by Claire Angel
I reached for the bowl, and Jack looked at Ella before finding something to watch on cable. We settled on an old movie and chatted softly through it as we munched on popcorn, and Grace enjoyed a glass of wine. She was asleep before the movie ended, and Jack and I shared a long look. I carried Ella to bed, and he took Grace to their room before we met in the kitchen.
“I’m going to head out. I have an early shift tomorrow.” I hugged him, and Jack clapped me on the back. I walked out to my car as he locked the front door behind me, starting the engine. I sat for a moment, thinking about what Jack said as I shook my head. Liam was going to hear it from me when I saw him tomorrow night for our weekend gig.
I showered when I got home so I wouldn’t be rushing in the morning, wearing boxers to bed when I finished. I dropped into bed and played some sitcom reruns on TV as I scrolled through my phone.
I remembered the look on Marisol’s face when we fought about the two bills today and smiled. She was fun to joke around with but would be a pain in the ass to date. Marisol probably argued about positions during sex.
Sex. She was probably wild in bed. I hadn’t slept with a woman for a few months, and my body reacted to the thought immediately. I cupped myself through the thin cotton and groaned as I felt the pressure deep inside.
Chapter 13
Kellen
The shift at the coffee shop went quickly, and I managed a quick nap after work. I got ready in the evening and headed to the small bar before the show. Everyone was there having a beer before we performed, and I joined them at the bar.
“How is she today?” I asked Jack as he slid a glass my way.
“Better. Grace took her shopping for a while. I left them watching a movie,” Jack replied as he slid a bottle my way.
“Good. That’s good.” I smiled and glanced around the room. “Are we ready for this?”
“Sure. It will be low key compared to Ripple. That might be nice,” Liam replied, and we nodded. We loved Ripple, but the crowd was overwhelming. I still loved an intimate show sometimes.
“I can’t wait to get home and sleep. I’m tired.” Jack scrubbed a hand through his hair.
“Are you taking much time off from work?” I asked him as he shrugged. “Jack, what are you doing here? We don’t need to do this now.”
“It distracts me. It makes me let some of this stuff go when we’re performing.” Jack shrugged. “Grace does her trivia nights when I’m not playing. We all have our thing.”
“Okay. We don’t need to make this a big thing is what I mean. We can just play around town. Don’t put so much into this.” Jack glared at me, and I threw my hands in the air.
“I’m going to set up.” Jack drained his bottle and set it on the bar. He turned to walk to the stage, and I closed my eyes.
“Shit.” I knew that I hit a nerve, wondering how long his attitude would last.
“It’s okay. He’s just stressed.” Liam patted my arm. “Let’s go.”
I made my way to the stage, and we finished setting up. We already knew the set and started in. I’m sure it sounded good to the people watching us, but I felt the tension in the air. Jack played every note, but I saw that he was detached from everything when I’d glance over. I was relieved when the set ended, and we packed up for the night.
Jack took his guitar and went right to the car as I watched. I sat on the edge of the stage, and Liam went to the bar. When I sensed someone standing beside me, I glanced over to see Marisol standing there with a curious look on her face. “What are you doing here?” I asked in shock as she sighed.
“Amy knew you were playing and wanted to come.” Marisol gestured to one of the waitresses from Ripple, who was talking to Liam at the bar. I recognized the blonde, but I didn’t know her well. “I noticed you guys were off tonight.”
“Way to make a guy feel good,” I joked as her brows creased.
“I’m honest. There was tension up here.” She waved her hand in the air. “Is everything okay?”
“Just a bad night. It’s over now.” I shrugged, and she sat beside me. She waved her hand at someone, and I watched as Amy brought over two beers, handing each of us a bottle.
“You sounded great tonight,” she offered before glancing at Liam. She walked back to him, and Marisol narrowed her eyes at her friend.
“You did to someone that wasn’t picking up on things. I could hear everything in your songs.”
“You’re friends with the staff now?” I asked, and she sipped her beer slowly.
“Friends isn’t the word I would use. I get along with all of them and like to pump up their nights when I’m there. I want everyone to work as hard as I do. She asked me to come tonight, and I agreed. No big deal.” Marisol stared forward, and I took a drink from my bottle. “I do try to get out sometimes and have fun.”
“Tearing apart our performance is fun?” I questioned, and she stared at me for a moment.
“That’s just the part of me that picks up on things. I like watching you sing.” Marisol smiled. “I love music. I like the nights you perform at Ripple.”
“I never see you watching.” She smiled at me.
“Hard worker. Remember?”
“I do.” We enjoyed our beers in silence as people returned to pool games and started playing music on the jukebox.
“I’m headed out. Do you need a ride?” Amy asked as we both looked at her. I saw Liam standing behind her with a sheepish look on his face and laughed at him.
“I can take her. You kids have fun,” I told Amy as she smiled and turned to look at Liam.
“We will.” They left together, and Marisol raised a brow.
“Is that smart?” she asked as I tilted my head to the left. It was probably just as stupid as the thoughts that I was having about her right about now.
“He’s a good guy. He won’t hurt her.”
“I was more worried about him than I was Amy.” We finished our beers, and I asked her if she was ready. I had to work the next morning, and she admitted to needing to study a bit. We walked out to my car, and I opened her door as she gazed at me. I made sure she settled before closing it and walked around to start the engine. “Who taught you manners like that? Guys don’t ever do that these days.”
“My parents and brother did.” The mention of Jack made me remember the night, and I slumped back in my seat. Marisol watched as I drove towards my apartment, asking where she lived once I was in the area. Marisol guided me to a complex that had two buildings and in the same shape as mine. “Let me walk you up.”
“I walk into my apartment all the time, Kellen. I’m still alive.” There was sarcasm in her voice, and I turned my face to stare at her.
“I want you to get in the building safely, Marisol. Allow me that.” She challenged me with her eyes for a long moment before nodding. I got out and helped her out of the car before she led me to the building on the right. I noted that there was a security door brightly lit as she used her key to get inside. I made sure it locked behind us, and she walked up a set of stairs to one of four doors, using a different key to get in. She turned to face me, and I looked behind her to see a small room that resembled my place.
“I’m in.” She smiled as she spoke, and I moved my gaze to meet her eyes. “Thank you for walking me.”
“Not a problem.” She drew me in with her endless eyes, and I pressed my lips together slowly. I cupped her face with one hand, stroking her soft skin. I moved slowly towards her as I gazed into her eyes the entire time, needing to know that she wanted this. Her eyes deepened as I got closer and fluttered as I felt her breath on my lips. A hand reached out to grip my shirt, and her mouth claimed mine as I gripped the doorway to steady myself.
She poured her soul into the kiss, but everything was too jumbled to make sense. I tilted my head to deepen it, and Marisol slipped her free arm around my waist. I pushed her into the door, feeling for the wall as I kicked the door closed. “Shit. I have neighbors.” She pulled away and looked at me in the dim light fr
om the kitchen. “Did you just kick my door closed?”
“I guess I did.” I gave her my crooked smile, and Marisol narrowed her eyes.
“Thanks again.” I knew that I just got dismissed in a surprisingly nice way for Marisol.
“Anytime.” I had to flirt a little, and she pecked my mouth. Marisol reached for the door, and I stumbled out. “Good night. Lock the door.”
“I always do.” I moved to the door, checking to make sure I didn’t break it as I opened it. I grinned and walked out, turning to look at her.
“See you,” Marisol told me, and I nodded. There were girls I would meet that would sleep with me immediately, and then I would be leaving. I knew that Marisol was not most girls.
“See you,” I agreed, and she slowly closed the door. I heard her lock it and turned to jog down the stairs. I felt lighter than I did earlier though I knew I’d have to deal with Jack. We needed to be right with each other, and I opened the door to head to my car, turning to look at the building. A light was on in Marisol’s window, and I gazed at it for a long moment before getting into my car.
I drove the short distance to my place, parking, and running up the stairs. I looked around the room, feeling like it was shrinking. I felt alone, and I never feel that way. I slipped my clothes off and left my boxers on to brush my teeth. I slipped under the covers and rested against the pile of pillows as I thought about Marisol.
The kiss was brief but intense. I could still taste her even after brushing my teeth. It was a sweet but subtle taste of fruit and a hint of spice. I licked my lips, wanting to taste it again.
I fell asleep slowly, tossing and turning until the alarm went off.
I showered and headed down to work, making my coffee first before getting everything ready. Yuri came in with the first customer, and I glared at him as he ran behind the counter. We managed to get along through the rush, and I poured more coffee for myself when it slowed down. “You should try to get here on time. It’s fucked up that I have to do everything alone.”
“You live upstairs. It’s easy for you just to come down. I live fifteen minutes away.” Yuri poured some weaker coffee and took a sip as I stared at him.
“It’s easy to be here because I live above the shop? You don’t know anything about me. Nothing is easy.” I was rarely rude like this to people, but I had a lot on my mind today. Yuri stared at me for a moment, and I took a deep breath. “Just show up for your shift.”
I turned to walk to the bathroom for a break. I needed to talk to Jack and get Marisol off my mind. I needed to first get through this shift.
I went back out to see a line forming and got behind the machines to make the drinks. Yuri was quietly helping people at the register, and I was okay with that. I looked up as another employee walked in and let out a sigh of relief. My day was over in two hours. My opener sucked, and I considered getting him a change in shifts.
I left with a quick goodbye, narrowing my eyes at Yuri as he stayed behind. He owed the company another forty-five minutes for being late. I walked into my apartment and slipped my phone out of my pocket to call Grace. “Is he home?”
“He is. He’s taking a nap with Ella.” Her voice was gentle, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
“I need to talk to him,” I told her and heard the sound of someone sitting on the couch in the background. “We didn’t have a good night at the gig.”
“He told me about it when he got home, Kellen. He was tired last night and not at his best. When Ella asked him to take a nap with her, I urged him to do it.”
“Do you want him focusing this way on the band?”
“I want him doing something that distracts him and makes him happy. I suppose there’s a selfish part of me that wants him home every moment that he isn’t working. I wish he’d take more time, but he’s careful with what he uses. He lets me do my trivia nights once a week, so I’ll give him this.” She sighed. “We all deal with things in our way.”
“I know. It’s just hard for me to watch him suffer this way.”
“When they get up, I’ll see if Ella is up to going out for dinner. Let’s make a fun night of it,” Grace sounded hopeful, and I agreed. We needed to relax a bit.
“Call me.” We ended the call, and I dropped to my bed. I was tired from today and closed my eyes as my head hit the pillow. Grace called in an hour and a half and told me where to meet them in two hours. I showered and dressed in some black jeans and a forest green Henley before slipping my feet into boots to leave.
I headed down the stairs to my car, seeing a familiar face leaving the coffee shop. “Marisol?”
She glanced at me and smiled as she twisted the cup in her hands. “Hey. I was craving some coffee since I’m supposed to be studying for a test. I thought you might be around.”
“I live right there. You can come up anytime,” I told her, pointing at my door.
“Yeah, I knew where it was.” She smiled, looking awkward for a moment.
“You said you have to study?” An idea flashed across my mind, and I considered it as she tilted her head at me.
“I do, but it can wait if something good enough comes my way.” She smiled, and I pressed my lips together as she watched. It was a nervous habit of mine since I was small, and Jack teased me endlessly about it. “What are you offering?”
“I am going out to dinner with my brother and his family. He’s the guitarist for Pitchfork.” Her brow raised, and she searched my face as I waited for her answer.
“Family. How big is his family?” she pressed, and I smiled as I thought about Grace and Ella.
“He has a wife and a six-year-old daughter. Ella. She’s incredible.” Marisol thought about it and nodded.
“That sounds good. Do they know I’m coming?” I shook my head, and she laughed. “Are they the type to react to my coming to dinner with you?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t brought too many people around them.” Marisol looked surprised, and I laughed at her expression.
“So, you want to bring me?” she questioned, and I nodded. “How are they with sarcasm?”
“They invented it.” I offered her my arm, and she looked down at her clothes.
“Is this okay?” She was wearing loose ripped jeans and a clingy yellow sweater.
“Ella likes Red Robin. Don’t worry. You look beautiful.” She smiled and took my arm as I led her to the car.
Chapter 14
Kellen
We drove to the strip mall that housed the restaurant, and I told Marisol how I went off on Yuri today. She laughed and told me she wouldn’t wait that long to tell him anything, and I agreed with her. “You’re too easygoing, aren’t you?”
“I can be. I don’t like to take my shit out on other people.” I shrugged at a stoplight. “It’s my burden, not theirs to deal with.
“I get that, but he can’t take advantage of the fact you rent the apartment above the shop. Work is work. You are up late every night you perform, and you get there on time. What’s this guy doing?”
“I think playing Fortnight with friends, from what I’ve heard.” She dropped her head back and cursed as I chuckled. “We all have our thing. Who am I to judge?”
“I would judge him heavily for that. It is no reason to be late to work.”
I parked in the lot of the center and walked around to help Marisol out. She looked at the brightly lit building and followed me to the door. I opened it, and she hesitated for a moment. “Are you okay?”
“I haven’t met a lot of families. I have a shortage of close friends.” I took her hand and pulled her inside to let the hostess know I was meeting someone. She told me to take a look, and I walked through the room, searching the tables and booths. Ella screaming my name, alerting me that they were in the corner, and I winced before heading that way.
“Hi.” Grace looked surprised at Marisol, standing beside me, and Jack smiled in recognition.
“This is Marisol. Marisol, this is Grace and Ella. You know Jack.” I smiled at my
sister-in-law. “She works at one of the bars we play.”
“Good to see you,” Jack greeted her as he shot me a curious look.
“Nice to meet you. Please, sit.” Ella begged me to sit by her, and I scooted in, followed by Marisol, as Ella leaned over to take a closer look.
“Are you Uncle Kelly’s girlfriend?” I widened my eyes at my niece, and Grace blushed.
“Does he have a lot of those, Ella?” Marisol asked as Ella seemed to think about it.