100 PROOF

by Shanora Williams

  He bobbed his head. “Good. I’m looking forward to seeing you.”

  I breathed as evenly as possible as I took a step away. “See you mañana, Vin.”

  He snorted a laugh, revealing a straight row of pearly teeth. “Tomorrow, Bob Marley.”

  I turned before he could catch my face turning cherry red. I hustled to the door, but took a small look back on my way. When I did, Bethany was rushing for him. He was still watching me go.

  She met at his side and asked something about me, then scowled in my direction. I was out of the door before I heard anything else.

  I shouldn’t have been smiling as I climbed into the car. I shouldn’t have been grinning on my way to Mom’s apartment. But I was . . . and the sad part was, I tried to fight it off, but it kept returning, especially as I passed by certain parks and beach entrances. The better memories of us resurfaced.

  Lounging on the beach.

  Smoking joint after joint, drinking whiskey from a flask, stoned as hell and tipsy as we watched the waves crash in.

  Our skin damp with ocean water.

  Hearts beating.

  Lips connecting.

  Sand between my toes, in my hair, all over my back as he kissed me deeply. Passionately.

  It was all perfection, once upon a time.

  VIN

  Marley came back to the club a little after ten the next morning.

  She wore another pair of overalls with a bubblegum-pink, short-sleeved shirt beneath. The overalls were white instead of denim blue this time. Her hair was pulled up into a short, sprout-looking ponytail, and she had a coffee in hand, studying the blank wall. She looked like a teenage girl, ready to tackle an adventure. It was adorable.

  Seeing her made my head spin and my body surge with adrenaline. It made me want to be better—do better. Seeing her for the first time of any day made my heart pound, banging like a chaotic drum.

  It reminded me of the mornings when I would wake up right beside her in my bed. She’d roll over, smile at me, her curly bed hair curtaining her eyes. She’d say she looked horrible, but to me she was a goddess. Pure perfection and she didn’t even know it. She shined brighter than the sun, through my eyes.

  I knew it, but I let her slip through my fingers anyway, like a fucking idiot.

  I worked on a few papers at the bar, but I wasn’t really working. I should have been, but with her over there bending down, wagging her hips to the music from her phone, it was impossible to concentrate.

  To make matters worse, we were completely alone. Pablo wasn’t even around yet, and Zay had some business with Bethany to handle for the club. Bethany had fucked up the flyers by spelling the street name wrong, and she also got the times wrong, so he went to fix it with her.

  “You gotta stop dancing like that,” I laughed when a song by Bruno Mars came on.

  Marley grinned, picking up another paintbrush. “Oh, I can’t stop now. This is my jam!”

  “You know what this reminds me off, right?” I asked, dropping my pen and stepping around the counter.

  She walked to the wall, focusing on a small part of it, a thin paintbrush poised mid-air. “What?”

  “The every other weekend parties at Zay’s.”

  She gave me a sideways glance, her smile fading. “Let’s . . . not talk about Zay’s house parties right now, okay?”

  “You don’t remember how you used to dance? You loved dancing, and I loved watching you. You can’t lie and say they weren’t fun.”

  “Vin.” Her voice was stern. Serious. Her smile had completely evaporated.

  “‘Kay. Fine.” I folded my arms, stepping closer. “Let’s just keep pretending the parties never happened. Wouldn’t be my first time pretending something important never happened, when it comes to you.”

  Placing the paintbrush down, she turned and dusted off her hands. “I never said we had to pretend they never happened. I just don’t want to talk about that with you right now. I’m in a good mood with the music and paint surrounding me. Don’t blow it.”

  I pulled out my pack of Marlboros. “Yeah, all right, Marlena.” I knew she hated that. She couldn’t stand it when I called her by her first name in a serious tone.

  Before she could say anything I walked away, up the stairs, out the door, and onto the balcony past the VIP section. I lit a cigarette after the breeze stopped and then placed my elbows on the guardrails, looking out towards the ocean.

  “It’s a nice view.” Marley’s voice rose behind me several minutes later. I turned my head, watching as she met up to my side. She drew in a deep breath, shutting her eyes for a brief moment. The sun hit her face, highlighting her features—the button nose and full lips. Even the chin that had a small dimple in it. When she opened her eyes, she exhaled.

  “You don’t miss it here?” I asked, sitting on a stack of crates behind me.

  She shrugged lightly. “Sometimes.”

  “What do you miss?”

  She thought on it, still staring ahead towards the ocean only miles away. The wind brushed by, blowing the loose strands of her hair. “Believe it or not, I miss working at Rocket’s sometimes.”

  I laughed. “No way?”

  “Yeah.” She laughed the laugh I loved to hear. Light. Airy. Simple. “The place may have been a bit of an old-school dump, and I may have had some shitty days with even shittier customers, but the food was delicious, and the coffee was always hot. It was homey, and all of the employees were like family there.”

  “I agree. The food was delicious.” I smirked. “What else do you miss?”

  She gave me a small glance. “My friends. My trips alone to the beach. Even your penthouse, sometimes.”

  I sat up straight. “Now we’re getting somewhere!”

  “No—not like that.” She fought a smile and blush, waving a finger at me. “I just mean your pool and the spa—you know, the luxuries. That’s it.”

  “Sure. Keep lying to yourself.”

  She was quiet for a moment, so long that I almost finished my smoke. “All of the alcohol down there doesn’t bother you?” she finally asked after I put out my cigarette.

  “Nah. Not much.”

  I felt her staring a hole into the side of my head. I looked at the ocean, purposely avoiding her eyes. “Are you lying?” Her voice was soft. Sincere. She knew me too fucking well.

  I didn’t answer right away. I looked up at her and even her eyes had softened a little. Fuck. She had me. With those bright blue eyes glued on me, I was a goner.

  “Sometimes,” was all I said.

  She wasn’t satisfied with that answer, so she said, “Elaborate.”

  I stood, planting my elbows on the guardrail again, facing the sun. “Some nights, when I’m here alone, I catch myself looking at the bottles. From my office, I catch myself with the door wide open, staring at them all lined up there. It’s empty and quiet in the club, and my thoughts are too loud. A small voice inside tells me the only way to really shut them up is with just a few sips—like how it used to be.” I looked her way, and she seemed worried. “Don’t worry. When my thoughts get that heavy, I always pack my shit up and leave. I drive straight home and roll a joint if it happens. It calms me down for the most part . . . but I can’t say that I wouldn’t mind just one sip from time to time. This club shit has been stressing me out a lot. It’s much harder than I thought it would be. And then I see Zay walking around with drinks in his hand all day and night, and I pretend I’m cool with it, but really I’m not. Seeing him drink makes me crave it more. It’s like suddenly I’m fucking parched and the only thing that’ll quench the thirst is a drink. Preferably whiskey.” I laughed. “Shit, I would kill for an ice-cold whiskey right now.”

  “You’re doing good, Vin,” she murmured. “You may not think so, but I see it. Right now, the club has more to it than you imagined. All of this paperwork and the inspections will pass soon, and you’ll be up and running in no time.”

  I nodded with a smile. “Yeah. And hopefully when it’s runni
ng and we start to get a little busy, I’ll focus more on the guests and actually running the place instead of what’s lined up behind the bar.”

  “Exactly.” She stepped closer, rubbing my shoulder. It was a mindless gesture, I was sure, but I took it as more. So much more. When we were together, she’d rub my chest, my back, even run her fingers through my hair. The shoulder still worked. She had a gentle touch, one I was so accustomed to and had missed every day since she left. “Don’t let that demon win. You’re stronger than it ever will be. Don’t feed it.”

  I wanted to answer, and let her know that I wouldn’t let it win. I’d come so far—too far to just spiral and lose myself again. But with all of that on my mind, I couldn’t speak. She was too close. It was like meeting her again for the very first time. I was tongue-tied. Speechless. My breath stolen by her compassion and beauty.

  There was one thing about Marley that I would cherish forever: she’d never considered me a fuck-up. She always saw the brighter things in me—the positive side—even when all that surrounded us was negativity.

  Even while I was in rehab, she believed in me. She believed I could do it—that I could make it—and she was right. I did make it. I flew out of there, ready to take on the world for her. Ready to make ends meet. Ready to finally be a fucking man and give her everything.

  She was there until she found out the truth about me.

  And then Lloyd happened.

  Fucking Lloyd.

  The wedding.

  I almost forgot about the goddamn wedding, just that fast.

  I pulled away from her, standing up straight. “You hungry? Want some lunch or something?”

  She looked me over thoroughly, and as if she could hear my thoughts, her shoulders slumped. Fortunately, she didn’t speak on it, but she knew what was bothering me, and I bet it was bothering her now, too.

  “Yeah, sure.” Her voice was faint. “What do you have in mind?” She cleared her throat and spoke louder when she asked the question, pretending she wasn’t troubled.

  “I was thinking of grabbing some Thai. Want that?”

  “Sure. That would be great.”

  “The coconut soup, extra chicken?”

  She walked to the door with me. “It’s astounding that you still remember that,” she laughed, and I shrugged it off.

  “You’d be surprised at what all I can remember, Bob.”

  • • • • •

  When I returned, we ate lunch on the balcony and talked a while, watching the seagulls drift by and the tide come in, more and more by the hour.

  Her laugh was infectious, her smile contagious. She had no idea how beautiful she was. I hated how she hung her head, trying to hide her face and that smile.

  “Does he ever tell you you’re beautiful?” I asked when she stood up, ready to wrap up for the day.

  She gave me a confused look, cheeks flaming red, but then her shoulders tensed, throat bobbing. “Does it matter?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t like the way you hide, like you shouldn’t be smiling. You didn’t do that when we were together.”

  “Well, we aren’t together anymore, Vin.”

  I pressed my lips, watching her walk to the door. Before she could go inside, I said, “We may not be together anymore, but I still think you’re the sexiest woman on the planet.” I gave a light wink, and she broke out in an even bigger smile, only this time she didn’t hide it.

  Of course she caught herself after a few seconds, pulling it together and waving a dismissive hand, like my remark didn’t impress her.

  “I’m gonna clean up and get out of here soon. See you inside before I go?”

  “Yeah.”

  She walked in, and I blew out a breath, lighting up another cigarette.

  After my smoke, I went inside, and on my way down I spotted Marley sitting at the bar, and Zay standing on the other side. Once again, he was nursing a drink, laughing about God knows what.

  “They have this new place on the beach called Ocean Rico’s,” I heard him saying. “You’ve gotta go one day. That place is the shit. They have unlimited sweet and spicy wings. They’re open until like three in the morning. Fucking amazing there.” He picked up his glass, taking a small sip.

  “Oh—it sounds cool! We should go,” Marley insisted, glancing over her shoulder when she heard me coming.

  “I don’t know about that.” I ran my fingers over my hair. “We have a lot of work to do tonight, and you should probably go check on your mom.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Ryan has her covered for now. He already texted me and said she’s doing fine and just fell asleep. Come on,” she pleaded, swiveling around on the stool to face me. “He said they have a pool table there. Pool, Vin. When’s the last time I kicked your butt in a game of that?”

  I burst out laughing. “I think you have me mistaken for another Vin ‘cause I’m pretty sure this one was whipping your ass constantly when we played pool at Zay’s.”

  Zay laughed. “Yeah, I remember her winning, like, one match out of two-hundred of them,” he guffawed.

  “And that’s ‘cause I let her win,” I added on.

  She scowled playfully, sliding off the barstool. “Well, like I’ve been saying constantly, things have changed. Let’s see if you even stand a chance against the Pool Queen this time.”

  “You are hilarious, you know that?” I laughed, and she made a chicken noise, planting her fists on her waist and flapping her elbows like a bird. I laughed even harder. “All right, fine! To Ocean Rico’s, then. But I don’t wanna hear you crying when I give you this smack down.”

  She giggled. “Let’s go then, bucko! We can take my car!”

  I smiled as she walked around me and winked, like she knew she was going to win. She was competitive. Another thing I loved.

  I watched her walk over to grab her bag from the corner.

  “You don’t even want to change into fresher clothes?” I called.

  She straightened her back, looking down at her paint-stained overalls. When her eyes pulled up to meet mine, she held her hands out and gave a light shrug. “Meh. We won’t be there for long. One or two games, I take my crown, and then I go home.”

  Zay chortled, stepping around the bar and meeting at my side. “She’s really set on kicking your ass, brother.”

  I didn’t pull my eyes from her as she made her way to the door, swinging those full hips. She was messy—beyond it. There were even small drops of paint in her hair, but despite the mess, she was fucking stunning. What made her even sexier was that for the first time ever since I’d seen her again, she didn’t care.

  She didn’t care about her appearance.

  She didn’t care that Lloyd hated me and would have hated that she was hanging around me so much.

  She was . . . living.

  This was the Marley I knew. The real Marley. The one who knew how to have fun. The one who loved giving me a challenge. Slowly but surely, layer after layer was unfolding, and she was revealing her true self again. Witnessing it made me one happy motherfucker.

  I couldn’t ruin or pass this up. I had a lot of work to catch up on, some phone calls to make, but when it came to Marley, she always came first. That other shit could wait.

  This was my girl, and if my girl wanted to have a good time, I was going to provide it.

  Minute by minute. Hour by hour. Day by day.

  We were going to get there somehow.

  MARLEY

  We planned to play only three games of pool.

  After downing several beers, we were on our fifth round and, of course, I was winning.

  “Oh, come on!” Vin threw his hand in the air after missing the eight ball.

  I laughed and bent over, adjusting my stick and leveling it in front of the cue ball. “Watch this.” I slid the stick back and forth through the loop of my finger, twice like I’d practiced when I first moved to Texas, and then the tip of my stick hit the cue ball, slamming right into the eight. When the eight ball sank into the pocket
, I stood up straight, smiling smugly. “What did I tell you, huh? Pool. Queen.”

  “Yeah, yeah!” Vin picked up his glass of Sprite. “I used to be the king of this shit! How the hell did you get so good?”

  Zay laughed on his stool, nearly falling over. He was hammered. He’d had two beers and three shots of tequila and wasn’t doing so great at holding his liquor. When the drinks had settled into his blood stream, he was cracking jokes about the other patrons and even the bartender sometimes. Some of them seemed to get a little agitated by it, but Vin would cover up for him, saying he was just being stupid and had had one too many.

  I tucked my hair behind my ear, sitting on the edge of the pool table and grabbing my beer. “When I first moved, I was the tenant of this guy who loved pool. He was obsessed with it. He had pool table art hung up on the walls in the front office, always wore a shirt with something that mentioned it, and he even had an arcade in the office building, full of classic games like Pac-Man and Asteroid—games like that. Anyway, every Thursday night he’d have these competitions with the tenants in the arcade room. If someone beat him in a game of pool, you get a rent-free month.”

  “Shit. Really?” Vin quirked a brow.

  “Really.”

  “Isn’t that kinda risky?” Zay asked. “He probably lost a shitload of money.”

  “No,” I sighed after taking a large gulp of my Blue Moon. “If you think Vin is good or even me—well, this guy was a freak. He wasn’t a king of pool; he was like a god or something. It was borderline freaky how good he was at it. He had an eye for it. He was really tough to beat, but most of the tenants would come down every Thursday to the arcade and play him anyway, just to get a shot at it. He would knock like four balls in the pocket all at once, and all in perfect sync. It was insane.”

  “And let me guess,” Vin folded his arms, leaning against the wall. “You played him?”

  “Of course I did! Come on, Vin, you know me. Playing pool for a month of not paying rent—hell yeah, I played him! But I didn’t think he would be that good when I first tried. All night, I saw him playing neighbor after neighbor and all of them lost. And then I finally played him and of course he whipped my ass.”