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He shrugs. “Depends on who you ask.”
I grunt in response.
“You should go back to your girl. I bet she’d rather be with you, even if it means she’d be in danger.”
“It’s complicated.”
“It always is.”
He finishes his beer and throws a twenty on the bar top, then turns to me. He puts a hand on my shoulder, and I try to meet his gaze, but my blurry vision and the dim light make it impossible. “Everything will be ok. It won’t always be like this. I promise it gets better.”
I stare into my glass, and he drops his hand. His words are comforting, but how does he know? I turn to ask him, but he’s gone. I don’t see him anywhere. Strange. I finish the rest of my drink and throw a few hundreds on top of the stranger’s twenty before stumbling out the front door.
Mark grabs my shoulder when I walk in the wrong direction, and we head up the street to the hotel we’ve been staying at. It’s late, so the street is empty. Mark dumps me on my bed and yanks off my shoes because he’s my best friend, my only friend, in the whole wide world.
“We’re not going back to that place,” he says.
“Ok.”
“I mean it, Luke. You’ve got to cut the shit and act like an adult.”
“Meh.” I toss my hat across the room and throw my arm over face. “Did you see that guy?”
“What guy?”
“At the bar. Older dude. Couldn’t see his face.”
“There was no guy, Luke.”
“I liked him.”
“Ok. Get some sleep, asshole.” Mark flips the lights off and slams the door shut. I wince and roll over.
“How long has he been like this?” Emilia says nearby.
“Since the night we got to LA,” Mark says.
“For fuck’s sake,” she mutters and the bed dips.
“Luke!” she yells into my ear. I groan and roll away from her.
“Luke!” she shouts louder.
I peel my heavy lids open and glare at her.
“Get your ass up. It’s almost dinnertime.”
Fuck. I slept all day. She shoves a glass of water at me, and I move up the headboard, needing the extra support. I chug half of it and wince. “What do you want?”
“You look like shit. Have you showered?”
“If this isn’t business related, I kindly ask you to leave me the fuck alone.”
She crosses her arms and glares at me. “Your parents would be so disappointed in you right now.”
I lower my throbbing head to the pillow. “Then I guess it’s good that they’re dead.”
I’m surprised she doesn’t smack me. “I’m disappointed in you, Luke.”
