Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
YURI
The Sand Bar is packed, as usual, and I’m hurrying back and forth between tables and the bar.
It’s Bird’s night to man the bar while I handle the floor, which means dodging drunken groping and trying not to run into anyone with a whole tray of drinks.
I’m feeling calmer than usual though, more centered.
Maybe there really is something to that morning yoga.
Or it could have been the blowjob Cooper gave me after we went back to his place for coffee.
As silly as it seems, it might just be that I feel kind of untouchable in his clothes, like wearing them automatically gives me his superpower of never getting flustered or overwhelmed.
“Tray of blowjob shots for the rowdy table,” I shout over the ruckus to Bird.
He smirks at me from behind the bar. “You sure they want the drinks? Or were they just flirting with you?”
“No clue,” I admit with a chuckle. “But they asked for blowjobs, and that’s what they’re getting.”
“Coming right up.” He winks and turns around to start making the drinks. “Oh, and that beer is for the cutie with the blue hair near the jukebox.”
“Got it.” Just as I pick up the tall glass, someone crashes into me from behind. “Shit,” I mutter, beer splashing down the front of my shirt.
“Oh, fuck, I’m sorry,” the guy slurs. “Let me buy you another drink.”
“You’re fine, sweetie,” I assure him. “I work here. Maybe have a glass of water though.” I barely even glance at him while I try to hold myself together and not lose my shit over the fact that I’m now wet, sticky (shudder), and going to spend the next several hours reeking of beer.
I take a few deep breaths and tap my fingers rhythmically against my thigh, focusing on the soothing one, two, three, four, five I count out in my head as I tap each one.
“Here.” Boston’s voice makes me realize I’ve closed my eyes. I open them to find him holding a clean, damp cloth out to me from the other side of the bar.
I force a smile and let my breath out slowly. “Thanks.”
I take the cloth and start to dab myself clean.
“Hey, isn’t that Lyric’s shirt?” he asks, tilting his head like maybe seeing the shirt from a different angle will change his opinion about it.
“Um…” I’m glad my head is down while I scrub the shirt so he can’t see the heat rushing into my cheeks.
Shit, I don’t know what to say. I’ve never been a good liar, I always get nervous and ramble too much, which I’m told is a dead giveaway that you’re lying.
But I don’t know if Cooper wants anyone to know that we’ve been hooking up.
He made a big deal about letting me have a fresh start here without everyone knowing about our past, but I’m still not sure if that was really for me or for him. Maybe both of us.
“It’s Lyric’s,” another voice confirms. Trick.
I glance up and realize for the first time that he’s sitting on the bar stool right next to me.
“There’s that hole on the bottom where he accidentally burned it with a joint two years ago.
” He reaches over and sticks his pinky through the small hole right near the hem.
“Oh, yeah, I guess it is his.” I laugh awkwardly. “You know, what happened was…” I lick my lips. Shit, I need a believable story. Why would someone borrow someone else’s clothes? “My washing machine was acting up, and I was all out of clean shirts, and, uh…”
The way they’re both smirking at me tells me that they’re not buying any of this.
“Blowjobs, get ’em while they’re sloppy,” Bird announces loudly, spinning around with a tray of lime green shots topped with whipped cream and cherries.
“I’d better deliver these.” I grab the tray and carefully scurry away.
I’ve escaped bad lies in worse ways. It’s just a shirt, anyway.
I’m sure Boston and Trick will have forgotten that conversation even happened by this time tomorrow.
No big deal. And it’s better to say nothing and let them speculate than to confirm their suspicions.
Cooper and I aren’t even together, we’re just…
I don’t even know what we’re doing. Having fun, I guess?
Getting closure? Whatever it is, it would be way too embarrassing to tell Boston, Trick, or anyone else anything about it now and have to walk it back later.
Do I want there to be something more between us?
Of course I do. Cooper was the love of my life, and I don’t think I ever got over him.
But I still don’t know what any of this means to him.
I guess I was just hoping he would say something earlier about wanting me to stay.
It’s unfair for me to want that though, and I know it.
Maybe before the end of the summer, I’ll work up the courage to ask him how he’s feeling. Or maybe I’ll just stay right here in paradise and wait for Cooper to realize that I’m still crazy about him, and I always have been.
LYRIC
The bonfire crackles a few feet in front of me, adding even more heat to the already humid night, making sweat drip down the back of my neck while I strum my guitar.
I’ve been working on a new song… Actually, it’s a new version of a song I started years ago and never finished.
I loved it, but I couldn’t get it exactly right back then.
Maybe it just wasn’t the right time for it.
Whatever it was, it popped into my head again recently, and I can’t seem to shake it, so here I am, still trying to perfect it.
Maybe once I do, I’ll play it for Yuri… if he’s still around.
I shake that thought off as quickly as I can.
“That’s so hot. I’ve always been a sucker for musicians,” the guy sitting next to me purrs. I already forgot his name. Maybe he didn’t bother to tell me. I’m sure I didn’t ask since I don’t really care. “What song are you playing?”
“It doesn’t have a title yet.” I shake my head at the slightly wrong sound of the note progression and start over from the top, where the beat is purposely a little uneven to create a feeling of uncertainty.
“You wrote it yourself?” He gasps and leans over to put his chin on my shoulder. “That’s so hot,” he says again.
I shrug a little bit, hoping he’ll get the hint and back up.
It’s hard as fuck to play with someone leaning on you.
I wonder what time it is. It’s dark out and has been for a while, so it must be late.
I look up towards the road, hoping to see Yuri walking by after his shift.
The only people up there are tourists though.
I jostle my shoulder again and start from the top for the dozenth time.
I gave up on this song once already, but I know there’s something here, something good.
I just need to figure out how it all fits together the right way so it stops sounding like two different songs and starts to work together the way I know it should.
“I bet you’re really good with your hands,” the guy whispers. Is he still here?
“Gotta be to play the guitar,” I answer.
Someone steps in front of me and I roll my eyes. What now? I look up and see Easy standing over us with a beer in his hand and a devious smirk on his face.
“Hey there, honey. I hate to be a bitch, but you’re kind of pawing at my man.”
What? Did Easy hit his head or has he just been drinking too much?
“He didn’t say he was with anyone,” Handsy tells him smugly, draping his arm over my shoulders.
Easy laughs. “I know, he’s a dog, I’m still trying to train him. But, listen, if you’re into threesomes…”
Handsy perks up, and I’m sure I give Easy a panicked look. He is not volunteering me to have a threeway with him and this dude, is he? He tilts his head towards Angel and Devil, who are dancing in the sand a few yards away.
“Those two told me earlier that they thought you were sexy, and believe me when I tell you that they are a wild time.” He waggles his eyebrows and Handsy finally peels himself off of me.
“Okay, whatever.” He gets up, brushes the sand off his shorts, and struts over to chat up Angel and Devil.
Easy chuckles, then looks behind me.
“Oh, shit, sorry, should I have sicced him on someone else?” he asks.
“Why would I care?” Raven’s voice has a little more edge in it than it usually does.
Easy holds his hands up in surrender and then looks back down at me. “Hope that was okay. You looked like you were in need of a rescue.”
“Yeah. Thanks, man.” I finally give up strumming this stubborn damn song and stand up too. “We’re not dating though.”
Easy snorts. “I am aware of that.” He gives me a sloppy kiss on the cheek, then pats that same spot, and wanders off again.
I glance back towards the road. Still no Yuri.
Could I have missed him? What time even is it?
I sling my guitar onto my back and start walking, leaving the noise and light of the beach behind.
The party has spilled out onto the road too, but it only takes a minute or two of walking until I’m all alone, the gravel crunching under my feet and the sound of laughter and music fading into the distance, mixing with the white noise of the waves.
I pass my house and keep walking.
Yuri’s place is dark, so either he’s asleep or it’s earlier than I thought and he’s not home yet.
I sit down on his top step and take my guitar off, laying it on the porch, then pluck the fresh joint from behind my ear and stick it between my lips.
Something fluffy slinks out of the shadows, and I spark my lighter to see Mr. Tubbs with a pair of lacy red underwear dangling from his mouth.
I inhale the sweet, fruity smoke as the cat stares at me, unmoving for several seconds. His eyes are bright and sharp, and just the tip of his tail flicks back and forth, like he’s daring me to rat him out.
“I’m no snitch, man,” I assure him. “I’m pretty sure those aren’t Yuri’s, so I won’t stop you.”
He lets out a muffled little mrrrow and trots off while I tilt my head back to look up at the stars, smoking my joint and waiting for Yuri to get home.