Chapter 6
Jonah
Kai, Oli, June, Ana, Rachel, and I rode up the escalator out of the metro station. We were on our way to meet this Javi character. I would’ve preferred to watch a movie in the hotel room, but Kai had plans to go out with her friends, and I wasn’t about to take that from her just because we’d shown up from another country. Besides, Oli and June hardly helped my case as they were eager to see what a party in Madrid looked like. So, here I was.
The best-looking man I think I’d ever seen in my life stood at the exit of the station boasting a crisp white button-down, dark trousers, and white sneakers as clean as his shirt. He was tall. So tall. Taller than me. Almost taller than Oli. His complexion had the same glow as Kai’s in late August, and it was only April. The two brown eyes in his head were coated in thick black lashes which matched his thick black hair. And his cheekbones. God, his cheekbones. Just looking at them made me want to hide my own face in shame. He was obviously a few years older. More mature than me. Probably successful. Probably driven.
I crossed my arms and hoped the supermodel standing in front of us wasn’t Javi.
He was.
“That is a good-looking dude,” Oli mumbled quietly.
I grunted. “What did you expect? It’s Kai.”
Javi looked like he should’ve been telling me that four out of five dentists prefer Colgate. His smile was so enormously big and so obnoxiously bright, I could hardly see. Truly. The man was the human equivalent of a car with its high beams blaring in the middle of a busy street, and not just in reference to his teeth. He was impossible to ignore, tall, tan, and much better looking than I would likely ever be.
Not that I cared what I looked like.
He dropped his arm around Kai’s shoulders and dragged her around with him as he kissed all five of us on both of our cheeks. My dislike for that gesture was something I simply couldn’t explain. My angry head was going to propel off my neck like a backyard bottle rocket if another set of lips besides Kai’s came anywhere near my fucking face.
Oli was used to those kinds of greetings. His whole family was really quite affectionate, save his asshole of a dad. But the fact that he went along with Javi’s advances only made me angrier. He was supposed to be my friend.
The greetings ceased and we stood in a small circle in the cobblestone plaza, light beaming from the signs and city around us as people scuttled in all directions.
“Want to go to Mario’s place?” Kai asked, looking up at her rangy counterpart. “I want them to see it. They’d love it.”
“No, mi cielo.” Javi denied her preference in a tone of voice I didn’t care for. The pet name did nothing to cover up the fact that this guy was a total asshat. “Nico’s is better.”
She groaned. “I’m off this week. I don’t want to go to my workplace on my week off.”
“You shouldn’t be off. You need the hours and you know that, amor.” Charming. One of his arms remained over her shoulder as his line of vision trailed to the phone in his hand. “Besides, I have to talk to Nico.”
Kai made a stink face at him (though he wasn’t looking her way) and complied as she signaled to us to follow her. Javi didn’t release her or the device as we all began walking.
We trudged up an uneven street, and Kai explained that we were on our way to the bar where she now worked. I knew she was at this new place six nights a week, dancing and bartending as she did at the previous spot, though this bar—this manager—was more time-consuming and much more popular, so she said. Somehow, despite sleepless nights and ceaseless days, she still glowed. I honestly don’t know how she did it all.
“Don’t you get tired, Kai?” June asked, reading my mind. “You must not sleep much.”
“Yeah. But the bills aren’t going to pay themselves.” Kai laughed falsely, which broke my withered heart in two. “And I’m paying the price. Do you see this complexion? My body hates me.” She pointed to her face, implying there was something wrong with it. Blasphemy. She looked exquisite. “But that’s okay. It keeps me busy.”
“She does too much,” Javi said, his face to his phone. “It’s not sustainable.”
Huh. I agree. Maybe Mr. High Beams isn’t so bad after all. Perhaps I should trust Kai’s judgment a bit more.
“She doesn’t need to go to school,” he continued. “She makes enough with us to pay her bills, plus she’s been running some guy’s social media accounts for extra cash. I don’t understand what she’s studying for if she already works.”
I released the biggest, most abandoning sigh I could muster. Never mind. Not only was this guy an idiot, but this was the first I was hearing of Kai’s second job. Why the hell hadn’t she told me?
Upon entry to the bar, I was immediately hit with a wall of smells, people, hookah smoke, and alcohol. It was a small, dark place that looked much more like an Irish pub with strobe lights and decorations tossed around haphazardly. Truth be told, that’s exactly what it was. Kai even helped string the fake flowers along the ceiling; she told me all about it. Needless to say, it was not the kind of place one wanted to see with the lights on.
“Look!” Kai shouted over the music, pointing her finger. “That’s what I do!” She ran in the signaled direction, pressing herself right up against the bar. Atop the surface was a blonde girl in neon pink lingerie. She was dancing in a rather…suggestive way. The girl noticed Kai, kneeled on the bar to give her a kiss—on the fucking mouth—and resumed her work. Kai then returned to us just as my heart broke once more. “That’s Estefania! We dance together sometimes.”
I faked a small smile as the air around me picked at my skin, taunting me. Not only did she leave me, but she left me for this? I already knew she was a gogo dancer, but… It had been hard enough to sleep without her already. Now lying in bed alone, thinking about this place, knowing she was here and being able to visualize exactly what she was doing and who was watching? I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I could feel my brain conjuring up the vividly horrible scenarios it would play for me on a loop every night once I returned home.
I didn’t have a problem with Kai making her own choices, and I always loved it when she danced. I made it to every competition and performance I could throughout high school. And she was good. She excelled in contemporary, always telling fascinating stories through her art. The sexier stuff was cool too, and I definitely enjoyed watching her express herself, but she just wasn’t as connected to it. And all of this, this gig at this bar, just didn’t feel right.
“So, are you gonna strip down and show us your moves?” June asked happily as if this entire place wasn’t a massively offensive shit on my chest.
“No!” Oli and I shouted simultaneously. I knew Oli didn’t want to see it. I didn’t want anyone else to.
“Oh, come on, you dorks! It’s just a dance show,” Kai said. “And don’t worry. I’m off, so you’re safe.”
Thank fucking god.I was pissed enough about the whole night as it was. I certainly didn’t need to be pissed off and horn— Nothing.
“You should see it sometime!” Ana said from my right side, reminding me of her presence.
“Yeah, it’s awesome,” Rachel added, reminding me of hers as well. “She does this thing where she jumps up high and then smacks down into a split. Everyone goes wild for that one.”
I dragged my fingers down my noticeably hot cheeks. Fuck. I just wanted to get through the night so we could move on to the fun stuff like hanging out just the four of us, far away from these loudspeakers and at a reasonable time of day.
I decided a shot might help my nerves and approached the bar, bringing Kai along with me to help carry a round over to our group. My face tightened as I kept my line of vision on the counter and not on the half-naked girl dancing right next to me. Not that I condemned the occupation in any way, but I certainly wasn’t interested in looking. It was just way too much human, way too close. That paired with the sweaty air and the blown-out bass made for an incredibly pissed-off man…boy…whatever…Jonah. Kai obviously noticed because she was giggling at my discomfort as she often did. Her glee was the only silver lining.
The girl behind the bar, whom I assumed was not Nico though Javi had been speaking with her since we entered, served us a round of shots. I reached my fingers into my pocket for my wallet, but Kai immediately placed herself in front of me.
“No! No, no, no,” she said nervously, pressing her body over my wrist to cover it and looking around us quickly. She wrapped her arms around my ribs as if she were hugging me and looked up from under my chin.
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
She offered me a giant, fake smile. “Don’t let people know you have money. You’re not from here, and they can tell. Keep an eye on your wallet. This round is on the house.”
“I’m not allowed to have ten euros for shots in Madrid?”
She stiffened her tone through that terrifying grin. “You’re on vacation. I know your mom gave you a wad of cash before you came because I know her, and I know you didn’t think to put it somewhere safe because you have no street smarts.” She was right. “Do not open your wallet in these parts until you’re carrying a reasonable amount and do not let people know where you’re keeping it.”
I sighed and lifted my hands to the bar nonchalantly to take a shot with her but, before we could, Javi said something to her from where he was standing. He spoke in Spanish, so I didn’t understand, but by the way he flicked his hand at me, I assumed he was asking Kai not to get so close, which was something he didn’t do when Estefania kissed her. By the way she whisper-yelled her next sentence and gestured to my waist, I assumed she was letting him know what had happened. But what did I know?
She turned back to me with a shot in her hand, clinking her little glass to mine and downing the worst tequila I’d personally ever tasted. My body glitched for a moment as the terrible liquid burned through me. We then weaved the other glasses into our fingers and brought them to our friends as my disdain for the place only grew.
But I was being negative. I was here and that was a fact I couldn’t change, so I had to at least try, like Kai did. After handing out the shots, I took another moment to observe the inside of the bar. If she was spending so much time here, there had to be a reason for it. She had to see something in it.
Nope. Nothing. All I could perceive was thumpy music, cheap hookups, bright lights, and a lack of personal space. All things Kai hated. All things I hated. So, what the hell was she doing trying to fit in in a place like this?
“Kai, are you comfortable here?” I finally asked, bending down so she could hear me. “These people are…not like us.”
Her face twisted like she might’ve been a little offended by my assessment. “It’s no biggie, Jo.” She jumped her shoulders once. “This is what people our age do. Plus, I’m lucky to have a job.”
“You have two, which you failed to even tell me about. When did you—?”
She sliced a hand through the air. “I’m not rich, Jonah.”
Neither was I, by any stretch of the imagination, but she dealt with things I didn’t have to. It was as simple as that. She glared at me fiercely, letting me know I had, in fact, just offended her. I shook my head and swallowed my judgment. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”
She plastered a full smile back on and kissed me on the shoulder, leaving me alone in this smelly hell hole. I watched as her body was absorbed into the mass of dancing people. Ana hung on Rachel, and Kai placed herself behind June, all four of them bouncing and moving in unison with the crowd.
“Oli!” Kai shouted, laying her hands on June’s waist. “Do I have permission to touch your girlfriend? I promise I won’t fuck her! Unless she wants to!”
I groaned loudly, though no one could hear it over the music. My face dropped to the palms of my hands, a place it very much frequented, and I dragged my skin down with my fingers.
Oli wrapped his arm around my shoulders and approved Kai’s request. “Have at it, little sis, but watch that mouth of yours!” He then turned to me. “It’s okay,” he said directly into my eardrum, the loud noise sending a wave of pain through my body. “This is called having fun.”
His large arm tugged on my neck as he walked me out toward the dance floor. Oh, no, no, no. Not happening. I wanted to throw a fit, to scream and yell until I found myself alone in silence. But before I knew it, I was surrounded by flailing girls. Both Kai and Oli turned to face me and gave me that look. That look they gave me when they wanted me to drop the act. The only issue is, this really wasn’t an act. Not this time. Being here was truly torture. Loudspeakers and music were all well and good in the right circumstances. I was a musician, after all. But music I hated being blasted directly into my brain in the middle of a crowd after a fifteen-hour journey to another continent?
Jesus fucking Christ.
“Put on a smile for me, Jojo!” Kai shouted as she grabbed my arms. She moved them up and down with her own, making them dance as the rest of my body stayed still. I kept a straight face, though her giant grin demanded my attention, momentarily silencing the rest. She began doing the running man with my extremities, and I couldn’t hold it in any longer. A smile exploded through my grimace.
I still didn’t dance, but at least I smiled. She seemed to be content with that.
◆◆◆
We finally fell out onto the street around 5:00 a.m., pushing through the tiny door of the bar. The air inside had been so hot and suffocating that stepping out onto the sidewalk felt like a goddamn miracle. I knew I would never be able to enter that place ever again. Not after being reminded how great it was to not be in it.
Our hotel wasn’t too far off, according to Kai, so we decided to walk the alleged fifteen minutes. I couldn’t have been more exhausted, but the sight of her still twirling around happily made the fact that I was awake and in public all worth it. She and June were ballroom dancing up the crooked street while Rachel and Ana skipped along behind them.
Oli, Javi, and I followed in an awkward pyramid with Javi at the front. Not a single word was spoken between us. Not until Oli finally piped up.
“Jonah,” he said, nudging my shoulder. I followed his gaze to the monumental building to my left. Above an intricate, round awning and beautiful pillars of stone sat those yellow letters, like trashy graffiti on some architect’s exquisite building. McDonald’s. My god, the place looked fancy. Was this the same restaurant that had dirty ball pits and creepy clowns?
“Hey!” Oli called out to the girls, grabbing their attention. “Stop there for a second!”
The four of them skidded to a halt as Oli took my arm and hauled me into the world’s fanciest fast-food establishment. The inside was nicer than the outside, and I honestly saw the appeal. Plus, Kai said it tasted different here, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little curious. The place was almost as packed as the bar was, and I was relieved to finally emerge back onto the street carrying far too many bags between my arms.
The girls still hadn’t moved from their spot, but Javi had caught up to them.
“Here,” I said to Kai, handing her a small fry as I had so many nights in high school at the 24-hour drive-thru. She took it and spun off, continuing down the road as she ate.
“Shouldn’t we wait to eat until we’re back at the hotel so we can get comfortable, amorcito?” Javi asked, trailing after her and lifting his head from his cell phone for the first time since we’d started walking.
“We will, amor,” Kai said, giving another twirl as the rest of the group fell into step.
“That’ll just hold her over until we get home,” I said. I glanced at Javi and pressed my lips together—my classic attempt at a friendly smile.
He did not hesitate to shoot me a look that told me everything I needed to know about his feelings toward me. They were most certainly not good. Somehow, I didn’t hate it. If he disliked me, I was probably doing something right.
My smile grew, and I showed him my teeth.