Page 78 of Only You
‘“Never Too Much”,’ she said, opening her eyes. ‘Luther Vandross.’
Jones stopped playing, staring at her with wide eyes that did not answer her question. For a moment, she was sure she got it wrong, but his smile instantly washed away her worry. He lifted his hands from the guitar and slow clapped. She shook her head at the dramatics but was preening on the inside. Now, she felt like she was back on track.
‘You only picked up bass the last two years of undergrad,’ she said, remembering the titbit from one of their phone conversations.
‘Yes,’ he confirmed.
‘How in the world are you so good?’
‘Oh, that’s easy,’ he said. ‘Fucking up. A lot.’
Her jaw dropped at the answer, and something close to a pained but understanding laugh spilled out of her. She related completely but was not used to someone saying it so bluntly. She found herself facing the ceiling minutes later when she calmed down, the laughter making her lie down. She felt a tap on her foot and looked over at Jones, whose gaze had become fond and tender. Something definitelynotfriend-like, like they’d silently agreed. Still, she met it head on, finding that she didn’t really mind that.
‘I get that you have to drill like crazy to do what you do,’ he said, ‘but this is supposed to be for fun. Don’t stress about making it perfect. You have time to get better.’
She bit the inside of her cheek to avoid asking the question, ‘Do we?’ She pushed it far away in her mind, knowing that the only ones with that answer were the powers that be.
‘It’s a bad habit,’ she said instead. ‘Beingperfect, not trying.’ She winked at him, and it was his turn to laugh, dispelling the knot forming in her chest.
‘In the meantime, I’ll show you how to play “Return of the Mack”,’ he said. ‘Come on.’
‘I don’t know. Isn’t this how all the coolest bassists play?’ She pulled the bass into her lap and went through her very basic plucking. ‘Oh! Could you teach me how to play “I Want It That Way”?’
‘Absolutely not. You’ll have to learn that on your own.’
Just as she had in the museum and for a hundred years before that in probably a hundred different scenarios, she laughed and let her worries slide away, allowing him to become her sole focus.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Detroit
May 1946
‘The deal is done so, tonight, we celebrate, champ,’ Jack announced as he entered Demir’s apartment. The boxer took Jack’s excitement in stride as he closed the door and the curtains over dirty windows before pulling out a bottle of brown liquor. ‘Bourbon straight from Kentucky,’
Jack said. ‘A little gift from Mackie. He says we’re good to start fighting next Tuesday, and I already got us a spot at the gym nearby. The best part: I found a garage that is closer so no more traipsing across town. It’s all finally working out!’
Jack cracked open the bottle and took a long swig, making a face as he swallowed before holding out the bottle. Demir took it and followed suit, his own face contorting at the burn; it was stronger than he’d expected. ‘Cheers to us,’ he forced out. He gave the bottle back to Jack and went to sit on his bed.
‘Thanks to you,’ Jack said, taking another drink. He stared at Demir’s ceiling for a long moment before speaking again ‘Sel says I should apologise for the shit I said the other day.’
‘It’s fine.’ Demir shrugged. ‘It was just a bad day.’
‘Still, I owe you.’ He held out the bottle, an unspoken olive branch. Demir accepted it and after a beat, asked, ‘You and Sel doing okay?’
‘Yeah,’ he answered. ‘She’s been more sensitive than usual though. I think school’s starting to get to her.’
Demir’s mind flashed back to the gym, Selene pinned against the wall, the fury on her face after hitting the guy, and how she had hidden behind him, eyes closed. He forced himself to shrug. ‘Life’s tough,’ he said. ‘She’ll be okay.’
‘Oh yeah,’ Jack agreed, chuckling. ‘But I wouldn’t be surprised if she burned the whole place down at this point.’ He took another drink. ‘You catch the baseball game the other day?’
They talked sports and other useless shit for the rest of the night, the noisiest Demir’s apartment had been in a while. There was a small part of him that wished he didn’t enjoy it as much as he did.
‘Shit,’ Demir hissed as Selene pressed an alcohol-soaked cloth to a cut on his brow.
‘He got you good,’ Selene commented as she disinfected the cut. ‘On the bright side, there only seems to be a few bruises, so a little rest will be all you need.’ She taped the bandage to his brow and stepped back. ‘Mackie looked happy. I’m sure Jack is making some kind of deal with him now for more money. Seems New York’s gonna work out after all.’ He watched her nervously tap her nails on her knee.
‘Do you want it to?’
