In the midnight hour

Standing alone under the small awning Erin realized just how bad her situation was; She was a man, dressed as a woman, in a new city, alone, in the rain, and soaking wet, with a literal spotlight on him. He may not be trans but that wouldn't stop him from becoming a statistic.

The movie had ended but the projector was still on leaving her nowhere or way to hide in the rain. Every eye of the city was watching him as they passed. Every flaw suddenly stood out. Everything that would label him a man to any discerning eye was now glaringly obvious. Was he standing right? His wife always favored one leg over the other when she stood in line but was that just her or something all women did? When he shifted his weight he was certain it was even more obvious that he was now exaggerating a feminine posture. It was such a razors edge to walk and it only caused more anxiety and panic the longer it went on.

After several minutes passed, Erin began to worry about Luke, she knew they parked on the other side of the park but she didn’t believe it should take that long. She checked her phone one more time and for sure it was dead. Maybe it was her paranoia added to the discomfort of her situation that made the time stretch on forever and it had only been less than a minute. She hated to say it but she actually felt safer with a man around…’wait…’ before he could think further he saw a pair of headlights slowing to a stop. “Thank Thor.” Erin laughed to herself.

When the car finally stopped she realized quickly it was not Luke’s car. The man rolled his passenger window down before shouting over the driving rain, “Hey, are you good?”

“I-I’m good. I’m just waiting for my...friend to pick me up.”

“I’d like to be your friend.”

“Thank you but-”

“How much did you make tonight?”

“What?”

“For a party.”

“I don’t kn-...wait, do you think I’m...a prostitute? Dressed like this? In a monsoon?!”

“Hey, I know how tough the boss can be. But momma’s gonna be mad at me if you get sick.” The man stepped out of the car and seemed to be even taller than Luke. God what were they feeding people out here? “We can talk about it in the car.”

“I-I’m not...that kind of girl. I'm a-”

“I know, but you’re still liable to catch hypothermia.” She was freezing as the wind had shifted the rain and the awning proved utterly useless, it was entirely possible she was just being paranoid and this guy was just being nice...but she knew there was a reason she told Sarah not to get in cars with strange men.

“I’ll be fine. I think I see my friend coming anyhow.” She pointed off in the distance at another set of headlights but they turned and faded in the distance. ‘Shit.’

“Look, I’m trying to be nice about it, but you need to get in the car. It’s not safe right now.” The piece of gold shined against the street light when it blew open as the tall man took a long step into her personal space. He was a cop! As Erin tried to decide if that was a good or bad thing though probably not a good thing considering the look on his face and smell of **** coming from his breath.

“I’m not a hooker, I swear, I’m just waiting for my friend.”

“I know Whitney just get in the car!”

“Who?!” Headlights covered the two in blinding light, giving Erin a chance to punch the drunk man, she failed but did succeed at knocking him off of his balance and running to the stopped car. She didn’t get far when she noticed Luke stepping out of his car. “Where have-”

“Get in the car!” He ordered loudly. She quickly complied while Luke rushed to the man who had slid down the side of his car. Luke stopped, looked to Erin, and crouched beside the man. The two men talked for several minutes while she warmed herself on the heater. Soon after, Luke helped the man up and walked him to the backseat.

“What are you doing?!” Erin shouted as the man slumped over in the seat.

“Erin...this is my friend Carl. He’s a little drunk.”

“You don’t say.”

Luke couldn't help but smirked for half a second at Erin before remembering their situation, "I have to call it in

“He attacked me.” Luke looked to his drunken friend, then back to his date, Carl was currently curled up in the back seat and looked to be immediately passed out. “Fine. I just want to get out of the rain.”

The two drove in silence for miles before Luke finally spoke in defense of his friend, “I’m sorry if he scared you.” Erin didn’t know how to respond. She had done further research on the trans community after the visit to her doctor only to fall down a rabbit hole of crime statistics. The thought of being one of those statistics chilled her more than the rain had. She wasn’t trans, she was sure, but that doesn’t stop someone with ill intent in mind. “He’s really not a bad guy, he’s just...in a bad way.”

“He was drunk.”

“Yeah. I can’t say I blame him, all he’s been through.”

“What do you mean?”

“...” Luke took his eyes off of the road for a second to look at his friend, confirming he was still passed out, “His sister passed away recently.”

“Whitney?”

Luke’s eyes lingered on Erin, “ Yeah.” Erin was used to seeing Luke’s charming smile but it was now replaced by such a grim expression that she feared probing further. Instead she took his hand in hers. Aaron was the oldest of three brothers and couldn’t imagine the state he’d be in if anything happened to either of them. The pair fell back into silence once more until they reached Carl’s apartment. The rain had slacked off making carrying his friend up the stairs slightly easier. The longer Erin thought about his situation, the more sympathetic she felt for him.

Erin cut off the car and hurried after Luke and Carl up the stairs. When she caught up with them Luke was surprised to see Erin helping to keep Carl stable as they waited for the elevator. The couple did their best to haul the 6'4 Carl through the carpeted hallway. "Here." Luke struggled to fish the keys from his jacket while holding his friend with one arm. "This is his place." Erin hurriedly opened the door and helped him inside.

Carl dropped into his bed, his clothes immediately soaking his sheets, as they turned to leave Carl caught Erin's wrist. "I'm sorry!" He groaned, "I'm sorry." Each word was uttered softer than the last but the pain behind his eyes grew until Erin took pity on him.

"Shh." She bent down until she was face to face with the broken man, "I know. You did... you did everything you could." He swallowed hard at the visage of his beautiful sister. How long had it been since they spoke? Too long. They fought and he said something so stupid and mean. And that is how his sister died. Hating him. "It wasn't your fault."

"I love you dingus."

Erin paused to look at Luke who had released the tension in his arms and set about taking Carl's boots off of his feet. "I love you too, even if you are pigheaded." Carl smiled and his body went limp with sleep. Hearing her say she still loved him alleviated some of the strain on his heart. It was a shame he wouldn't remember it in the morning.

Luke closed the door behind them as they walked into the living room. "Thank you." He said in a low voice. "I know this isn't how we wanted the date to end but...he's a good guy. He's just hurting after what happened. I know if something happened to my sister I would be the same way."

She nodded, looking over the family photos scattered around the room, wondering where she could be, "I know when I lost Erin I just wanted... hearing Erin say that one more time...it would've been a godsend."

"I'm sorry." Luke said softly as he softly pulled his date in for a hug. The last thing he wanted to do was make her sad by bringing up her deceased husband.

Aaron held on tight to Luke, he missed his wife. And his brothers who he hadn't seen since the funeral. Could he ever see them again? How would he explain any of this? How would Erin feel about what he's doing with all these men, with her name. She had said she didn't want him to be lonely after she passed but he was doubtful this is exactly what she had in mind.