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“Well,” said Essence, “I don’t. You know me, Decker. We hang out a lot.”
“And when we don’t, you’re here.” Decker gestured around at the bar.
It was true. She did spend more time than could strictly be considered healthy in this place. But the Mecklenberg was like Cheers or something. It wasn’t like a regular bar. Shepherdstown wasn’t like a regular town. But she did not sleep around. She came here for a couple drinks and then went home. She didn’t stay out very late, not anymore. “I’m here, and then I’m at home,” she said. “Alone.”
“I don’t even care,” said Decker.
“Yeah, no one buys that,” said Niles, grinning. “You like her, dude. I can tell. I’m pulling for the both of you.”
“You’re thinking about fucking her right now,” said Decker.
“No,” said Niles.
“Stop,” said Decker.
“I don’t even remember it,” said Niles. “I mean, I remember it happened, but I remember nothing about it.”
“Briars, thanks,” said Essence.
“Sorry,” said Niles. “Nothing personal, seriously. I like you, Essence. You’re great.”
Essence started to respond, but she was interrupted by the jingling of the bells as someone opened the door to the Mecklenberg. A girl who looked like an elf, with dark hair and lavender skin, came in. She headed straight for Niles, who wound an arm around her and kissed her temple.
“Hey,” said Niles in this scratchy, affected voice that Essence had never heard come out of him before.
“Hey,” said the girl, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.
“You want a hard seltzer?” said Jeff.
“Yes, please,” sang the girl. She looked Essence and Decker over. “Oh, hey, you guys are handcuffed together.”
“This is Essence Quill,” said Niles. “She works at the Tribune.”
“Oh, yeah?” said the girl.
“And her friend Decker.”
“Co-worker,” said Essence. “Decker works at the Tribune, too.”
“I did not know that,” said Niles, nodding over his girlfriend’s head.
“I’m Dahlia,” said the girl. “Nice to meet you.”
“We’re going to help these guys figure out their shit and have a happy ending,” said Niles to Dahlia.
“Oh, yeah?” said Dahlia. “By helping them get out of their handcuffs?”
10:07 p.m.
DECKER DID NOT like Niles Chaudhary. He didn’t have a good reason for it, especially now that his girlfriend had shown up and he was literally all over her. The man had not taken his hands off the poor girl since she arrived. He managed to be touching her constantly—arm slung around her, or brushing her hair out of her face, or touching her waist, or kissing her, or once—smelling her fucking hair.
Niles had barely looked at Essence since Dahlia arrived.
They were all sitting together at a table in front, now. Niles and Dahlia were in one of the church pews that lined the walls, sitting next to each other. Decker and Essence sat across from them, in chairs, handcuffed, both drinking their beer.
“So, it’s a big secret how this happened,” Niles told Dahlia, gesturing to the handcuffs.
“It’s not,” countered Essence. “Hollis had these, and I put them on us just to see what would happen. Then we got stuck. Hollis left to go and see if he could find a spell to get them undone, but he never came back.”
