Chapter Eighteen
Eighteen
‘I can see that you’re not only a talented musician,’ Vicky said, as Luke swirled her around before bringing her back closer to him. ‘You can also certainly lead on the dance floor.’ She pressed her hips tighter against his body.
Luke half blushed.
She moved her lips closer to his ear. ‘I wonder what else you’re good at.’
Luke replied with a subtle ‘who knows’ movement of the head, while his eyes moved over Vicky’s shoulder to look in the direction of the door that led to the bathrooms. Mary still hadn’t come back.
The song that they were dancing to came to an end and it was smoothly mixed into the next track – another slow song. Luke let go of Vicky’s body, but she quickly pulled him back towards her.
‘Oh, c’mon,’ she said, locking eyes with him. ‘This is a great song. You’re not going to just leave me here on the dance floor all by myself, are you?’
Luke glanced back in the direction of the bathrooms – still no Mary. He began wondering if maybe there was something wrong. She was acting a little different since they walked back into The Whiskey. Maybe she wasn’t feeling too well… or maybe she was trying to avoid him.
‘C’mon,’ Vicky insisted. ‘One more dance?’ She batted her eyelids like Betty Boop.
Luke finally smiled back at her. ‘Sure.’
Throughout the whole song, every chance he got, Luke’s stare would ping back to the door leading to the bathrooms.
No Mary.
As the song drew to an end, Luke nodded at Vicky. ‘Let’s go back to the bar, let me get you one last drink before they shut for the night.’
‘Yeah,’ Vicky replied. ‘I’d like that.’
All the G.R.I.T.S had already left, except for Pam.
‘My turn,’ she said, reaching for Luke’s hand, just as they got to the bar.
Luke clearly wasn’t expecting that.
‘Umm… how about we get a beer first? I think they’ll be closing soon.’ He raised a hand at Josie.
Pam looked a little disappointed, but she agreed to the beer.
‘Last orders, y’all,’ Josie announced, getting to their end of the bar. ‘We’ll be closing in five, OK?’
Luke ordered three bottles of beer and as he did, he leaned over the bar and whispered something in Josie’s ear.
Josie nodded back at him before serving them three bottles of Bud. She then walked out and around the bar and disappeared through the door that led to the bathrooms. Less than a minute later, she was back.
‘She’s not in the bathroom, Luke,’ she told him, as she began wiping down the bar counter.
Luke frowned back at Josie. ‘Did you see her leave at all?’ he asked, turning around to check the dance floor.
‘I didn’t, no,’ Josie replied, with a shake of the head. ‘But I was busy with customers. She might have.’
‘Something wrong?’ Vicky asked.
‘Mary,’ Luke replied. ‘I think she might’ve left. I’m not sure. I didn’t see her leave. Did you?’ he addressed Pam.
‘I didn’t see her, either,’ Pam replied. ‘And I was standing here the whole time. If she did, she didn’t walk past me.’
‘That’s quite rude of her, don’t you think?’ Vicky commented, her tone like shards of glass. ‘She could’ve at least said goodbye.’
Pam nodded in agreement.
‘I think she wasn’t feeling too well,’ Luke said before raising a hand at the two G.R.I.T.S. ‘Give me a sec.’ He had a swig of his beer. ‘Let me go check outside real quick.’
As Luke turned around and quickly exited The Whiskey, Vicky shook her head at Pam. ‘What the fuck does he see in her? She’s a bit chubby.’
‘That she is,’ Pam agreed.
Back out on the Broadway, Luke looked left then right, checking the small group of people spilling out of The Whiskey and walking up and down the boulevard.
No Mary.
He walked a little to his right before getting onto the tips of his toes and looking again.
Mary was nowhere to be seen.
He checked across the street.
Nothing.
‘Fuck!’ Luke said, as he finally gave up and returned to The Whiskey.