Read Online penance. a love story (The Böhme Series) by Sarah Buhl - Free Book Online
Authors: Sarah Buhl
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doors, the sound of a man’s deep twanging voice singing a Johnny Cash cover surrounded us. The singing man played an acoustic guitar while a woman with tattoos played drums. There was another man on stage that played an upright bass.
I turned to Gabe and he was smiling at me with a wid e grin, “Brilliant, isn’t it?” he asked.
I agreed and nodded as I smiled back at Maggie. Her eyes shone bright as she pushed a loose strand of her dark hair behind her ear. Toby put his arm around her shoulder as he adjusted his hat. Each of us was in awe of the place. It felt as if it were welcoming us home with its open stage and dance floor.
“I love this place,” I yelled up at him and he laughed, not understanding what I said. I pulled him to my level so I could speak into his ear, “I love this place.” He squeezed my hand that was still on his arm and gave me a smile.
“You’ll love it even more ,” he said as he drew me farther through the crowd toward the bar. I made note of the looks I got as I passed several men. I needed to find my next number in this crowd.
He walked up to the counter and put up two fingers and the bartender began mixing drinks for him. She was a unique girl with dreadlocks that went to her waist. She wore a flowing skirt and the way it twirled as she mixed up the drinks was mesmerizing. She was elegant in her movements as she grabbed bottles and poured and the longer I watched her, the more mesmerized I became. I began to feel eyes on me and couldn’t help but glance over my shoulder to the right, farther across the bar.
That’s when I saw him, the guy from earlier today with the tattoos and the motorcycle. He was watching me and for a moment he gave me a surprised expression at seeing me. I gave him a smirk with raised eyebrows and his surprise left as he nodded and turned his attention back to the stage. I thought he might be my next number but wasn’t sure yet. He held a depth in him that made me not want to give him a number. But the same depth made me think he was perfect for it.
“What’ll you have, Toby?” Gabe asked, bringing my attention back to my friends.
“Just a beer is fine,” he said as he lowered his eyes to Gabe as if the attentions of the other man made him unsure of himself. He pulled Maggie closer under his arm, holding her as a security blanket. I dismissed it with a shrug as he was being ever the shy Toby.
Gabe handed us our drinks and we toasted before I took my first drink of the best tasting amaretto stone sour I had ever had. I closed my eyes as I enjoyed the wonderful flavors mixing in my mouth. “Oh my lords that is divine ,” I said.
Maggie let o ut a squeal. “Oh, here we go,” she said as she raised her glass and Toby shook his head at her, before leaning to kiss the top of her head.
We downed several drinks before Gabe pulled us out to the dance floor. The singer’s voice began on a deep melody that had a hypnotic repetition to it which added to the beginning of my buzz. Gabe lowered his hands and pressed my hips against his own as he began to dance behind me. I lifted my hands up and wrapped them around his neck and laughed. I didn’t drink or dance very often. It was something I used to do, but being here with this new friend, I was free. But that freedom was brief as I remembered that I needed to focus on the task at hand. I needed to find someone—my new number.
I dropped my eyes and found that someone across the dance floor. He was watching me and gave me a crooked smile. I winked at him and gave a seductive expression that made me ill. He wasn’t the stranger with tattoos, but he was perfect for what I needed.
That sick ache pushed me forward. I needed the illness to do what I intended to do. There was part of me that needed chiseled away through hollow encounters with men who wanted nothing from me. I needed empty relations and that is what I wanted from the tattooed hipster that walked toward me now.
He had a clean shaven face
I turned to Gabe and he was smiling at me with a wid e grin, “Brilliant, isn’t it?” he asked.
I agreed and nodded as I smiled back at Maggie. Her eyes shone bright as she pushed a loose strand of her dark hair behind her ear. Toby put his arm around her shoulder as he adjusted his hat. Each of us was in awe of the place. It felt as if it were welcoming us home with its open stage and dance floor.
“I love this place,” I yelled up at him and he laughed, not understanding what I said. I pulled him to my level so I could speak into his ear, “I love this place.” He squeezed my hand that was still on his arm and gave me a smile.
“You’ll love it even more ,” he said as he drew me farther through the crowd toward the bar. I made note of the looks I got as I passed several men. I needed to find my next number in this crowd.
He walked up to the counter and put up two fingers and the bartender began mixing drinks for him. She was a unique girl with dreadlocks that went to her waist. She wore a flowing skirt and the way it twirled as she mixed up the drinks was mesmerizing. She was elegant in her movements as she grabbed bottles and poured and the longer I watched her, the more mesmerized I became. I began to feel eyes on me and couldn’t help but glance over my shoulder to the right, farther across the bar.
That’s when I saw him, the guy from earlier today with the tattoos and the motorcycle. He was watching me and for a moment he gave me a surprised expression at seeing me. I gave him a smirk with raised eyebrows and his surprise left as he nodded and turned his attention back to the stage. I thought he might be my next number but wasn’t sure yet. He held a depth in him that made me not want to give him a number. But the same depth made me think he was perfect for it.
“What’ll you have, Toby?” Gabe asked, bringing my attention back to my friends.
“Just a beer is fine,” he said as he lowered his eyes to Gabe as if the attentions of the other man made him unsure of himself. He pulled Maggie closer under his arm, holding her as a security blanket. I dismissed it with a shrug as he was being ever the shy Toby.
Gabe handed us our drinks and we toasted before I took my first drink of the best tasting amaretto stone sour I had ever had. I closed my eyes as I enjoyed the wonderful flavors mixing in my mouth. “Oh my lords that is divine ,” I said.
Maggie let o ut a squeal. “Oh, here we go,” she said as she raised her glass and Toby shook his head at her, before leaning to kiss the top of her head.
We downed several drinks before Gabe pulled us out to the dance floor. The singer’s voice began on a deep melody that had a hypnotic repetition to it which added to the beginning of my buzz. Gabe lowered his hands and pressed my hips against his own as he began to dance behind me. I lifted my hands up and wrapped them around his neck and laughed. I didn’t drink or dance very often. It was something I used to do, but being here with this new friend, I was free. But that freedom was brief as I remembered that I needed to focus on the task at hand. I needed to find someone—my new number.
I dropped my eyes and found that someone across the dance floor. He was watching me and gave me a crooked smile. I winked at him and gave a seductive expression that made me ill. He wasn’t the stranger with tattoos, but he was perfect for what I needed.
That sick ache pushed me forward. I needed the illness to do what I intended to do. There was part of me that needed chiseled away through hollow encounters with men who wanted nothing from me. I needed empty relations and that is what I wanted from the tattooed hipster that walked toward me now.
He had a clean shaven face
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