Page 17 of Roses, Pearls, and Hot Summer Nights
Neither twin responded for long moments again, and I wondered if they didn’t believe me. Which would be ridiculous, since everyone always believed me except in Chicago.The last time. The important time. No one believed me. They forced me into the big lie. No, I wasn’t thinking about that.
Finally, Jeremy answered, “Why would you have to wait to make friends? We’ll be friends now.”
“No.” I managed to hold back the laugh that automatically threatened at the very idea. “We can’t.”
The Lent brothers would be impermanent, while I intended to keep my friends forever, somehow.
“We’ll see.” Jeremy leaned back in his chair again. “Did you notice the whisky bottles on the ceiling?”
I leaned back, glad of the topic change. Different colored whiskey bottles illuminated the light above like some glassy kaleidoscope. My lips curled, surprised by how lovely it looked. In all the cities I’d visited so far, I’d never seen such a thing.
“Were they drunk when they designed it? I love it.” Then I clamped my lips together, annoyed at my own slip. Yet again, I gave them information they could use against me later.
He smiled, though. “Me too, so much. The view is pretty much as good as the food, which is what makes it great. Can you imagine a more perfect form of recycling, right? Artwork from empty bottles.”
“I don’t think you can blame the design on drunkenness, though.” Julian smiled, but his eyes seemed sadder. I realized he honestly felt saddened because I said we couldn’t be friends, but I didn’t worry about it too much. By the time he went to bed, he likely would have forgotten the interaction entirely.
“I mean, maybe? Someone had to empty all those bottles, after all.” Jeremy shook his head then sipped his water. “But if they were up when the restaurant was opened, then they got them from somewhere else.”
I half-laughed. “Imagine someone digging through garbage to pick them out one at a time. His boss, the owner, has this brilliant idea for a ceiling that will be a conversation piece someday, so he has to scrounge in all the local cans.”
Jeremy shot me a smile that seemed genuine. “Right? I can picture that, too, but you should know something, Alatheia.”
Uh-oh.I don’t like the sound of that. “What’s that?”
“I take it back. You should knowa couple ofthings.”
Julian sighed. “His brain is on fire. He’ll come up with a thousand things if we give him enough time. When Jeremy gets rolling, he really gets rolling.”
“No comments welcome from the peanut gallery, peanut.” Jeremy rolled his eyes at Julian who winced at the nickname.There’s a story there.“Still, he’s not wrong, but I’ll stick to two things. Firstly, you should know I made a mistake. I should have ordered the bone-in rib eye. I regret it now, but alas, I admit to my mistake. I also know you ordered the filet because I recommended it, so I’m hoping you don’t hate your steak.”
He surprised me, so I blinked twice before I managed to respond. “I’m sure it’ll be great.”
“Secondly, you and Iarefriends. You’re friends with him, too. Why? Is it because I say so? Well, if that’s not enough authority for you, Julian will say so, too. If it’s not obvious, we’re pretty much royalty around here, so you’ll just have to deal with it. You’re our friend.”
I prided myself on not choking on my water.
6
What did it mean to be friends with the Lent twins? Apparently, it meant finding yourself on the top of a very tall building to hang out for a while longer. No one stopped us in the lobby, nor did anyone utter a peep as we got in the elevator, despite it being a private building. Could they really go wherever they wanted whenever they wanted? Anywhere in the city? The idea of that kind of freedom baffled my mind, as I rarely wandered outside my apartment.
“How? I’ve gotta ask how.” I strode to the edge then peered over, leaning out until my hair blew around my face from the updraft. Something about heights excited me, so I never really understood people afraid of them. I liked both mountains and views from high levels of buildings. New York looked prettier, more magical somehow. As if distance washed away all the grime and reality and left me just with the illusion of lights they likely saw all the time.
Julian laughed. “An elevator. Is short term memory loss a problem in your family?”
I glanced over my shoulder at him, my hair continuing to float as if untamed, my braid failing me against that kindof wind. The twins gazed upward, perhaps seeking stars or something more. I wondered if either of them was afraid of heights, preferring the illusion of a view to the reality.
“I know we came up on the elevator.” I mock-sighed. “But why were we allowed to just get in the elevator? This isn’t public property, right?”
I didn’t see any signage implying it would be a public space. A tiny shiver of fear managed to skate down my spine, since I knew no one could go everywhere, not even if their last name might be Lent.
Jeremy gestured toward his brother with his chin. “He knew what you meant, but he’s being obtuse. Our uncle owns this building. He’s in commercial real estate. Our father leases the top floor for his law firm, so no one ever cares if we hang out on the roof.”
It made sense, so my muscles eased. Based on his explanation, their name would easily get us in this particular building. “That’s pretty great—that your dad can rent from your uncle. Keeps it in the family.”
I bit my lip and mentally called myself stupid about a dozen times in rapid succession. I needed to keep my mouth shut. If I started to get comfortable, I wouldn’t see the hit coming.
“We’re a close family.” Jeremy said, joining me at the edge. “Some people might saytooclose. Some even made the mistake of trying to make fun of us because our uncles live with us. They quickly regretted their poor sense of humor … just in case you wondered if we ever survived any shitty rumors.”
