by Alice Dee
“Fuck you Charla!” he shouted in her face. He went for the door but Tristan ran up on him and grabbed his arm. The black asphalt surrounding them was sleek and glowed yellow, and these golden lights against her hair made it look light blonde.
“Who was the dude you were protecting? Might as well tell me the truth now.”
But Tristan couldn’t do that! Oh God, no, never!” So she insisted her lie was the truth. “Tell me the truth or I’m outta here, tell me the truth or I leave…”
“It is the truth, Dominic. Baby, stop and think about what you’re doing!”
He opened the door to his truck and got inside.
“Don’t leave!” Tristan cry/screamed at the top of her lungs. Dan had to hold her back.
“I’m done with you!” he shouted out the window and sped off. Tristan knew he was going to run to Hope right then and there. She always had this inkling since they got back together, that he was going to jump out of his skin any moment to go back to Hope. Now he really was.
57... Contemplates
Dominic went home and contemplated what he would say. “Should I?” Of course; this is what he’d been waiting for. It was like a miracle, this happening. It did infuriate him that Tristan lied but only because it kept him away from Hope. He felt bad about the baby at first, but just knowing it was probably someone else’s anyway, he really didn’t care anymore. He paced around his living room for a while. He sat in the dark and actually drank a beer. He went through his phone and stared at her number for a long time.
In the silence of his four walled apartment, he could feel the emptiness next door where she used to be. He couldn’t let go…no way. And he was pretty sure it couldn’t possibly ever get old with her. For whatever reason, he couldn’t pinpoint what it was about her, she was the one. Maybe it was just her entire existence but one thing was for sure; he had never felt so positive about this kind of thing. His mind was made up; Hope was his girl bottom line and he would go to the stars to get another chance.
He became agnostic on the spot.
“If you’re up there God, give me guidance.”
So calling her was too puss. He didn’t want to look like a puss. He grabbed his keys and headed for the door. Screw waiting, screw explanation. There was a good chance she’d be working tonight. Hopefully that weasel Shane hadn’t gotten to her head yet.
He opened the door. He gasped in a bit of surprise to see Tristan standing there. He tried to turn away and go back inside but she grabbed his arm and held on to it.
“Don’t touch me,” he gravely warned her.
“But I want to say I’m sorry. I just want to talk to you. I just want you to know how sorry I am.”
“You caught me at a real bad time.” He pulled away from her and jogged down the stairs.
She ran after him, sweeping her hair out of her face.
“Please Dominic, just think about us. Don’t throw us away for her. Just please don’t go back to her.”
Dominic shook his head. This girl had so much nerve, like most girls he knew.
In one last attempt to get her point across, at least for tonight, she reached in the driver’s side window and gripped the steering wheel. He inhaled and with cold eyes stared into the windshield.
“Remember that promise we made a long time ago? We promised each other,” she swallowed the lump in her throat with no relief. “We promised that no matter what we will stick together. We’ll get through it. We promised each other that, remember? We said we’d never let anything or anyone get between us.”
Yeah, he remembered. He looked at the delicate skin that coated her hand. There was no doubt she loved him. He shook his head. Nah, this was too easy. He didn’t want easy.
“You know what Tris?” He shook his head at her. She’d been such a hypocrite the entire time. “I shoulda’ fucked Josephine when I had the chance.” He nodded. “That’s right. She was always coming on to me when I was staying in your house.”
Her eyes watered till her irises looked like huge ink splats. He felt like such a dick but a cold break can also be a clean one. But Tristan was drowning in suicidal mind state. She just wanted to die.
He jammed the key in the ignition and backed out, not looking at her, not trying to hear another word. On the way over to the Lucky Star, the sky darkened to a deep plum. Those rich glitzy lights sparkled against the bruised horizon. Everything felt right tonight. Everything was going to go right for him.
Dominic took the elevator to the top floor and headed down a dark red corridor to a long line outside the doors of Club F01. The bouncer was giving him a hard time. Apparently not just anyone could get into the club anymore. This place was climbing the charts and becoming one of Vegas’s hottest spots. Dominic knew what this meant. The devil had definitely taken over. “I don’t believe in the devil,” he reminded himself.
“I’m a personal friend of one the dancer’s-“
The bouncer still refused to hear Dominic out. Dominic was losing his patience. His hands were in fists and violent thoughts were starting to emerge. There was a bald man in a suit standing behind the bouncer. He had a cigar and was whispering something into the bouncer’s ear. Dominic noticed and didn’t like the way the bald guy was looking at him up and down. Dominic wasn’t sure if this was a perverted look or what the hell.
“Which one of my girls is your friend?”
Dominic looked from the bald man’s face to his shoes, back to his face.
“Which one of your girls?” Dominic scoffed. “Like you own them or what?”
He made his eyes small at Dominic and puffed on his cigar.
“What are you, ‘bout 220, 230?”
Dominic made a face like he was confused and insulted.
“I need to speak with Hope Flores.”
“Yeah, of course.” The bald man stuck out his hand, pulling Dominic aside. “I’m Drew Lachey, co-owner but silent partner of The Lucky Star.”
Dominic nodded but didn’t give a shit. When Drew reached out his hand Dominic reluctantly shook it.
“Dominic.”
“Oooh, tight grip. What do you do Dominic?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Dominic hadn’t seen this new club before. It was completely dark when they walked in the tinted glass doors. He followed Drew through another set of doors. The room was blaring with darkened green, yellow and blue lights. Dominic’s eyes grazed every surface. This was an actual nightclub, not a lounge. Drew walked Dominic to the bar and ordered Dominic a drink while Dominic looked past crowds of people, trying to recognize her face.
Drew handed Dominic a bottle of beer and again asked what his occupation was. He went on to offer Dominic a position at the club, explaining they could use a guy of his stature to man the doors. Drew made it sound good and the supposed pay made Dominic think twice. But then he saw her all haloed out, glowing white like snow. She was wearing a white A-line wig and thickened lashes with pale lips. He left the beer and Drew at the bar and slowly walked closer to Hope, but kept a safe distance from the crowds. He watched her for a while and when he couldn’t anymore, he curled his hands into fists again.
He was drained of everything but the adrenaline his heart pumped out by the second. Sound was drowned out by the thumping of his heart.
Hope was about to walk up on the platform when someone stopped her. She turned around and saw Michael standing there with a smile. He asked her to hang out with him and friends in the VIP longue. She looked him up and down. She was head over heels for this guy at one time and now, she couldn’t understand why. He wasn’t looking like he used to. She declined. He grabbed her wrist gently and told her she looked “amazing”. She figured her was on to the fact she moved on. Again she declined.
Hammer was watching from a few feet away and it burned him to see Hope acting the way she was. She was a feisty one and it was time he put her in her place. Hammer stormed up the steps after Hope. She backed away from Hammer who didn’t care they were on t
he platform. He grabbed her again and started shouting in her face.
Before anyone knew what was happening a large fist went smack into Hammer’s face. Dominic hit Hammer so hard, he actually saw the back of Hammer’s head. Hammer turned his head back round to face Dominic, his nose gushing with shiny red liquid. Hope didn’t know how to react. Michael was speechless too, hand over his mouth. Dominic grabbed Hope’s hand and dragged her through the noisy crowd. The place was so wild only the people up front saw what happened. Big Mike and Tony were on their tail so rather than stop to take the elevator, Dominic ran down corridors, Hope at his heels. They ran passed confused expressions and second-lookers, down all the stair ways leading smack dab in the center of the building. Hope tried to keep up with Dominic but she wasn’t as quick as him. She felt like a fool running though the place like they were fleeing a crime.
Once outside behind the Lucky Star, amongst rows of cars that shined like colored aluminum, Hope went off on Dominic demanding to know what was wrong with him. Strangely she had an enhanced consciousness of her surroundings. The night was really warm and the stars were brilliant. The air was clear and the city was heaving with life. She was elevated to skyline heights but he was about to blow it any second.
“Are you crazy?! Are you crazy?!”
Dominic opened his truck door and reached for a sweater but she refused to take it.
“You can’t be out here like that, showing off everything.”
“Who are you?!” she shouted. “You just cost me my job!” She put her hands over her face. ”Why did you do that?”
“I won’t let anyone shout in your face like that!”
She ran her hands over her head.
“What am I going to do, I’m fired…”
“You won’t be fired,” he promised.
“You punched my boss in the face!”
“I’ll make sure you don’t lose your job. Will you just listen to me?”
She pulled herself together and breathed in. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening.
“I made a mistake.”
“Oh Dominic, it’s too late for the ‘I made a mistake’ speech.”
“She lied to me Hope. She lied about everything. You believe me? She actually had in abortion. The kid wasn’t even mine. She cheated on me first.”
Hope looked at him, her mouth agape.
“I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I was doing what I was supposed to.”
“So once again things go wrong and you think you can come running to me? What am I, plan B?”
“You know it’s not like that.”
“You think you can go around punching people in the face?”
“No.”
She didn’t want to look in his eyes because she knew she’d feel it and right now, she couldn’t afford to feel it. She didn’t want those feelings to come flooding in, sweeping her off her feet. She leaned against his truck and took her shoes off instead.
“Put the sweater on, you’re practically naked.”
“Hope.” A third voice called out. Dominic and Hope looked up and saw Drew walking toward them. Dominic took a few steps forward but Hope stepped in front of him.
“Don’t,” she whispered, looking up into his face for the first time. He was in kill mode, his eyes on Drew.
“It’s cool,” he said to Dominic. In his hand, Drew had Hope’s silky cover up. “Here honey, put this on.”
Dominic’s expression totally dropped. One more word and he would charge Drew.
“All right, all right, calm down.” Drew looked at Hope who slowly turned away from Dominic and stared at the silk wrap.
“Go on, take it.”
She reluctantly reached for it.
“Now about what happened back there, I understand. Hammer had that coming.”
Hope secured herself in her wrap and looked from Dominic to Drew.
“I’m not real sure about what’s going on here, but I know you’re not a boyfriend, right?” Drew smiled and looked at Hope again. “This isn’t the guy that showed up last night, the one you left with?”
Hope didn’t say anything. Dominic had a feeling he was referring to Shane.
“Don’t worry, no one’s going to call the cops or anything. Let’s just talk this out.”
Dominic squinted at Drew.
“This is between Hope and me.”
He slid his hands in his pockets and smugly smiled at Dominic.
“I can see there’s no reasoning with you while you’re in this…state. Why don’t you go on home, maybe you can talk it over in the morning. Hope?” Drew reached out his hand. Hope stared at it for a moment. Dominic looked from the extended hand to Hope.
“Come on Hope, get in the truck.”
“Hope?” Drew wiggled his fingers around motioning for her to take it. “Remember everything we talked about? Don’t throw it all away for some guy.”
Dominic stepped forward but again Hope stopped him. He wanted to bust passed her hands on his chest, instead took this opportunity to be close to her. He took her hands in his and lowered his face, force pulling her against him. She could feel a rush coating her from the inside out. It could be one of the hardest feelings in the world to resist but she could manage.
“It’s done.”
Dominic wasn’t sure if her eyes were watery or just super glossy from the makeup and lights. He carefully pulled her wig from her head, taking off the nylon with it. Her hair bounced off her shoulders and rolled down her back.
“We’re not done,” he said, dropping the wig. “We haven’t even begun.”
She shook her head.
You fucking broke my heart.
“Hope, listen to me-“
“Let go,” she said to him when he grabbed her hand.
Drew put his hand down to his side. Glenna jogged out of the building in an aqua silk wrap, bearing legs. A breeze blew through her hair as she stood standing there, watching this drama unfold.
Say it!!
He wanted to say it; this is what he’d come here for. It was on the tip of his tongue urging to roll off but he was too BITCH to do it under the current circumstance.
Hope turned around and headed back toward the building with Drew. Dominic couldn’t think further than this. There was a concrete wall blocking his view, like he couldn’t see what tomorrow would bring. He hated himself for letting her walk away and started punching the side of someone else’s car. He stopped when fresh blood dripped from his knuckles. He held up his hand, glistening blood streaming down his forearm. It wasn’t his good hand-he wasn’t stupid.
“Yeah, I’m stupid,” he mumbled to himself, crumbling inside, completely left in ruins.
Dominic got in his truck and hated himself from the inside out. All over again life was shitty. Does the cycle ever end?
58... Righting things wrong
Hope listened to Drew’s idea of condolence;
“I mean if this guy meant so much to you, you wouldn’t have been running around with that other guy right?”
Hope pressed her lips together. They stepped out of the elevator and the rest of the one-sided conversation consisted of money. Back inside the thumping club, Hope’s eyes wandered the room. She headed up the stairs to the powder room.
“Are you all right?” Glenna asked, coming in after her.
Hope opened her locker and took out her purse.
“I don’t know what I’ve been thinking all this time. I’m such an idiot.” Hope slammed the locker shut and stared Glenna in the eyes. “He’s perfect but it scares me.”
Glenna licked her lips.
“You’ll never really get over it if you let him get away,” she mouthed.
Hope turned around and headed out of the powder room. Her heart was going crazy as she made her way down the stairs. Hammer was sitting at the bar with a paper towel held to his nose. Tony and Mike were at either side of him, apologizing for having not been around. Like a watchdog, Drew was near the exit. He saw Hope hurry
ing toward him through slashes of psychedelic colors and tried to slow her down.
“Fuck you Drew.” Hope looked him in the eyes while she said that and was out the doors. She hurried to her car, barefoot in her silk wrap. She started up the car and sped off. She was driving fast, tapping the steering wheel, her brain bouncing around in her head. Suddenly the lights dimmed and the car was weightless.
“No,” she said, panic setting in. “No no no!” The car rolled a bit and stopped. She tried starting it but it was completely dead.
“No!” She grabbed her purse and rummaged through it for her phone. She was so nervous she couldn’t dial the numbers correctly. “Damn it!” She threw the phone on the ground and then picked it up, popped the door open and locked up. She took her time dialing his number and then put the phone to her ear. He wasn’t answering.
“Okay,” she said to herself, looking at her surroundings. It was dark and open. When she looked behind her she could see the strip but it was so far away it looked like a dazzling yellow line on the horizon. She was half naked with a thigh high silk rap and no shoes. She tried calling him again but no answer.
“Don’t do this…” She hugged herself tight and then remembered why that was a dumb move. She stood straight and let her arms fall to her side, headed up the dark road. It took forty minutes to get there and by the time she did, she wasn’t nervous anymore. Screw it. She walked up the pathway; his car was parked in the driveway right in front of the garage. She stepped up on his porch and rang the doorbell.
The door opened while Hope waited in anticipation. “Don’t let him hate me,” she prayed. The porch light went on and he looked as surprised as she’d ever seen him.
“Hi,” she said, her arms wrapped around herself again. “I tried calling you. You wouldn’t answer.”
“Uh,” he rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. “I lost my phone.”
She wasn’t sure if he was lying or not.
“I just came by because-“