Chapter 12 #2
She pouts. “It must be nice. Having someone like that.”
“It is,” he says. “Did you have any close friends? Before you came on tour with us, I mean.”
She shakes her head. “No one I would consider ‘close’. I had friends and acquaintances I guess, people I hung out with at shows and my coworkers from the Coney Island I worked at. But many of them left Detroit one way or another. Some of them even left on journeys just like the one I’m making now.”
Gene’s eyes widen. “I guess there are a lot of musicians that pass through Detroit. You’re following in their footsteps, then?”
“I guess so.” She shrugs again. She doesn’t say more. Gene can respect that.
Ray appears right on cue, coming back to the table with not only one, but three drinks: one for each of them, even though Gene’s not done with his first. Ray sets them down on the table. “Here you are. I got you another whiskey sour too, Gene. I know you like those.”
“Thanks, man,” he says, then he chugs the remainder of his first drink.
“That’s the spirit.” Ray grins. He sits, then directs his attention to Carol. “I was wondering, do you only go by Carol? Or do you like the nickname ‘Carrie’ as well? Forgive me if you dislike it.”
She gives him a smile. “Carrie is fine. Same with Carol. I don’t mind either.”
“Sounds good. You know I go by Ray, but you can call me ‘babe’, if you prefer.”
“Oh, stop it!” She giggles and swats Ray’s shoulder playfully.
“Fine, fine.” Ray chuckles, rubbing the spot she just hit. “So, enough of that. I’m curious, other than the Dusty Brooms, of course, what other bands do you like?”
Carol lists off many of the same rock bands Gene likes.
She continues chatting with Ray, simple, easy small talk, almost as if Gene isn’t there at all.
A few times he thinks to chime in, but before he even says anything, Ray butts in with another question for Carol.
And so, instead of talking, Gene holds his drink to his lips, taking big gulps.
As he finishes his second whiskey sour, his mind drifts.
He’s annoyed that Ray is flirting so heavily in front of him.
A lump in his throat rises, electric with a familiar emotion—jealousy.
He’s not jealous of Ray, no, he’s jealous of Carol.
She’s been getting all of Ray’s attention, when Gene is literally right there.
He’s forgotten. Left in the dust. Does he really care more about her than me?
Is she really that much more special? I’m supposed to be his best friend.
She’s just some chick… What’s he even trying to do? Why isn’t he talking with me?
Gene realizes he’s probably wildly misinterpreting their interaction, especially since he’s starting to feel a little drunk. But that doesn’t stop the lump from poking thorns in his throat. Maybe some more whiskey will help the pain go away.
He puts out his cigarette in the ashtray on the table and stands up without saying a word. But such an action doesn’t go unnoticed.
“Hey, Gene, where’re you going?” Ray asks.
Oh, now you wanna talk to me, when I’m about to leave. “I’m gonna get another drink.”
“Alright. You coming back here when you’re done?”
Gene shrugs. “Maybe. Or I might just head up to the room.”
“You can’t head to the room with one of their glasses, though.”
“Who’s to say I won’t just have a shot and be done in one gulp?” Gene chuckles. “I’m kinda in the mood for that. We’ll see. I’ll catch you later, Ray.”
Before Ray can get a reply in, Gene turns and leaves the table.
He shuffles around Stefan and his two chicks, finding an open spot to stand at the bar.
He orders a shot of Jack Daniel’s. Dennis had set up a group tab for the band members, so thankfully he doesn’t need to worry about paying.
While he’s waiting for it to be poured, Santiago, along with a girl attached to him, comes up to Gene’s side.
“How’s it goin’, man?” Santi asks.
Gene shrugs. “Alright. I had a lot of fun at the show.”
“As in, you had fun then, but you’re not having fun now?”
Gene chuckles at how intuitive Santi can be. “I guess.”
“Where’s Ray?”
“Sitting over there with Carol.”
Santi leans to look around the other partiers, pouting his lips when he spots Ray. “Ah. Well, at least if he wants to get with Carol, he’s not cheating anymore, right?”
That’s about the only good thing about this situation, though. “I guess so.”
“Come on, man, don’t just keep saying that!” Santiago laughs. “We need to find you someone to lighten you up. Right, Liv?” He turns his head to the girl at his side. She nods, wrapping her arm around Santi’s elbow.
Gene, however, doesn’t know how to respond. So he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he turns to look at the bar, finding his shot ready. The bartender nods at him. “Here you go.”
“Thanks, man.” Gene picks up the shot and, without a second thought, tosses it back. The bitter taste is foul on his tongue. He quickly grabs another cigarette from the pack in his pocket and lights it to chase away the aftertaste.
“Can I bum one off you? I left my pack upstairs in the room,” Santiago asks.
“Sure.” Gene takes one out and gives it to Santi, also letting him use his lighter. He pockets the lighter and pack once the end of Santi’s cigarette glows red.
The alcohol, along with that awful lingering anxiety, stirs in his gut.
Should he take Santi’s offer and go find a chick?
When he thinks more about it, he realizes that finding a random chick isn’t actually going to make him feel any better.
Honestly, he’s not sure what will make him feel better at all.
He wanted to spend more time with Ray, but he’s not sure if Ray wants the same.
It brings up that nagging jealousy that’s been toying with his mind. Why can’t I just fucking get over it?
“Oh hey, look who’s here,” Santiago says, pointing behind Gene.
Is it Ray?
That brief hope is instantly shut down when he sees that, no, it’s not Ray. It’s Carol—surprisingly, by herself.
“Hey Carol,” Gene says, trying to act normal. “What happened to Ray?”
“Your manager and photographer came over and dragged him into playing pool with them. I don’t know how to play, and I didn’t feel like watching, so I came over here.”
“And Ray was okay with that?”
“I kinda encouraged him to go with them.” She shrugs with a smile. “So he didn’t really have a choice.”
Leave it to Ray to be easily persuaded by a pretty girl. “Well, alright. Did you want another drink?”
“No, I’m good.” She holds her hands behind her back and shuffles her feet. She looks to Santiago, then back to Gene, focusing on him. “Would you maybe… like to…” She chews her bottom lip. Gene raises his eyebrows. “Would you like to head back to the room with me?”
Gene can’t muster up anything to say. His heart slaps against his ribcage.
His voice is stuck in his throat. So far on their trip she’s shared a room with him, Ray, and Santiago all together, so that by itself isn’t strange.
But it’s the implications of what she’s asking that burns his cheeks.
If they went up to the room now, they could be alone.
With Ray preoccupied, and Santi always eager to cheer Gene on…
“Go for it, Gene,” Santi whispers, elbowing him in the side. Yup, there it is.
A dizzy rush smacks his head. And there’s the whiskey kicking in, too.
He gazes at Carol. She’s not exactly ‘random’, no.
And she really is absolutely beautiful tonight.
Her full lips curl up in a sweet smile, her eye make-up is done so perfectly, brunette hair tousled elegantly, small waist hidden behind her minidress, and long, slender legs that he imagines wrapped around himself…
He closes his eyes for a moment. He breathes in a drag from his cigarette—deep—and out. The nicotine floods his senses.
“Sure.”
Oh, what am I getting myself into?
“Alright,” is all she says, still with a smile on her face.
“What are you gonna do, Santi?” Gene asks, turning toward him.
“I think Pat would let me crash with her. I think she’d also be fine with stepping out for a minute to give me and Liv some alone time too, y’know.
Pat’s cool like that.” He winks at the girl wrapped around his arm.
“She steps out for Stefan, anyway, when he’s got chicks.
Maybe once the Brooms get bigger, we won’t have to worry about sharing rooms anymore. ”
“Yeah, for sure.” Gene never has a problem sharing a room with Ray, though. But—well, when they’re alone. It only becomes awkward whenever Ray has a girl around. Though, haven’t I been guilty of the same thing? Isn’t that what I’m going to do now?
“Let’s go then, before Ray notices we’ve left,” Carol says, a smirk on her face.
“Oh, heh, yeah, sure.” He doesn’t think Ray would walk in on them anyway, but better safe than sorry.
“Cheers, man,” Santi says, giving Gene a salute, cigarette in hand.
“Cheers.” He smiles sheepishly.
Without a moment to lose, Carol grabs Gene’s free hand. His other puts his cigarette in his mouth, biting it down, careful not to drop it as they scurry out of the bar and into the lobby, then up the stairs to the second floor.