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“Sounds…normal.”Too normal. Too perfect. It’s a lie.
He chuckles. “Yeah, I guess. And you? I’m gonna assume dysfunctional.”
“Why do you assume that?”
“You give off themy-family-is-fucked-upvibe.”
“Not sure how to take that.”
He shrugs, pushing up the sleeves of his shirt, showing off the ink on both arms.
“You the black sheep of your perfect family with all that ink?”
My eyes try to decipher something from the art, but it’s all random. A chess board, some skulls, a couple different birds, numbers, a woman.
“I guess so, but they love me regardless of how I choose to decorate my body.”
“They love you even though you like men?”
He freezes and the air around us becomes charged. His jaw clenches and his eyes penetrate mine for what feels like a full minute. I pushed a button.
“Yeah,” he answers finally. “They don’t care.”
Another lie.He’s either never told them or they don’t approve.
“Cool.”
“And you? Your family?”
“You were right,” I tell him. “Pretty fucked up. I don’t know where they are. I don’t keep in touch.”
“Maybe that’s better.”
“Maybe.”
* * *
After drinkinghalf of my beer, I get up and tell him I’m going to pay my tab. It’s only ten-thirty, but he’s not giving me any information I’m interested in, and I’m already peopled out. More and more keep coming in, getting louder, and there’s one guy in particular who keeps looking at me in a way I don’t like. Before I’m tempted to do something about it, I need to leave.
The bartender rushes over after I’ve waited near the register for a few minutes. “Sorry, man. What can I get ya?”
“Just paying my tab.” I pause. “My friend’s too. He’s the one that’s been drinking Gin and Tonics all night.”
His brows furrow slightly as he goes to the register and sifts through the cards. “You’re Ezra, right?”
“Yep.”
“Who’s your friend?”
“Kaspian.” I glance back at the booth where Kas sits, eyeing the table of women in front of him. “That one over there.”
“Oh. He was drinking a mix of Sprite and water.”
That fucker.
“Right. He started with a Gin and Tonic.”
“Cool. One second and I’ll get you squared away.”
