Dexter handed me a roll of cords, and we walked out onto the stage. Meticulously, we worked around each other, getting things adjusted and plugged in, and set up how the guys felt most comfortable. As soon as I double-checked Bunny’s mic stand, I jumped off the stage and ran back to stand with the guys. Taking both Dexter’s and Bunny’s hands, I squeezed them tight. Dexter squeezed mine back, but Bunny didn’t.
Releasing Dexter’s hand, I grabbed Bunny’s face and turned it to face mine. His black eye was so much worse than earlier. My thumb grazed over it gently. “Bunny.” My voice was barely a whisper, and he pulled away from me.
“Welcome to the stage, Solace!” Stevie announced from the stage, and the guys walked out in front of the crowd.
Bunny’s foot immediately got wrapped in the cord. He played it off with his stage presence, but Dex looked over at me. The crowd didn’t notice, but we could both tell something wasn’t right. Bunny tripped up on a lyric in one of their Deftones covers, which was not at all like him either.
They did alright, but it wasn’t the best Solace had performed. The crowd still loved it, which was good for them in this stupid competition. But Bunny was not going to be happy.
As soon as the last band played for the night, we started cleaning up. The guys helped out as usual, but I noticed that Bunny disappeared right after their set. Naomi and I had been so busy behind the bar that I didn’t see him the rest of the night. Dexter only came up once and ordered drinks for the two of them. “Where’s Bunny?” I asked Dexter.
He ran his fingers through his dark hair, looking around the bar. “He may still be out back. He said he needed fresh air a bit ago.” Nodding, I returned to the task I was doing behind the bar.
I really wanted to bring up his black eye again, but it was clearly a sensitive subject. Then again, I was worried, and I felt like I had a right to know.
Bunny was outside smoking when we walked into the parking lot to leave. We all piled into Dexter’s car and drove home.
Dojo greeted us at the door when we walked in, and Dexter led him out to the backyard. Bunny sat on the couch, turning the TV on. Sitting down in the recliner, I pulled my feet up underneath me and looked over at Bunny. His attention was fixed on the show he put on.
The back door slid open, and Dojo jumped up into the recliner with me. “Bunny.” He turned his attention to me, but his face held no emotion. “Just tell us how you got the black eye.”
He threw the remote on the couch and stood. “Leave it alone, Marlowe.” He walked past Dexter, but Dex stopped him, grabbing his arm.
“She’s fucking worried about you, just like I am,” Dexter spoke with dominance, but Bunny ignored his tone and jerked out of his hold.
“Well, stop fucking worrying about me. I’m fine.”
Stepping out of the chair, I rushed over to where they were and put my hands on Bunny’s chest, shoving him lightly. “We want to make sure you’re safe, you jackass.”
He pushed past Dexter and me, walking toward his room. “I don’t need you two to keep me safe,” he shouted before slamming his bedroom door shut.
twenty-six
i fucked up
Bunny
The bed was empty when I woke up. Dexter’s warm citrusy scent filled the air. Soft snores came from the bottom of the bed, and I found Dojo curled up near my feet. In the middle of the night, I came in here, crawling next to Marlowe. She wrapped around me like I was her little spoon, and I slept the rest of the night soundly.
Marlowe’s laughter floated down the hallway, beckoning me to go into the other room. She and Dexter sat comfortably on the couch, a blanket over Marlowe’s legs. My eye pounded slightly, the pain returning as soon as I remembered the suckerpunch from TJ. Resisting the urge to reach up and touch my face, I walked to the other side of the couch, lifting Marlowe’s feet into my lap.
Dexter and Marlowe just stared at me. Dexter looked concerned, but Marlowe looked pissed. His arm tensed around her slightly.
“I fucked up.” I kept it short, sweet, and to the point.
Marlowe looked at me, anger growing, then looked away defiantly back at the TV.
Trying again, I spoke a little louder, “I fucked up.”
“You fucking think.” Marlowe kicked me with her feet. There was little force behind the action, but she got her point across. She wasn’t happy with me. “You’re scaring the shit out of me, Bunny. I don’t like it.” She wore my black jacket half zipped, and so much skin was showing as she continued rustling around, kicking at me. I did my best to not get distracted.
“It’s a fucking black eye, relax. I’m okay.” I tried rubbing her legs to calm her down, but she just seemed to get angrier. Dexter rolled his eyes.
“Relax? Did you seriously just tell me to relax, Bunny?” Marlowe scoffed. “You’re joking. I cannot believe you.” She pulled her legs out of my lap and leaned forward to stare me in the eye. “I told you last night that I was fucking worried about you, and you blew me off. You sneak out in the middle of the night and come home like this? We just want to make sure you’re okay, Bunny. We fucking care about you. Stop taking advantage of that.”
Was I taking advantage of how much they cared about me? I wasn’t trying to. When I looked back at Marlowe, her eyes were narrowed at me. I reached over and rubbed soothing circles on her leg. “I’m sorry, okay. I feel bad. Really, I do.”
Dexter leaned forward behind her, resting his arms on his legs, dark hair falling in front of his face. “You went to Nicki’s, didn’t you?” My gaze jumped back to Marlowe. How did she know? “Don’t lie to us, Bunny. Just be honest.” The look in her blue eyes was serious. I nodded my head. “Did you fuck her?”
