Chapter 11 "More Than a Feeling" (Early September 1983)
When I'm tired and thinking cold
I hide in my music, forget the day.
And dream of a girl I used to know.
I closed my eyes, and she slipped away.
She slipped away."
Boston, "More than a Feeling"
Dr. Ray Stantz
Peter and I observed the quick change in our theoretical physicist's demeanor and actions with our feisty redhead secretary after we played poker. That night Egon was very attentive to her despite avoiding her for a couple of weeks previously and wore an idiotic teenage lovesick expression that Venkman and I dubbed "the look." However, Janine did too. Spengler observed Janine closely that night and gave her plenty of content smiles and other flirtatious glances. I had never seen him flirt with a woman before, and it was quite the spectacle.
When Venkman annoyed Janine to the point of her leaving, Iggy spent quite a bit of time convincing her to stay. We quietly watched our tall friend's awkward body language as he did so and attempted to listen to him from the landing. Unfortunately, he spoke too quietly for us to hear. We did hear Janine demand a reason for her to stay. Egon admitted something about wanting her to stay based on his shuffling of his feet and his high level of uncomfortableness. Again, we couldn't discern from our distance, but Janine's face lit up like a thousand candles. When they ascended up the stairs, we ran back to the table to avoid them catching us eavesdropping on them.
I know with Peter's teasing comment about them either playing cards or making out, Spengler was cursing him silently and probably caused a tense moment between the two lovebirds.
Since Venkman and I had been drinking that night and had put back quite a few beers away already, that was all we observed except that Iggy came back furious from downstairs when Janine left in a cab. At that point, we were playing an Atari game but made jokes at his expense about his actions earlier while we played poker.
The next day Egon stayed in our shared room all day as Janine worked with the exceptions of the two busts that we had scheduled. He didn't go to the landing even to get food or downstairs to retrieve his equipment or books. When Venkman and I inquired about his quietness, he stated that his mind was occupied with solving a problem regarding the equipment and didn't have time for anything else. However, we both knew that he was readjusting his thoughts from Janine to his work. I hadn't seen him speak to her except two times in the past three weeks, and both times it had to do with her typing his notes on the busts. Egon acted very stiffly, but Janine, on the other hand, was extremely disappointed by his lack of attention to her.
Peter Venkman
Rapidly, I padded into the lab after Janine adjusted her outfit before her date and attempted to persuade Egon to come out of the landing.
"Spengs, you have to see Janine before she leaves before her date. She might not be my type, but she looks incredibly titillating. Mmmmm, mmmm," I described excitedly, knowing that my words would sway him away from his work.
Egon glanced up at me from the microscope for a second and replied, "I have already seen her today, and yes, I agree she is dressed nicely."
"No. No. Janine is showing skin, Iggy. She is showing her midriff and has a belly ring. Did you know that she had one? Wow! Also, she shows some T and A. Janine unbuttoned some of her shirts, and her tits are in a push-up bra giving her some amazing cleavage. Her skirt is barely covering her ass," I continued, shaking my head in disbelief, indicating her enlarged breasts with my two hands, "Janine's fucking tantalizing right now."
My close friend, Egon Spengler, gave me what would be best described as a threatening stare.
"Peter, don't talk that way about her," he sneered through clenched teeth as I could see that he didn't like my comments. His long face turned red, and his brown eyes flashed in anger as he kept his gaze on me. Egon did not like me talking trash about his girl, and I realized that I had done my job provoking him well.
"OK, OK," I replied, shrugging, whistling, "but you should come to see it. I wonder if her date is getting any action. I mean, Damn!"
"That should do it," I whispered to myself, knowing that Iggy didn't want to ponder his crush kissing another man, then I walked out of the lab casually.
A loud crash came from the lab a minute later as I checked to make sure Janine was in the bathroom first and strolled back to my seat at the table.
"Success," I thought.
Egon slammed the door to the lab, and I saw him walk by his bedroom, still looking pissed off. At once, Spengler stopped in his tracks, and I knew that he saw our very lubricious-looking secretary.
"Divert your eyes, Peter Venkman," she yelled from the bathroom, and I laughed at her as Janine was about to be pleasantly shocked.
Janine Melnitz
For seven days after I played poker with the guys, I waited to see if Egon would attempt to kiss me again, and for seven days, I was discouraged by the fact that he didn't. However, there wasn't an opportunity to do so because he disregarded me as much as possible. We had a couple of impassioned moments together that night in between playing poker with Ray and Peter, but that all dissipated out of thin air the next day when I returned to work. On the cab ride home that night, I dreamt about kissing him and cursing the cab driver's bad timing. I really wanted to discover how he kissed and wondered about his lips' feel and taste. Would his lips be dry, cold, and crusty? Or would they be warm, soft, moist? Would they taste sweet like candy? Or like onions? Would he kiss me passionately, or would his lips be unmoving? I cursed myself for not taking the matter into my own hands and grabbing him to kiss right after the initial shock of the driver blaring his horn wore off.
"What did you do to Spengler? He's been acting more offbeat than normal," Peter inquired as he sat on a chair in front of my desk as we discussed a movie that I had seen over the weekend downstairs.
"Nothing. Egon's been purposely overlooking me," I whispered, giving him a disappointed glance.
"Yeah, why is that? I haven't seen the two of you talking as much as you were for a while," he agreed, with a confused expression on his face.
"Dr. V., this has to be between you and me if I discuss this with you," I warned, with a menacing look in my eyes, "I want doctor-client privilege and no teasing."
He raised his right hand solemnly and nodded.
"The night that we played poker, Egon asked me to stay for him after you pushed my buttons too much, and I attempted to flee. Later, while you and Ray were still drinking, I asked him to wait with me for my cab downstairs, and we were flirting a bit back and forth. Egon was going to kiss me, then the bleeping taxi arrived, honking the horn, and the moment was over," I exclaimed quietly.
"Wow, are you sure he was going to kiss you," he asked, entertained, with a big grin on his face.
"Yes," I said definitively, "Before that, he leaned into me, and our lips touched for just a second, then the taxi arrived."
"Maybe Spengler does have some moves," Venkman replied playfully and laughed at my dreamy expression on my face. Suddenly my expression changed to irritation at his comment.
"Peter!" I yelled, then realized that Egon was in his office, so I whispered again, "you promised not to tease."
"OK, OK, I know. That was three weeks ago, right," Peter restated, trying to be serious.
I nodded and added, "Now he's neglecting me like I have a disease."
"Do you want me to talk to him," he questioned me as I sighed heavily and then shook my head from side to side.
"Spengler never mentioned that to us, but he wouldn't. Although I am his closest friend, Egon has trouble talking about his feelings with anybody, including himself," Peter replied, truthfully," Do you know how long it has taken him to even admit that he finds you attractive or interesting?"
I shook my head at him.
"He cares for you, Janine, but he has issues," he explained exasperatedly. I "shhh" ed him as his voice rose while speaking by placing my index finger on my lips then pointed to Egon's office. Dr. V. rolled his eyes. and smirked.
"The two of you just need to get everything in the open," he added, then he went back upstairs.
Dr. Peter Venkman
Sitting downstairs with Brooklyn speaking to her about Egon Spengler was an eye-opening experience as she divulged at least one thing that Ray and I didn't know that had gone on between them. As she did, she was typing, as we discussed.
"In July, Egon ate lunch with me for the first time when you and Ray were at the bank refinancing this place. I had a horrible morning and a fight with my mother earlier, and I considered quitting my degree program at King's. When I started to cry, Egon gave me a warm hug and consoled me. It was very romantic, and I thought I was dreaming when I replayed the whole situation later in the day," Janine rambled, dreamily, but halted when she looked up from the typewriter to find a mistake on the paper.
Swiftly, she removed a bottle of white-out from her middle desk drawer and then put a drop of it on the mistake before replacing it. Janine blew on the paper to help it dry and waited a minute before moving the typewriter back into place before typing again. She added, "then he convinced me to finish my degree and confront my fears of failing at a career."
Dumbfounded, I glared at Janine and exclaimed, "Egon Spengler did that? Really? That doesn't sound like something he would do."
"I thought he might kiss me. He didn't, though," Janine recalled, absentmindedly, as she typed, "it was romantic."
We stayed silent for a while as I couldn't fathom the information that I received from her, and I thought about the advice to give her. Janine finished the letter and removed it from the typewriter.
"What do I do when he pulls away from me like he has now? It's been three weeks since we almost kissed, and we have barely talked to each other. Normally, Egon will begin to speak to me again two weeks later, after we have a tender moment, because that is his pattern. We were so close, Peter," she whined softly, with a distressed facial expression.
"I wish I knew what to tell you. Egon obviously is conflicted with his feelings about you, and he doesn't like to be out of control of his life," I answered, "Regardless, he cares about you, and I told you that before I knew all of this other stuff. If it makes you feel better, it is noticeable when you two have an 'intimate' moment because he shuts down with Ray and I, too."
Eventually, I went back upstairs.
Janine Melnitz
At first, I was skeptical about talking to Peter about Egon, but I found, surprisingly, that it had been beneficial. Even though he and I didn't always get along, I felt safe in revealing some of the details of my recent exchanges with Egon. Dr. Venkman seemed to be supportive of the idea of our dating.
Later that day, I had completed all of my usual responsibilities, so I decided to fix the IBM computer processing speed in the lab. This semester, my professor, Dr. Bateman, had given me a couple of free disks of applications that both Drs. Spengler and Stantz mentioned they had wanted offhandedly to me, so I requested my prof if he had copies of them. Luckily, he did. Before I could add the computer applications today, I had to quicken the processing speed, so I first checked the hard drive. When I examined it, I saw that it was highly fragmented, and I decided that it had to be remedied immediately.
"Are you putting pornography on our computer," Dr. Venkman quizzed me, in jest, as the other two Ghostbusters sat around the table talking, and Dr. Stantz began to laugh.
"Very funny, Dr. V. No, right now I'm defragmenting the hard drive because there is too much information on it. I was going to work on the processing speed, but this has to be done first. My guess is that you haven't defragmented the hard drive," I answered, typing in command at the prompt.
"Have you," I inquired, offhandedly.
Two of the Ghostbusters looked at me wide-eyed like I had spoken another language; however, Dr. Spengler kept on working but eventually said, "No."
Turning away from the computer for a second, I glanced at him and remarked, "you should be doing that every once in a while."
"I thought you only did that infrequently," Egon inquired of me, looking up at me, baffled. Our eyes met for a split second before he looked back down at his notepad, and I replied to him, slightly irked at his last action,
"Yes, but if you are going to keep on using this old computer, then you need to do it more often. You need to start putting the files on disks. This is going to take at least a couple of hours to do."
"Well, guess who won extra duties to her responsibilities? Congratulations, Ms. Melnitz, you won the opportunity to back everything on the hard drive onto floppy disks," Peter said, trying to act like a game show host.
"Thanks, Dr. V; how many floppy disks do you have? You are going to need 8 to 10. The disks don't hold much," I replied drily.
"How many we got, Spengs," he asked.
For a minute, Egon pondered the question and then answered "five."
"Brooklyn, Start with my stuff first and back that up first," Peter added, his brown eyes twinkling with mischief, "we can buy you some more later."
"Dr. V., You may not be able to run the applications I want to put on here because of the processing speed, and that is why I am correcting that problem," I answered, noticing the computer had barely started to defrag.
"What are you putting on there?"
I gave him the name of the applications.
"Have you heard of any of those," I asked Peter, sarcastically, noticing that Ray was laughing at him and that Egon smirked? I rolled my eyes at him.
"No, he hasn't," he replied, glancing up at me with a knowing look in his coffee-brown eyes for a second with a sexy half-grin on his face, and I blushed.
"Peter, for your information, your business partners wanted copies of those applications for this computer to use, so I inquired of my professor at King's, Dr. Bateman if I could have free copies for the company," I explained.
"Tom Bateman," Peter inquired of me incredulously.
"Yes, he's teaching the class that I am in. I think he used to teach at Columbia," I said, offhandedly, not thinking anything of it.
All three Ghostbusters exchanged a distressed glance, and I gave them a questioning gaze, hoping for an explanation.
"You know that there are rumors that he, uhm, forces himself on women if they don't agree to sleep with him," Peter informed me, embarrassedly, "a couple of women, on separate occasions, came to me about it."
"Yes, I have heard those rumors. He is interested in the younger students, not "older" ones who are closer to the big 3-0 like me," I replied, humorously, noticing Venkman's reaction, "but thanks for the warning, Dr. V."
"Brooklyn, I don't know if you know the reason he left Columbia a while back. He had an affair with one of his students, who ended up pregnant, and it was a big scandal in a school that tries to uphold high moral standards. Bateman then divorced his wife, refused to pay child support, and continues to seduce younger naive female students," Peter explained, warning me, "Did he request a date with you for those disks? That used to be how he persuaded someone to go out with him."
"I wouldn't have requested you to ask him if I knew your prof was Dr. Bateman," Stantz added, blushing, looking guilty. He was working on some paperwork.
"Don't worry about it, Ray, and I can handle Dr. Bateman as I have been on dates with jerks in the past. Yes, I'm having one drink with him because he gave me the disks for you all. My roommate is going to be there with me," I answered airily.
Peter and Ray gave each other another disturbed glance, and I noticed that even Egon's eyes had narrowed, and his mouth formed into a scowl with this information as he loudly tore a piece of paper out of his notepad. Next, he crumbled it up with his hands and stood up to go to the trash can, where he threw it away. When my love interest returned to his seat, his displeased expression had vanished.
Was that the reaction I had hoped for?
When the phone rang, I answered it and stopped analyzing his actions. A small shiver did go down my spine, though, as I hoped that Egon was jealous.
"Ray, it's for you," I informed my big brother with a small grin.
After the phone call, I descended the stairs to my desk to complete a few easy items on my to-do list for today. It would take the computer two hours or more to defrag, and I realized that I had some checks to prepare for the deposit for tomorrow morning.
Five days later
Dr. Peter Venkman
Tom Bateman showed up at the firehouse to pick up Janine at work a quarter to nine in the evening, to everyone's surprise.
"Oh no, she's going out with that slime," I exclaimed in wonder when he showed up.
Tom Bateman did even one worse by coming upstairs to see Egon and me, but there was a backstory to the situation. They were friends in the middle 1970s, and both geeked out about computers. One of Tom's friends in the Art department at Columbia actually introduced Egon to his last girlfriend, Leslie, the one who broke his heart. She was an art teacher at a local school in Manhattan, working on her master's degree in art history. Eventually, Tom stole Leslie away, and Egon was heartbroken for a long time. In reality, they were a badly mismatched couple- Leslie was an artist and a free spirit. Egon was a rigid man who liked the order, being in control, math, work, and science. It worked out OK for two or three months, but it was bound to fizzle. The main attraction for both of them was that they were complete opposites. Being in a relationship with Egon Spengler couldn't be easy, and he was one of my closest friends.
When Janine brought the tall, sandy-haired, blue-eyed man with a determined chin upstairs, I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. I didn't tell Janine about Dr. Bateman's history with her crush, but I wasn't going to let her reintroduce them either tonight.
"Peter Venkman, well, I'll be. How are you" he said, extending a hand to me.
"I'm fine. Tom, how are you," I asked, shaking his hand. I thought to myself how much I disliked this guy even though I had a smile on my face. Although I hadn't seen this man in five years or so, he still had the rugged good looks many women liked and a smile with many dimples on his slightly chubby face.
After Janine introduced him to Ray, and I inquired if I could speak to her privately.
"Brooklyn," I said, "can I talk to you in the lab?"
Rolling her eyes, I noticed that Janine had changed into this sleek short-sleeved black and white dress, and she looked quite pleasing to the eyes. Her dress was pretty short and barely covered her ass. Janine liked to show off her shapely legs often with her clothing, and as she walked with me to the lab, her high heels pounded the wooden floor as she moved. When we arrived there, I pulled her to the side.
"Janine, you need to rethink this decision to go out with Tom Bateman tonight," I urged her, "I have a bad feeling, and this is not a nice guy."
"Peter, I am 28 years old. I can handle a man in his late forties who's having a midlife crisis. I'm having a drink with him, that's it," she replied, hands on her hips.
"Tom Bateman is here," Egon questioned in an irritated tone of voice. I forgot that he was in the lab, but where else would he be? I glanced over at my friend at the lab table, analyzing a sample from one of our busts, and gave him an exasperated sigh. He hadn't looked up from the microscope.
"Yes, Janine here is stupid enough to go on a date with him," I replied, giving her an irked look.
"Peter Venkman, don't call me stupid and stay out of my personal life," Janine remarked forcibly, with an attitude. She looked at Egon to see if he reacted to the situation, which he hadn't, and that antagonized her, so she stormed out of the room, silently fuming.
"Oh! That was for Egon," I thought to myself, watching her reaction, "that's why she was going on a date with Tom. To see if he was jealous. Why didn't I realize that?"
After Janine left the room, I looked at my friend, who finally peered up from the microscope with an angry facial expression, and appeared like he was going to burst with anger any moment as his face turned a very bright fire engine red.
And so the plot thickened.
Dr. Egon Spengler
I didn't want to see Tom Bateman as I was horrified to learn that Janine agreed to go on a date with him after Peter's warning but couldn't communicate my feelings at the time. She could possibly be in trouble with going out with him, even if it was for a drink, and I was preoccupied with that thought. Peter stood next to me to observe me and analyze my reaction, but I wasn't in the mood to be teased about Janine. On top of everything, I didn't understand why she would go out with Bateman. Instead, I attempted to clear my head by repeating Newton's laws to myself, "
· First Rule: An object will remain at rest or in a uniform state of motion unless that state is changed by an external force.
· Second Rule: Force is equal to the change in momentum (mass times velocity) over time. In other words, the rate of change is directly proportional to the amount of force applied.
· Third Rule: For every action in nature, there is an equal and opposite reaction. "
Peter observed my reaction, shook his head ruefully, and asked, "How are you holding up with the fact that Bateman's going for a drink with Janine?"
"I'm angry and jealous," I answered, straightforwardly for once.
"Well, I didn't expect that answer. Normally you deny anything regarding Janine," Venkman admitted in shock.
"True," I revealed and then asked in a wounded voice still hiding facial expression in the microscope, "why would she go out with him?"
Our conversation was disturbed by Ray padding into the lab, and my frustration level kept heightening silently.
"That guy is a complete wanker," he stated, coming into the lab, "asshole alert."
"You don't even know the half of it," Peter elucidated, "that asshole stole Iggy's girlfriend five years ago, and now Janine agreed to go for a drink with him."
"Uh oh," Ray responded, wide-eyed. He generally liked everyone he met, so it was strange when he had used a curse word to describe Bateman.
Rolling my eyes, I persisted in repeating Newton's laws and analyzing the sample with the microscope, but it didn't eliminate my thoughts about Janine and Bateman.
"What happened," Ray asked.
"I don't remember," I answered, lying, trying to focus.
"Leslie was an artist, the complete opposite of our Egon here. One of Tom's friends introduced them, and they went out for a couple of months until he caught her cheating on him. But it wouldn't have worked with Leslie anyway- they were too different, like night and day- they were getting on each other's nerves. Our dear theoretical physicist thought he was in love, though," Peter divulged.
I rose up from the lab table and walked briskly to the stairs to the roof, away from everyone. Other than the lab, it was another place I liked to escape and to think. However, Peter was right- Leslie and I were mismatched from the start, and it was going to end sooner than later. I kicked some stones on the ground and looked up at the sky on the roof. The air felt warm for a fall night, but the wind had picked up. Honestly, I was more perturbed that Janine would willingly go out with that man, and it pissed me off.
"Hiya Spengler, "Peter greeted me, tapping me on the shoulder. I jumped, not realizing he was there.
"What do you want, Venkman," I inquired, incensed, giving him a perturbed glance with a frown.
"I don't feel like discussing this situation," I grumbled a minute later.
"That's too bad, Iggy because we are going to do it anyway. You need to process your emotions," Venkman replied, a matter of factly.
"Fine," I answered him like a child who wasn't getting his way.
"Can we cut through the bull shit," he quizzed me directly.
"Yes," I replied.
"You're not disconcerted about Leslie. It's Janine you are discombobulated with because she left with Bateman tonight. You are crazy about her," Peter remarked, looking me in the eye.
Of course, he was correct, and we both knew it.
Sighing heavily, I bent down from him to pick up some rocks from the ground to throw. I hoped that throwing them would help relieve the stress I was feeling, but it hadn't. My body had tensed up to a very intolerable level, and my neck and shoulders were throbbing ferociously.
"I'm not cut out for love, Venkman. I'm too practical and rigid on things," I explained, then went silent.
"Then why are you pouting?"
"I'm not sulking," I stated stubbornly, and Peter gave me a perceptive glance.
"OK, I am pouting," I admitted, grouchily, "Crazy about her? What does that mean?"
"It means you are fascinated in her," Peter divulged, watching me, with a smirk. He then said," Egon, she only went out with him to see if you would be envious. Before she told me to mind my own business, Janine scrutinized your face closely when I attempted to persuade her not to go."
"She did," I quizzed him, feeling hopeful a bit, and my heart fluttered in my chest.
"Yes. Janine was hot under the collar that you didn't seem jealous," my friend explained.
"And what if I am," I replied, trying to be nonchalant, throwing another stone off of the roof.
"What, envious or besotted?"
"Both," I emphasized the word heavily in my deep voice and gave him a heartfelt glance.
Peter asked me to elaborate on my emotions like we were in a therapy session.
Sighing, I provided more detail to my friend, the therapist, by saying, "I have admired Janine's beauty, allure, and charisma from the onset, but I wasn't willing to let myself become attached. The more I know her, the more fond of her I've become."
"Go for it, Spengs; you need to ask her out, relax, and have some fun. Janine's an attractive, smart, and feisty lady, and she would be lots of fun to date. Plus, she's enraptured with you, man," Peter urged, punching my arm lightly as he smiled.
"Janine's enraptured by me?"
"Yes, Iggy. It's been discernible to everyone around the two of you except YOU!
You are clearly bewitched by her," he exclaimed, examining my expression, disbelieving.
Peter's last statement made me grin involuntarily, but I questioned, skeptically, "What's dating Janine going to accomplish?"
"First, you will be happy, and second, some of your aggravation/frustration might be relieved. You are too tightly wound and need to let go once in a while," Venkman remarked, "think with your other 'head' for a while. It might help with your creativity if you relax."
"Peter, I'm not sure if you are hearing me correctly. When I say I'm becoming..ahem, attached, I, have... strong...emotions when it comes to her," I confessed, uneasily, not meeting his eyes.
"That's good, Egon, that you can identify them. I think the therapy sessions you started last year are really helping you. Yes, I understand your meaning. You are telling me that you might be falling for her," he agreed, smiling.
There was a long silence.
"Possibly."
"Besides, you care about her, and she feels the same about you," he added, grinning, "I believe that the two of you would hit it off well as a couple."
"Maybe. I haven't thought about it," I lied, poorly.
"Uh-huh, sure," he joked, chuckling, punching me on the arm again "come on, let's go; I have a few calls to make. We are going to get you drunk and possibly laid tonight since I can't solve the other problem right now, anyway."
Resisting initially, I eventually met Peter and Ray in the landing where they were taking shots. I didn't want to just sit around and worry about Janine all night and that buffoon.
"Come on, Iggy, here you go, "Ray called out, pouring a clear liquid into a shot glass. He held it up and handed it to me when I was close enough to take it.
"To the Ghostbusters!"
We clinked glasses and drank our shot. It was obvious that the other two had a few drinks before I joined them. The harsh liquid, vodka, burnt my throat, but I drank it anyway. I turned the shot glass over like the others had done.
"Another," I said, making a face, and Ray turned over the glasses and filled them up. Maybe I could drown out all of my troubles about Janine with alcohol.
"To a boys' night out," he toasted again as we touched our shot glasses together. We drank them down. My neck started to feel looser, and the tension seemed to lessen. The DJ on the radio introduced the next song, one of my favorites, "Here is 'What a Fool Believes' from the Doobie Brothers from 1979", and I sang softly with the radio as I waited for Peter to finish his
shower.
With Janine, I felt like I was the fool in the song, I
thought as Ray made small talk.
Dr. Ray Stantz
It was surprising to see Egon Spengler take shots of anything other than sugar products, but the love-sick expression on his face appalled me even more. He really was hung up on Janine and livid that she agreed to go out with this Dr. Bateman. The alcohol seemed to help him relax, but since I knew Spengler, I could see his mind analyzing the situation still.
"Maybe we will find some new girlfriends tonight," I commented, writing something down on a piece of paper.
"Hmm," he answered, absentmindedly, sitting on the sofa looking at a science magazine.
When Peter emerged from the bathroom, he was clean and dressed in brown pants and a white polo shirt and inquired, "You take a shower, Stantz? Spengler?"
"No," Spengler responded quickly. I think he was changing his mind about going, so I indicated Peter's time by pointing at my wrist.
Exasperated, Egon was aware of our nonverbal communication. However, he didn't glance up from his reading and remarked, "Yes, Raymond is right, we need to leave expeditiously, or I will alter my decision. The alcohol is wearing off."
He stood up and retrieved another beer. Quickly, Egon popped the top off and began drinking it with almost the same intensity he consumes sugar. It was strange to see him drink with so much vigor as he didn't like to consume alcohol or drugs usually.
"OK, I am making the calls right now," Peter stated," be ready to have some excitement, Spengler!"
Egon murmured from the sofa incomprehensibly, and I gave him a dubious glance. He continued to drink his beer.
"I will bet you a six-pack Spengler leaves the bar before fifteen minutes is up," I wagered in a whisper as Peter started to dial the phone number of one of his friends.
"Deal. I give him an hour. If I can convince Kirstie to work her magic on him, I think he will stick around for a little making out," he remarked.
"Egon, no science talk. This isn't a lecture. Compliment her and talk about anything else. Kirstie is pretty easy, but you will have to put a little work into it because she wants to be flirted with," Peter warned me, closing the door of the firehouse and locking it. We began walking towards the bar, which was five blocks away.
"That's not one of my strong points, Peter," I replied, sighing.
"Maybe this is a bad idea," I thought to myself as I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.
"That's not what I heard," Venkman joked with me and gave me a wink as Ray seemed dismayed at the statement. I disregarded his comment.
The neighborhood bar was one that Peter and Ray went to every once in a while during a big sporting event, but honestly, all bars seemed the same to me- dark with too many people in a small space. When we arrived, it was about ten-thirty, and Venkman found his friends quickly. A band was playing loud music, too, making it unattainable to hear anything, but we walked towards three pretty young women at the bar.
Kirstie was a tall, blonde junior who had a medium build but muscular, long legs that she showed off with a mini skirt, and she grinned with a blush on her cheeks when she saw me. I gazed at her body, appreciatively, as she was pretty good looking and had nice legs and gave her a small half-grin, anxiously.
"She wasn't my type, I thought to myself when I gazed at her then questioned myself, "do I have a type?" In my mind, Janine popped into my mind dressed in that short black skirt and sea green blouse from last month tied at her midriff appeared instantaneously. Sighing, I acknowledged the statement that my brain screamingly told me -Janine was my type.
After the initial small talk within the group, Kirstie requested a beer, so I bought us both. I knew Peter chose to talk to her because she had participated in some of my Columbia experiments. Unfortunately, I had no idea what I would talk about with her and doubted that we had much in common.
Kirstie grasped my hand and led me to a table in the corner by ourselves where we could talk. I noticed that it was a little sweaty, clammy, and had many calluses on it, probably because she was an athlete, whereas Janine's hands were always toasty, dry, and soft. I let my mind contemplate our business' gorgeous secretary as I followed Kirstie to the table, and she let go of my hand when we arrived at the table.
"I need to let go of my fear and ask Janine out," I thought to myself as we sat down. As a result, I ponder the type of date she would prefer. Janine liked art, so maybe a museum.
As Kirstie rambled on about her basketball scholarship, I downed my beer to drown out my boredom. I had a little of a buzz going on and didn't want to ruin it. I didn't feel happy, but I wasn't upset or mad about Bateman or Janine anymore. The band began to play a rock and roll song that I didn't recognize, but I tapped my foot to the beat. It didn't sound too poorly.
"Maybe I can ask her tomorrow and take her out next weekend. I'd like to get her some flowers since she enjoys plants. Anything to make her smile," I thought to myself, happily.
Kirstie seemed oblivious to the fact that I wasn't paying attention, which made me feel less guilty for being inattentive. She was an attractive young woman and had a pleasant personality, but my heart was so set on Janine that I could barely recognize it. In all of my life, I had never been so captivated, both emotionally and sexually, by a woman like I was wIth our secretary.
An intriguing woman with reddish hair in a concise vertical black and white striped dress swaying wildly to the music seized my attention out of the corner of my left eye, and I immediately moved my head towards her to watch. Her lean and toned arms were over her head in the air as she danced, excitedly, to the music that the band played, and the expression on her face was intensely sensual. In fact, it was almost erotic, and I felt exceptionally desirous of this mystery woman.
"Maybe Peter's right; I need to get laid," I thought to myself, watching the enigma dancer, allowing myself to be spellbound and aroused by watching this lady gyrate to the left of me.
"I wonder if Janine dances," I thought to myself as I sipped my beer and glanced at Kirstie, who was speaking about her major now.
Although I couldn't see the provocative lady's face well, she had a desirable and very blithe attitude. The unknown woman jumped up and down in the air, making her breasts bounce up and down, and it seemed almost like she was in slow motion. She was extremely alluring.
"Uhm, do you want another," I asked when Kirstie stopped talking. She nodded.
Nervously, I stepped up to the bar and ordered two more beers. I glanced around to see if I could meet the pretty woman's eyes, but I lost her in my line of sight. Disappointedly, I spun around to bring the beers to Kirstie. In front of me stood the woman in a concise black and white dress and heels, and I almost lost my grasp on the two bottles due to my amazement. As she spun around, it was none other than our charming secretary, Janine Melnitz. We both exchanged appalled glances at each other, but other than that, she appeared to be very relaxed. Her face was glowing with happiness, and her voluptuous body gave off the coquettish vibe, and my mouth was agape. I felt in awe of Janine, but I didn't mind. Surely, she knew how beautiful she was, right?
"Oh my God," I thought, "I can't believe how glamourous she is tonight!"
"Oh, hi, This is the last place I would expect to see you, Dr. Spengler," she greeted with a dazzling smile, holding a drink in her hand. Her blue eyes were twinkling like stars in the sky, and she gave off a vibe of pure sensuality.
"Ahem, Yes. Peter, Uhm, brought Ray and I here, "I replied awkwardly.
I glanced at her beautiful face, not knowing what to say as I felt very jumpy around her. My palms began to sweat profusely as I racked my brain about a topic with which to speak, but I felt pressured. I didn't work well under it in social situations. Knowing that it was Janine dancing so naughtily resulted in me feeling more aroused, but I couldn't think of what else to say to keep her engaged. My mind contemplated the actions to show her my powerful feelings for her, but that wasn't helping me right now.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, have fun, Egon," she said after a short silence, disappointed that I wasn't going to say anything else.
As Janine danced back towards the band, I watched her like I was under a spell, and then I remembered that she was most likely with Bateman. Looking around the building, I searched for him. Instead, I saw Janine with another woman a little taller than her who was singing and dancing along with the band. Both ladies were bobbing their heads up and down and frolicking around to the music, but I had tunnel vision when it came to Janine. It made me exuberant to know she wasn't with Bateman, and my heart thumped my chest resoundingly as a result.
"Egon," a voice to my right questioned me.
"Hmm?"
"I'm going to jet. Will you tell Peter to call me tomorrow?" Kirstie requested, putting her hand on my arm, but I couldn't remove my eyes from Janine.
"Mmmmm?"
When I finally turned around, there wasn't anyone around me other than strangers that I didn't know. I searched for Kirstie first but realized she was gone. I found Ray talking to Peter, so I walked to them in the midst of a sea of people. Unfortunately, I didn't like being in small crowded areas, but I pushed through the crowd with two beers in my hand, anyway.
"Kirstie left, too," Peter questioned as I gave him the second beer that I had in my hand and nodded at him, "what cover band is this?"
"The Ramones," Ray answered, chuckling," They are a punk band."
Venkman shrugged an indifference to the band and winced, "It's fucking loud," he added.
"It's supposed to be, Pete. Egon, there's Janine," Ray cried out, spotted her across the room. I was thrilled that he pointed her out because I lost her in my sight.
"Yes."
"You saw her?" Peter asked, surprised, and I felt my mouth turning up in a large smile. My arousal became crystal clear again, and I adjusted my cock without being obvious before we walked over there. I felt my pulse quicken as we strolled over to where she and the blonde woman danced.
Janine hugged Ray when she saw him and greeted Peter and me warmly. Next, she introduced us to her roommate, Wendy. Afterward, the gorgeous lady sipped her drink and grinned brightly.
"Where's Bateman?" Peter inquired of our beautiful secretary playfully. He was trying not to say, "I told you so."
"I told him that I couldn't go out with him," she replied with a wink, "but not because of what you said, Peter Venkman. "
The shorter man with balding hair chuckled, and then the two women pranced away from us with smiles on their faces.
"This is giving me a fucking headache," Peter confessed to Ray and me as the band began to play a song featuring a large screaming guitar part.
"Venkman, drink some more," Ray encouraged, "come on, I'll get some more beers after you finish that one."
My eyes kept on returning to Janine despite myself. She had a nice round butt, and her sleek dress was 3-4 inches higher on her legs than the normal length of skirts she wore to work. Janine's legs seemed to go on endlessly with such a short dress and high heels on, and I almost felt myself drool as I gazed at them admiringly. As a result, my pulse shot up as I viewed the kittenish woman as she was enthralling. Janine met my eyes a couple of times with her blue eyes twinkling happily as she grinned brightly at me, and I returned her smiles with my own.
"Who is snaking you, Iggy," Venkman questioned, careening over me to view who I was looking at, then recognized it was our vivacious secretary twirling around.
"Oh, I should have guessed. Go talk to her," he encouraged, and I drank my beer quietly. As I speculated on kissing Janine inwardly, I registered that I couldn't allow another day to go by without doing it. My curiosity, desire, and heart were unfalteringly set on kissing her tonight, and I didn't have a doubt that it was the right course of action.
"Who's got you all hot and bothered," Ray asked me, then Peter nodded at Janine. I blushed and nodded.
"Go talk to her already," Peter encouragingly stated, "She's waiting on you."
Ray gave me a little push then walked over there with me. It felt better that there were two of us, and it gave me more confidence.
"What was I going to say," I thought.
Regrettably, it was too late because we were already standing next to them. I was standing next to Janine, but I couldn't think of what to say.
"Venkman's not a Ramones fan," Ray admitted, shrugging.
Janine rolled her pretty blue eyes and remarked with sarcasm, "What a surprise, Ray!"
He tried to talk to Wendy to give me a chance to talk to the lovely red-headed woman.
"What about you, Egon? Are you a fan of the Ramones," Janine probed, flirtatiously with a twinkle in her eye. It made me smile.
"I don't know. I'd have to hear the originals; however, the band doesn't sound bad at all," I answered, taking a sip of my beer nervously. She, too, drank hers with an excitable look, and my heart skipped a beat.
"Why was she ill at ease?" I thought, narrowing my eyes a little at her in confusion.
"What are you drinking," I questioned after a short delay of admiring her with my eyes. I ran my left hand through my wavy hair, trying to hide my nervousness, and sipped my beer.
"Oh, rum and coke. Someone bought it for me, so I feel like I have to drink it," she answered, offhandedly, "I normally don't drink much."
As the music ceased, the band announced that they were taking a quick break.
"Me either, but I'm on my second beer."
"Well, I have to catch up then," she replied, good-naturedly, smiling up at me, and then took a large gulp of her rum and coke. Janine seemed content that I was talking to her, but luckily, she also knew that I had trouble holding conversations or small talk.
"So, Peter dragged you out," she inquired, with a grin, "I don't gather you would come to a bar normally."
"Why do you say that," I asked her curiously. Blushing, I felt an energy from her as I stood next to her that I didn't understand, but I loved how powerful shocks ran through my body when she was nearby.
"A bar is not such a somber place," Janine informed me, "aren't you always serious?"
"Yes," I said with a small grin.
"You should smile more, Dr. Spengler; you have a nice one. Why do you hide your smile underneath that grave expression?" Janine probed while beaming, and I felt inundated by the brightness of her smile, like looking at the sun for too long.
"I didn't know that I did."
"On occasion, a smile will slip out on your face, but they are few and far between," she remarked, sipping her drink, and there was silence.
"You looked like you were having fun when the band was playing. You looked carefree," I observed, blushing a bit.
"Why, thank you. I am enjoying myself," She purred coyly, putting her hand on my arm, rubbing it slowly with her fingertips, and I grinned down at her. When she attempted to remove her hand from my arm, I clasped her hand lightly and found myself raising her hand to meet my lips. As we touched, I noticed that her facial expression transformed from curiosity to pure elation. I moved a little closer to her with a timid smile as I lowered her hand gently down to her side with care. My senses were submerged by all of the stimuli causing me to feel a little lightheaded.
"What about you? What sets you free, Egon," she inquired, provocatively, with a sly grin on her face. Janine didn't move away from me.
Drinking my beer, I thought about it but couldn't come up with anything. I wished I could kiss that grin off her face; however, I loved the way she flirted with me.
"I don't know," I answered truthfully.
"Well, you should find out what it is. You need to relax a bit," Janine flirted with me, "do you dance?"
"Ahem, not really, I don't know how to with this music," I admitted and watched as the band came back from their break.
"It's easy. You just jump up and down and pretend you are banging your head,"
She explained, demonstrating. Her drink spilled a little, so she took a big sip and illustrated the movement again. As Janine jumped up and down with one of her arms in the air, I viewed her astoundingly as she swayed to the music with her eyes shut, happily. Lust filled my heart and mind as I looked at her as the band began to sing one of her favorite songs, and I watched, stunned by her.
"Oh, I love this song! 'Jackie is a punk, Judy is a runt, they both joined the ice escapades,'" she sang along with her roommate, who stopped talking to Ray for a second.
Looking down at her, I noticed that her lips were a little poutier than I had noticed before.
"What are you looking at?" Janine wondered, batting her eyelashes at me after the song was over.
"You," I admitted, emphasizing the word you while searching her gorgeous blue eyes, "you are absolutely phenomenal."
"Thank you. The things you are saying tonight, Dr. Spengler, "she cooed, cocking her head to the left teasingly, "are you flirting with me?"
Chuckling softly, I shrugged and asked, coyly," And what if I am?"
"I like it. You are still way too uptight, though. You need to relax. Come here," she demanded softly.
We stared at each other for a while gauchely, then Janine stepped closer to me, alluringly.
"OK, first, you have to take the tie off, I, personally, love it, but it's too stuffy for this place," She remarked, putting her drink on the ledge next to us and reaching up to loosen my red tie from my neck. Her proximity to me made my breathing and pulse rates increase at once. With Janine pressing herself just slightly enough against my body, I registered the tingly sensations running through my body. My neck felt looser without my tie on it.
"Put it in your pocket," She ordered with a sweet smile after she put it in my hand, then she examined me with a sideways glance as I did so.
"Unbutton your shirt a little, please, "Janine requested, giving me a wink next, and I unbuttoned a couple of the buttons at the top.
"No, keep on going to your chest down to your heart," She supervised softly, pointing at a spot with her index finger and keeping it there. I observed that Janine's eyes were dilated, and her breathing was a little shallow, too, as I continued to unbutton my shirt to my heart. Drinking a bit afterward, I thought about when I should kiss her tonight.
"OK, better, you look at ease," Janine scrutinized, gazing up at me. She patted my chest with her right hand and grinned up at me. Her lips were shiny and red because of her lipstick, and I wanted to kiss it off of them.
"Do I?"
"Yes! Now, you have to dance with me," She urged, clasping my hand in one hand and her drink with the other. Mesmerized, I followed her. We found a place close to the band to dance, but my face felt like a sunburn when she viewed me, expecting me to dance.
"OK, but the beer down here for a second, "Janine instructed patiently as she put her own drink on the table to the left of us, and she placed her tiny hands in mine. I thought to myself that she had extreme patience when it came to me, and it made me adore her even more. When our bodies connected, there were intoxicating shocks that rocked my body, causing my head to spin and for me to feel exceedingly animated.
"Loosen up," she told me, shaking my hands and arms until I finally did allow them to soften, "good, you can't dance wrong. That's what is so much fun about it. Just look at me, and forget about everything around you. Let the music take over your senses and do what you want. Do you trust me, Egon?"
"Yes," I revealed with a lopsided grin.
"Good, let's try this out then," Janine stated determinedly.
Agreeing, I met her eyes and watched her twirl around to another energetic song the band played. Her eyes glistened with elation. Eventually, I grinned at her, very pleased to watch her, and started to take her advice. Our eyes locked on each other as we both danced. It felt weird at first, but with Janine there, I felt safe with attempting to dance. She made me feel relaxed as I gyrated to the music I didn't even know, and we stayed within arm's reach of each other as we did so. On occasion, Janine would put her hand on my chest or put her hand on my arm as we swayed to the music, and I would take her small hand to twirl her around. I also kissed it, too. My heart melted as we moved around the dance floor. Our faces flushed with exhilaration and arousal as we laughed and smiled at each other. Eventually, Janine indicated that she needed a break by pointing at the bar and walking away from the dance floor, drinking the contents of her glass quickly.
We were both out of drinks, and I asked her if she wanted another drink, to which she nodded, so I grabbed her free hand to lead her as she followed me from behind to the bar. Her small hand felt soft like a blanket in my own as we weaved our way to the bar to stand in line. As we waited for our turn to order, she snuggled her body close to mine sideways and winked at me when I rubbed my thumb over her hand. Before it was our turn, I whispered in her ear about her drink order, feeling thrilled to be so close to her.
"More coke, less rum please, Less strong," Janine murmured in my ear as I lowered my head to her lips. I was tempted to kiss her cheek right then. Her breath was warm on my skin, then she said, "Thank you, Egon."
After I paid the bartender, we moved to a spot at the end of the bar where there was a little more room and sipped our drinks. My timepiece went off as it was now midnight, and I noticed that there were more people arriving at the establishment.
"Let's work on you being relaxed since this is not comfortable for you. You are, however, doing so much better. Tell me the truth, are you having fun," she advised me, grinning ear to ear. I realized that I admired that she was affectionate, too. Normally I wasn't one for people displaying tenderness in public, but I loved it with her.
"Who was I when I was with her," I wondered to myself. That I didn't have an answer to but realized it was time for me to kiss her, so I put my beer down. I couldn't wait any longer, nor did I want to.
"Yes, I always have an enjoyable time when we are together," I disclosed.
Winking, Janine took a sip of her drink then put it down on the bar next to mine. Bravely, I asked her in a throaty voice while meeting her sparkling blue eyes with my own, "What else should I do in order to lighten up, that is?"
Surprising both of us, I stepped closer to her, and she gasped a little. Our bodies were practically pressed upon each other again, and I felt very tantalized, awaiting her response.
"Hmmm, "Janine speculated, pretended to ponder about it by closing her eyes for a moment and putting her index finger on her pink cheek. Then she remarked, full of naughty implications," Well, I can think of a few things I wouldn't mind you doing."
I raised my left eyebrow at her suggestiveness.
Smiling saucily with my right eyebrow hoisted, I stuck my hands on the sides of her waist gradually and leaned my face towards her shoulders so I could inhale her aromatic scent with my eyes shut. The lovely woman smelled like rose and vanilla.
"I love the way you smell, Janine," I suspired noisily, garishly.
As a result, Janine exhaled blissfully as my nose lightly grazed her skin there.
"Oh, Egon."
My heart fluttered when she murmured my name, and I reluctantly pulled back so I could view her. Her eyes were staring at my lips with almost a sly sneer on her own, but she stayed quiet.
With my hands, I slowly felt the sides of her pliant dress on her lean body from her waist down to her hips while I began to gaze at her lips, entranced. I kept my hands on her while I did so.
"Egon Spengler, you are definitely teasing me," Janine whispered breathlessly and placed her hands on my chest, and left them there.
"Mmmm," I huskily responded as I took one of her hands from my chest and brought it to my mouth for a kiss. I was slowly working my way up to kiss her, but I definitely enjoyed the slow dance of seduction that we were doing. I viewed her plump lips absentmindedly, thinking about how they were going to feel against my own, and the anticipation was killing me. Slowly, I put her arm back around my waist with a coy expression.
"I like it when you are so close and when you flirt with me like this. It makes me feel so titillated and stimulated," Janine cooed, provocatively, with a cunning grin.
"Really?" I replied in disbelief and gulped for air hard. Then I clutched her waist and moved her lithe body closer to mine. Janine felt my erection on her leg and her breath caught in her throat. She made a throaty little moan when she rubbed her body against my very turned-on and elongated sex for a couple of seconds.
"Ohh, Janine," I groaned, "if you only knew how much you tempted me on the daily."
Simpering, Janine pulled her body back from me a bit and began drawing a heart shape with her fingers on my chest. I gave her a leisurely grin as my eyes traveled down her body and made sure she knew that I was admiring her beauty.
"Egon Spengler, you are very risque," Janine purred as my gaze fell over her butt and her short skirt. Then I moved my hand down over her tight butt for a short moment. I gave it a quick squeeze, and her blue eyes opened wide in delight, and she squealed.
I gave her a devilish grin before commenting, "No more than you are being, Janine."
"Did you forget that you still owe me a kiss from poker when I beat you," she inquired, gazing at me through her thick eyelashes.
"There hasn't been a day that has gone by where I didn't think about it since that night," I admitted, truthfully.
"Me either," she acknowledged, blushing heavily, and I grinned down at her.
"It was time," I thought to myself, taking a gulp of air nervously as I lifted her chin up towards me and watching Janine closed her eyes. The anticipation of kissing her was very intense, but finally, I leaned down to kiss her. I couldn't stop myself from doing so if I had wanted. When I felt the tenderness of her lips with my own very for a short amount of time at first, I groaned, "Ohhhh Janine."
Confidently, I went in for a second one straight away. As our lips locked tightly like a puzzle piece, we pressed them against each other with much force. I pulled her closer to me with my arms, and she wrapped her arms around my waist so we could be as close to each other as possible. As we kissed slowly, I felt my desire rose as that one kiss turned into another and another. I felt like I was floating in the air as we kissed, and we were on a soft fluffy cloud. Finally, we broke the kiss-off, gasping desperately for air while looking at each other's eyes. Janine simpered, embarrassedly, and turned head away. Kissing her was even more exceptional than I had imagined; it felt so right, or even natural, to my surprise. I hadn't kissed many women, but Janine kissed me with an intensity that I had never experienced.
"Are you trying to hide from me?" I wondered, out loud, with a curious facial expression. Gently, I placed my hand on her chin and turned it so she would look at me. I wanted to observe her, my angel, who responded, with a bright smile, "Never."
Janine winked at me, and I moved my face down for another passionate kiss eagerly. I felt full of desire and admiration for her as our bodies hugged, and our lips demonstrated how we felt for each other. Once again, I pulled back so I could look at her. Janine looked heavenly, like an angel, and had a smile on her lips as she kept her eyes shut. I hugged her tightly, and she put her head on my chest then closed her own eyes.
"Oh, Egon," she moaned.
"Yes, Janine," I whispered in her ear, leaning down to kiss her ear all over, and I felt magnificent.
When she didn't respond, I pulled back to see her face, inquisitively.
"It's about time that you kissed me," Janine whispered up to me, raising an eyebrow seductively, "I have been waiting for a long time."
"I wasn't sure that you were interested," I admitted.
"Silly, Egon," she teased coyly and pulled me down to her with her arms, and Janine didn't hesitate to kiss me again. This time she parted her lips a little to deepen it, and I felt my happiness soar.
Afterward, we talked about the band and other random things in a loose embrace, enjoying each other's company as we chatted and flirted with each other. We continued to kiss each other.
"You appear to be happy," Janine replied, trying to determine if she was right or not with her assessment, "I think, anyway. It's so nice to see."
Amused, I raised my eyebrow, questioning her analysis, and she chuckled again. Then I kissed her again, finding her too tempting to resist. Janine ran her hands over my back as she Suddenly, the band started playing again. I let her pull me back out to the dance floor to dance with her, mesmerized. Yes, I was genuinely happy, and it was one of the first times in my life.
Dr. Ray Stantz
"Oh Lord," I stated, watching Egon Spengler dance with Janine. He danced awkwardly looking, but she didn't seem to mind. He had a unique look on his face-a a happy one.
"What the fuck happened to Spengler," Peter asked, approaching me from the bar.
Wendy had gone to the bathroom, and I was alone.
"I don't know. He and Janine were making out earlier, "I replied, "you missed it. Maybe he took your advice. What's that look on his face?"
"Happiness," he replied, as Wendy returned with a new drink for her and a beer for me, "I've only seen it a couple of times. They are still making out."
"Oh, thanks. You don't have to do that," I protested and reached for my wallet to pay her back.
"It might be a long night with those two, and you got the last round. Either of you plays pool," Wendy asked and waved my attempt to pay her back for the beer. I smiled at her as a thank you.
Agreeing, Peter and I looked at each other and nodded at her. We couldn't leave Spengler when he was having a good time, possibly one of the few times in his life.
I lit up a cigarette and offered Wendy one.
"Oh bless you, even though I quit several years ago, I would love one," she answered, jokingly, "let's go play. I'm not going to sit and watch this anymore. I'm going to throw up."
Wendy took her drink and then walked across the room to where the pool tables were located. Unfortunately, they were full at the time, so we put some quarters down and waited at a table where we couldn't see Spengler and Janine as easily.
"How long have you known Janine," I asked her.
"Seven years. We have been roommates for five years. Ironically, we met at a Ramones concert with boyfriends we don't have anymore. We didn't know that they knew each other, so that's how we were introduced. Janine's a few years younger than me, like the sassy little sister I never had. I have three brothers," she answered, laughing, taking a long drag on her cigarette.
"I like to tease her that she's my little sister. We got along well from the start," I admitted, drinking my beer.
We sat at a table and made small talk.
"Has she talked to you about Spengler," Peter inquired.
"Yes! He's a little different than I thought he would be, though. Janine made him seem more uptight and rigid than he seems to be," she responded to Peter, watching them dance.
"No, she's right, I don't know who that guy is out there, but it's not Egon Spengler, one of my best friends," Peter admitted, lighting a smoke, "Egon Spengler doesn't dance, as one can easily tell, or drink at bars. He collects spores, molds, and fungus. Oh, Egon isn't affectionate in public either, so I have no idea who that man is there."
Wendy simpered as Peter pointed to Egon.
Ray laughed and added, "And he's only focused on his work when Janine's not around. Egon also walks around looking like a love-sick puppy after they have a private moment together.
"Is this the same guy who said he didn't want to hear anything about her, and she accidentally heard her say that," Wendy demeaned, narrowing her brown eyes?
"Yes, it is. Usually, people with IQs as high as Spengs lack social skills. As his friend of many years, I have assisted him quite a bit," Peter replied, honestly.
Wendy took her last drag on her cigarette and put it out in the ashtray.
"Well, my guess is that he's made it up to her by now, "Wendy implied, laughing.
"You have no idea what we have to see at work. The flirting, the 'isn't the other one wonderful looks,'" he informed, demonstrating the look making us laugh.
"Probably the same as the stuff I hear at home, except it's only from Janine," she responded, grinning, "she really likes him."
"The feeling is mutual," Peter added, looking at them with a rueful smile.
Eventually, a pool table opened up, and we were surprised to know that Wendy knew how to play.
"My brothers taught me," she explained, shrugging.
Janine Melnitz
I could barely believe the incredible time I shared with Egon dancing and kissing that I forgot all about Wendy for hours. Yes, I said hours. In fact, I didn't even remember until we had danced when the second band started to play. Egon and I had been kissing, dancing, and slow dancing to the fast punk music in a bar in Manhattan near Ghostbusters HQ. This was a special night, and I was so enthralled. When Egon kissed me, it was purposeful, slow, and persistent yet fervently, like he was trying to show me how much he cared for me. It was beautiful and felt so incredible, and I adored kissing him. I hadn't been kissed like the way he did ever in my life- it felt like I was viewing Fourth of July fireworks colorfully blasting in the night sky, illuminating it. I was enthralled, and my body felt on fire when he kissed me.
"Who was this guy I was with!? The same one who collected "spores, mold, and fungus?" I don't think so," I thought to myself.
I recognized a change in myself, too. When I was flirting with him and recommending that he take off his tie, I felt like I was watching a different version of myself. A more emboldened Janine, but I always felt that way around him. Why?
We started to look for Wendy, and he for Peter and Ray and found them playing pool.
"Uh oh, Wendy's cleaning them out. She is awesome at the pool," I admitted to Egon, who was viewing the scene with a quizzical look.
"You should not be playing with her. I should have warned you, one of her brothers plays for money, "I told Peter and Ray as we approached the pool table.
"It's your fault. You left me, "Wendy teased, winking at me while waiting for her turn. I stood by her for a second as Egon sat at the table nearby to watch and talk to the boys.
"How much are you up," I asked her.
"$10. Looks like your bosses are paying for cab fare to Brooklyn."
"I'm winning that money back," Peter said, overhearing our conversation.
While I spoke to Wendy, Ray and Peter were joking with Egon about his appearance and his actions, but he ignored them. Eventually, I rejoined him at the table, where he took my hand in his, and I squeezed it. As we gazed at each other intently, Egon asked me about the class I was taking his semester and listened intently to my answers.
"You are the most beautiful woman here," he complimented me, rubbing his thumb on my hand softly.
"Aww, shucks," I replied, pleased but a little chagrined.
"Do you normally go to bars?"
"No, just came to this one for the Ramones cover band," I answered, "I did when I was in my early twenties, though."
Egon gave me a half-grin and inquired, slyly, in his husky, deep voice, "What else should I know about you?"
"What do you want to know," I flirted, batting my eyelashes at him.
"Everything," he admitted, then kissed me. Egon motioned for me to move closer to him, so I stood up so he could move my chair where he wanted me. First, he put it next to him, then slid his arm around my shoulder after I sat down, and I put my head down on it. His arm around me caused me to feel cared for.
"I really adore watching sunsets," I mentioned, with a smile, "and I like red, white, pink, and yellow roses."
"All good information. A roof is a great place for sunsets and sunrises. I like viewing the night sky," he remarked, kissing my cheek.
"MMM, that's good to know," I responded and leaned in to kiss him. I didn't care who observed us kissing.
Later That Night
I barely remember anything around us at the bar other than us. When we were gyrating to punk music, it felt like the world disappeared around us. I loved the way he kissed me, and my heart was so full of love for this man.
"Egon definitely is crushing on you. You were right, and I was wrong," Wendy confessed when we exited the taxi at our apartment complex.
"Thank God! Oh, I can't believe he finally kissed me, and he kisses me so passionately," I yelled, twirling around.
"Ray and I sat and watched you two after we ran out of things to say. He also looked in total awe of you the whole time," she revealed, watching me act silly.
"Isn't he handsome? I told you, "I said happily as we entered our building and walked towards the elevator as we lived on the fourteenth floor.
"You have that love-struck look on your face. Yes, he is quite handsome. According to his friends, he doesn't usually go to bars or anything. What did you do to him?
"Nothing! I may be falling in love with him," I announced the obvious to one of my closest friends, who rolled her green eyes.
"Yes, that's obvious. How does Dr. Spengler kiss?" she asked nosily as we walked down the hallway to our place.
I groaned, remembering the way he kissed me.
"Like he wanted me to remember it. At first timidly, but then ardently," I told Wendy, sighing, "even better than I had imagined."
"OK, Juliet, go to bed," she instructed, "You will see Romeo tomorrow. Good Night."
Even though it was now two in the morning, I played "More than a Feeling' by Boston on my record player before I wrote everything down in my journal as it captured how I felt about Egon perfectly.
"It's more than a feeling (more than a feeling)
When I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling)
And I begin dreaming (more than a feeling)
'Til I see Marianne walk away."
Boston- More Than a Feeling