Nocturnal Read Online Free Page A

out, okay?” Bruno said, leaning forward to give me a whiff of his sour beer sweat. “I checked the club out, and they turn the lights down nice and low, so you won’t need shades. And I swear to you, Maxine is smoking hot. She’s not one of those girlfriends with a bubbly personality and an ass the size of Rhode Island. I’d take her over Chloe any day, but she happens to think I’m a pig. You’re more her type. You know, the brooding writer with a troubled past.”
    I groaned, reaching for my drink. Chloe was Bruno’s girlfriend of the last three months, and while I liked her well enough, she was constantly trying to set me up with her single friends. She thought a good woman would somehow “fix me”.
    “Is that a yes?” Bruno said.
    “ No. ”
    “Fuck it, Sam, why not? You can’t tell me you’re happy living like a goddamn hermit. It’s not normal.”
    “I don’t pretend to be normal. Or happy.”
    Bruno stared at me and shook his head. “Man, some girl sure did a number on you.” He paused to drain his bottle of beer. Then he sighed and said, “Look, I get that your life’s not exactly normal, but don’t you ever get lonely? Even freaks need company, sometimes.”
    “I’m not always alone.”
    “Hookers don’t count.”
    I winced. “Ouch.”
    Bruno blinked, annoyed with himself. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t judge. I’m trying to be your friend, that’s all. Chloe thinks I should be doing more to help you.”
    “For the last time, I don’t need any help.”
    “Then come along for my sake,” Bruno pleaded. “When these girls get together, they start talking about exfoliators and throw cushions and I never know where to look.” He ran a hand over his prickly scalp. “One day they’re gonna try and French braid my hair, I swear.”
    I laughed – relieved for the lighter mood. “You should use that line, it’s good. But Oakland’s a bridge too far. Tell you what – next time Chloe proposes a double date, I’ll try and make an appearance. Just make it in the city, okay?”
    “You mean it?” Bruno asked, checking the stage again. The audience had fallen silent, and the curly-haired comic was looking uneasy, his best jokes behind him. “’Cause it’d mean a lot if I could take that promise to Chloe. I might even get some sleep tonight.”
    I whacked him heartily on the back. “You have my word. Now get back up there.”
    “Roger that,” Bruno said, hurrying towards the stage.
    I stared down at my drink, already regretting the promise I’d made. My only consolation was that even if I tried my best, I’d doubtless prove to be such a rotten date that Chloe wouldn’t bother setting me up again. After all, what girl in her right mind would want a boyfriend who couldn’t take her to the beach? Or the zoo? Or even out to lunch? Unless her friend was a night owl like me, Chloe’s attempt at matchmaking was doomed to fail.
    I left the club before another drink tempted me. Thanks to Bruno’s reality check, I was ready to put the previous night’s disturbance behind me. If my invisible colleague happened to moonlight as a crank caller, there wasn’t much I could do about it. And I’d convinced myself that the whole Johnny business was simply a coincidence. It had to be, since all other explanations were impossible.
    I arrived back at the office with the greater part of the night still ahead of me. Settling into my chair, I took a deep breath and re-opened Sensible Shoes on my computer, resolving to finish at least five scenes before taking a coffee break. The mediocre script, I decided, was the reason I was so on edge.
    Sensible Shoes opened in the widow Charlotte’s living room. The curtains are drawn, but the golden light inside tells us it’s the middle of the day. Charlotte is slumped on the couch, mouth agape, hypnotized by a young couple making passionate love on the television. When the racy scene finally dissolves, Charlotte rewinds the DVD and starts watching it over