Free Seth by Sandy Kline

bathroom. This is all very confusing for me. I
like him because he’s a cop and I have tremendous respect for what he does and
the risks he takes daily but I hate it when he plays cop with me. It really
does piss me off.
    He walks down my hall to the end where the guest bath is.
On the way he has to pass my bedroom which is out of sight from the living
room. So I sit here nervously waiting for him to finish playing cop and
wondering if the end of this evening will end up with me in metal bracelets.
When he does come back I try to read his face but he’s got his cop’s poker face
on right now so I have no idea how this is going to play out.
    “Would you like to stay and have a drink?” I ask even
though that’s about the last thing I want right now.
    “I really wish I could but I have an early court date
tomorrow and I really need to prepare.”
    Oh my god, he just lied to me. He told me in the
restaurant that he didn’t have court until eleven and now suddenly after using
my bathroom he has an early day in court? We kiss at the door but my heart is
just not in it. I have this pervasive feeling that our little relationship is
fizzling out and I don’t know what to do about it. Communication has never been
a strong suit and that’s probably why I’m 28 and do not have a serious
relationship. What Marc and I have is about the most serious relationship I
have been in since I was in high school and even though I haven’t been with him
very long I feel like our best days are already behind us. He may not know it
yet but his days with me are sadly numbered. With this whole phone thing he
seriously crossed the line with me and I don’t know how to tell him that
without just getting crazy on his ass.
    After he drives off I go into my bedroom and check to see
if my phone is still where I left it, and it is. Looks like he didn’t even
touch it, but I can’t be sure. Oh well, I can’t do anything about it now so I
may as well just crash.
     

     
    The Good…
    Sunday night finds me at The Golden Penny - a nice,
semi-upscale bar and eatery on the other end of town. The plan was for Molly to
meet me here for dinner and drinks. The problem is, she called in and cancelled
on account of a bad head cold so that leaves me by my lonesome at the bar
getting buzzed. In fact I’m so intent on getting my buzz on that I don’t hear
the much louder buzz of motorcycles approaching from Main Street. I know that
it’s a biker type or types that just walked in the door by the complete absence
of noise in the crowded joint. I’m really not interested in the whole biker
element so I don’t even bother to look up when an obvious biker takes a stool
near mine.
    “Give her another of what she’s having.” A voice says to
the bartender. “She looks like she needs it.”
    Now that’s enough to take offense on. I swivel around to
give Mr. Nosey an ear full when I get an eye full. Sitting on the stool next to
me is none other than Seth of the Soul Eaters MC. Why do I keep running into
the guy? Not that I’m complaining…not tonight at any rate. I had Mr. Right last
night and he pretty much died on the vine so I’m open to Mr. Wrong tonight.
    I take the drink offered, take a long drink, wipe my
mouth and thank him.
    “You’re very welcome.” He replies.
    The way he talks is so strange. Looking at him in his
outlaw biker garb and you’d expect every other word out of his mouth to be fuck
or shit or something like that. Instead he sounds like he’s had a proper
upbringing. I wonder what went wrong.
    “I’m not alone.” I say to him.
    “You aren’t now.” He says to me. “What happened, your
date stand you up?”
    “My best friend did.” I reply.
    “Some friend.” He says to me.
    “Don’t be judgmental.” I reply.
    “Didn’t anyone teach you how to talk to bikers?” He asks.
    “Sorry, everything I know I was taught in kindergarten.”
I reply using an old saying that he’s probably never heard of.
    “Well if they