Page 52 of Stoker's Serenity

“Fuckin’ better man, I got better things to do than stand here jerking the mic stand like it’s my cock in the middle of your busted-ass garage on a Friday night.” Gideon was in a fuckin’ mood again.

“What, Angela stop jerkin’ it for you?” Finn asked, lighting up a cigarette, narrowing his kohl-lined eyes at our lead.

“Man, shut the fuck up!” Gideon snarled to a track of Rory’s laughter as his sticks clacked and he got up from behind his drum set.

It was warm, but bearably so. I had the garage door flung open, as much to catch the salty breeze coming from the water as it was to be able to see my empty driveway, waiting for Serenity’s little Toyota to pull into it.

I was just lifting my bass over my head to set it in its stand and to switch off the buzzing amp when she did just that. I was so glad to see her through her bug-splattered windshield my heart leapt into my throat and I straight up got choked up.

That’s never happened before.

“Hey, she made it!” Finn cried.

“Fucking whatever,” Gideon grumbled, and, yup – it was definitely that fucking little cockbite Angela that’d gotten under his skin.

“You be any kind of rude to her, I’m straight up punching you in the throat; you get me?” I stared him down and he blinked in surprise.

“Shit, so it’s that way, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s that way,” I said and strode past my bike, tucked to one side of the garage, and out into the deepening Florida night.

She popped open her door and swung her legs out, her sandaled feet appearing below the door, touching down on the bright white cement of my driveway.

“Hey, Orchid.”

“Hi,” she said gently, smiling up at me. I reached down and she put her hand in mine and levered herself up out of her seat, groaning.

I laughed lightly. “A little stiff?”

“Oh, no… my feet are killing me. It was a long day on the sales floor.”

“Shit. You need anything brought in?” I asked.

“Um, yeah.” She smiled.

I asked a little eagerly, “You bring it?”

“I did,” she affirmed. “Just point me in the direction of your kitchen and I’ll make some up for you.

“Aw, you’re the best!”

She opened the back door of her car and I shut the front. I picked up her overnight bag and the reusable grocery bag with the goods inside. I’d asked her to bring the stuff to make that killer tea of hers. Had, like, four pitchers on my kitchen counter for her to fill, so I could have some all week. A taste of her, even when she couldn’t be here.

“Oh, hi!” she said as Finn came up to her, once she crossed the threshold into the garage.

“Finn,” he introduced himself.

“Serenity, my friends call me Ren.”

“Nice to meet you, Serenity.” He let go of her hand, and she smiled politely at Gideon and said “Hi.”

“Hey, how’s it going? I’m Gideon.”

“Nice to meet you, Gideon.”

“Nice to see you again, Serenity.”

She blushed and said, “Oh, god. Were you on the beach last week?”

---