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Authors: Natalie Essary
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nodded.
“Go upstairs and take a hot shower. A long one. Use my room. Use my eye drops. Here, take the key.” I pushed it into her hand. “You’ve got an hour until last call. Meet her here when the place clears out. I’ll make sure you’re alone.”
She looked at the key in her hand, set it on the bar and took a long drink from her bottle.
I sighed.
She turned her head.
That was the end of the conversation.
When the lights came up after last call, she was gone, and Lily was looking for her, wanting to know what I knew. She asked me how long Ash had been hanging out at rock bottom, if I knew who went there with her and what she was on. I said as little as possible. It’s not like I had the answers anyway. Eventually, Lily gave up and went to her room.
Ash didn’t come back home until the next afternoon. I was sitting at the bar, eating a burger, and she came through the door looking like she spent the night under a bridge.
I poured her a shot, and the truth came out.
Chapter 12
“Rorke, I want you to cut my hair.”
I almost dropped a bottle of whiskey.
“Come again?”
“You heard me.”
“You sure about this?”
Her expression didn’t change, so I nodded. But inside I was squealing like a little girl and dancing on the bar. I pushed my food aside and got up before she could change her mind.
She let me wash her hair in the sink. Usually when you wash someone’s hair who isn’t a lover, they close their eyes. Or they make small talk. Or they look anywhere in the room but at the person doing the washing. Not Ash. She looked right at me every chance she got.
We set up a chair and a drop cloth under the lights in the middle of the dance floor. She put on The Gothic Archies. I couldn’t decide if that was a good sign or a bad one.
Rooms go very still when hairs get cut, so I took advantage and said something that needed saying. “You hurt Lily.”
Ash’s head jerked around so fast I almost stabbed her in the eye.
“She doesn’t get it,” I went on. Snip. Snip. “She doesn’t understand why you’re upset. You have to talk to her. You have to explain.”
She shot me the loudest glare I’ve ever seen. “Are you sure Lily isn’t just a really good actress?”
I nodded. And prayed I wasn’t a liar.
“She told you I hurt her?”
“Well, she worded it differently. But, yeah,” I said. “Have you noticed she has a bit of an accent now?”
Ash sighed. “I was hoping I was just drunk.”
I kept clipping.
“Crows” came on.
“She was looking for you after closing. She waited a long time. This morning I found a bottle of wine and two glasses on the catwalk. Only one of them was used.” Snip. Snip. “Maybe you should go knock on her door before you lose your chance.”
“I can knock until my knuckles are bloody, but it won’t grow me a dick.”
I nearly clipped off her ear.
“I’ve got news for you, honey. She won’t be getting any from that platinum prince she blew in here with. He’s only got eyes for himself.” I held up a hand mirror like an exclamation point. “I’m pretty sure this is what she wants,” I said. She watched her reflection. “But you’ve gotta stop sticking shit up your nose and be fun again.”
“I’m not laced, Rorke,” she said flatly. “I’m not drunk. I’m not high. I still can’t make her famous. I sure as hell can’t make her a wife.”
“You make her happy. Who cares about the rest of it?”
“She does.”
“I don’t believe that.”
Her eyes were so intense she scared me a little. And then the lock tumbled on the front door. We heard laughter and several voices. We sat there staring at one another in the tiny hand mirror, listening, not breathing.
“Okay, so what?” I whispered. I held onto her arm so she couldn’t take off. “She’s back. She’s with Kendol and Z. They’re just here to see Rasputina. Be cool. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“They’re two hours early,” she said.
“Then go up in
“Go upstairs and take a hot shower. A long one. Use my room. Use my eye drops. Here, take the key.” I pushed it into her hand. “You’ve got an hour until last call. Meet her here when the place clears out. I’ll make sure you’re alone.”
She looked at the key in her hand, set it on the bar and took a long drink from her bottle.
I sighed.
She turned her head.
That was the end of the conversation.
When the lights came up after last call, she was gone, and Lily was looking for her, wanting to know what I knew. She asked me how long Ash had been hanging out at rock bottom, if I knew who went there with her and what she was on. I said as little as possible. It’s not like I had the answers anyway. Eventually, Lily gave up and went to her room.
Ash didn’t come back home until the next afternoon. I was sitting at the bar, eating a burger, and she came through the door looking like she spent the night under a bridge.
I poured her a shot, and the truth came out.
Chapter 12
“Rorke, I want you to cut my hair.”
I almost dropped a bottle of whiskey.
“Come again?”
“You heard me.”
“You sure about this?”
Her expression didn’t change, so I nodded. But inside I was squealing like a little girl and dancing on the bar. I pushed my food aside and got up before she could change her mind.
She let me wash her hair in the sink. Usually when you wash someone’s hair who isn’t a lover, they close their eyes. Or they make small talk. Or they look anywhere in the room but at the person doing the washing. Not Ash. She looked right at me every chance she got.
We set up a chair and a drop cloth under the lights in the middle of the dance floor. She put on The Gothic Archies. I couldn’t decide if that was a good sign or a bad one.
Rooms go very still when hairs get cut, so I took advantage and said something that needed saying. “You hurt Lily.”
Ash’s head jerked around so fast I almost stabbed her in the eye.
“She doesn’t get it,” I went on. Snip. Snip. “She doesn’t understand why you’re upset. You have to talk to her. You have to explain.”
She shot me the loudest glare I’ve ever seen. “Are you sure Lily isn’t just a really good actress?”
I nodded. And prayed I wasn’t a liar.
“She told you I hurt her?”
“Well, she worded it differently. But, yeah,” I said. “Have you noticed she has a bit of an accent now?”
Ash sighed. “I was hoping I was just drunk.”
I kept clipping.
“Crows” came on.
“She was looking for you after closing. She waited a long time. This morning I found a bottle of wine and two glasses on the catwalk. Only one of them was used.” Snip. Snip. “Maybe you should go knock on her door before you lose your chance.”
“I can knock until my knuckles are bloody, but it won’t grow me a dick.”
I nearly clipped off her ear.
“I’ve got news for you, honey. She won’t be getting any from that platinum prince she blew in here with. He’s only got eyes for himself.” I held up a hand mirror like an exclamation point. “I’m pretty sure this is what she wants,” I said. She watched her reflection. “But you’ve gotta stop sticking shit up your nose and be fun again.”
“I’m not laced, Rorke,” she said flatly. “I’m not drunk. I’m not high. I still can’t make her famous. I sure as hell can’t make her a wife.”
“You make her happy. Who cares about the rest of it?”
“She does.”
“I don’t believe that.”
Her eyes were so intense she scared me a little. And then the lock tumbled on the front door. We heard laughter and several voices. We sat there staring at one another in the tiny hand mirror, listening, not breathing.
“Okay, so what?” I whispered. I held onto her arm so she couldn’t take off. “She’s back. She’s with Kendol and Z. They’re just here to see Rasputina. Be cool. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“They’re two hours early,” she said.
“Then go up in
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