can’t put her in danger. Don’t you get it? Zayzl won’t stand for the two of us being together. If I say I’ll marry Kendol, they’ll both leave her alone.”
“And we all live happily ever after?”
She just stared at me like that was the obvious answer. I wanted someone to drop a bag over my head. I leaned on the bar and let her have it.
“Ash is untouchable. Jesus, why haven’t you figured that out? She thinks they’re both a joke. And Zayzl may never leave her alone, no matter what you do. He’ll always have some reason to justify it. He hated her on sight, before you even met her, Lily. And if you think she’s going to keep playing this stupid game with you once you’re married, you don’t know her at all. She already can’t breathe. Ask her. She doesn’t need to be saved by you. She just needs you.”
Lily shook her head.
“You sounded like Mofet just then,” she said. “I’m sorry, Rorke, but this is what’s best for everyone. I don’t know how else to make you see when you won’t look. Your way won’t work. And I would die if Ash ended up hating me.”
I put my hand on her arm. “That’s where you’re headed.”
“You won’t tell her I said yes to him, Rorke.”
“I can’t make you that promise. And I won’t lie for you, either, Lily. I don’t want to lose her, too.”
“I know. I understand. Just please, I need more time.”
She gave me an awkward hug with the bar between us and took off up the stairs to her room.
I looked over at Chance in the booth.
He had his headphones around his neck, and he was leaning against the deck, watching me.
I gave him a shrug that said, I don’t know what the hell just happened.
He held up a finger. This meant, hang on, I’ll fix you.
He flipped through his music. When he found what he was looking for, he kicked up a beat mix and slid right into “Lesbian Vampires from Outer Space.”
The crowd went nuts.
He got on the mic and dedicated it to me, and they went even more nuts. Next thing I knew I had several shots lined up, a full tip jar, and some titties in my face.
I love that boy.
Lily was gone for so long I actually started having fun. But then she reappeared, bouncing and trailing after Wolf like a deranged pixie, demanding that he tell her where Ash was. She begged. She said his name like it had three syllables.
“Woooooolf, please. I know you know where she hides.”
Wolf grunted, shook his head and worked around her. “She comes back when she comes back. I’m not her keeper.”
She watched him walk off, and then she went up in the DJ booth. I imagined she was doing the same song and dance for Chance, especially when I heard him pop on “God is a Bullet.” He shot me a look to go with it. When she left the booth, I had a feeling she was coming for me again. Sure enough, the minute she hit the bottom of the stairs she started pacing the length of my bar.
“I can’t remember exactly what I said, Rorke. Tell me what she might have overheard.”
“I can’t babysit you right now, sweetheart. I have to run a bar.”
“Well, make Wolf tell me where she is.”
“I’m not sure I could make Wolf do anything. And I don’t think he knows where she is. Hell, she’s probably still in the bar somewhere. We all have jobs to do, Lily. You aren’t gonna find her until she wants to be found, and you know it. Now go play.”
She continued her rounds, wandering from my bar to the booth and back, all the while eyeing the front door. Then she went outside and wandered up and down the sidewalk. She looked so strung out I’m surprised the cops didn’t haul her off to the pokey for public intox. Wolf kept an eye on her, and I just kept my mouth shut.
The sky over downtown turned this crazy orange color, and a summer storm kicked in around midnight, hail included. The Luxe had an old metal roof back then, so it sounded like bones were rattling down from the sky. Nobody could leave because the streets were a parking
“And we all live happily ever after?”
She just stared at me like that was the obvious answer. I wanted someone to drop a bag over my head. I leaned on the bar and let her have it.
“Ash is untouchable. Jesus, why haven’t you figured that out? She thinks they’re both a joke. And Zayzl may never leave her alone, no matter what you do. He’ll always have some reason to justify it. He hated her on sight, before you even met her, Lily. And if you think she’s going to keep playing this stupid game with you once you’re married, you don’t know her at all. She already can’t breathe. Ask her. She doesn’t need to be saved by you. She just needs you.”
Lily shook her head.
“You sounded like Mofet just then,” she said. “I’m sorry, Rorke, but this is what’s best for everyone. I don’t know how else to make you see when you won’t look. Your way won’t work. And I would die if Ash ended up hating me.”
I put my hand on her arm. “That’s where you’re headed.”
“You won’t tell her I said yes to him, Rorke.”
“I can’t make you that promise. And I won’t lie for you, either, Lily. I don’t want to lose her, too.”
“I know. I understand. Just please, I need more time.”
She gave me an awkward hug with the bar between us and took off up the stairs to her room.
I looked over at Chance in the booth.
He had his headphones around his neck, and he was leaning against the deck, watching me.
I gave him a shrug that said, I don’t know what the hell just happened.
He held up a finger. This meant, hang on, I’ll fix you.
He flipped through his music. When he found what he was looking for, he kicked up a beat mix and slid right into “Lesbian Vampires from Outer Space.”
The crowd went nuts.
He got on the mic and dedicated it to me, and they went even more nuts. Next thing I knew I had several shots lined up, a full tip jar, and some titties in my face.
I love that boy.
Lily was gone for so long I actually started having fun. But then she reappeared, bouncing and trailing after Wolf like a deranged pixie, demanding that he tell her where Ash was. She begged. She said his name like it had three syllables.
“Woooooolf, please. I know you know where she hides.”
Wolf grunted, shook his head and worked around her. “She comes back when she comes back. I’m not her keeper.”
She watched him walk off, and then she went up in the DJ booth. I imagined she was doing the same song and dance for Chance, especially when I heard him pop on “God is a Bullet.” He shot me a look to go with it. When she left the booth, I had a feeling she was coming for me again. Sure enough, the minute she hit the bottom of the stairs she started pacing the length of my bar.
“I can’t remember exactly what I said, Rorke. Tell me what she might have overheard.”
“I can’t babysit you right now, sweetheart. I have to run a bar.”
“Well, make Wolf tell me where she is.”
“I’m not sure I could make Wolf do anything. And I don’t think he knows where she is. Hell, she’s probably still in the bar somewhere. We all have jobs to do, Lily. You aren’t gonna find her until she wants to be found, and you know it. Now go play.”
She continued her rounds, wandering from my bar to the booth and back, all the while eyeing the front door. Then she went outside and wandered up and down the sidewalk. She looked so strung out I’m surprised the cops didn’t haul her off to the pokey for public intox. Wolf kept an eye on her, and I just kept my mouth shut.
The sky over downtown turned this crazy orange color, and a summer storm kicked in around midnight, hail included. The Luxe had an old metal roof back then, so it sounded like bones were rattling down from the sky. Nobody could leave because the streets were a parking
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