“Shut the fuck up, dude,” Max barked before I even had a chance to say anything. I cocked my head at him, now really interested in what was going on, but I refrained from saying anything there.
“Alright, alright. Shit, I was just saying she looks like she’s fifteen,” the guy responded, putting his hands up in the air to surrender.
“Well, I’m sure she’s old enough to work here. Marcus and Rat don’t run a shady business.” He looked over at me, “Right, man?”
I nodded. “Yes, she’s legal, and yes, Marcus runs a tight ship. This place ain’t mine anymore, I’m just here for a few weeks until I head back to Austin.” I paused a minute before asking him, “Actually, do you have a few minutes to talk before y’all go on?” He agreed and we walked over to the end of the bar where we had some privacy and could hear a little better.
“Look, I don’t want to make this long and drawn out, but I just wanted to tell you that I really miss having you as a friend. I know a lot of shit has happened. We’ve both made some pretty fucking stupid decision and reacted poorly to things. I’m sorry I hit you at the wedding,” I said sincerely. Making things right between people I had once cared about was a huge part of my self-forgiveness process, which was vital in the whole self-love thing.
He took a minute, digesting my words before he responded. “You’re completely right. We both did some things that we shouldn’t be proud of. I want you to know that I deserved that punch though; it’s why I didn’t even try to defend myself. I could give you a thousand excuses for what I did, but none of them mean shit. All I can say is I’m sorry… really fucking sorry. You have no idea how badly I’d like to redo that night.” He shook his head remorsefully.
“I get it. You don’t need to say anything else. Believe me, I know more than anyone. I just wanted things to be cool between us. Like I said earlier, I’m gonna be around here for a little while before heading back to Austin, and I’d love sometime in the future for Jobu’s Rum and 32 Leaves to play together again.” I felt such a relief that this conversation was going so smoothly.
“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that,” he began cautiously. “As you know…” He suddenly stopped what he was saying as something behind me caught his eye. Naturally, I turned around to see what or who it was, and immediately my eyes found Scarlett walking through the front door… followed by Ash.
SCARLETT
The day after my and Ash’s argument, and subsequent make up, we spent quite a bit of time talking about and planning for our upcoming move. Once we had the chance to discuss everything in detail, I began to get excited. UC Berkeley had an award winning College of Music so it was really a perfect fit for both of us. I had never dreamed of living in California before, and I wasn’t sure how my parents were going to feel about me leaving Rice, an academic mecca, for a music school on the west coast, but I had to remind myself that I wasn’t living this life for them.
We still needed to figure out where we were going to live, but we decided that we would go at the end of May, as soon as the semester was over. Ash had a job through the school doing research, similar to what he had at St. Thomas, and I would try to find one once we got out there. He kept telling me that it wasn’t necessary for me to work, that he could pay for everything, but I wanted to be able to help with our living expenses, even if he didn’t need it. I explained to him that if I didn’t, I felt like I was completely dependent on him, which of course was what I was trying to escape. Thankfully, he finally got it, and told me that he supported whatever made me happy.
That evening I was singing with 32 Leaves for the first time at Empty’s, and I was both excited and nervous. After Max had talked to Noah and the rest of the band, they had welcomed me with open arms. I quickly learned that singing with a band was much different than what I was used to, just me and my guitar or keyboard, but after practicing with them a few times, I finally felt confident enough to perform.
Max had left while I was still getting ready, saying that he had some errands to run before heading up to the bar. Ash had gone home to shower and get dressed and was coming back to pick me up. I think he was just as excited to see me with the band as I was to perform with them. I dressed in a black V-neck sweater with skinny jeans and black knee boots, hoping for a good mixture of comfort and style. As I finished straightening my hair and putting on a small bit of makeup, I found myself really wishing Evie was there. Not only was she my personal stylist, but she had always been my biggest fan. Just her presence had a calming sensation that no one or nothing else could rival.
A little after nine o’clock, Ash and I walked in and headed straight for the table where Max, Noah, Mina, and the rest of the band always sat. As we walked across the room, I noticed that Max’s chair was empty so my eyes began scanning the room. It didn’t take me long to find him. His eyes locked with mine, pleading, and I immediately knew why. I hadn’t even thought about seeing Mase up there; it had just never occurred to me that while he was still in Houston, that he would be there. He turned around and followed Max’s line of sight, and when our eyes locked, the nervous butterflies in my belly turned into a wild zoo.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Hesitate ~ Stone Sour
Let Her Go ~ Passenger
MASON
I knew it had only been the day before that I had seen her, but I could not take my eyes off of her. She was absolutely stunning. Max stepped up behind me and quietly whispered in my ear, “Dude, you’re staring.”
“I’m well aware. I can’t help it, look at her,” I replied.
“Yes, I see her. And I also see her boyfriend walking behind her,” he chuckled.