Peanut

Tucked away in a small dark room, candlelight flickering seductively against the sweaty walls, he sips his drink in complete solitude. Voices of strangers cloud around him in order to orchestrate a cacophony of hysteria. Excitable nonsense of vital importance – to someone. He didn’t mind the noise so much as the people creating it; arrogant suits of sheer ignorance. People really just didn’t understand. They really don’t want to he supposed. His mind drifted quickly to a wildlife show he had been watching recently; alpha males and the hierarchy of packs. It seemed fitting.

Peering into the depths of the glass in front of him, swirling the dark liquid slowly, he sighed. Thoughts permeated the thick layer of silence he had built and it wound him up. Every second in which he sat still a war of words took place within his mind. The decision he faced in his every day life began to creep up on him slyly, making him nervous and leaving him in a state of depression which he couldn’t quite lift. Draining the glass of its final mouthful, he stood quickly and brought the glass down upon the skull of the loudest man he could hear with enough force to render the man unconscious.

“It is simply fucking unnatural”, he bellowed quite obtrusively.

He held himself with the vigour of a man that believed quite stubbornly that his opinions were always right. His party of four other men were quite sheepish in comparison. They had a tendency to nod meekly and sit on the fence when asked about anything which may be even a little controversial.

“Sex just shouldn’t be had between two people of the same gender.”

They all laughed heartily, ignoring the looks of everyone sitting within earshot. The quiet man two stools down looked like he had been kicked in the balls. The torturing look on his face was enough to make them all a little wary of him.

“I mean I am a red blooded male, don’t get me wrong,” he continued, “two men fucking turns my stomach- two women on the other hand..”

The shards of glass rained down ferociously. His large, limp body hit the floor with enough force to shake the bar stools the length of the room. Gasps of timid horror went up amongst the small grouping of men, their childlike apprehension at the subject suddenly becoming more apparent as none of them had the courage or the stupidity to protest.

She idly fingered the ring of water which had collected in the space where her glass had been. Her eyes roamed the room, falling upon the group of men laughing raucously. She couldn’t quite figure out why she didn’t like them. Their sharp suits and handsome features should, really, have been reasons to be attracted to them. However, the nervous looks on the quieter faces and the arrogant way in which the louder man held himself made her suspicious of them.

Slowly drinking her water, she looked at the silent, lonely man a few stools along. He looked sad, deep in thought at things unknown. She was curious, she wanted to believe he was a kind hearted man; his eyes lowered just enough to hide any sort of clue within them. She couldn’t help but want to sit with him, even if it were to be in silence.

Looking back at her watch, she became frustrated. She was late again. She always does this, she thought absent-mindedly as the irritation within her grew stronger. She really should have known she would turn up to meet her with empty apologies, bottomless excuses and breathless promises for their next meeting. Smiling suddenly, the irritation subsiding a little, at least the sex tonight would be fantastic; angry and apologetic – her favourite kind.

As the smash cut through the air, she was ripped violently from her little fantasy. The gorilla in the suit was on the floor, passed out seemingly. The quiet man was on his feet, seething, blood trickling slowly from his closed fist slowly, incredibly slowly, rolling down his arm.

“Didn’t see that one coming,” she laughed softly to herself.

Just as she was about to give up, she tumbled into the room.

“Hey peanut. I am so sorry I am late.”

“It’s okay, baby. Let’s get out of here.”