1000 Crazy Nights

I gave myself the challenge to write something based on or inspired by music. The following piece is a short story inspired by this song:

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Jack hadn't seen Clara for about five years and hadn't thought of her in three. Theirs was a relationship of words, of what ifs and eventuallys. A chance meeting while visiting family out-of-state, the two became quick friends. She had a boyfriend and he had a history of bad decisions. They both considered their blossoming closeness a harmless pastime and nothing more. Over time the relationship between the two grew more complex, their flirtations becoming more overt and less innocent. When Clara broke off the engagement to her long-time suitor, the two friends finally felt free to express the feelings they had for one another. The next month, Jack bought a plane ticket.

What happened after that, Jack was never really sure. His busy schedule only gave the pair enough time to spend one day together. Clara was shy and sweet, and Jack was a perfect gentleman. After the flight home he called Clara to let her know what a lovely time he had with her, and possibly make plans for a longer trip so that the two could spend more time together. The only problem? She didn't answer the phone. She never answered the phone after that day. Clara disappeared, never to be heard from again and leaving Jack to pick up the pieces of his broken heart. Time would eventually heal his wounds, the scar tissue hardening his once soft heart.

Walking into a club one evening, Jack saw a face that he hadn't seen for a quite long time. Across a sea of bodies, pulsating and beating to the rhythms of the night, hers was the one that he noticed. The one that he had wanted for so long. Jack hadn't seen Clara in ages and any feelings that remained had been pushed deep into the darkest corners of his mind. Seeing her again, a hunger emerged. Romance had long passed, it was too late for something like that. Instead, it had been replaced with lust. An eagerness to taste the flesh he had spent so many nights coveting. Except this time, things would be different. This time, he would no longer be repressed by time, distance or circumstance. With his lips curled into a half-smile, Jack stepped into the crowd. This was going to be a night to remember. This was a night of bad intentions.