VIII

"Where do you want to go?" Jesse asked K. They were walking side by side.

They've just been walking senseless up and down Manhattan for quite a few minutes now. He had never took a girl out, so he wouldn't have any idea at all where he would take her - except on his bed. He had been thinking about her for weeks now, imagining that she's with him, lying in bed and naked under the sheets.

"Surprise me," K turned her head to the side to look at Jesse. She snaked her arm around his back. "Where do you want to go?"

Jesse was pleasantly caught off-guard, with K holding him like that. He didn't know what to do, but it only felt natural to rest his arm around the back of her shoulders. Jesse took a sharp breath and let it out, allowing himself to act calm and chill around K.

He was feeling so warm - but not the kind of warmth he normally feels when he's turned on and sexually aroused. He felt comfortable, balanced, like he had found his equilibrium. It just felt strange, different, and so entirely... new.

"Let's just walk and see where our feet take us," Jesse suggested, looking at K's eyes.

"Spontaneous," she gushed, beaming at Jesse. "I love it." K fixed her gaze back on the street as they walked, her other hand reaching up to hold Jesse's as it hung awkwardly on her left shoulder.

They trailed down through 7th Avenue, then made a sharp turn on 43rd street. There were lots of pop-up and compact restaurants along that whole strip. He didn't want to take her anywhere too fancy and kitschy. Even if he wanted to take her to a nice place to dine, he was just wearing black denim jeans, Old Skool Vans sneakers, a black and white plaid hoodie with plain white shirt underneath. If there was something he learned from his dad, it was to dress for the occasion.

 Both him and K were dressed casual, just like any other New Yorker out on the street on a regular night. Not that they were on a date. They were merely just... hanging out.

Jesse looked to his right and saw this quaint little hipster ramen house that said 'No Wi-Fi' on the glass doors. The place looked veritable, though he doubted they served authentic Japanese noodle soup. Lots of phony hole-in-the-wall type of restaurants had popped up all over the city in the past decade. Jesse rarely went to these places. He had his own list of trusted diners, delis and cafés that he frequented, and this one right here was definitely not it.

But he figured, it'd be perfect - the place was not too formal yet not too tacky. It had its own charm when one's looking from the outside. In a way, it was just like K. He could just see her on the surface - beautiful, sexy, alluring and magnetic. Yet he knew that there was still so much to see underneath her skin, deep within her. It was all waiting to be discovered. He wanted to be the one to uncover her, to strip her bare.

"Let's go in here," Jesse bobbed his head to the direction of the ramen house's door entrance. He removed his arm from K's shoulders and went on to hold her hand instead, weaving his fingers to hers. 

He reached for the door handle and held it open for K, not letting go of her hand. 

It was really small inside, having just two long wooden table counters. The one was sprawled against the polished concrete wall, while the other double purposed as an L-shaped divider between the customer's dining area from the service station. The latter was where Jesse and K  sat. There weren't any private tables or booths. It was basically a communal dining space.

There were two middle-aged Japanese guys assembling orders in a very organized manner, it was quite fascinating to watch. 

Jesse was mistaken, they served the real thing. The place was really organic and cunning. He also loved that the tables had booth separators, like the ramen restaurant he tried out in Tokyo when he visited Japan just last year.

"What are you having?" Jesse asked K, turning to her as they sat on the stools.

"I'll let you take total control," her reply, a big pretty smile on her face. "I'll have whatever you're having."

He smiled back at K, loving and hating how she could turn simple phrases sound so coquettish. He thought, if only he had real total control right now he would have taken her straight to his apartment and fucked the living hell out of her. "You're not allergic to anything?" He asked, pulling his thoughts together.

"If my throat closed up and die of anaphylactic shock, you'll definitely know," K quipped, giggling. She crossed her legs, rested her elbow on the table and leaned her jaw on her knuckles as she gawked up at Jesse's pretty face.

"What?" He asked, suddenly feeling conscious with K's gaze. 

"Nothing," she said, batting her eyelashes at him.

Jesse leaned onto K's face and lightly pressed his lips on hers. He loved how her stares made him feel.

---

The night was still young. 

Jesse and K were out again on the street. They just finished eating, both of them were feeling so full and satisfied with their meal.

Jesse got them Shoyu ramen bowls. K was berating him for eating the pork char siu slices on the side, being that he was Jewish. He just laughed it off, clearly rebellious of his faith and even went as far as mocking Judaism. He remarked that it was getting tougher and tougher to be a bad Jew. And that if necessary, he would kill his rabbi with a pork chop without any hesitation, should his religion be an impediment at how he wanted to live his life. K was so amused at Jesse's shrewd thinking and dark clever wits.

They shared banters and laughs while finishing their medium-sized noodle bowls. Before they knew it, they were done, down to the last drop. It was so good, K had multiple foodgasms - just one of the 'gasms' Jesse was planning to give her.

"Where are you planning to take me now?" K asked Jesse, their arms and hands entwined as they trod through the corner of 43rd and 42nd street.

"I have an idea," Jesse walked faster, basically dragging K and already making a turn to 42nd street. He looked exhilarated. 

Moments later, they were already walking up at the concrete steps of Bryant Park. Jesse was holding K's hand the whole time.

Loud, muffled music was reverberating through whole area. Inaudible lyrics of someone singing from afar could be heard behind the dampened riffs of guitars, bass, synthesizers and drums. It got more distinct and less muzzled as they neared towards the park's center.

Jesse led K to the vast, rectangular grass grounds, which were surrounded by steel barricades. "Let's crash a concert." He wheedled, jumping over the barricades. He held up both of his arms to K and helped her cross to the grassy side. Jesse held onto her small waist as he pulled K up, his hands slid to her ribcage and accidentally touched her boob. She wasn't wearing a bra. 

Holy fuck.

K looked up at Jesse, aware that he just copped her a feel. She decided to ignore it. She was feeling highly strung, like a cat on a hot tin roof. But she felt enthralled at the same time. She had never crashed a major concert event before. She saw the huge posters before they made a turn to Bryant Park. The featured acts to play weren't just 'indie bands', they were all major players in the industry. All of the alternative bands in the line-up were actually her favorites from the late 90's and early 2000's.

"Aren't we getting in trouble for this, Jesse?" She asked him, skittish.

"Now you're afraid?" He chortled at her. "Don't worry, I've got you." He grabbed the back of her waist and gave her a quick kiss. 

They were already heading towards the backstage entrance where there were two huge and buff guys guarding the stage from crashers. Jesse grabbed his phone from his jeans' back pocket and started browsing through his contacts. He tapped on his phone and put it on his ear, calling someone.

"Adam, this is Jesse," he talked on the phone, looking alive. "Jesse Akerman, yes." He nodded. "Dude, listen, I'm here at Bryant Park. I just wanted to go and check the acts you've got for tonight. Was wondering if I could come in and get through."

He listened as Adam spoke on the other line, then smiled and nodded again. "Yeah, okay, perfect." He paused. "I'll - I'll tell my dad you said hi. Yeah, thank you." He stared back at his phone's screen and ended the call.

"Let's go," he grabbed for her hand again and walked to the backstage entrance. They were met by a tall, skinny girl named Leila, who was apparently the concert production assistant. She ushered them to the steel balusters that separated the premium concert-goers from the VIP. She handed them both complimentary bottles of Goose Island beer, which was the main sponsor of the event.

Soon, Jesse and K were already in the VIP pit. 

   K looked up at the stage, her jaw dropped and her blue eyes widened as she saw Brandon Boyd already walking up to the mic in the center. The synth started to reverb, then came in the bass, guitar and drums. The crowd instantly went wild as the instruments came together.

"Jesse, that's fucking Incubus right there!" She bellowed, goosebumps covering her arms as the band played Nice to Know You.

Jesse held his beer bottle out to her, they clinked bottles and took huge swigs.

It was so loud out front, the crowd was roaring as they jumped and danced to the playing band on the stage. The atmosphere was electric and vibrant. 

The music was deafening, but it really made K feel so alive. She shrugged off and removed her oversized denim jacket, tying it on her small waist. 

The pounding of the music through the ultra huge concert speakers made her heart skip to the beat of the song, she could feel the slapping of the bass pounding in her diaphragm. She closed her eyes and let the music sync in with her senses.

"I haven't felt the way
I feel today, in so long its hard
For me to specify
I'm beginning to notice
How much this feels like
A waking limb
Pins and needles
Nice to know you"

K started to bob her head wildly and went on to dance to the thumping music, too. Jesse joined her, banging his head as both him and K jumped to the riff. They screamed and shouted the lyrics to the song on top of their lungs. 

K was in a state of total mesmerization and ecstasy, bursting into emotional tears and hysterical laughter at the same time.

As the song came to an end, Jesse turned to her. "How was that?" He asked K, shouting through the loud chatter and cheer of the audience.

"Fucking awesome!" She screeched on his ear. "I've never been to anything like this before!"

Jesse wore a face-splitting grin, taking pride at himself for K's delight. Her smile was just so beautiful and infectious, he'd never seen anything like it. She looked spellbound.

All of a sudden, lightning and thunder grumbled through the night sky. The crowd didn't seem to be bothered by the impending rain. Jesse and K wouldn't give a damn about it, too. 

As for K, she was having the time of her life. A little rain on a hot and humid New York summer night in the middle of a fucking concert wouldn't hurt. 

Murmurs filled the air as the audience waited for the next act.

Jesse turned to K, leaning towards her ear. "Can you tell me what K stands for?"

"What?!" K asked, she couldn't make out what Jesse said with all the noise of the audience and the low grumbling of the thunder.

"Your name," he repeated, turning up his voice and holding the back of K's bare waist. "What's K?"

"Doesn't matter," she flashed her enigmatic smile at Jesse. "I like it when you just call me K, I've decided I won't tell you what my real name is."

Jesse grunted and rolled his eyes, though in hindsight he kind of agrees with her. He liked calling her K, too. There was a certain magnetism and conundrum to it.

   After a few minutes of twiddling and turning knobs on the amps, a different band started playing a familiar tune. Johnny Rzeznik appeared from the back of the stage, making the crowd go wild again.

The Goo Goo Dolls started to play Name.

How apt,

Jesse thought.

And as if on queue, heavy rain started pouring. The audience went all the more crazier. They  moved to the rhythm of the guitar and the beat of the drums. They joined as Johnny sang the words to their hit song.

The atmosphere changed for both Jesse and K while the band played the verse. It all so suddenly transitioned from vivid and electric to dream-like, extremely euphoric, and almost... romantic.

It was a transcendental experience - with the rain pouring down on them, the music, their hearts beating and pounding through their ears. 

"If you could hide beside me
Maybe for a while
And I won't tell no one your name
And I won't tell 'em your name"

Jesse sang, looking at K as he mouthed the last line.

K smiled, biting her lip again.

Jesse was feeling all sorts of things as he gazed at K's eyes, he couldn't make out what it was exactly. Disconcerted, perplexed, mystified and afraid, he started to grab for K's nape and kissed her fervently, as if it will provide him an answer.

K kissed Jesse back, weaving her arms around his back as they locked lips under the rain.

"I think about you all the time
But I don't need the same
It's lonely where you are, come back down
And I won't tell 'em your name"

It was magic.