Up in the Air 2: West Coast

by George Loveland

  “When are you seeing him next?”

  Danny sucked his bottom lip in. “Tonight.”

  “Great, I’m pleased for you.”

  “Will you come with me?”

  “I’m not being a third wheel.”

  “No, of course not. He has to work, I need someone to keep me company until he can finish. He’s arranged for someone to cover for him so he can leave early.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. Please. It will make up for you ditching me last night.”

  “Which sounds like it worked in your favour,” I argued.

  “Well, it did. But please, I want to see what it’s like in the bar as Danny and not Zee.”

  I let out a huff and rolled my eyes, then nodded. Danny jumped up and down, and then bent down to plant a kiss on my cheek.

  “There’s one thing though.”

  A few hours later, I walked into Flamingos with Danny. I was worried about what was in store for me. I had caused a scene from what Danny told me, even though I didn’t remember it.

  Danny headed straight to the bar and kissed Brandon, which was sweet. I stood back while they got reacquainted, until Brandon stopped talking and pushed his chest out. With a gulp, I walked over and held my hand out to him. Ready to say I was sorry.

  He took my hand and held it in a tight grip. “This is the one,” he called over his shoulder.

  A barman came up behind him and wrapped a band around my wrist. No matter how much I struggled, no matter how much I swore at them to let me go, he managed to secure a neon green band around my wrist, and then let me go. I pulled my arm back, cradled my wrist and looked down at the band, then back to Brandon.

  “What the fuck is this?”

  “It tells my staff they can’t serve you alcohol.”

  “What the fuck, you can’t do that!”

  “If wasn’t for Danny, I would be kicking your ass right now. You broke a table and threw drinks up my wall with your antics. This is the only way you’re staying in my bar tonight.”

  My pride took a hit. Had I really been that bad? I didn’t recall anything, but judging by how ill I was this morning, I guessed it was possible. I wasn’t going to go down without a fight though.

  “What if I get someone else to buy me a drink?”

  “That won’t happen.” His smile asked me to challenge him. I knew I wouldn’t win.

  “Fuck.” I turned to Danny. “You knew about this, and didn’t tell me?”

  “I told Danny what I was going to do, seeing as he insisted he brought you along tonight. So, your beef is with me, not him.”

  Danny melted in front of me. He stared at Brandon, and when I thought I could stomach it, I looked back at Brandon. The pair of them made me feel nauseas and I needed to get away from it all. I excused myself to the bathroom.

  It wasn’t nausea I was feeling though. I was jealous. I couldn’t think of a time when anyone had given me the look Brandon gave Danny.

  When guys saw me, they had only one thing on their minds: get their end away with the pretty boy. I am good-looking, I know this, but I want more than someone who can buy me drinks. The band on my wrist itched. I wanted to rip it off, I wanted to find another bar to drink in, and I wanted to get out of here.

  Yet, something stopped me. Jane’s words echoed in my head. They were gunning for me. I’d grown used to this life, flying the skies, travelling the world. What would I do if I didn’t have this job? My head spun and I raced into a cubicle and emptied my guts.

  “You okay in there?” a voice called out, an accent, but not American.

  I wiped my mouth and flushed the chain.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Sure? Do you want some water, or something?”

  I shook my head then called out another “no” and waited for the door to close before I left the cubicle and could assess the damage. Considering what I’d done, I didn’t look too bad. There was some colour in my cheeks and my hair was still spiky. I rinsed my mouth and splashed some cold water over my face. When another guy came in, I didn’t make eye contact and went back into the bar.

  Danny was sat flirting with Brandon. I didn’t think he’d even noticed I had left. The barman who had branded me earlier asked what I wanted, so I ordered a Coke. It was best to follow the rules and see what happened. I joined Danny on a barstool, even though Danny didn’t talk to me because all his attention was on Brandon.

  “Oh fuck.” Brandon said from behind the bar.

  Danny and I followed his gaze to the entrance to the bar. Six guys of different sizes and shapes, all wearing blue and white rugby tops, walked in and headed to the bar.

  “You guys going to behave yourself tonight?” Brandon said. “I don’t want any trouble like last time.”

  “I’ll keep an eye on them.” The voice behind me registered. He was the man who had called out to me in the cubicle.

  I turned in the direction of the voice, and my mouth dropped open. It was the guy who had worn the white polo shirt from last night. Up close, I took in all his features. Strong broad shoulders, thick neck, a good beard, deep brown eyes and dark hair. His mouth had me hypnotised though: thin, pink lips which were slightly parted. If I was ever to marry a guy, they would be like him. I didn’t know what to say, but when our eyes met, his lips quivered with a faint smile.

  “You better had, Antonio,” Brandon said.

  I mouthed his name and tried to place the name and accent together. As the penny dropped, my body tingled. Italian.

  Antonio didn’t pay attention to Brandon, he stared at me instead. I was captured by him, and when his lips moved again, I imagined what it would be like to be kissed by him. The thought alone set my body on fire as I sucked in a breath. Except it went wrong and I coughed, and then choked on my own saliva. Fucking great.

  I jumped off the stool to try to control the coughing fit I was in, and then looked for my drink. I picked up the Coke and sipped a little.

  It wasn’t my Coke, it was Danny’s, because the burn of vodka hit my lips. I spat it back into the glass, slammed it down and then reached for the other Coke.

  A warm hand rested on my back and made smooth circular motions, which calmed me down as I sipped at my drink. The hand didn’t stop though, and I didn’t want it to. I rested back into it, but it must have sent the wrong message because the hand slapped my back a couple of times, and then left me.

  My shoulders dropped in disappointment, but I turned around to face my saviour. Antonio stood with his eyebrows stitched together with a frown.

  “Grazie, Antonio?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “Parli italiano?”

  “No, I presumed you were. Let me say thank you properly.” I moved to kiss his cheek, but he took a step back.

  “It’s okay,” he replied.

  Then we were surrounded by the guys who had walked in, and Antonio was whisked off to join them. I turned to face Danny, his mouth was wide open.

  “I can’t believe what I just saw,” Danny said.

  I shook my head, I didn’t know either.

  “What were you going to do?”

  “I was going to kiss his cheek. Not now though. I need a drink.”

  “Erm, you can’t, remember.” He tapped the band on my wrist.

  “For fuck’s sake, why are we even here. What’s the point of going out if we can’t have a fucking drink.”

  “It saves you from getting your ass whipped,” Brandon said.

  I shrank back into myself. Brandon’s eyes bore into me. I nodded at first, but when he raised his eyebrows at me I answered with an “okay.”

  “Good. Now as much as I’d like to have you propping up my bar, it’s about to get busy in here. There’s a table over there for you both.”

  Danny and I followed his pointed finger, only I turned back to him.

  “That’s next to the rugby team, I can’t go over there.”

  “Why not?”

  “Didn’t you see the way that guy rejected my gratitude?”r />
  Brandon let out a belly laugh. “Yeah, I did. It’s what you deserve for last night. Now get over there before someone else grabs it.”

  I jumped off the stool, grabbed my drink and walked over to the table.

  “Hey, you,” Brandon said.

  Danny and I both turned around, but it was Danny he was calling. Brandon leant over the bar and with a finger pushed Danny’s chin up and kissed him on the lips.

  “Gross,” I muttered and walked over to the table.

  A minute later, Danny joined me. I stared at him.

  “What?”

  “You.”

  “What about me?”

  “He likes you as Danny as much as he liked Dai Zee. Maybe more.”

  Danny blushed, turned to the bar and then back to me. “Yeah, I think so too.”

  “Are you going back to his tonight?”

  “I don’t know. Will see what happens. I hope the music changes soon, I feel like a dance.”

  “I’m sure you can ask the barman; he looks like he’d do anything for you right now.”

  Danny blushed again and focused on his drink.

  “I think I need another. Do you want one?”

  I lifted my three-quarter-filled glass of Coke. “I’m good thanks.”

  He shrugged his shoulder and headed to the bar.

  I took a few sips of the Coke and looked around the bar. They had decorated it with love hearts and little cupids. It was quieter than when we’d arrived yesterday, but we were also a couple of hours earlier. There was a good feel to it – a happy place. I stared at the pictures of all the queens who had visited the bar and noticed a dark stain in-between some pictures, which made me cringe. A small flashback reminded me this was where I’d stood and thrown my drink. It was an accident of course, but an accident of my own making.

  I surveyed the rest of the bar. Danny was chatting to Brandon and I wondered how long I needed to stay around. As much as I would love to play the third wheel, or would it be chaperone, I was tired and would have appreciated a night in.

  The hairs on the back of neck tingled. I looked around the bar some more and found Antonio staring at me. He looked away as soon as our eyes met, but then he looked back at me. His cheeks flushed.

  Despite his rudeness, I gave him a false smile. I didn’t expect him to smile back at me. When he did, heat flushed through my body and I lost my false smile, with a real one taking its place.

  “See you’ve made up then,” Danny said.

  I stared at him.

  “Close your mouth, dear, it’s not pretty.”

  “I, erm, I don’t know what you mean.”

  I looked back towards Antonio and he was engaged in conversation, but his eyes shot to me, and then back to his friends. He was fighting the smile; even his friends called him out on it.

  When a few of them turned around, I swivelled on the stool to face Danny.

  “Oh, my God, they are teasing him so bad. You should go rescue him.”

  “From what? He rejected my kiss on the cheek earlier; he’s only getting what he deserves.”

  “I’m not so sure.” Danny smirked.

  I looked back to see Antonio chugging his beer. There were loud cheers when he managed the feat, but I had concerns when someone handed him another beer. The cheers got louder as he knocked the second glass back, and with it empty he placed it upside down on top of his head. More loud cheers as he was clapped on the back in celebration.

  I clapped, and everyone looked my way. There were more cheers from the guys. Antonio shook his head and I wasn’t sure if he was hiding from me or them when he stood behind one of the other guys.

  “You should go say something to him.”

  “No way, I don’t want to get involved in those games, who knows what could happen.”

  “Exactly.” Danny gave me a wicked smile.

  Chapter Six

  Like Brandon had said, the bar filled up and we were soon surrounded. I looked out for Antonio when I could, even though he’d made me feel like an idiot, I was still drawn to him. Our eyes caught a few times, but as the bar got busier, it was harder to see him.

  Danny recognised a song being played and jumped up from his seat and declared it was time to dance. I didn’t recognise it but took my drink and joined him. It was an odd sensation, dancing when sober as opposed to when I’d had a drink.

  It was harder than I could have imagined. I swayed along to the music but couldn’t let go. Was drink so important to me that I didn’t know how to have a good time without it? I didn’t want to know the answer. When Danny shook my shoulders and got me to move, my body reacted. I listened to the beat of the music and allowed myself to let go.

  We continued to dance to the songs the DJ played. I relaxed into the music and enjoyed the way the beats and vibrations of the music moved me. It didn’t take long before I was on par with Danny.

  What I hadn’t noticed was how he had moved us around the bar. We were no longer by our table; we weren’t even in the middle of the dancefloor. We were right next to the blue and white shirts of the rugby team.

  My feet stopped, and I pursed my lips at Danny. He shrugged and bumped shoulders with me. The little shit. I took a breath and continued dancing. I didn’t have the same carefree movement I’d had before, because I knew Antonio was around here somewhere.

  Hands rested on my hips and swayed me to the rhythm of the music. My breath hitched in my throat. Antonio. We swayed with the music and I pushed my arse back. Now I had him here I didn’t want there to be any space between us. My heart beat faster when he pushed his crotch into me. Yet, something didn’t feel right. When I looked down at the arm around me; it was darker hair covering the tanned arm. I shook it free and turned around to find a different rugby player to the one I’d expected.

  He flashed a smile at me, which I returned only half arsed, but he took it as an invitation to put his hand around my waist and dance. I tried my best to shrug him off, but he was persistent in holding onto me. Cabin crew are trained to handle situations where a passenger tries to grab us, and as my mind switched into defence mode, another arm reached out and pulled him off of me.

  Antonio. His face flushed, lips pursed and eyebrows knitted together. He stared at the other guy, and I couldn’t tell if it was anger or jealousy. Or both. The other guy had a couple of inches on Antonio, but it didn’t seem to bother him. Antonio rounded his shoulders, but the other guy laughed, hugged Antonio, and whacked his back a couple of times.

  Danny grabbed my hand and took me further onto the dancefloor. I followed him but as soon as we found a new spot, I searched for Antonio. He didn’t look happy, but there was something else there. I couldn’t work out what was going on with him. If Antonio didn’t want to talk to me, then I could deal with that. What I couldn’t understand was how he didn’t want anyone else to either.

  I didn’t want to play games, and I didn’t want to be played. I needed a drink, something to calm my nerves, but the weight of the wristband, even though it was paper, stopped me. I tugged at it, but Danny grabbed my hand and forced me to dance with him.

  The music died down and Brandon’s voice carried through the bar.

  “We couldn’t get Cupid for tonight, but we got one better. Give it up for Miss Crystal.”

  Everyone clapped and cheered as Crystal came onto the stage. She was a plus-sized queen dressed in a long black gown which shone with crystals. I presumed that’s where her name came from. Danny weaved his way through the crowd until we were at the front. He glanced at me once, then back to the stage as Crystal lip-synced her way through a song. He held out dollar bills for her to take as she went through the crowd. When the queen reached Danny, she kissed him on the cheek, and then took his money. Danny was over the moon and I think I understood why it meant so much for him to be marked like that, because the queen didn’t do it to anyone else.

  “Do you know her?” I asked in the break between the songs.

  “Not in person. I’ve followed he
r for years though, no one can lip-sync like her. I think he was here last night, but I didn’t see him when I got back out into the bar.”

  When the queen played her final song, I scanned the bar one more time. I found Antonio, watching me, a bottle of water in his hand. He was alone, his back to the wall. I looked around the rest of the bar for his team but couldn’t see any more blue and white shirts.

  It was the only time I’d seen him alone tonight and knew if I wanted to get to the bottom of this, it was now or never. I shouted into Danny’s ear that I would be back and walked over to Antonio.

  His eyes widened and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as I approached him. Was he nervous too? I didn’t know what I would say to him but didn’t want to scare him off by having a go either.

  I leant into him, my mouth pressed to his ear. “Thank you for earlier.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Why did you do it?”

  “He always pulls shit like that.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “He’s gone with the others to another bar.”

  “You’re not going with them?”

  “Soon, I wanted to see this queen perform first.”

  “You like queens?”

  “Yeah.” He let out a breath. “Your friend was much better though.”

  “I’ll tell him.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Max.”

  “I’m Antonio.”

  “I know.”

  He smiled, and it was the most adorable smile. The music pumped through the bar once more and I swayed my hips. Antonio pushed himself off the wall and joined me in the gentle movements. His cheeks flushed as we stared into each other’s eyes and I knew then he was attracted to me as much as I was attracted to him. I had to take my chance; I wanted to taste those lips. Leaning forward, and cocking my head to the right, I moved in.