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“Things are hot and humid.” Hayley smiled. “Got some time before the show?”
“Oh, absolutely. Andrew and Cyd just got into some big thing about the lighting, so the show might not even go on.”
Hayley scoffed. “That’ll never happen.”
“A girl can dream, can’t she?”
Hayley felt herself relax as Denise told her the latest gossip about all their friends and foes at the Icarus Showcase. She almost wanted to go back, to tell her friend she hadn’t really abandoned her after four years of dancing together—but even Denise’s stories of the place caused a faint tightening in her chest.
She headed upstairs. “I’m going to talk to him.”
Denise didn’t miss a beat despite having been interrupted mid-sentence. “The karaoke guy?”
“Nick, yeah.” Hayley paused outside her bedroom door. “I should talk to him, right?”
“What’d Kevin say?”
She rolled her eyes. “You don’t care what Kevin said.”
“I do not,” Denise agreed cheerfully. “But now I know you told him.”
Hayley dropped down on her bed. “Of course I told him.”
She heard movement and a muffled curse, and pictured Denise sidestepping props and costume racks. “You two weren’t exactly communicating well the last time I saw you.”
“We’re getting better,” Hayley insisted.
A pause. “Iseverythinggetting better?”
Denise meant the panic attacks. The ringing in her ears, her jackhammer heartbeat—the certainty that the body she knew so well when she danced was suddenly and completely out of her control and would destroy itself.
Hayley swallowed. “Nothing’s happened since I’ve been here.”
“Good.”
It was just one word, said kindly, but Hayley felt guilty anyway. She’d left Indianapolis for her boyfriend. She’d left to get better. She’d left her best friend alone.
“Anyway.” She jumped up. “What should I wear for an apology?”
“Apology?” Denise snorted. “You wear what you want, honey. He’ll just have to deal with it.”
7
There was a back door to the Squeaky Lion, near the bar’s two handicapped spaces, but Nick was pretty sure it opened into the kitchen, and he couldn’t bring himself to ask for special access. Besides, this was downtown Columbus, and he was lucky there was a parking lot anywhere near the bar. His walk around the building was always a slow one—anything faster would get him winded and sweating by the time he stepped inside—but tonight he barely minded. Tonight he practiced his apology.
There was one step at the bar’s entrance, and it wasn’t a very high one, but it had nowhere near enough surface area for all four wheels of the walker. Nick had to stand on the ground, reach over the step to grasp the handle of the door, then pull backward and hope he could hold that door steady while he moved his feet and wheels up and forward. It was a risky process, but this time, as always, Theo the bouncer came to the rescue within ten seconds.
“Hey, Nick.” Theo leaned against the door and offered Nick his arm. “How’re things?”
“Theo, we’re going to make tonight a good one.” Nick stepped through the entrance and pulled the walker in after him. “Anything to report so far?”
Theo shrugged. “Haven’t had to throw anybody out yet.”
“Aw, I’m sorry, man.” Nick grinned at him. “I know how much you like to do that.”
“Hey. You.” Nick felt a tap on his shoulder and heard the familiar voice behind him. “Rock star.”
Nick turned around to face Hayley. “Um, hi,” he said.
