“If you have a tray to spare, I’ll bring it back," Luka said, trying very hard to sound normal.
The bartender grabbed one from the end of the counter and put the drinks on it. “Wanna keep a tab open?”
“Yeah.” Luka handed him his debit card, watching Bugs Bunny singing an aria in drag out of the corner of his eye as he tried to stave off a complete meltdown. He walked the drinks over to where his friends were sitting and got a welcoming cheer from Iris when he handed her the margarita.
He returned the tray in a daze then sat down across from August. The shot of whiskey burned all the way down.
He pulled his phone back out and dropped the last two sentences into Google Translate.The wind carries away my past. Don’t go - Don’t go.”
[Unknown Number]
Are you asking my opinion on song lyrics?
Yeah! We just got done with a writing sesh. Arnaud had to help me a little with French I never remember my vocab and Seb refuses to learn lol
whos arnaud and seb? :) I don't know any French, I had to use translate.
Oh, sorry! Arnaud is Zana and Sebastian's King. I forget sometime people don't know their name.
I'm not a poet or anything but I think they are rly good! Just surprised you'd ask me my thoughts. Is Reno ur name then, since your friends go by something different?
Nope, but only my family and Arnaud sometime call me by my birth name. I start to use Reno when I moved to London. T-yan only lets me and the band use his birth name, too.
“What are you smiling about?” Iris kicked him under the table, her shoe surprisingly sharp.
Luka finally took a sip of his neglected drink and said, “I am not smiling.”
[Unknown Number]
and of course I asked, I want to know all your thoughts.
Luka started coughing, choking on nothing, and put his phone face down.
“You’re so pink," Iris said.
“Always am.” Luka pointed to his hair, trying to compose himself. He could feel his cheeks burning.
August butted in, “What did he say now?”
“I can’t.” Luka flipped his phone screen up and entered the password before sliding the phone to August.
“Oh, who’s this?” Iris was leaning over her partner’s shoulder to peek. “You don’t have the number saved.”
“If I save it, it’ll be too real.” Luka’s face wasn’t getting any cooler. He wished he had another shot of whiskey so he had an excuse for being so flushed.
“This, my love, is that guy he has a picture of on his backpack," August told Iris, half-smirking, half-looking amazed as they scrolled through Luka and Reno’s text chain.
“I do not have his photo on my backpack.”
“Anymore," August said. “You do not have his photo on your backpackanymore.Y'all have been nonstop!” They finally stopped scrolling and went back to the most recent text. “Ope, he texted again. I love a man who’s not afraid to double text.”
“You don’t even like men.” Luka grabbed his phone back and looked at the latest message.
[Unknown Number]
Too forward?
No, no! I was just trying to figure out what to say… I'm not used to this.
