Page 29 of The Burdens We Share
Sly gets up to greet me next and we do our signature handshake. I say my hello to Miles, Nate and Sly’s bandmate, and his wife. When the hellos are finished, I feel another wave of exhaustion, and I almost feel a dizzy sensation. My legs seem to wobble for a moment and my head spins.
I feel two large hands on both sides of my waist and gasp. “Sit down,” Dallas growls in my ear.The command cuts through the noise, through the haze.
I obey him immediately and drop onto the leather couch. His hands remain on me until I’m all the way settled on the couch and even after they’re gone I feel the heat of his touch through my dress. I’m a dizzy mess but all I can think about right now is the feeling of him touching me, holding me. I don’t know why I like his hands on me so much, but I do. It’s grounding. Comforting. Dangerous.
I barely notice him move, but suddenly he’s there. He sits himself beside me, close enough that I can feel the fabric of his suit pants on my bare thigh. There isn’t much room in the VIP section, but I’m not complaining. The scent of him this close is intoxicating and I don’t know if it’s the dizziness speaking or something else, but all I know is I’m not complaining that I’m this close to him.
Dallas leans forward, resting his arms on his knees as he leans into my ear close enough to speak, “Are you feeling okay?” Is that concern I hear in his voice?
I nod, meeting his eyes. Our faces are only an inch apart and I swear he glances down at my lips before he forces his eyes back up to mine. I nod, “I’m fine.”
He gives me a look that tells me he doesn’t believe me and I sigh, “I’m seriously fine. I just got a little dizzy.”Understatement of the year.
Dallas’ face turns from me and he reaches forward for something, but I can’t take my eyes off his face. I’m enamored by his sharp jawline and chiseled cheekbones. He looks like a Greek statue. This close I can see the fine lines on the sides of his eyes. Lines from having lived and seen things I can most likely never imagine. I’ve never been in the military myself, but I’m sure that it couldn’t have been easy on him. Is that why he’s so intense? So broody? Did something happen to him in the military that made him this way or was he always this way?
He leans back and offers something to me. I look down and find a bottle of water in his hand. I reach for it and untwist the cap, but it comes with a great effort. He misses no detail, “I think you need to see a doctor.”
I give him a dismissive look as I take a sip of the water. “I’m fine. It’s probably just a stress thing. Seriously, don’t worry about me.”
He sighs, “I am worried about you.”
I put the cap back on the water and give him a playful smirk, “Because I’m your favorite client?” I try to lighten the mood with a joke, but I realize I actually do want to be his favorite client.
Dallas’ gaze flickers to my lips once more before he replies with a dry look, “No.”
I place an offended hand over my chest, “Damn, Dallas. I really thought I was your favorite.”
His lip curls slightly and I revel in it. I’m sure that’s as much of a smile as I’ll ever get from him so I’ll take it. “The reason I’m worried about you has nothing to do with the fact that you’re my client.”
What is that supposed to mean? He catches me so off guard that my smile falls. I’m about to ask him to elaborate when an arm wraps around my shoulders and Dallas scowls over my shoulder, any shred of softness gone from his eyes.
I whip my head to my right and find Nate sitting beside me with his arm around me. I love my friend very much but never have I ever wanted to drown him in a toilet as much as I do now. “Nathan,” I give him a warning look and make it a point to use his full name.
He gives me a boyish look, “Yes, Aslan?”
I give him an intense look with my eyes and try to communicate my frustration with my eyes and he either notices and doesn’t care, or just doesn’t notice. Either way, he’s still grinning when he asks, “You seemed to have been forgetting about me.”
“I could never forget you,” I reassure him.
He shakes his head at me, “Seemed like you were.”
I roll my eyes at him and his playfulness fizzles out, “How are you doing? For real, though?”
I want to groan because I feel like that’s all people keep asking me. Do I need to tattoo the words “I’m fine” on my forehead? “I am fine,” I say slowly and with finality. I am not talking about this with him or anyone else right now.
Nate frowns, “Aslan-”
I cut him off, “Nate, please not tonight. I came here to have fun so let’s have fun.”
He frowns as he takes in my face before he sighs, nodding. “Okay.” He leans closer to my ear and asks, “So what’s up with the guard dog? He’s looking at me like he wants to kill me.”
I know he’s talking about Dallas without having to look, but when I do, I find that Dallas is in fact staring daggers at Nate before I turn back to face Nate. “I think he does want to kill you,” I laugh and Nate’s face falls.
––––––––
WE’VE BEEN AT THEclub, laughing, drinking, and just genuinely enjoying each others’ presence for a couple of hours.A quick glance at my phone informs me that it’s almost two in the morning. I feel exhausted, but I’m just so happy to be here with everyone that I stayed.
My eyes are starting to burn though, the exhaustion creeping up on me and threatening to drag me below the surface. It could also be the effects of the three drinks I had. Aria and Sly speak in each other’s ears before they get up and say their goodbyes to everyone. Now it’s just Miles, his wife, Nate, myself, and Dallas.
