Page 110 of Only You
‘Are you happy?’ he asked suddenly.
‘Yeah,’ she said without hesitation. She turned her head so he could see her sincerity when she said, ‘The happiest I’ve ever been, according to my other lives.’
‘Then I’ll say this much.’ He drummed his fingers on the floor before speaking, his tone sombre as he met her curious stare. ‘As much as we genuinely loved each other before, one thing that happened in every life before this one was that we were always trying to escape the world around us. This time we don’t have to. So, if nothing else, we at least beat that part of the story already.’
‘Maybe the universe is throwing us a bone,’ she sighed. ‘One step closer to getting older.’
Though his shoulders slumped in defeat, his smile only looked a little tired. ‘If so, then I guess I’ll meet you at the retirement home.’
‘I’ll be the one playing shuffleboard,’ she said, causing him to chuckle. The sound made her relax, the restlessness she felt all day finally disappearing though nothing had changed. They could still die tomorrow but they couldn’t change that now. She had worried enough for the day.
She leaned over, running her fingers over the guitar, a muted melody playing. She suddenly wanted to tell Jones to get his amp so she could hear herself. It didn’t matter if she was bad or not; she just wanted to know.
‘Maybe it was as simple as a wish,’ she said finally. ‘You wanted to see me again. I wanted to save you. All things are possible through God and magic and whatever else is out there beyond what we understand.’
‘A wish strong enough to bring us back to life… guess we’ll have to wait and see.’ He finally sat up and reached over her to pick up his bass. She bit her bottom lip as his arm brushed her knee, her nerves zeroing in on the sensation as he held the instrument out to her.
‘Shall we?’
She stared at it for a while, eyeing the frets, the colour of the body, all the little knobs and stringers until her eyes landed on the fingers gripping the neck steadily but not too tight, just enough to let it go. She sat up before taking it gently from his hand, placing it back on her lap.
‘We shall,’ she said, stretching out her legs so they were pressed against his. She held back a smirk as she heard him clear his throat, shifting his body, but not moving away. ‘I’m thinking “Seven Nation Army” this time. You know that one?’
‘Yeah, it’s practically bass 101,’ he said as he showed her how to play the first few notes. And for a few hours, she didn’t pretend to be normal or ignore death looming around the corner. She just let the moment be more important and it was more than enough.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Detroit
November 1946
Old Man Eddie’s bar was different during the day. It didn’t carry the undercurrent of all the impromptu parties it hosted or the drunken secrets it kept. It was bright and open, the most fitting place for Demir to be.
He had been lucky that it was poetry night when he stumbled up into the place the night he quit boxing. He was also lucky that Haze was weirdly loyal to people he had only known for a short time, which the man chalked up to being biracial with a lot of siblings. Either way, Demir was grateful that for once he wasn’t running to a fight. He wondered if his aunt would be proud of him or would accuse him of doing the same thing he always did.
Wiping down tables in preparation for opening in a few hours, he heard someone whistle behind him.
‘How’s it going?’ Haze approached, an easy smile stretched across his face.
Demir shrugged. ‘It is what it is.’ He straightened and gave the man his attention. ‘I thought I wouldn’t see you till tonight.’
‘I figured you would dip out before then.’
‘I was going to work a few hours before heading your way. Eddie offered extra money plus tips if I stayed a while,’ he explained.
Haze hummed before sitting in a nearby chair. ‘Well, I figured I should stop by and check on you. Jack just called me about trying to find you. Sounds like he has cash waiting for you. And before you ask, I didn’t say nothing. I’m a messenger, not a snitch.’
‘I don’t want it,’ Demir answered gruffly. ‘I’m tired of fighting.’
‘I don’t blame you. Tough taking hits like that. The old man might call me soft for saying so, but I’m not one for bloody noses. Too pretty, you know?’ Haze smirked as Demir rolled his eyes.
‘I wouldn’t recommend it,’ he said, returning to the counter to soak the towel. ‘It’s like you’re a bird trapped in a cage they keep forcing to sing. All the while, you’re left wondering how they don’t understand that they’re war cries.’
‘That sounds like poetry to me,’ Haze pointed out. Yet again. Demir held back a sigh.
‘Come on, D. You know you have something to say,’ Haze pressed.
Demir stayed silent even though he agreed. He knew a lot of truths, harsh ones that could make the world feel hopeless. But was that the truth he wanted to tell the world? No.
