Turn Me Bad

”No, Palmdale is the port. You’re the perk, but I wouldn’t go down that route if I were you – not if you’re wanting something more from him. Though if you’re not bothered then, what the hell!”

”I just wish now I’d asked more about where he was from, but I didn’t want to ruin it.”

”Didn’t you even ask for a phone number?”

”No, I’m an idiot. Finally, I meet someone and all my usual forward-thinking habits desert me.”

”Maybe it’s for the best.”

The common sense side of Violet’s mind largely agreed with her friend, but there was something within her that suggested she should make sure. That night, she couldn’t bring herself to sleep until she had decided that it simply wouldn’t do and she had to know for sure.

This didn’t mean there needed to be any drastic detective work ahead, but she should at least go back to that bar and see if he turned up again. Or ask around to see if anyone knew something of him. His arrival was pretty memorable; maybe there was at least some whisper going around of who he might be.

The weekend and Monday passed by in a blur. Violet’s mind was elsewhere. Unable to dismiss the idea that her dream guy might be out there wanting to see her again, her first working day back was not the typical focused effort. By the end of it, she was having a word with herself. Colleagues were noticing that she was distant and, the next day, she would return to normal, blocking out all distractions to make sure that one poor day was but an anomaly.

However, this was only made possible by having a firm plan. Though it was supposed to look spontaneous and casual – the essence of Benjamin – her visit to the same bar where they had met would be quite the opposite.

She decided to go there for a drink after work on Monday and Wednesday. Only for one drink; she didn’t want to hang around and make a habit of it. On Friday though, she decided she would stay there a little bit longer. If Benjamin was going to come looking for her, then surely the most obvious place to try was the same place, on the same day, at the same time.

Violet sat at the bar and drank three vodka and oranges, but no one came. At one point, the sound of a passing motorcycle caused her to turn around in excitement, but whoever it was had a big bushy beard and sped on by like ZZ Top.

When it came to giving in and making her way home, Violet decided – with the help of the alcohol in her system – to not worry about looking like a sad case in front of the barman and to ask him if there had been any sight or sound of that memorable guy that was present last week.

There was no music festival this week and so the staff was not so busy as to be unavailable for conversation, but the answer was not good.

“Oh, I remember the guy for sure,“ the barman replied, once she’d given a description. ”You couldn’t miss him I guess.”

”I don’t suppose you know if anyone’s seen him here this week?“ she asked. ”I kind of need to speak to him.”

”Sorry,“ the man replied with a shake of his head. ”I’ve been here all week and it’s been a bike-free zone.”

Violet made her way home that night a bit later than usual again but couldn’t even muster the effort to convince Caitlin she was genuinely having a secret life anymore. Her instincts had obviously been wrong and now she felt deflated, faced with having to accept the fact that her time with Benjamin was restricted to that lone night.

”I haven’t been doing anything interesting, don’t worry,“ she replied to Caitlin’s typical, “Where have you been?“ Unusually, the girl must have been able to tell from her demeanor that she wasn’t in the mood for any aggravation because she said nothing else. But that did not mean that, throughout the weekend, Violet missed the fact that she was being watched and studied wherever she went, as if by an opponent figuring out what kind of move they should make.

It was time to move on for good. The idea had always been a fantasy anyway; she could accept that even though she had tried to extend it for a time. Hard work and dedication was her way forward and it was likely that being with a man like that would have only been damaging in the long run anyway.

By Monday, she had begun to accept her situation. A part of her would always wonder where he was and what – or who – he was doing, but he would have to remain a memory of a night when she acted out of character. Most people have the wild days of youth they look back on; she would have one night and could live with that.

Being able to get back to work and shake it all off came as something of a relief, therefore. Occupying the mind was the surest way of getting over disappointment, and, for the Tuesday and Wednesday, she would be central to organizing the filming of an online marketing video. Numerous people were relying on her keeping a cool head and so what better way to move on?

The team of five that made up their mini film crew spent the first half of the Tuesday morning going over stills and artwork that would be used to direct the video. Violet’s main job was to sort the schedule and make sure everything was in place when it needed to be. The first few hours, therefore, were set up so she could brief the team on the order everything had to occur and how long they had for each segment. It was a task she was especially well suited for.

At 10:30, the help would arrive, consisting of half a dozen young extras who could pass as students. The video they were shooting was to advertise a local college and show exactly why it could be such a great place to study. Although they had one of the college’s head staff turning up to do a piece to camera that could be said to be authentic, the students in the shoot would actually be actors pretending to learn.

Violet was in the process of making sure all her paperwork was in order before heading outside to the minibus that was to take them to the college. She was alone in the meeting room at that point when the door behind her opened and, when she turned around, she would end up dropping all those crucial files on the floor in shock.

There was Benjamin, standing with a big innocent smile on his face that she knew he was not worthy of.

”Hello Violet,“ he said, brightly.

”What…? What are you doing here?“ she managed.

”I’m on the shoot today,“ he replied. ”Come on, I think they’re all waiting downstairs. Not like you to be late, I hope?”