Page 31 of My Rock Star Neighbor
Nick tilts his head.It’s clearly not the question he expected, but I’ve learned that these types of indirect questions can sometimes tease out more of a story from someone who definitely has walls, as Nick does—and for good reason.He clearly wants to keep part of his life private.
“Do you remember that bar, Pickles?”Nick asks.
“Barely,” I say.“But Iris immediately recognized it when she saw your cover.She said her dad wanted to model his bar Craic and Laughs on it because it had such a wonderful atmosphere—a feeling of good times and lively conversation—and so many amazing musicians played there.”
“Exactly.In high school, I used to hang out around there to hear the musicians, and the owner, Joey, took pity on me and invited me to watch the dry run sessions.I learned so much.I was also lucky that I was already 6’2” by 9th grade, so I looked less like a kid.I felt like it was my home away from home.And Joey…” He pauses and seems to swallow.“He was a good man.A good role model.”
The waiter refills our water glasses.
“My turn,” Nick says.“Why are you single?”
“Dating in New York is not exactly easy,” I say, surprised by his question and flattered that he seems to think I should have my pick of boyfriends.“I’m focused on my career right now because I really want this promotion.It’s hard to schedule dates when I might get a call to cover a story or I’m spending most evenings trailing infrastructure deputy commissioners.”
“How’s that going?”he asks.
“Nothing so far.Ward and Pommer both usually go straight home.Pommer sometimes picks up his young kids from school first and takes them to a playground in the park.Ward sometimes stops at a library on the way home, so he must like to read,” I say.“Gallant Galliano often goes out to dinner with his wife or to community affairs events around the city.”
I need some sort of break in this case.
“Galliano has the most complaints in his neighborhood for repairs that don’t work, but Beatrice threatened Dulce enough not to report anything, so Dulce didn’t report the repair issue, so that could also be a sign that he’s not the one taking bribes, because he actually has complaints.In the districts where tenants, like Dulce, are being threatened not to report any problems, then the numbers will be lower.”
“Can you break the data out by who has the most repeat complaints?”Nick asks.“Because Tasha’s situation is where it wasn’t fixed properly the first time.”
“Good idea.I’ll try crunching the data that way,” I say.
We finish our dinner, and Nick pays the bill.He opens the door for me, and I step out into the cold night air, Nick following.I pull on my mittens.
Nick tucks my hair behind my ear as I look up at him.I wish this was real.“Do you want to walk home?Didn’t you bring a hat?”he asks.“It’s crisp out tonight.”
The way Nick is looking at me… His eyes have this tender look to them that makes me feel like I’m being warmed by a bright sun.I don’t feel cold.
How does he do that?How can he fake it so well?Am I looking like that at him?
Flashes blind me.Nick pushes me behind him.
“Is this the one?”yells a reporter.
“Are you dating?”yells another reporter.
“She’s a private person, so please respect her privacy,” Nick says.
“Pull up your hood, zip up your jacket, and cover your face with a scarf,” Nick whispers to me as he uses his body to shield me from view.
I do that and then peer out from the depths of my hood.It’s going to look like he’s dating a stuffed coat jacket, but I appreciate the effort he’s making.From my viewpoint, I make out a small group of people—half reporters and half photographers.
“Will you give us an interview if we promise not to use her name?”another one asks.
“I’m happy to answer your questions, but please leave my friend out of it,” Nick says.
“Friend or girlfriend?”a new female voice asks.
Nick stiffens next to me.“Christina.”
His ex.Great.I’m looking like Big Foot, and his ex is interviewing him.I can’t really see her because of the flashes going off.My eyes are still adjusting.
“It’s business,” she says.“My boss obviously assigned me because I have some expertise on the subject matter.”
“Here I thought that would be called a conflict of interest,” Nick says.
