Chapter 30
“Drew,” I call over the music. On top of interning at the firm, Liv told me how Drew has been helping the club to make some extra money. It only took Liv a few minutes to convince me to tell Drew.
“Drew!” shouting her name a second time, Low’s eyes widen as she sees me. She’s about to nudge Drew when she looks up at me, her eyes rolling.
“What?” she finally cuts out.
“Can we talk?”
“No.”
“Sketch…”
“Eli.” She’s trying to keep a tough exterior, as if she doesn’t care, but I can read her. I can see the hurt she’s trying to keep locked away. “I told you don’t ever call me that again.”
“It’s not what you think.” I ignore her last statement.
“I. Don’t. Care.” She emphasizes every word before turning, smiling to one of the other customers.
He tells her what he wants, and I watch her walk closer to where I am, opening the draft with the glass underneath it.
“There are things I didn’t tell you.”
“So you were lying to me.” Before swearing when the glass overflows.
“No, yes, fuck. I couldn’t tell you.”
“Well, lucky for you, I don’t care.” She says as she sets the glass down harder than she meant to, and beer spills out over the lip, getting on the man, but Drew doesn’t notice it or the irritation on the man’s face.
She doesn’t need to look this way for me to know that she’s full of shit; she cares. She cares so much that she hates herself for it.
“Just let me explain.”
“Fuck!” she shouts as she turns facing me. “Eli, I’m going to say this to make myself perfectly fucking clear. You had all the time to explain. I told you everything…”
“Did you?” I want to call her out more, but I stop, just giving her a shitty smirk instead.
“While we were together.” She hisses at me.
“it’s not that simple.”
“Yeah, well, let’s just make it simple then.” She doesn’t finish the statement, just turns around, walking back towards Low, whispering closer to her.
She’s out the door behind the bar in a second.
Low glances at me for a second.
“Fuck it.” I mutter as I hoist myself over the countertop and drop behind the bar. I swear, I see Low give me a smirk and a nod as I push the door behind the bar open.
Closing it behind myself, I can feel her emotions from here.
“Drew!” I shout, begging her to turn and talk to me, and pulling my shirt up over my head.
“What?” she finally snaps back, turning around and looking at me. “What the fuck are you doing?” Her eyes rake over where I stand.
“Turn off the overhead lights.”
“What?” She’s rightfully confused.
“Turn off the overhead lights.” She wears her bewilderment across her face.
“Look, I know it doesn’t make any sense right now, but just do this.
Then, if you don’t want to hear me out and still want me to leave, I will.
If you want me to stay as far away as possible, I will.
” Or I’ll try at least. “But please just turn off the damn lights and let me explain.”
“Fine.” I doubt she even realizes she rolls her eyes at me. She moves towards me, where the switch sits on the wall, and I have to hold my emotions at bay.
The nerves inside me are all heightened as I watch her lean over, her fingers growing closer to the switch, knowing in mere seconds everything I’ve been trying to keep secret will be out.
Her shirt glows from the black light above us. “Now, what is that supposed to —”
I can tell as soon as she sees it because she abruptly stops.
“How long have you had this?” she gasps as she looks at it.
“10 years.”
“I’ve never seen it before.”
“It’s UV ink...” I trail off because what else and I supposed to say about it?
She steps in close to me, her hand coming up as if she wants to feel it. I have to keep my composure as her fingers graze my skin, and it feels like my entire body is being shocked.
“I don’t understand.” She looks up at me.
“I need to explain.” I beg her. “Please. I need to show you something.”
“I have to finish my shift.” She whispers, trying not to look at me.
“I can wait.”
“Yeah, like that won’t be suspicious.” She laughs, shaking her head.
“Anymore suspicious than me jumping over the bar to come back here?” She looks away, biting her lip. “Anymore suspicious than what they’re gonna see if they play back the cameras, seeing us standing in here right now?”
She smirks, looking down. “We’re not busy; let me see if Low will cover for me.” She moves past me. “You stay here and put your shirt back on.”
As she opens the door, I watch as Low’s head turns and her eyes land on me before they widen.
Drew comes back into the room in a moment and nods to me. “Come on. We’ll go out the back.”
“Aren’t there cameras all around here?” I ask, looking around.
“Please, it’s a strip club run by an MC. Of course there are cameras everywhere. What I’m afraid of is someone seeing us together, causing them to play back the tapes?” She looks back at me.
“No.” shaking my head. “I have a feeling after tonight, for better or for worse, that everything will be out in the open.”
She stops, looking at me surprised for a moment before sighing. “Well, they usually only check them if something happens, so we’ll probably be fine.”
Once we make it out the back door, she pauses, looking at me. “I need to take a shower and change. I smell like a drunk cookie.” She hesitates for another moment before nodding. “You can come back to my apartment. We can talk there.”
“Thank you.” I whisper to her. I want to reach over and kiss her. I want to make the pain that’s apparent on her face go away.
“Where did you park?” she asks me awkwardly as I nod towards the front.
“I’ll walk you over to yours.”
“You don’t have to.” She nods her head this time.
“I know.”
She doesn’t answer, just rolls her eyes, but still lets me. She opens the car door and slides into the seat.
“I’ll be right behind you.”
We lock eyes for a moment as she starts the car and pulls out of the spot.
Sighing, I watch as she moves out of the parking lot. Making my way towards the front of the club, I round the corner as someone yells from the side.
“Shit,” mumbling to myself before turning and looking towards Zeke and Z.
Apparently, nodding towards them is enough for them to move in my direction.
“What you doing here?”
“Ah, ya know… just…” I trail off before I turn and look at them. “Dunno, man, don’t have much going on. Just killing time, really.”
The glance between them shows pity for me.
“Stop, it’s fine.” Shaking my head. Trying to change the subject. “I guess Drew wasn’t feeling too well, so I told her I’d walk her out.”
Nodding their heads as if my sad attempt at an excuse made sense.
“Let us know what you need.”
“Look, bro, I’m good. Or at least, I’m figuring it out.”
“What you got planned?”
“I’m working on it, but you guys will find out soon enough.”
It’s almost comical.
“Come inside. Let’s talk, figure something out around here if you want.”
“I appreciate it, but I actually have somewhere I need to be.”
“I get it.” He nods again. “Give me a call later then.”
Nodding my head and turning, I head towards my bike and hear them talking behind me, seeming like they’re growing closer towards me.
“Fuck my life.” Muttering to myself as I turn back around to them, trying to plaster on some face that doesn’t say I’m about to go to your sister’s apartment.
“Damn…” Zeke nods as he walks up to my bike. “I didn’t realize when you said your bike you meant this one?”
“Yeah. It was in storage for a while, but since I got out, I figured I might as well get back to my roots. Still needs a bit of work, but she runs…”
“Makes me miss mine.” Z says, shaking his head.
“Me too.”
“Motherfuckers,” Z says back to his brother.
“What happened to them?”
“Oh, we’re putting the bikes back together, but it’s gonna take some time.”
“Fuck.” Nodding my head. “What’d you do?” I can’t help but laugh.
“He decided that he’d pull one of the tricks out.”
“What?”
“He tackled him off the bike.” Z’s laughing as he looks at his brother.
“What’d he say?”
“He didn’t.” Zeke looks up at me.
“Good.” I nod my head, meaning it.
* * *
Walking up the steps, the door swings open before I reach it.
“You’re late.” She glares at me.
“Sorry.” I mumble as she steps back, letting me into the apartment and shutting the door behind me. “Your brothers caught up with me in the parking lot.”
Her eyes widen.
“It’s cool. Saved our cover. Told them I was bored and came by, and that you weren’t feeling well so I told you I’d walk you out.”
“What’d they say?”
“Nothing that’s important.”
Nodding her head, she walks over to the counter. “Let me rinse off real quick. Had I known you were going to keep me waiting, like always,” she rolls her eyes, “I would have gone ahead and taken one.”
“I’m sorry.” I look at her sincerely. “Take your time.”
“Gee, thanks for your permission, Eli.”
Glaring at me, she turns around and walks down the hallway to the bathroom.
I fight the urge to follow her.
“Come on, Eli. Get it together.” Mumbling to myself as I feel the nerves spreading throughout my body.
Pacing around the living room, I can’t sit still. And I know if I do, I’ll have to fight myself to flee this conversation.
So much of this apartment brings memories flooding back. Glancing at the balcony, I laugh, remembering her face as I turned around, running into her, as the entire club was outside of her apartment while Z was waiting at the door.
“What’s so funny?” Drew asks from behind me.
“Just thinking about how I was completely willing to jump 3 stories, so he didn’t know I was here.”
She smirks for a moment as she steps closer to me. Glancing out the window as well. “Where did you hide?”
“Behind your bedroom door.”
“That’s a terrible hiding place.”
“I know, but where else was I supposed to go? He was already through the door when I got into the room. It was the first time I had ever been in your apartment and I didn’t want to make a noise of the door closing.”
She smiles again, nodding her head. “I guess that’s fair.”
There’s a long silence between us as we stand.
“Drew,” I say, turning to look at her. She matches my movements until we’re staring at one another.