Madison Awakening

A few hours later, I’m mindful to pull down my hot pink sheath dress, when the uber drops me in front of Sutra Lounge in Chelsea. It’s about three blocks from Ashely’s apartment. After doing everything I could to try and get her to Brooklyn, she decided it was easier to be in her ‘work vibe’ to stay in Manhattan. But truth be told, I love her area.  She lives in a ridiculously expensive pre-war apartment on West 23rd with awesome amenities that I get to enjoy. 

Sutra Lounge is a newly rebranded neighborhood staple. On a normal day, you would walk by and not even know anything was there. It’s not until nighttime when the red neon lights are shining in the windows, do you see life bubbling. I get to the door, wave to the bouncer as I walk through and open up the heavy black, velvet curtains that open into the main room.

The bar is full but not jammed, which is a nice change of pace. Smooth melodic beats are pumping in the air, as the city’s young and fabulous mingle. It’s Thursday night, which is the unofficial start of the weekend in the summer. I expect it to start filling up soon and hope Ashely got us a good spot. I scan the crowd within the dimly lit, modern Moroccan speakeasy. I look in the corner by the bar and see Ashely sitting at a table with a drink, phone in hand with a fresh tan. She looks up and sees me as I walk through the crowd to get to her. She waves and then gets up from the table.

“Hey girl!” She yells over the music and gives me a warm, tight embrace. I hug her back with the same energy.

“Hey Ash! Welcome home. You are looking super fab!” I say and step back to look her over. LA definitely did her a bit of good, glowing in her slinky teal slip dress and heels. We sit down and Ashely motions the waitress over.  

“Hi, what can I get you?”

“I’ll have a skinny margarita on the rocks, no salt with 1800 silver if you have it.”

“Sure do. Would you like another? She says to Ashely, who nods and she turns on her heels to place our order.  

“We’re having margaritas? You know what happens when you drink margaritas.”  Ashely muses and I roll my eyes at her.

“You said we are celebrating. So, I figure my favorite party drink is appropriate.  Anyway, how was your flight?” 

“It was great. I love that flight to the west coast. Aside from the turbulence over the Grand Canyon it was pretty smooth. And first class is always preferred.” She says just as the waitress returns with our drinks. Ashely lifts her drink and I follow. “To new beginnings…” She says with a bright smile, I clink my glass to hers, sip and give her an inquisitive look.

“What new beginnings were we talking about specifically?”

“Well for one, you are writing again. Which is ama-zing! Is it something new or that last story you had started a while back?”

“I am expanding on the old story. I got a lot done today, which is exciting. But you’re deflecting.” I respond and give her a look.

“Okay. So…I made a decision about my boss. And I think it’s the best way to move forward for everyone involved.” She said in her business tone she uses for work calls. She takes a deep breath and I immediately feel anxiety.  Is it something bad? I gulp my drink in anticipation.

“So, Daniel and I are going to see each other and I quit my job.” She says it very matter of factly. 

Her admission stuns me into silence. I take another gulp before I respond. “So you have a boyfriend but you’re unemployed?” I ask with no humor.

“First, he’s not my boyfriend. We are dating. Second, I said I quit. I didn’t say I was unemployed. In two weeks, I will start my new position as the director of PR of Empire Creatives, the leader in publishing on the East coast!”  

We both scream loudly, drawing the attention from the other patrons. I shoot up out of my seat and hug my friend across the table. I sit back down and start drilling her with questions.  

Apparently, Ashely had heard some rumblings that the company was looking for a change in the management a little while back and started putting out some feelers. She wasn’t sure if she was going to pursue the opportunity, but after the incident with Daniel, she took it as a sign.

“There was no way I was going to be able to stay at Jones after we slept together.  I don’t want to build my career with there even being a whisper that was a reason for my success. When I went to LA in between all the stuff I was doing for Jones, I met with the partners and they offered me the job with a forty five percent increase to my current salary.”

“What did Daniel say when you told him you quit?

“He flew to LA and begged me to stay. I told him either I stay and we don’t date or I leave and we can see what can develop. He took option B.” 

We both start hysterically laughing. We are on our third cocktail and the tequila is doing its job really well. We start talking about my writing, where I see the story headed and how I want to expand it into a full series. Just talking about the possibilities has me excited all over again. 

It’s around 11pm and the place is definitely more crowded now and the energy is starting to pick up. The night DJ is fully set up and spinning, tables are shifted to open more space for dancing and lights have dimmed a bit. 

We are both grooving in our seats to old school house music, when I look up and see him. And he looks….good. Really good. I freeze as my stomach drops.

“Madison, what’s up?” Ashely asks. All I can do is nod towards the door and she realizes what made me seize up in the middle of our groove session. “Shit. Jonathan is here? What is he doing on this side of town? What do you want to do?!” she exclaims. 

I take a drink, and consider running for the door. He’s at the bar saying hello to some people and kissing a very beautiful woman on the cheek. He is casually cool in his crisp white tee and jeans. His hair is a bit wild and he isn’t as clean shaven as I was used to seeing him, but still beautiful.

 “I want to enjoy my night. Where’s the waitress?” Why do I need to leave? I was here first, and I didn’t do anything wrong.  

“You sure?  We can go over to ‘Fat Baby’ instead?”

I shake my head mid swig. “Naw girl! This is our night to celebrate you being a fucking boss bitch and me getting my creativity back!  Jonathan is a non factor tonight. Cheers my love!”

As we click our glasses and sip, Jonathan starts walking towards the back and spots me. At first he isn’t sure, then his face shows recognition which quickly transitions to hardness. I keep my face perfectly pleasant and continue to sip. I’m not giving him the satisfaction of a reaction to his presence. He averts his eyes as he walks past our table without so much as a word. Asshole.

“Shots!!!” I call out to the waitress and stand from the table and begin dancing with the crowd. I grab Ashely’s hand to pull her up to join me and we dance in jubilation. 

After another round of drinks, the DJ starts playing pop hits. That’s when Ashely decides to tap out and head home.

“Girl. I have to get out of here. My time zones are still off. Are you ready to go?”  Ashely is slurring a bit and leaning to the right. But I could very well be leaning to the left myself.

“Yeah, but I need to pee first. Go home. I’ll grab my Uber after I use the bathroom.”

“You sure? I can wait.”

“Hell no. You just flew across the country. Go get some rest. I will text you when I get in the Uber and when I get home.”

“Okay girl. I love you” She says and gives me a tight hug.

“I love you too. Text me when you get in your building.”

“I will.” We release each other and she heads for the door.

I look around the lounge which is starting to empty a bit and head to the back towards the bathroom. There is a line but it seems to be moving quickly. Jonathan pops in my head again and I wonder if he left while me and Ashely were tearing up the dance floor. I shake my head to dislodge the thought and instead count the tiles on the floor as a distraction. Finally, it’s my turn for the bathroom and I rush in quickly.

Once I’m done, I give myself a once over in the mirror, wash my hand and reapply my lip gloss. I fix my dress and internally complement how good my ass looks in it. My phone buzzes and I see it’s Ashely saying she is home safe and sound. I text her back that I am getting in the uber now. I open the door and start walking out to the exit. 

I wave bye to the DJ and the bouncer as I pass through the velvet curtains to the street. But as I step on to the sidewalk, I bump into a large person’s back. I stumble back a bit to catch my balance and when I look up at the large mass, Jonathan’s face is staring back at me.

Oh fuck…