthony's words. More than that, he absorbed them, " Yeah, I suppose you're right." Andrew pulled out a cigarette from the box in his left hand. "Want one?" He asked Anthony.
"Didn't know you smoked." Anthony said as he grabbed the on offer cigarette.
Andrew pulled out another and lit both of them. Both of the young men took a puff and stared off into the vast night sky. "It's a new thing." Andrew replied.
Andrew was tired. His psyche had reached a limit. It was time to try something new. The way back home was quiet. Despite their little heart to heart, nothing had changed between Andrew and Anthony.