Heart Beats

by Davidson King

  I didn’t understand why Shane acted the way he did at breakfast, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. In two minutes the doors would open, and people would come to my table to see me. I didn’t enjoy these things, but I appreciated that people traveled from all over just for a minute or two with me. I always found that to be surreal.

  “I always knew you had a brain, Ledger,” he said as he made sure the table was perfect. “It looks good.”

  “Thanks, and thanks for being here.” When he smiled at my appreciation, I knew it was the right thing to say and that we were fine. I had to figure out what I was going to do about Shane, though. I couldn’t keep going on like I wasn’t insanely attracted to him.

  “Doors opening,” the organizer shouted, and Shane pulled the other chair up and sat beside me.

  “I’ll likely be standing a bit.”

  He nodded. “That’s fine. I’m here to help; just tell me what you need.”

  It was the perfect opening to start a flirting experiment, but people began lining up at my table to see me. It was show time.

  I signed everything from shirts, to pants, to autograph books people made. I had a few drives left to give away, and my hand was starting to cramp. Shane handed me a bottle of water, and I gratefully gulped it before someone else came over to me.

  “Oh shit,” Shane muttered, and I was about to ask what was wrong, but someone stepped up to the table.

  “Hey,” I gave the person my attention, my smile in place.

  “May I ask you a question?” a guy who seemed vaguely familiar asked.

  “Yeah, sure.”

  He took out a small notebook and a pen, flipped it open, and spoke. “What are some songs you’d mix together for someone you loved?”

  I looked over at Shane, who shrugged and handed me a drive.

  “Well, I made this drive, and it has some of my favorites in it. I’d likely use some of these.” I handed it to him, and he took it and shoved it into his pocket. He had such a placid expression on his face, I hoped that would make him happy, but he gave me nothing to go on.

  “My name is Charles. We met at the panel.”

  I nodded. “I knew you seemed familiar, Charles. So, did you want me to sign your notebook or something?”

  Charles’s gaze moved to Shane, and the slight narrowing of his eyes said he wasn’t thrilled with Shane’s presence.

  “You’d sign anything?” he asked.

  “Within reason, sure.” I refused to sign breasts, and one time a guy begged me to sign his dick. I didn’t realize I needed to be specific, but I did.

  “I’m going to buy some of the equipment you suggested. I don’t have it on hand for you to sign, obviously. Can I make an appointment with your secretary for you to come and sign it?” He looked at Shane.

  “I’m not his secretary, and he doesn’t make house calls,” Shane snapped. I really had to talk to him about how he spoke to my fans.

  “I see. So, not anything then.” Again, Charles showed no emotion.

  “How about a shirt?” I grabbed one and began signing it, not waiting for his answer.

  “I’ve been mulling over the idea for a road trip for my vacation time. I’d love to see you mixing at Joker’s Sin.” He was so monotone, I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

  “Absolutely.” I handed him the shirt.

  “Sounds like a plan. Have a good day, Ledger.” Another narrowed gaze at Shane and he was gone.

  “That dude does not like you.”

  Shane rolled his eyes. “That dude is weird. And I’m not saying like in an introverted way. I get that. But he was staring at us at the restaurant, and well, I think if he could blow me up with his mind, he would.”

  I chuckled because it was true. “I didn’t see him at breakfast, but, Shane, you gotta understand, these fans? I’m nothing without them, and some are socially awkward. So maybe try and pretend you like some of them.”

  He huffed but nodded. “Yeah, okay, sorry.”

  It was pleasant with Shane here. We hadn’t really had any one-on-one time, and I found his presence to be relaxing. He didn’t fill silence with nonsensical babble, and he was nice to everyone, minus the Charles guy. By the time the signing was over, my hand felt like it was going to fall off.

  “Do you have anything else to do?” Shane asked as we cleaned up.

  “Nope. I have to go back to the hotel and get my bags, and then I’m ready to get home.”

  He nodded. “You bringing everything to your place?”

  “I am. I don’t have a lot left over, so it’s not too bad.”

  It dawned on me at that moment that Shane didn’t have a way home. “You’re riding with me, right?”

  He lifted his head and the understanding that he’d need a ride lit up his face. “Oh, shit, yeah, is that okay?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “That way I can help you carry this stuff up to your place if you’d like, and I can take an Uber home.” He sealed up one of the containers filled with some shirts.

  “I can manage; I’ll just take you home.”

  Shane scoffed. “Your hand is shaking from signing, and you look exhausted. Just let me help. I’m being nice.”

  I smiled and realized I wanted to spend more time with him, so I gladly accepted his offer.

  Shane was pushing the dolly with a couple of containers, and we were heading out when Trinity came over. “You leaving?”

  “Yeah, I have to work tomorrow night, so I’d like to unwind.”

  “Oh, poo.” She pouted. “I was hoping you’d leave in the morning with us. Maybe we’d have a farewell drink or…” She shrugged and slid her finger down my chest. I immediately looked at Shane, who was turning pink, and I’d have laughed at his adorable jealousy if I’d really wanted Trinity’s attention, but I didn’t. I just wanted his.

  “Trin, I gotta go. Stop by Joker’s sometime. I’ll buy you that drink then.”

  “Oh yes, and I’ll make it for you.” There was a bite in Shane’s tone, and I worried for Trinity’s life if he did in fact make her a drink.

  “Yeah, okay. It was great seeing you, Ledger. Don’t be a stranger.” She pressed her lips to mine so quickly, I couldn’t stop her. When she pulled back, she winked and darted away.

  “She’s lovely,” Shane said sarcastically.

  “Curious, is there anyone you do like?” I followed behind him as he practically ran out the doors.

  “Sure, like five people. A whole handful.” The Uber we’d ordered was there, and Shane moved the dolly over to the trunk.

  “Am I one of those five by any chance?” I helped him put the containers in the trunk.

  “I haven’t decided yet.” He slammed the trunk closed after the last container was in. “Perhaps.” He got into the car and I chuckled. Who knew he was so sassy?

  We split up when we got to the hotel. I had my own car in the hotel garage, and the Uber driver was nice enough to take us to where I’d parked and help us get everything in there. With my suitcase, I did have more than I thought, so Shane helping me would end up being beneficial.

  An hour later Shane met me down in the lobby, his suitcase in hand. He was leaning against a pillar, typing a text with his thumb. He smiled, and his red eyebrows darted to his hairline. He was so expressive and yet still such a mystery.

  “All checked out?” I asked when I approached him.

  “Yeah, you?” I nodded. “Great, lead the way, and let’s get out of here.”

  The walk wasn’t too bad and when we were situated—Shane in the passenger seat and me driving—we made our way out.

  “I never thought I’d say this, but it’ll be good to go home.” Shane sounded tired, and there was a hint of surprise in his proclamation.

  I hummed in response. I understood why it was hard to say that. Haven Hart wasn’t known for its white-picket-fence dreams. You really didn’t raise a family there unless you had the protection of some serious big names. It was a dangerous place filled wit
h dangerous people. Sure, many came for the nightlife and whatnot, but most that gyrated on the dance floor at Joker’s Sin drove a good hour or so home afterward or stayed in a hotel and headed home the next day.

  The strange thing about Haven Hart was the fact that you always wanted to leave but never did. It sucked you in with its dark promises and tantalizing dreams. You’d blink and years had passed. I used to joke that Haven Hart was created by the Lotus-Eaters from Greek mythology.

  “I never thought I’d say this, but I agree with you.” We chuckled and settled in for the drive. It would take a few hours to get back, and Shane happily trusted me with the music.

  As we got closer to my place, I wondered what Shane would think of it. And I wondered why I cared so much.

  Chapter Five

  Shane

  I had never been to Ledger’s place before. He had come to mine to help when I moved in, but I’d never had a reason to see where he lived. I was both excited and nervous. The car ride was quiet, and I thought we’d talk some, but he had the music on, and it was loud. One thing I knew not to do was touch a DJ’s music. When I saw the Welcome to Haven Hart sign, I felt the butterflies in my belly go crazy. I didn’t know how Ledger would act with me in his space and wondered if he would actually hold a conversation with me.

  When he pulled up to what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse, I looked over at him. He had a smirk on his face, as if others had reacted the same way upon seeing where he lived.

  “You live here?” I pointed to the large place.

  He lowered the music. “Yeah, bought it about three years ago, been renovating it.” He hit a button, and a section lifted, and he parked his car. “It has three floors; I live on the top one, and I was thinking of making the bottom floor a place to party or whatever.”

  We got out and he popped the trunk. “What about the second floor?” I asked.

  “I dunno, the top floor is huge, I don’t need to live on the second floor. Maybe I’ll make it a spare place in case someone visits. I’ve had a few ideas, but I’ll need time to really work it out. Buy some furniture. Right now it’s just vacant space.” He shrugged and lifted a box out. I followed suit.

  “I can’t imagine what a place like this cost.” I scanned all over the garage and followed him to a large door.

  “Not as much as you might think. It used to be owned by Christopher Manos, but he didn’t need it anymore, and Atlas sort of knew one of his friends. I was looking for a place, and it was a steal.”

  Christopher Manos was a huge mob boss in Haven Hart. Everyone knew who he was, and everyone knew he was untouchable.

  “Wow,” I said in wonder as I entered his place. He hit a switch, and lights turned on. The bottom floor was empty, clean, without a single stitch of furniture or decoration.

  “Elevator’s this way.”

  “What about the second floor being a place you could mix or something?” I asked as we stepped onto the elevator.

  “Top floor is so big, I can do that there too.”

  The doors opened and I was about to say something when I heard a roar. I jolted, hitting my back against the elevator wall.

  Ledger started laughing. “I forgot to tell you about Lion.”

  My eyes widened. “You have a fucking lion?”

  Ledger was laughing so hard he had to put his boxes down. “No, Lion is my pet. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

  I didn’t move at first. Ledger looked over his shoulder and cocked a brow as if to say, “Move it.” Slowly, I stepped forward into his living space. It was a huge open plan for sure, but I had trouble focusing on the design because every sound made me feel like something was going to jump out at me.

  Once I got my heart to stop trying to beat out of my chest, and nothing tried to murder me, I took in the place. It was vast, the living room and kitchen one big area. The walls were painted slate gray and white throughout the entire space. As I moved farther in, I saw a wall that blocked off the huge space and assumed Ledger’s bedroom was there. When Ledger opened the mysterious door, I heard the roar again.

  “Yeah, no. I’ll stay here,” I said.

  He shrugged and went through the door. I stood there, waiting for screams. My imagination was picturing a large cat mauling Ledger to pieces. Maybe I should’ve run to the elevator—self-preservation and all.

  “How’s my fierce baby?” Ledger was talking in baby tones, and I wondered what was wrong with him, but still, I didn’t move. “Come here. I want to introduce you to someone.”

  I was about to shout to tell him not to bother when I heard another voice. “Friend or foe?” What the hell?

  “Friend.”

  When Ledger stepped out I saw a bird…on his shoulder. A flipping bird. It was gray mostly, with white around its eyes. I spotted some red below and I figured that was his tail.

  “Shane, this is Lion, Lion, I’d like you to meet Shane.”

  “Um…hi?”

  “Hello,” Lion squawked, and I chuckled.

  “Did he make that roar when we got here?” I asked, my eyes not leaving the bird, still unsure if it was vicious or not.

  “Yeah. He’s my security system.” When Ledger petted Lion, the bird nuzzled against his finger.

  “What kind of bird is he?”

  “African Grey Parrot.” Ledger fed it a snack he took from his pocket, and the bird munched away.

  “It sounded so much like a real lion, and with the place being so big, the acoustics made it scary as hell.”

  Ledger made toward the elevator. “Yeah, that’s a plus. Come on, we have to get the last of the boxes. I’m sure you’re tired and want to get some rest.”

  “Wait,” I said. He turned, and he and the bird looked at me. “Don’t you have to like put him in a cage or something?”

  Ledger rolled his eyes. “Lion doesn’t go in a cage. He lives here. He’d never leave me.”

  I followed quickly and as we brought everything in, Lion never left Ledger’s shoulder.

  “How’d you get him trained so well?”

  Ledger placed Lion on the back of his large, black couch and waved at me to follow him. “I’ll get you a drink and tell you about Lion.”

  There was no way I was passing up an opportunity to spend more time with Ledger. His place was fabulous, and I loved how open it was. I watched Lion fly around the space and chuckled. Ledger had beams instead of a solid ceiling, and I got the feeling Lion loved hanging out on those.

  “I got Lion about five years ago. I was still living in my old place and was coming home from work. I heard fire trucks and saw a huge fire. It was about a mile from my place. It was a barge—I guess they were shipping animals and things…Anyway, I went to the roof of my apartment building to see better, and as I was sitting there, I saw this tiny bird. I thought it was a sparrow or something at first, but the longer I sat there, the more I realized it wasn’t. I also noticed it was hurt.” He handed me a beer and twisted his open as he spoke.

  Lion must’ve known Ledger was talking about him, because he flew over and perched himself on his shoulder.

  “I brought him to the vet, and the vet said he wasn’t sure if he was hurt in the fire or if it was shitty owners. He was malnourished and scared. He didn’t make any noise, and for a parrot that’s odd.”

  I watched Lion, who was clearly in good shape now, and I realized Ledger was actually a big softy when it came to that bird.

  “I kept him—well, more like he refused to leave me. I named him Lion and taught him how to talk. I thought, I dunno, if he thought he was a big, scary predator, he’d have some confidence.” It was adorable when Ledger blushed as he sipped his beer.

  “That’s amazing. And while you’re gone or working, he’s fine?”

  Ledger nodded. “Yeah, I have food for him, and he has a fountain that supplies him with fresh water to drink and stuff. African Grey Parrots are the most intelligent parrots in the world. Sometimes he’s smarter than me.”

  “He’s beautiful,” I s
aid.

  “I am, thank you,” Lion answered, and Ledger and I laughed.

  “He’s confident, all right.” I reached my finger out and Lion poked it with his beak.

  Lion seemed to get bored and flew away, and the silence in the huge place was unsettling. When I looked over at Ledger, his gorgeous eyes were locked on me. That intense feeling I got when I’d make eye contact settled in my stomach, and I both wanted to move away from it and jump him.

  “Shane,” he whispered.

  “Yeah.”

  He opened his mouth, and maybe it was my imagination, but it seemed like he was leaning toward me. Oh, my God, are we going to kiss?

  “I…”

  Definitely leaning, we were so going to kiss.

  “Want.”

  I want too, I so want.

  “To.”

  I felt his breath against my face…just a second now, and we’d—

  “Get a room,” Lion interrupted, and suddenly Ledger was pushing away. Fuck.

  “Uh…I wanted to thank you, for helping me at the con, I really appreciate everything.”

  I wondered if I strangled the bird, would Ledger still want to kiss me? Because I knew he’d been about to before the interruption.

  “Oh…” I hopped off the stool. “Of course, no problem.”

  “So, you want a ride home?” He was moving away now. No chance of a kiss. I did want him to drive me home, but I also wanted to die a little inside and jack off.

  “Nah, I’ll call an Uber.”

  “You sure?”

  I nodded and scrolled through my phone. “One is just three minutes from here. By the time I get outside, it’ll be here.”

  “I’ll walk you out.”

  I wanted to say no, but I didn’t want to be rude, and he was already halfway to the elevator. As predicted, by the time I made it down, the car was there.

  “Well, I’ll see you at work,” I said as I opened the door. Ledger had left my suitcase by the entrance and I gripped it, happy to have something to focus on other than him.

  “Work, yup.” He had his hands in his back pockets, and there was no mystery that whatever happened upstairs, we’d both felt it. Why’d this have to be so hard? Speaking of hard…