This is a story idea that has been in my head for awhile now. I keep dreaming about it so I figure I'm going to write about it. I'm probably going to post chapter two tonight or tomorrow.

Enjoy!

Music blared from tall speakers. Strobe lights danced across the dark walls as the bass made them vibrate. Bodies separated and came together in mobs as the crowd fluctuated with the rhythm. Girls in their short skirts gyrated in a show of sexuality in the hopes of getting lucky. Men with their wandering hands and suggestive eyes picked from the crowd of single women. Drinks circled through the throng; their contents of questionable origin. Outside, cars constantly came and went in a gigantic rush of traffic. Horns sounded as impatient drivers pealed out in front of oncoming traffic. Tipsy women clung to wild-eyed men as they exited the club in pairs.

With growing trepidation, a young woman waited in line with two other friends. Her short brown hair was neatly straightened and parted to the left. A modest black dress clung to her curvy figure flatteringly. The neckline circled around her throat in a thin collar. The dress' satin fabric shone dully in the low city lights. In her left hand, a small black purse curled around her fingers. She looked around nervously, clearly not used to being dressed so nicely.

"Relax Amelia!" Her blonde friend shouted over the noise of the crowd and the cars. "This is your twenty-first birthday! Live a little, why don't you?"

Smiling nervously at her lively friend, she responded, "I don't know, Cecilia. I guess I'm just jumpy. I've never done anything like this before!"

Cecilia nodded knowingly while elbowing her date, "We've done this many times! Don't worry, we'll find you a nice guy to take home!" She winked at the implication causing Amelia to blush. "After all, Logan and I met in a club and now look where we are."

"I guess you're right," Amelia mumbled to herself. "I just don't know if I'm ready to dance or um…go home with guys I've never met before."

"Oh, you poor innocent girl," Cecilia shook her head and sighed. "Don't worry. We'll have you whoring it up in no time!"

Amelia trembled slightly at the thought. As Cecilia and Logan turned their attention away from her, she thought about the possible ramifications of her actions tonight. If she did end up going home with a guy, what if he only wanted a one-night-stand? She wasn't ready to just hand over her dignity for only one night of passion. She wanted something more. Her previous boyfriends had seemed to only want one thing from her; sex, sex, and more sex and of course she had given in to their charms. It seemed like that was what all men her age thought about. Suddenly, coming to this club didn't seem like a good idea at all. Amelia's mind swirled with memories of past lovers. She wished she could find that special someone like Cecilia had. Just, not in a club filled with drunken people.

Maybe she'd find someone handsome. Her mind began listing all the features that her perfect man would have. High, defined cheekbones set into a proportional face. Green eyes would be highlighted by dark brown or black hair. He would be lean but still with defined muscle and, of course, he would be tall. With her heels, Amelia stood at 5'9" at least. She didn't want someone shorter than or equal to her height. His voice would be relaxing and maybe even have an accent, though the accent wasn't necessary. As she put the features together, she was satisfied with the man she had dreamed up. Amelia chuckled at the thought of finding this man. Surely, no man existed like that. Maybe her expectations were too high…

The sight of the bouncer brought her out of her self-induced reverie. Shaking her head to clear her head, she flashed her ID and entered the doors. Amelia was greeted by pounding bass and flashing lights. The modern interior reminded her of spaceships she had seen in TV shows. Lines of people lined up at the illuminated bar to fuel their intoxication. Bartenders worked furiously to keep up with the demand. Even from this distance, she could see the sweat dripping down their faces as they ran from one end to another, trying to find that one ingredient that always seemed to go missing when they needed it most. At their panicked faces, Amelia tried to stifle a chuckle. With their wide eyes and open mouths, the bartenders reminded her of bugs.

A hand on her arm drew her attention away from the throng of people. Cecilia, with excitement shining in her eyes, dragged her to the dance floor. Feeling a bit lost, Amelia looked around and tried to copy what others were doing. It wasn't hard to establish a rhythm and soon she was losing herself in the synthesized beats. She soon lost sight of Cecilia and Logan in the gyrating bodies. She didn't care. She'd find them outside later. Men came up to try to dance with her but found they couldn't keep up with her movements and left to find someone easier. Songs came and went but Amelia kept dancing. She couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun. Every so often, her mind would take snapshots of what the place looked like in exact moments.

Panting and sweating, she left the dance floor in search of that bar she had seen when she walked in. Thirst was scratching fiercely at her throat. At last, she stumbled upon it where the line seemed to have gotten infinitely longer. Calming her breathing, she focused on not blacking out. She reached the bar after what seemed like an eternity.

"Water, please," she breathlessly asked the bartender. He gave her a strange look before reaching under the counter and pulling out a bottle of some expensive brand that Amelia didn't know. The moment the water hit her tongue, she felt relief. After thanking him and paying, she walked back over to the edge of the dance floor. Her body didn't feel like dancing anymore so she sat at one of the few unoccupied benches. Lying down, she felt a wave of sleepiness come over her and closed her eyes. When she reopened them after what seemed like a few minutes, the club was silent and a finger was prodding her awake.

She jolted up, her neck protesting to the quick movement in pain. Cursing under her breath, she rushed out of the club to find it was still dark outside. Cecilia and Logan were nowhere to be seen. Fishing through her purse, Amelia pulled out her cell phone to check the time. 4:38am. Cecilia would probably be sleeping which meant she would have to walk home. Pulling her feet out of the constricting heels, Amelia began the five mile trek back to her apartment. Every now and then, she felt eyes watching her. Peculiar, since she didn't live in a bad part of the city. The stare she felt seemed to get stronger the closer she got to her building. A nervous sensation settled in the pit of her stomach. She shivered and sped up her pace. Amelia was nearly running by the time she got to the keypad on the apartment building's front door. Hastily entering the combination, she rushed inside and sighed in relief as the nervousness that plagued her all the way home finally lifted.

Amelia took the elevator up to her apartment on the top floor. Her parents, both successful lawyers, insisted on the best for their little girl. They searched for months to find this penthouse that was both lavish and worth the price. Almost immediately, they signed the contract for it and moved her stuff in. Amelia had been nineteen when she moved out here to the city. New York always intrigued her. She loved the bright lights, the street musicians, the little cafes, and the parks. She actually worked at one of the cafes near Central Park to supplement the allowance that her parents gave her. It was less for the money and more for human interaction, but the money wasn't a bad bonus.

Checking her calendar on the fridge, she was reminded that her shift started at 9 this morning. A loud groan of disappointment resonated through her. She looked at her clock on the wall. It read 7:01am. She sighed and began preparing for her day. She took a quick shower to wash off all of the sweat from the previous night and donned her khaki pants and embroidered black uniform shirt. Amelia straightened her naturally wavy hair and applied a small amount of makeup before making herself breakfast. Eggs on two slices of whole wheat bread nearly made her toes curl in delight. No matter how many times she ate that same exact meal, she would never tire of it.

As Amelia walked outside, she breathed in the gently warmed and fresh air before unlocking her bike from the rack. She pedaled gently over the flat sidewalks and thought about her adventure last night. She laughed to herself as she thought about how ridiculous she must have looked fast asleep and sprawled out on a bench. Only five minutes had passed before she reached her workplace. After locking up her bike, she entered through the back.

"Amelia!" Her bubbly coworker Jen exclaimed. "I haven't seen you in forever! How have you been?"

Amelia chuckled quietly, "I've been good. You know, same old same old. How about you?"

"I've been great!" Jen smiled. Her eyes darted around cautiously before thrusting out her left hand.

"No!" Amelia exclaimed in happy disbelief while a grin spread across her face. "He proposed? It's about time. I was beginning to think I would have to talk to that man!"

Jen laughed in that musical way of hers, "I know, right? I mean, after six years I was getting a little impatient! I'm getting older by the minute here!"

Both girls laughed. Amelia said jokingly, "Yes, because twenty-seven is so old."

"Oh, you've got no right to make fun of my fears!" Jen scrunched her nose. "You just turned twenty-one, you youngster."

"Bah," Amelia waved her hand flippantly. "You don't even look twenty-seven! You've got nothing to worry about girly, except maybe those wedding plans."

Both of them laughed in delight again as a customer approached the counter. Amelia turned on the register quickly and ran a quick diagnostics to make sure everything was working. She glanced up at the man while the register was slowly coming online. The man's brown hair was stylishly slicked to one side and he wore a plaid button down shirt with dress slacks. Even through the loose shirt, she could see that this man clearly had muscle. If it wasn't for the modern Rolex watch adorning his wrist, she would've thought he came straight from the 1940's.

"Hello!" Amelia greeted cheerily. "Welcome to Ghirad's! Would you like to try our delicious chocolate chip brownie this morning?"

The man answered almost shyly, "No thank you, ma'am."

Amelia was a little taken aback. "Ma'am?" She thought to herself, "Maybe he really is from the 1940's."

"Alright, what can I get you?" She asked with a smile.

"What do you recommend?" He tilted his head to the side.

"Well, our coffee is always absolutely delicious. If you have a sweet tooth, I recommend any of the pastries. Our sandwiches aren't really for breakfast but the chicken caesar is one of my favorites," Amelia continued to name the things she had tried and the things she hadn't, she asked Jen about.

"May I please have a small coffee and one of those pastries you mentioned?" The polite man asked, again, quite shyly.

"Of course!" Amelia pressed the designated buttons to calculate price, "That will be six dollars and forty-nine cents."

The man pulled out a sleek leather wallet and handed her a ten. She printed his receipt and handed him his change along with his order.

"Enjoy your breakfast!"

"Thank you, ma'am. Have a good day," He told her politely as he walked out.

Jen walked over to where Amelia was still staring out the door. She nudged Amelia with her elbow and wiggled her eyebrows, "Did you get his number?"

Amelia playfully hit her friend with the back of her hand, "Of course not! He's probably got a girlfriend already with that attitude of his."

Jen rolled her eyes, "You have to put yourself out there if you want to find someone, girly!"

Amelia huffed, "The way I see it is if a guy is worth the time, he'll come to me."

"Okaaay," Jen said in a singsong tone of voice. "Don't come crying to me when you're regretting your decision of letting the guy come to you."

Amelia stuck her tongue out but quickly returned to her work as the little cafe began the busiest part of the day.

I know it's really really extremely short for a first chapter and nothing really important happens but I promise we'll get there. Just stick with me. :)