Page 35 of Gluttony
When the kid started, Bailey’s hand went to cover her smile. Tony did it. With only an hour or so here, he’d chipped away at the armor of more than one troubled youth. Maybe she was wrong about him. Maybe he had the capacity to think of someone other than himself.
After five minutes, she was about to walk in, but something Akeef said stopped her.
“How did you get away from it all, man? You know, the need.”
Tony’s deep inhale was audible. “It’s there all the time, bro. But you keep yourself busy. You remind yourself of your goals, and you power through. And you get help.”
“I don’t know.”
“Sure you do. You love this shit.” A pause. “Tell you what. I’ll come back next week and we’ll record some stuff. Make a Youtube or something. Keep taking steps forward, and before you know it, you’re far away from your doubts.”
Bailey placed her palm over her heart. Tony was doing this all on his own. She’d not asked him. He’d offered. There was no one else in there but the two of them. Her mind whirled. He was nothing like she’d expected. The man in there was humble, caring and generous. Why did he hide that part of him?
Eleven
Tony hookedup a time with Akeef to come back to the house. The kid didn’t ask, and he kind of fobbed off the suggestion to make a music video, but Tony had expected that. Building confidence took time and in the end, Tony casually suggested they hold a video game tournament. He’d slip in a few sneaky karaoke moments while they played. He had a plan. And Sloan’s old X-box console would help. The media room had been grossly understocked with things teens actually enjoyed doing. He left Akeef and went to find Bailey.
He didn’t have to look far. She was right outside the room. Coming up behind Tony, Akeef cast a sideways glance at Bailey, then plugged his earphones back in. He lifted his hand for Tony to fist bump.
“Later, bro,” Akeef mumbled.
“Laters.” Tony’s heartbeat quickened as he turned to Bailey. “Um. Hi.”
“You’re fantastic with them,” she noted, eyes crinkling at the sides.
He shrugged. “It’s part of my job.”
“You were acting?”
He thought about it. “No, I wasn’t.”
“So it wasn’t part of your job.”
Huh. “Guess not.”
When she spoke next, it was with a shy lowering of the lashes. “You know, this is the kind of thing I was talking about using your celebrity for. It’s not always about money or donations, but about hope.”
He couldn’t help it. He hooked his finger under her chin, lifting her gaze to meet his. What stared back at him was something raw, earnest, and for once unguarded.
“Go on a date with me,” he said.
She blinked. “Date?”
“You heard me.” His fingers trailed up her jawline to tuck a stray hair behind her ear, and then, as if it fit, he curled his hand around her warm neck. A breathy grunt of approval rumbled through his chest.
Hot breath fanned between them. Electricity sizzled in the air. And when she spoke next, it was as if she had trouble breathing.
“And what does a date with Tony Lazarus look like?”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been on one.”
“None?”
“You’ll be my first.”
She lifted two incredulous eyebrows.
They both burst into laughter.
