As he walks down the stairs he senses the distinct smell of cigarette smoke. The room is almost empty, only one couple and a lonely woman at the bar remain. He knew that earlier this evening this room was not empty. It was full of people wining and dining without a care in the world. It was full of life, in fact one had to talk right next to another’s ear to simply carry on a conversation. It was full of atmosphere, the lights were dimmed and in the background was the sound of soft piano music.

This vacated bar is called the Lounge. It is one of the best kept secrets when it comes to nightlife. This night, as like other nights, the Lounge was packed with people. There was a couple at every table carrying on close conversations enjoying the romantic ambiance. The bartender was busy making drinks for the crowd lined up around the edge of the bar. This was no challenge for him since he was a professional, having several years of bar tending experience. Some couples were dancing, but only when the pianist took a break from playing calm casual music and started to play some upbeat jazz. There were plenty of people to meet and have a drink with and ask about how they too came to this secret nightlife bar.

At around one-o-clock the Lounge tends to start to die, as couples head home after a nice evening. One by one the walk up the red carpeted stairs to slip out a single door that leads out to a small backstreet. As the crowd started to leave, all that remains is a few single people and a cloud from cigarette smoke.

He looked at the lonely woman at the bar and couldn’t help but be fascinated by her. Almost everyone had left the late night hotspot, but she remained at the bar. Did she come here alone? Was her heart broken that night and she remained at the bar to ease her pain? How long has she been at the bar? What was she talking to the bartender about? Had she been to this nightclub before? Was she a regular? His mind raced with questions, but without hesitation he approached her.

“How has your night been going?”, he asked. “Just fine”, she said, “although I was supposed to meet an old friend here, but I guess she is running late.” She took another sip and he ordered a drink and took a seat next to her.
“That is a shame”, he responded, “and not even a phone call?” “Nope”, she replied. “She was my college roommate, the woman I was supposed to meet. After our first year of school we became best friends and lived together the next three years in a small house. She was a Marketing major and I was a Business major. After we graduated she was hired for a job in New York and I was hired for a job in Chicago. Separating was hard, but we knew that eventually we would have to move on. We promised to keep in touch and meet up after a couple of years. I was on a business trip in New York and gave her a call as soon as I was in town. She recommended to meet here later in the evening so we would almost have the place to ourselves.”

As she said that he heard light footsteps coming down the stairs and he turned around to see a woman of the same age at the bottom of the steps. He finished his drink and said goodbye to the now accompanied woman. He cleared the seat next to her and headed for the stairs looking back to see their joyous faces meeting for the first time in years.