Here's to Tomorrow

by Teagan Hunter

  I’m a little shocked honestly. I don’t really see Tucker as being the musical type. I don’t really know him all that well, but I do kind of pride myself on reading people and I didn’t see that one coming.

  “No shit?” I ask.

  “Shit,” Hudson deadpans. I feel the corners of my mouth tip up a bit.

  “What the fuck, Tanner? Why didn’t you tell me your hot brother plays the guitar?” Maura scolds, getting all death-glare-like with Tanner.

  “Chill, babe. I didn’t mention it because he’s always trying to steal my thunder. He’s not even that great at it,” Tanner pouts.

  “That’s bullshit, Tanner, and you know it. He’s good. Like really good. Why he hasn’t pursued a career in music, I have no idea. He loves this place though. Coming and watching all the different types of performances: the poetry, the skits, the comedy routines, the other musicians. All of it. I love it too. It’s…eye-opening, really.”

  “How so?” Maura asks. I may have forgotten that she and Tanner were even here. Hudson’s voice was just a wee bit mesmerizing.

  “It’s kind of along the lines of what Rae said earlier.” I love how he says my name. “Think about it. All these people who get up there on that stage,” he points to the stage in the very center of the building, “pour their hearts out to strangers. That’s amazing. Not only that, but it’s eye-opening to know that those people—those brave people who can bring the room to complete silence—make others cry or laugh with their words. They’re people we know. People we live next to. Work next to. Family. Anyone, really. It’s just eye-opening to know that such talented people are living among us day to day to day. I love it.”

  I’m speechless. Absolutely speechless. I can’t believe he just said all that. It was so beautiful. So poetic. So true. I think I may have just fallen in love with his brain. Because it’s pretty fantastic.

  “Holy shit. Marry him now, Rae. If you don’t, I will.” Apparently Maura isn’t as speechless as I am.

  “Hey now! Watch yourself, Hudson. I’m growing quite fond of this one. I don’t want to have to fight you for her.” Tanner angles himself in front of Maura a bit.

  Hudson doesn’t even notice. Our eyes haven’t strayed from one another since I broke in with my awesome pick-up line.

  “Don’t sweat it, Tanner. I think I’m growing quite fond of someone myself.” He gives me a cute little smirk. I turn away because I feel my face burning up and that’s never a pretty sight.

  I take the moment of silence to readjust my mind and observe the club that Hudson’s so fond of.

  Mic’s isn’t really anything special at first glance, even from the outside. It just looks like your typical low-lit bar, only there’s a stage directly in the center of everything. Dozens of tables surround it with fresh flowers or candles on each one, indicating they serve just a little more than your usual bar food.

  But when you take a deeper look, you can see how amazing this place is. The decor doesn’t match in the slightest and the walls are covered in photographs, signed set lists, custom paintings and drawings. And each and every one is beautiful in its own right. You can see the love that the performers have for this place plastered all over the walls, including a few action shots of Tucker playing. You can see how many patrons love this place and keep returning night after night in the worn-out furniture and chipped dishes. All things that are easily dismissed with a glance and sorely overlooked all too often. It’s so sad because those are the things that make this place so unique and beautiful.

  “It’s beautiful,” I say aloud. I turn back to Hudson. “Just beautiful. Thank you for choosing this place.”

  He smiles.

  I melt.

  “So, Hudson,” Maura says, causing him to break our eye contact. “You work at a car shop?”

  “I own the car shop. Jacked Up is my baby,” Hudson says proudly.

  Tanner mutters something under his breath and Hudson shoots daggers at him. He quickly shuts up.

  “You own it? I had no idea!” Hudson grins at my little outburst. Now I’m sufficiently embarrassed because standing in Jacked Up with Hudson definitely wasn’t one of my finest moments, since my mouth decided to run before my brain caught up. I’m assuming from the little glint in his eyes that he remembers.

  “Yep. Have since I was twenty, but I’ve worked there since I was seventeen. That place kind of saved my life. Old Mr. Horton knew how much I loved it, so when he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, he offered the place to me. I couldn’t turn that down.”

  “Did he make it?” Maura asks. Hudson’s lips tip down, transforming his whole face. Even his eyes dim a bit. “Shit. Sorry. That was really rude of me. Forget I said anything.”

  “It’s okay, really. Unfortunately, no, he didn’t make it. He was like a second father to me is all. I’m very much indebted to him.”

  Before I realize what I’m doing, I reach out and place my hand on his arm. He whips his head in my direction instantly, his gaze shifting directly to my hand.

  “I’m sorry for your loss.” He looks back up at me and I stop breathing momentarily. His eyes are so sad and thankful all at the same time. I don’t think he’s ever really gotten over Mr. Horton and I can tell how much my words just meant to him. He dips his head at me, offering me a small smile.

  The waiter picks that moment to deliver our food. I remove my hand and begin pushing around my chicken pasta, suddenly not quite as starved as before and thinking a little too hard about the intense stares Hudson and I have shared since I met him.

  There have been a lot. A lot more than I thought there were. I’m surprisingly okay with this little realization. I can feel something in them. Something new, something intriguing. I like it.

  His eyes are so intense, so open. I can almost bet that they’ve gotten him in and out of a lot of trouble. I smile a little to myself over that, which earns me a not-so-gentle kick in the shin from Maura. I look up and glare at her. She gives me her “innocent” face that I’ve grown very accustomed to over the years and turns back to Tanner, who seems to be talking her ear off. I hadn’t even noticed.

  “So, Rae, what do you do? I mean I know you work at Clyde’s and all, but are you in college or anything?” Hudson asks.

  I take a sip of my drink before I answer, just to buy me a little time because I hate this question. Especially since I still haven’t heard back from any of the companies I applied to.

  “Actually, I just graduated in the spring. Clyde’s is it for me for now, but I’ve been putting in several applications here lately in the city. I have a degree in marketing. Not much to market around here,” I shrug, trying to play it off as if my lack of professional career doesn’t bother me.

  “Marketing? That’s some fast-paced stuff. I know it’s not really big time or anything, but Jacked Up has been looking at some advertising firms lately. We want to push our name a bit more, generate a few more loyal customers so we can update our machinery a little,” Hudson says.

  I perk up some. “Really? Have you found anyone yet?”

  “No,” Hudson sighs. “Everyone wants to take it in a whole different direction. I want to keep it small, ya know? Just build up our clientele a bit with some more advertising and a little marketing makeover.”

  “Well, I don’t want you to feel obligated or anything, but I can take a look at some of your ideas if you want. Give you some pointers.”

  He doesn’t even hesitate. “That would be fantastic! I don’t want you to feel obligated, though. Only if you have time.”

  Oh, I’ve got plenty of time. “It’s no problem at all!”

  He smiles again. I melt again.

  Hudson

  Dinner went surprisingly smoothly. After my little discussion with Tanner, warning him not to bring up Joey, everything was fine. We all seemed to be able to easily talk to one another. Probably because Tanner was all wrapped up in Maura and was actually on his best behavior, only telling a few inappropriate stories about his buddies in t
he Army.

  Tanner and I split the bill while the girls step away to use the restroom one last time before we leave. Girl time, apparently. Tanner approaches me with a gleam in his eye as I’m standing by the entrance.

  “I’m so fucking that tonight, man! God. Did you see her ass? Wait. Don’t answer that because I don’t want to have to punch you. You should ride home with Rae—get a little action yourself. I’m gonna offer to take Maura home. And by home, I mean back to my place cause I’m so hitting that!” Tanner’s all amped up at this point.

  What a fucking pig. I’m just about to tell him so, then I hear Rae’s laughter.

  “Maura, baby, can I give you a ride home?” Tanner asks all sweet-like.

  I gag a little. I can’t believe Maura is buying his shit. She looks to Rae, silently asking for permission. Rae slides her eyes my way a bit. I nod my head once, letting her know Tanner is harmless. Because he really is. He’s disgusting sometimes but he’d never force himself on a girl, so Maura will be just fine.

  “You sure?” Maura asks Rae.

  “Positive. Now give me your keys since you drove. I do need to get home somehow,” Rae tells her with a smile.

  Maura tosses Rae her keys and squeals as she leaps into Tanner’s waiting arms, waving at Rae as they practically run from Mic’s.

  “Guess it’s just me and you then, huh?” Rae asks, coming to stand next to me, watching them exit.

  I smile down at her. “Guess so. Hope you don’t mind driving me home, though. I rode in with Tanner. Probably should have mentioned that before.”

  She pauses briefly. “Nah, I don’t mind. Where do you live?”

  “Over on 152nd street for now. In those older apartments.”

  “For now?”

  Now it’s my turn to pause. “Uh, yeah. I’m looking to get a bigger place. I have something secured in Pembrooke Village, but I’m waiting on some electrical stuff to go through.”

  “Oh, that’s a nice place. Very family-friendly.”

  I smile and open the door for her, hoping she’ll drop the subject. She does.

  We climb into a silver mini-SUV and head toward my apartment. She must be very familiar with the area because she doesn’t ask for directions once.

  “Are you from around here?” I ask, unable to contain my curiosity anymore.

  “I am. I actually grew up here. I went away to college in Boston but still came home every weekend the entire four years,” she says, smiling widely. I can’t help but smile too. She really seems to like this little town.

  “You seem fond of Wakefield. Why do you want to move to Boston for work?”

  “Honestly?” I nod. “Well, I’m not even sure that I do. I just think I want a scenery change, really. Something new. Different. I don’t necessarily want to move to Boston, but I want to move somewhere. I think. I just want to do some things on my own for once. Maybe.”

  Conflicted much? She might maybe think she wants to leave, but I almost feel as if she feels obligated to do something on her own and she should understand that it doesn’t really have to be that way.

  “I can relate. When I was younger, I went through some serious shit that I wasn’t ready for. At all. And I felt like I needed to be out on my own, doing my own thing. I failed. Bad. That resulted in me moving back home for a couple years. I’ve only actually been out on my own again for a month. As soon as the place in Pembrooke is done, that’s when shit is gonna get real serious, because I’ll definitely be on my own again.”

  She’s quiet. Almost too quiet.

  “So you think I’m going to fail?” Rae asks in a flat voice that leads me to believe she’s not really as calm as she’s pretending to be.

  What?

  “What? No, no, no, no. That’s not at all what I’m saying, Rae. I’m just saying don’t rush it. You’ll know when you’re ready. I don’t really know you that well…”

  “You’re right. You don’t know me,” she interrupts, still never taking her eyes off the road.

  “…but I can tell that you’re struggling with the decision to leave this town. You don’t have to. You don’t have to leave to find happiness. You can have it here. You can have your dream career here. You just have to find out what works for you. Not what works for them.”

  “Or you. I don’t find it fair that you’re telling me what to do—or not do—handing out this advice when you don’t even know my situation.”

  Dang. Must have hit a nerve because she seems kind of upset over this for some reason.

  “I get that, Rae. I truly do,” I try to reason. “But that’s not what I’m trying to do at all. I’m just saying you should do what makes you happy. Don’t give in to everyone else, to their dreams or what you feel like is expected of you. Don’t let them tell you what you want.”

  “Like you’re trying to do? You have no clue at all what I want.”

  “Neither do you.”

  Then she’s quiet again and I’m man enough to admit that I’m a little terrified of her silence.

  Finally she huffs out a breath. “You’re right. I get what you’re saying now. That’s just a…tough subject for me. I don’t know what I want. I wish I did and I wish I didn’t feel like I have to move onto bigger and better things, but I do. But again, you’re right. So, thank you. I’m sorry I got sort of…snippy.”

  “Sort of?” I ask, grinning at her.

  Her response? “Ass.”

  Goddamn, I love her mouth.

  Rae

  Okay, so I may have just gotten a little bit grouchy. But I honestly thought that’s what he was saying. I just heard the word “fail” and all other coherent thoughts seemed to have left my brain. Nice going, slick. Scare him off right at the start with your bitchy attitude.

  He’s right, though. I shouldn’t feel obligated to move to get a career, and I kind of do. I feel like I need to move away to make something of myself in a field that I’m not even one hundred percent certain I can excel in. I feel like I need to leave to prove that I can do things on my own. Who am I trying to prove this to? I don’t really know. Myself? My father? My sister? My dead mother? I don’t know. But I do know that I shouldn’t feel that way. There’s really no need for me to but…I do.

  There’s a small part of me that wonders what exactly he failed at, but I don’t want to ask. It’s not really my place so I let it slide for now.

  We settle into an easy, comfortable kind of silence. I take the time to reflect on our date. It was…nice. Obviously not what I was expecting since I was sincerely thinking that my date would be Tucker.

  Hudson was sweet and friendly. And sexy. Definitely sexy. He didn’t dress too fancy for Mic’s in his tight, long-sleeved black shirt and dark jeans that fit him just right¸ his hair perfectly messy and his five o’clock shadow making him look even sexier. He fit in effortlessly at the club.

  I mindlessly reach over and turn on the radio. Maura has my Transit CD in and Asleep at the Wheel is playing. What I don’t expect is Hudson to start humming along.

  “Shut the front door! You know Transit?” He jumps a little. “Sorry,” I mumble. “But you’re humming along. You know who Transit is? And you know this song?”

  He chuckles. “I do. They’re actually my favorite band,” he smiles sheepishly.

  “Oh. My. God. Marry me now!”

  It just kind of fell out of my mouth, I swear. I start panicking a bit, my hands gripping the wheel a little too hard.

  To my surprise, Hudson starts laughing. Hard. I glance over at him and he’s holding his stomach and slapping his knees.

  “Are you gonna be okay?” I ask shyly.

  He wipes at his eyes. “You and Maura are two peas in a pod. Holy shit. Do you always do that?”

  I give him a WTF look. “Do what?”

  “Just say whatever pops in that cute little head of yours? Because it’s highly entertaining,” Hudson explains.

  I feel my face heat up. “Um, kind of. It’s a quirk of mine.” I shrug and focus on my driving and n
ot freaking out over the fact that he just called me cute. Kind of.

  “It’s very cute,” he mumbles as I pull into his apartment building lot. Yep, he definitely called me cute that time.

  I park in front of the building he directed me to and turn to him. “So. Is this the part where I walk you to your door? Because that might be a little weird. And totally ass-backwards,” I tell him seriously.

  He just stares at me with his mouth hanging slightly open. I reach over with two fingers and push his mouth closed. “Flies, Hudson.”

  He mumbles something about my mouth between belly laughs. I shrug and turn back toward his building. It’s cute. Small, maybe a little outdated, but still very cute.

  I hear him starting to rustle around so I look back over at him. He motions for me to hold on a minute and gets out of the car. I watch as he jogs around the front of car and opens my door.

  He holds his hand out. “My lady.”

  I stare up at him for a few seconds before my brain registers what’s happening. When it finally catches up, I unhook my seatbelt and place my hand into his. He helps me out of the car, closing the door and pulling me up close to him. He has my hands in his between our bodies. We’re staring at one another.

  Smirking, he says, “I figured we’d just say goodbye here so it’s not too weird for you.” Hudson’s face grows serious. “Rae, I had a great time with you tonight. A really great time, and I haven’t had that in a while. Would you like to go out with me again sometime? One on one, perhaps?”

  I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little shocked. I know I scare off a lot of people with the weird shit that pops out of my mouth so I’m not sure if I was expecting this or not. Hoping for it? Sure. Expecting it? No.

  “Uh, um,” I stumble. “Yes. Definitely yes. I didn’t scare you off?” I ask seriously.

  He smiles. “No. Definitely no.”

  It’s my turn to smile.

  “Can I have your number by chance?” Hudson asks.

  I nod and find myself a bit sad when he breaks apart so we can switch phones. Mine vibrates as I’m slipping it back into my pocket. I raise my eyebrow at Hudson.