Blindsided 01

Frustrated, Robbie shook his head. Holly was late again, and he had better things to do than stand around all day like some under the thumb boyfriend. In truth, he'd only been waiting a few minutes, but it felt much longer, having just completed an eight-hour work shift.

Letting his mind wander, he thought about all the other things he’d rather be doing. Sleeping. Playing computer games. Drinking with his buddies. But instead, here he was sweating balls outside some fancy overpriced coffee shop, waiting for his girlfriend who didn’t even put out anymore.

“Hey Babe, sorry I’m late,” came a feminine voice from behind, bringing Robbie back to reality.

“Oh, hey, Babe,” Robbie replied, giving Holly a peck on the lips as she leaned in.

Smiling at her boyfriend of two years, Holly stepped back. “So, how was work today? Anything exciting happen?”

Taking a deep breath, Robbie forced a smile. It was the same question she seemed to ask every time they met and to put it bluntly, he was sick of answering it. “Same old. Same old,” he grumbled. “You know. Standing around all day as rich arseholes treat me like shit.”

Holly scoffed. “Well, you were the one who insisted on dropping out of university. You were the one who wanted to start earning money.”

“Yeah! Yeah! Blah! Blah! blah! You’re such an idiot Robbie. You never listen to me. Don’t ya know, I the sage of all knowledge Holly is always right.” Robbie said in a high, winey voice as he tried to mimic how Holly sounded.

“Fuck you, Robbie,” Holly said, shaking her head. “I’m just saying.”

“Well don’t, will ya. I’ve had a long day and just want to relax. How about we go back to mine and veg out in front of the telly? There’s cold beer in the fridge.”

“No can do, I’m afraid,” Holly replied. “I promised to help my mum later with that logo design thingy. You know she’s useless with that sort of thing. But hey, I’ve got an hour or so to hang out. How about we do a little shopping?”

Screwing up his face in an exaggerated way, Robbie threw his head back and sighed loudly. “Shopping? Come on, Hol. Do we really need to spend more money on that hipster shit you keep buying lately?”

“Hipster shit?” Holly questioned as her facial expression changed to somewhere between hurt and angry. “You don’t like what I wear?”

“As you asked, no!” Robbie stated, folding his arms. “You used to dress sexier. Hell, I can’t even remember the last time you wore a skirt. And what happened to our plans to go travelling? How are we ever going to save when all you do spend money on ugly grungy clothes?”

Taking a deep breath, Holly looked away with a saddened expression on her face. “Listen, I love you, Robbie. But I’m not going to dress like some slut for you. This is me. If you don’t like it, then perhaps we shouldn’t be together anymore.”

(See image 01)

“Perhaps we shouldn’t,” Robbie remarked, the words leaving his lips before he had a chance to think them through.

Holly’s eyes flashed back around before staring at her boyfriend. His eyes were cold, and his face was expressionless. “Well, if that’s what you want. Then fine! We’re done!” She yelled before turning and storming away.

“Fine, see if I care,” Robbie shouted after her as she marched up the street. “I can do better than you anyway.”

Seeing Holly turn the corner, Robbie took a deep breath before turning to see an old woman shaking her head and tutting at him. “Save it you old cow,” he announced setting off up the road himself. He needed somewhere to sit and think and knew just the place.

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Letting his eyes adjust to the dimly lit room of Joe’s tavern, Robbie surveyed his surroundings. A dark musty scent filled the airways, and his feet stuck to the sticky floor beneath. But even with its faults, for Robbie, Joe's tavern place felt like a home away from home. A quiet place to escape the pressures of the real world. A place where the beers were cheap. And perhaps most importantly, a place that was but a mere stone’s throw from his apartment door. Very convenient if you planned on having a heavy drinking session.

One sole customer propped up the bar, a grey-haired regular called Frank who as far as Robbie was concerned, practically lived on the far bar stool. With the strong aroma of urine, alcohol, and cigarette smoke dominating Frank's side of the bar, Robbie took up a spot on the other end, ordered a beer and a whisky, and told the barman to keep em coming.

For hours, time seemed to stand still as Robbie at one end of the bar and Frank at the other, like two pillars of sorrow, drank themselves into oblivion. Neither stirred from their trance unless it was to bring a glass to their mouth or order a refill. Robbie spent the time thinking about Holly, replaying the argument over and over in his head and wondering if she really meant it this time. That is until something you didn't see often in Joe's bar caught his eye. A woman! A beautiful woman!

Trying to keep his balance as he rocked back and forth on his stool, Robbie stared at the vision of gorgeousness that had suddenly appeared before him, and with his beer jacket on, he felt compelled to speak to her. “Hey, let me buy you a drink,” he declared, slightly slurring his words.

Turning, the woman in the short gold dress and heels gave the young man a puzzled look. “And why would I let you do that?” She replied as she pursed her glossy red lips.

“Because you're bloody beautiful, that’s why,” Robbie announced confidently. “And beautiful women should never drink alone.”

Surprised by the forwardness of the answer, the woman smiled. “Ok, I've time for one drink. I’ll take a glass of white wine,”

"On my tab, Barman," Robbie announced as the over-dressed, mysterious woman strutted over to take up an empty stool.

Surprisingly, the pair hit it off and after an hour of chatting, all thoughts of Holly were gone. Listening attentively, Robbie focussed on learning all he could about the sexy older woman to his left. Her name was Agatha. She was twenty-seven and worked as an air stewardess. With Agatha just there on the off chance, having popped in to give something to Joe the owner, Robbie believed their meeting to be fate. The universe finally rewarding him for all his hard work. Leaning in closer, Robbie gazed at the beauty in front of him, occasionally nodding his head as she chatted about her latest trip to Europe.

(See image 02)

After finishing her story and emptying her glass, Agatha informed Robbie that she needed to go, but not before presenting him with a question. “Seeing as you were blunt with me earlier, I’ll give you the same courtesy,” she said while placing her right hand on Robbie’s thigh. “I like you. You’re cute and have a certain innocence about you. How about we go back to my hotel room where we can continue the party with my boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend!” Robbie stammered, obviously taken aback by the revelation. “You have a boyfriend?”

Agatha smiled. “Yes, his name is Jimmy, my grizzly bear, and a real animal in the bedroom. I know he’d enjoy you too. We like to share all things you see, even sexual partners.”

Closing his eyes for a second, Robbie tried to process what he’d just heard before leaping to his feet and sending his stool flying. “No fucking way,” he yelled, causing even Frank to momentarily peek over. “What do you think I am? Some kind of sissy fairy? There’s no way I’m going to sleep with a man! Find someone else to play your sick sex games with, you freaky bitch. I’m out of here.”

Furious and frustrated, Robbie stumbled towards the exit. "Why does life always have to fuck with me?" He thought angrily as he started the short walk back to his apartment.

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With his eyelids heavy, Robbie squinted as the bright light of the TV screen hurt his eyes. Sitting up to locate his phone, he heard the clang of a few empty beer cans as they fell from the sofa to land loudly on the living room floor. It was 1 am, and he felt like shit. Worse still, Holly still hadn't messaged, and he had to be up for work in four hours.

“Fuck my life,” he moaned, heaving himself up from the sofa, already feeling the beginnings of a hangover.

With his bladder about to explode, he shuffled towards the bathroom, stopping momentarily to check his reflection in the mirror. “What are you looking at?” he asked angrily, eyeballing himself. “I’m not doing it! I’m not calling her. She can call me!”

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from somewhere in the apartment. Turning his head to face the doorway, Robbie froze.

(See image 03)

Rooted to the spot, the terrified young man considered his options. Stay where he was like a coward and hope for the best, or man up and go and investigate. Taking a deep breath, he reluctantly chose the second option.

Slowly exiting the bathroom with wobbly legs, he edged his way through the living room and entered the kitchen, reaching out to pick up the nearest heavy object. Quickly, before he chickened out, he flipped the switch on the wall bathing the room with light!

A sigh of relief left his trembling lips as he gazed down at the saucepan in his hand and the source of the noise, an open window, and a broken vase. Stepping over the broken glass, Robbie reached up to close the window but stopped dead halfway as a thought hit him.

The night air was still! If the wind hadn’t blown the vase from the sill! How did it fall? Feeling a cold shudder run down the length of his body, he suddenly sensed a presence in the room. He went to turn but felt a strong-arm wrap around his body, binding his arms. He tried to scream out, but his cries were muffled as a damp cloth was placed over his mouth. Kicking out, the terrified young man tried to fight, but as a strong chemical odour choked and restricted his airways, he was starting to feel weaker. He was starting to feel faint! As the room began to spin, Robbie felt the last of his strength leaving him. His eyes blinked once, twice, and then closed for the night.