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“No, just come on,” I said, grabbing her elbow and leading her to the staircase leading down to the basement bar beneath a small boutique restaurant. “It’s cool, I promise.”
“There’s nothing cool about an underground bar.”
“Oh, lighten up, Lena. It’s seriously just a quiet, small place we can have a few drinks and go undisturbed.”
“Right.”
I led her down the cracked concrete steps and then pushed the door open, gesturing for her to walk into the dark bar. Smoke was hanging in the air, but it was mostly empty, just a few of the regulars playing pool in the back.
“Hey, Jackson,” Larry, the white-headed bartender, greeted me. “Good to see you. Want the usual?”
I nodded, and smiled as I caught Lena scoping out the place. It was clean for what it was, and there was just this charm about it that I liked. There were old pictures from the eighties hanging on the walls, and I was pretty sure that was how long it’d been since it was updated. Beyond that, there were just tables and a few pool tables.
And no crowd.
“Let’s sit over there.” I pointed to the far corner table, tucked away and out of sight. “That’s where I prefer to sit.”
She didn’t say anything, letting me lead her to the table. I pulled out her chair for her and slid in the opposite one. Her eyes stayed down on her hands, and I had to admit that seeing her still down was bothering me.
“What can I get you to drink?” Larry asked Lena. “Gotta say, you’re the first person other than the band to come here with Jackson.”
That got her attention. “Oh? Well, I’ll just have a Crown and Coke, please.”
“Is that your usual?” I asked her as he walked away.
“Something like that,” she said, running her finger along the top of the table. “This is an interesting place.”
“Yeah, but what’s up with you? You’ve been mopey ever since I saw you today,” I said, reaching across and poking her arm.
“Mopey?” She met my eyes, and my heart flipped at the defeat in them. “I guess it’s just the day. I had lunch with my mom today.”
“That’s enough to ruin a day,” I grunted, shuddering.
She furrowed her brow. “I love my mom. My parents are amazing, but they’re just…” Lena closed her eyes and let out a sharp breath. “They’re trying to pay for my school, and I don’t want them to. My dad already took on a second job to pay for my school the first time, and I don’t want him to do that again. He’s wearing himself out. My mom picked up extra shifts too, and it’s just…it’s just not fair for them to do that.”
Damn. Talk about loving your kid.
“That’s wild.”
“What?”
“Just the fact they’d do that. My mom hasn’t even called me in over five years—I don’t think she gives a shit that I even exist.” My voice dropped at the end. It was the first time I had admitted it to anyone.
Lena’s face fell. “I’m so sorry, Jackson. That’s awful. No one deserves that.”
“Not even me, huh?” I joked, relieved as Larry sat our drinks down on the table. I swooped up my gin and tonic and downed it in one move, handing the glass back to Larry for a refill.
Lena’s eyes were wide as she sipped on her own drink. “So…your mom…”
“Left us when I was young,” I finished for her. “It’s fine now, but it broke my dad. Our family never really recovered, I don’t think. We’re all close, but I don’t know. Just feels like something is missing. We went from holidays at home to spending them on yachts and never having a Christmas tree anymore.”
Why am I telling her this shit? This is supposed to be about her.
But then her hand landed on mine, electricity beneath it. “I bet that was really hard. I can’t imagine it.”
I held her gaze, flipping my hand over beneath hers and running my fingertips along her palm. Her breath audibly hitched, and my body jolted with excitement. “Fuck it. Let’s get out of here, Lena.”
I know something that can make us both feel better…
