Chapter Twelve • Book Stacks • Damien
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Yep. I’m totally in love with her. Forget being hopelessly in like with her. I’m going to fucking marry this girl.
Not even Satoshi’s shitty attitude can irritate me as we prep for our first recording session in the new studio. I let Oren know that the idea of him fucking my girl wasn’t immediately shut down and he seems pleased until I tell him to back the fuck off until I’m feeling more inclined to share.
“You’re such a possessive prick,” Oren says. “Haven’t you heard of being a selfless lover?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get her nice and warmed up for you. Just want to make sure she meets your standards,” I say sarcastically.
“Since when does Oren have any of those?” Fletcher asks.
Oren rolls his eyes, but it’s the only attention he pays to the jab. “In other words, you want to try every hole before I get a chance to?”
“Precisely,” I tell him.
“She’s doing alright, then?” Fletcher asks as Oren gives me an unbothered middle finger.
“Yeah,” I tell him, knowing he wants to know about the aftermath of the seizure and not about Lillith’s emotional confession about losing her family’s precious heirloom.
I curse myself for not remembering what it looks like, because I want to buy her a replacement. It’d be the perfect gesture.
“Are you going to be able to focus tonight? Or are you going to be dropping the beat left and right?” Satoshi asks.
“I’m going to drop these nuts in your mouth if you don’t shut the fuck up,” I say.
“Mature,” Satoshi says.
“I’ll be fine. Worry about your bass and leave me alone,” I say.
“Mom, dad, stop fighting. Please,” Oren says dispassionately.
My phone pings. It’s Lillith, her face smiling in profile on her contact when I look at the screen. I drop what I’m doing and open the message.
It’s a picture of her with another woman. This one looks like her polar opposite. She’s got raven hair styled in loose beach waves and a deep tan. She’s wearing Lululemon in bright yellow and her dark eyes are framed with smoky, shimmery eyeshadow and lash extensions.
She makes a kissy face at the camera while Lillith looks faintly flushed and nervous, as if the other woman insisted on taking the photo. It’s like seeing a Kardashian hanging out with Haley Williams.
Then again, Travis Barker fell for Kourtney, so who says it couldn’t happen?
I smile as I type out a text.
Who is that? Do you need rescuing again? I can be there in ten minutes, blink twice if you’re in danger.
It’s my best friend, Wren. She said we should send you a photo of us being hot.
Tell your best friend Wren that she has just been promoted to being my best friend. She was absolutely correct. Send more.
What comes next is a series of candid shots of Lillith, some with her hands in front of her face.
Others with her laughing. They come so quick I think Wren must be doing the typing.
The final one is a video of Lillith fleeing into the bathroom while our music plays loudly in the background.
There are books fucking everywhere all over Lillith’s apartment.
I’m sorry, she ran away. You will have to make do with me. What are your intensions with the most perfect woman to ever exist?
Now that’s something we agree on. Intentions are only good things, I assure you. I’m actually hoping I can take her out on another date in a couple days. If that’s agreeable to you, anyway.
We shall see. When are you getting here? I can’t let my baby bean go out with just anyone. I’d like to meet you to make sure you don’t intend on wearing her skin or making her into people-sushi.
I mean. She does have nice skin.
Strike one. She has perfect skin you pleb.
I laugh out loud and Satoshi snatches my phone out of my hand before I even realize he’s standing near me.
“Dude, give me my shit back,” I shout.
He scrolls back through the conversation while playing keep away. His brows lift faintly.
“Who is that?” Satoshi asks. “The girl with the dark hair.”
“Her best friend, Wren,” I say.
His eyes linger on the screen as he zooms in on her kissy face. Something dark and satisfied unfurls inside of me.
“Oh, did you find someone to fall in love with? I thought your black heart wasn’t capable of it.”
“Fuck you. I can find someone hot without falling in love with them. We’re not all idiots like you,” he barks back, throwing the phone at me.
I catch it quickly thanks to my drummer’s dexterity. But also fuck him for risking it.
I shoot a text back to Wren, excusing myself and letting her know that I’ll probably be back at Odd Bird Apothecary a little before one in the morning. I put the phone back in my pocket and roll my eyes.
“Maybe if you can stop being a douchebag I’ll introduce you,” I say. “I don’t want to bring you around if you’re going to embarrass me in front of my girl.”
“She’s not your girl, you delusional psycho.”
“She will be soon. So fuck you.”
“Whatever.”
I focus on the final minor adjustments of our equipment, making sure all the pickups are operational and doing a sound check with Fletcher.
I’m eager to get back to Lillith and meet her friend.
I wonder if she’s going to stay long enough to actually meet me—if I should wear something nicer than the tee and jeans I’m wearing.
Maybe some shoes that aren’t falling apart?
And that’s pretty much how the session goes. I play songs over and over while thinking unendingly of Lillith and Wren hanging out. I wonder if they’re talking about me. They must be, right? Why else would Wren insist on texting me?
And if she’s insisting on meeting me, maybe Lillith is saying good things. Maybe she’s as excited about me being into her as I am about her being into me. Wait. What if Lillith invited her best friend over just to talk about me?
Fuck, I hope that’s the case.
When Fletcher declares he’s too tired to continue, I’m buzzing with anticipation to leave, rifling through my still-packed suitcase for some body spray.
“Where are you going in a hurry?” Roxie asks me.
“Back to see Lillith,” I say as I grab the van keys and rush past them.
They can handle things on their own. I have a beautiful woman to seduce. A beautiful woman who maybe potentially invited her bestie over just to consult her about me.
I hit every red light on the way to Lillith’s place and get stuck behind every geriatric in a PT cruiser. The thirty or so minutes it takes me to get to Odd Bird Apothecary are tortuously long. But when I finally park the van, it’s only a little past midnight. I’m an entire hour early.
Something, something if you’re not early you’re late. Or whatever.
I take my phone out to text Lillith but when I do, I find a text that was sent to me while I was playing.
It’s from an unknown number.
Door’s unlocked. Just let yourself in when you get here.
Wren, I figure. I approach the door and push it open. I hesitate a moment, looking for the mechanism to lock it. But it just... locks itself... once it’s closed.
Okay. Weird. Maybe I tripped some automatic lock when I came in or something. I try to remember if it did that when I carried Lillith in the previous day but I can’t remember. Maybe I was too distracted.
I take the stairs to Lillith’s apartment and let myself in. When I see the scene on the other side of the door, I let out a little, “Whoa.”
Lilith is laying on the floor, holding a book up over her as she reads. Wren sits on the couch next to a pile of books, flipping through what looks to be an ancient, leather-bound journal.
There are about three dozen books stacked and strewn across her small living room.
Lillith gasps and slams her book shut, throwing it across the room as she leaps to her feet. “Damien! You’re early!”
She starts gathering more books. Some of them look absolutely insane, like they’re bound in pig skin or something. She scoops books off the couch where Wren stays focused on her own reading.
“Wren—help me clean up,” she says sharply.
“I can help,” I say.
“NO!” Lillith shouts as her growing stack wobbles. “I—I mean. No. It’s alright. Don’t... don’t touch anything.”
“Uhhh—Oh...kay? Is this another barbecue sauce thing?”
“Barbecue sauce thing?” Wren asks.
“Inside joke,” I say.
“Oh my god, you already have inside jokes?” Wren squeals.
“And we’ve talked about some kinks too—blood, if I remember correctly,” I tease.
“I don’t have a blood kink!” Lillith cries, her face flushed.
“Lilipad, just let him help, what’s the worst that can happen?” Wren says, her full lips curving in a devious smile that has me thinking there are a lot of things on that list.
“I’m going to murder you for not warning me,” Lilith seethes.
“Warning you? About me coming? She didn’t know. I didn’t tell her I was on my way. I figured you knew since you left the door unlocked. I could come back later if I’m intruding.”
Wren smiles at me and then up at Lillith. “Not at all,” she says. “We were just doing some light reading. Oh, hey, why don’t you grab those books off the floor?”
“Wren, stop it!” Lilith says as she frantically adds those to her stack. When she stands up from bending over, her face looks a little pale and she wobbles. I reach out to steady her and she throws all the books behind her in a wild arc.
“Okay,” I say, thoroughly confused. “What exactly is going on? I’m serious: I can just leave if you need me to. It’s not a big deal. I know I got here early, so I don’t mind.”
“No—I... I don’t want you to leave,” she says. “Just, seriously. You can’t touch the books.”
“Why?”
Her lips press into a thin line. “I... can’t tell you. It’s a secret.”
“Alright,” I say. “Then I won’t touch them.”
I don’t know what could possibly happen from me touching a book, and why it should be a secret if something were to happen. But if it’s something she doesn’t want to share, then I’m not going to press her. Maybe they’re covered in asbestos or anthrax or something, I don’t know.
“Booo!” Wren says.
Lillith lets out a soft, relieved sigh. “Thanks,” she says. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m fine,” I say, even though I am.
“I made tikka masala,” she says.