U Street

I get off at the Shaw Metro station, and the hot air hits me like I'm entering the gates of Hell. Fucking goddamn rush hour. I struggle out of my blazer and sling it over my arm as I navigate the swarm.

Above ground the sun is blinding. A busker plays Duke Ellington standards at the top of the escalator, and I drop a dollar in his case. My sleeveless chiffon blouse sticks and clings to my back.

The sidewalks are a mix of students, commuters, and folks from the neighborhood, and the crowd is so tight I feel like I can't catch my breath. There's more people than usual, and a syncopated beat coming from up ahead.

I pick up the pace and weave my way forward. A go-go band is doing an impromptu show at the corner of 14th and U. About a hundred people are gathered on the brick pavement, dancing, holding up cell phones, talking.

I'm walking along the edges when I feel someone grab a hold of my shoulder. I whip around with a frown. A familiar looking man with a pristine goatee waves at me.

"Imani Fryxell?"

I cock my head, then I'm flooded with recognition.

"Stephen!" I throw my arms around him and he embraces me in a bear hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I just moved back, actually. New York isn't what it used to be."

"Yeah, neither is D.C. What's happening? What is all this?"

"LeDroit Band, I think? T-Mobile is making PCS turn off the music speakers, some bougie bitches from the new development complained."

"Of course they did. Gotta love gentrification."

"What's it been? Five years?"

"Six-ish, I think. Last time was that Gamma Zeta Gamma thing in Dupont."

"That's right. And you were with your boyfriend."

"Ex-boyfriend. Very ex."

I try to check Stephen out without him noticing. We were in the same group of friends at Howard but we didn't spend much one-on-one time together. He's filled out since college, and he's not wearing a ring.

The song finishes and the crowd cheers. He takes my hand and spins me around.

"Wanna dance?"

I get real close and rest my hand on the small of his back.

"Thought you'd never ask."

We move in circles, and his hand clasps mine. I can faintly see the shape of his eyes through the tint of his sunglasses. He talks softly into my ear, commenting on all the activity around us. He always made me laugh.

Three more songs and the show is over. The crowd dissipates while the band packs up their gear. The setting sun turns the horizon pink and orange. The moon cuts a lovely shape in the sky.

"It's good seeing you," I say as I tuck my hair behind my ear. "Really. We should get a drink sometime."

He sticks his hands in his pockets.

"How about now?"

"Now?"

"Yeah, why not? Unless you've got a hot date or something."

I link arms with him and give his bicep a pat.

"I do now! Should we go to Oak Tavern? I haven't been there since graduation."

"Now that is a goddamn crime. You live here! You don't even got an excuse!"

"I know, I know. Not really my scene anymore. I'm more into wine bars and shit these days."

"Come on, let's get over there while our booth is still free."

We catch up on the walk to our favorite old-school dive. He had been teaching tenth grade history in the city but came back to be closer to his family. I tell him about my job at the natural history museum and my five nieces and nephews. He shows me a lot of pictures of his cat.

The bar looks like it hasn't been cleaned in twenty years. We order two of the cheapest beers on tap and slide into a dingy booth in a dark corner. The cheap vinyl sticks the back of my thighs.

Stephen scoots closer and drapes his arm over my shoulders. Gently, he nuzzles my ear.

"Do you ever think about that night?"

I give him a puzzled look.

"What night?"

"The graduation party? When we, you know. Went into the bathroom together..."

"Honestly, I blacked out sometime after the dance-off. Did we hook up?"

"Um, yeah. I was pretty drunk too but you seemed to be enjoying it. At least that's what you said."

"Hmmm." I slowly lick the curl of his ear with the tip of my tongue. "Must not have been that memorable."

Stephen reaches under the table and seizes me between the thighs. I tightly cross my legs over his hand. He brushes his lips against mine.

"You're going to remember me this time."

"Is that a fact?"

He grabs my hand and we make a strategic dash down the hall and around the corner. We duck inside the filthy unisex bathroom. Lock the door. We pounce on each other like drunk horny 21-year-olds. Our hands fumble and grasp. Our clothes askew.

He rips my blouse open, and tiny buttons skitter and scatter. He kisses my breasts. My stomach. I lift him off his knees, and we kiss each other everywhere. His aftershave burns my tongue.

Stephen bends me over. I grasp the ceramic sink with both hands. He lifts my skirt. Pulls my damp underwear to the side. He loosens his pants. Opens the flap of his boxers. Takes out the fattest cock I've seen anywhere. I remember him now.

He forces himself in, and he fills every inch of me. I lower my head and groan.

"Oh my fucking God, you are so big..."

"Yeah, I know."

He holds me by the hips. The shoulders. My hair. He slaps my ass and lies on my back. He fucks me raw. My knuckles go white.

Someone bangs on the door. Yells at us to hurry the fuck up. Stephen pulls out. I jump up on the sink. Wrap my legs around his ass. He kisses my neck. He fucks me harder. I pinch his nipples. The people outside yell at us to hurry up and finish. I hold onto the back of his neck and thrust until the climax builds to an explosion. We're not done.