Obsidian Souls (Soul Series) Read Free

out.
                  Pressing my hand to the wood of the door, I pushed it out just enough to glance with one eye when another woman coming in swung it open.
                  “Oops! Sorry honey! I didn’t see you there.” She stepped back to let me out of the doorway so she could proceed inside. I had to either leave or look crazy, so I decided to step back in and out of the doorway and just look crazy. Better that, then getting stuck with either the icky guy or the sexy but scary guy.
                  “Is everything okay?” She asked with a strong Brooklyn accent.
                  “I’m okay, thanks. Just avoiding some people.”
                  “Oh boy…I know what that’s like. At least I use to. Men don’t bother you as much once you hit my age. Enjoy it while you’re young and sexy. The men probably go crazy for you.” She said this with a warm smile.
                  “I do okay I guess. I wouldn’t say they are falling at my feet.” I was a bit uncomfortable with the direction this impromptu conversation with a stranger in the bathroom was going. The last thing I had been looking for was public bathroom therapy. What was it about female public bathrooms that led to these weird heart to heart conversations with strangers? I’d say it was the alcohol, except it seemed to not be a localized phenomenon that only happened in liquor serving establishments. I had a whole big conversation with a grandmother type just last week in the bathroom at Macys about whether I wanted to have a family. Perhaps it was the intimacy of the setting that made you more open and vulnerable?
                  As if on cue, “Maybe you shut them down before they get a chance?” She said this with a little grin and knowing smile. Had to give it to her though, for free bathroom therapy, she wasn’t all that bad. I did tend to be standoffish at times.
                  “Yeah, maybe.” She went into a stall, and I took another peak out the door. It looked clear. I yelled a goodbye to her as I seized on my opportunity to leave. As I made my break for it, I saw that Amanda was still talking with the creepy guy and the other one that had shown up with him. Gilly was standing next to her, busy flipping her hair at his friend. Too bad they were all by the front door blocking my exit.
                  The bar was emptying out as the bouncers were herding people toward the doors. There was a group of people leaving through a side door towards the back, and that seemed to be my best shot. I would have to tough it out the eight blocks back to my car in aching feet if I couldn’t find a cab, but this was the safest neighborhood around so at least I figured I’d make it. I didn’t feel as confident if I went with Carl.
                  I shot out of the bathroom and kept my head down making a beeline to the door. It let out into the alleyway, and I just held my breath that the creepy Carl hadn’t noticed me leaving. Heading down the alley towards the street, I grabbed my phone and sent a quick group text to Gilly and Amanda so they wouldn’t wait for me. Amanda always had her phone in her pocket on vibrate, and I knew she would get it. I’d explain to them tomorrow why I dashed out, and neither of them would care. They’d only want to know why I didn’t ask them for help escaping. Gilly looked like she was into the guy she was talking to so I didn’t want to crash that, and I didn’t want to put Amanda in an awkward situation with a colleague of Marks. This was just easier. Or at least I thought it would be.
                  I pushed send on my phone to finish the text to both of them and looked up to see that I was the only one left in the alleyway. And then I saw Carl turn the corner. He was blocking the only way out onto the street. He must have seen me leave and ran to cut me off to have gotten here so