Chapter 9
Cure for Heartache
I closed up my guitar case, eager to go home. It was Sunday, still pretty early in the evening, and Kiera wasn’t working tonight. Now that rehearsal was over, we could have the entire night together. If I hurried, I could possibly make it home before she had dinner and we could eat together. Maybe I’d attempt to make something for her tonight. Spaghetti? I wasn’t the greatest cook, but boiling water was something I could do.
I glanced up at Evan and Matt. “See you tomorrow.” I have a date. Well, not a date, but I have somewhere to be.
Evan gave me such an odd look that I froze. Either he suspected something…or I was forgetting something. “What?” I asked, slowly.
Evan didn’t say anything, he just tilted his head at Matt and raised his eyebrows. That was when it hit me. “Fuck. Matt. It’s your birthday. I’m sorry, man, I totally forgot.”
Matt’s cheeks turned red as he scratched his head. “Don’t worry about it, Kell. It’s no big deal.” He gave Evan a pointed glance. “We don’t have to do anything special. Just playing with you guys was enough.”
Griffin was sitting on the back of the couch. He made a disgusted noise at Matt’s comment. “Screw that. We’re partying. No birthday is complete until you’ve upchucked your dinner.” He scrunched his brow in concentration. “Have we eaten yet?”
Evan smiled at Matt. “Nope, not yet. Where you wanna go, birthday boy?”
Matt’s expression was bordering on irritated. He really didn’t like being the center of attention. “I’m not five…please don’t call me that.” He sighed. “I don’t know…somewhere low-key, where they don’t make a big deal out of a person being one year closer to death.”
Griffin raised his eyebrows. “Wow. Morbid much? How old are you again? Seventy-two?”
Matt held up both of his middle fingers. “I’m this old.”
Griffin grinned. “Eleven?” His smile grew as he turned to me. “Sounds about right.”
Even as I laughed at Griffin’s joke, my insides felt like ash. Kiera would be home alone now, and for probably most of the night. I wouldn’t get another chance to spend an evening with her alone for…well, it would feel like forever. I couldn’t not go out with the guys tonight though.
Making myself smile, I told Griffin, “I know this place where they make everyone wear insulting hats and the staff abuses you all night long.”
Griffin jumped off the couch. “Fuck yeah, let’s do that! Like, what do they do to you though?” Turning around, he bent over the couch and stuck his ass in the air. “Will they spank me if I’m naughty?”
Matt pointed a finger at his cousin. “There is no way in hell I’m going anywhere where he might get spanked.” Shrugging, he added, “Can we just go to Pete’s?”
Holding in a sigh, I shrugged. “It’s your night. Pete’s it is.” Why couldn’t Kiera be working tonight? Maybe I’d call her once we got there and invite her over. I hopped in my car feeling a little irritated but willing to let it go. It wasn’t like I didn’t see Kiera all the time. But…I was all too aware that I was missing out on time alone with her, and I had this horrible feeling that our time together was fleeting.
I tried to sneak off to the back to make a phone call when I got to Pete’s, but Griffin walked in the door with me. Grabbing my arm, he immediately pulled me to the bar. Slamming his hand down on the counter, he announced, “Round of Jäger for the band, Reets. We’re getting fucked up tonight!”
Rita smirked at Griffin’s nickname for her, then leaned in to kiss my cheek. Without looking like I was pulling away from her, I moved out of reach. She sighed at the near miss. “Anything for my favorite rock stars.” She pursed her lips like she was kissing me in her mind. “Mm, mm, mm,” she muttered as she started pouring shots.
Griffin raised his drink in the air when they were all passed out. Loud enough for the entire bar to hear, he exclaimed, “To my cousin, who finally grew pubes this year, and is hoping to touch a naked woman for the first time…Happy birthday!”
The entire bar was laughing. Evan and I were laughing too while Griffin downed his shot alone. Afterward, he stuck his tongue out, making a face, while Matt gave him a blank stare. “I really fucking hate you,” he said dispassionately to Griffin.
Griffin stole his drink and downed it too. “I know,” he said with a smirk when he was done. Then he grabbed Matt by the neck and gave him a noogie.
Matt eventually started laughing as he tried to get away, and just like that, the two constantly fighting cousins were best friends. Shaking my head at the pair of them, I handed Matt my shot. He gladly slung it back. Evan took his, then we set our glasses on the bar, where they were immediately refilled.
It was ages before I was finally able to slip away. I headed to the bathroom hallway and found the pay phone in the back. No one really used it anymore, and it was a little dusty when I picked up the handset. I found some change in my pocket and dialed home, but it just rang and rang. The machine didn’t even pick up, which I thought was a little odd; Kiera was obsessed with making sure it was on and ready to record any calls from Denny that she might have missed.
All I could come up with was that Kiera had gone to bed. I’d missed her. An almost overwhelming sadness filled me, but I threw on a smile for my band’s sake. I didn’t want them asking questions when I returned to the table.
By the time the evening wrapped up, it was late. I’d stopped drinking a while ago so I could drive home, but I still felt a little off when I shut my car off in the driveway. I smiled when I noticed Denny’s Honda beside my car. Kiera was home and safe in bed. I loved knowing she was here, sleeping only a few feet away from me…as soon as I could get my slow ass through the door. Maybe some water would help clear my head. Yeah. Water would be good.
Intent on hydration, I made a beeline for the kitchen when I got into the house. I tossed my keys on the counter, then came to a standstill when I realized I wasn’t alone. Kiera was still up, dressed in her pajamas…and she was clearly upset. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face a little puffy, and she was downing a glass of wine like it was juice. Something was very, very wrong. My heart sped up in anticipation.
“Hey,” I said, trying to sound casual.
She didn’t answer me, just kept drinking her wine. I could tell from the empty bottle on the counter that she was almost at the end of her supply. There was only one thing that would make her this distraught…
“You okay?” I asked, already knowing she wasn’t.
She paused in her drink to answer me. “No.” I thought she’d leave it at that, but she surprised me by adding, “Denny isn’t coming back…we’re done.”
A multitude of emotions washed over me at the same time: compassion, grief…joy…and guilt. I walked over to her, eager to wrap my arms around her and tell her I was here for her, that I’d never leave her, but it was obvious she was trying to suppress her pain. Hearing how much I cared about her probably wouldn’t help her right now; I needed to let her grieve first. Instead of touching her, I leaned back against the counter. I even rested my hands behind me so I wouldn’t be tempted.
Not knowing what to do for her, I watched her studying me for a minute. Then, hoping she’d say no, because I really didn’t want to discuss her feelings about Denny, I asked, “You want to talk about it?”
She again paused from her drink only long enough to answer me. “No.”
Relief hit me again that she didn’t want to talk about him. She probably didn’t want to talk about me either, but that was okay. I understood not wanting to talk. And I knew what I would want if I were her. I glanced at her empty wine bottle, then the glass she was finishing. “You want some tequila?” I asked.
A genuine smile spread across her lips. “Absolutely.”
I opened the cupboard above the fridge and, rummaging through my alcohol stash, I grabbed the tequila. I wasn’t sure if getting Kiera drunker was a good idea, but it was the only solution I could think of right now. And besides, at least she wasn’t drinking alone anymore. I grabbed glasses, then salt and limes from the fridge. Setting out a cutting board, I sliced up the limes. I could feel Kiera’s eyes on me the entire time.
I poured us shots, then handed hers to her with a smile. “Cure for heartache, I’m told.”
She took the glass from me and our fingers briefly touched. It was enough to send heat through my body. She was single now…that changed things. Or did it? Denny was my best friend. I owed him…
Determined to stop thinking, to just go with whatever happened, I dipped my finger into my drink and wet the backs of our hands. Kiera watched every move I made as I shook some salt over our hands. When she made no move to drink her shot, I broke the ice and took mine so she’d feel more comfortable about doing this with me. My throat was numb from doing Jäger shots all night, so it didn’t even burn. It burned for Kiera though.
Her tongue came out to lick the salt off her hand, her mouth opened to receive her drink, and her lips curled around the lime, squeezing its juices. It was an erotic thing to watch. Then her face twisted into a grimace. I chuckled at her reaction, then poured us another round.