by Tia Siren
“We snuck in a flask with some rum,” Garrett said.
Leah laughed. “You gave her rum for her first drink? You didn’t start her out with beer or something?”
“Nah, I think we figured if we were breaking the rules, we might as well really break them,” said Garrett. “And, she downed it like a trooper.”
“I always hold my liquor, Garrett,” said Bailey obviously drunk.
“But,” he continued. “After we all drained that flask, and right around halftime, we walked by the concession stand to get some water and food to kill the buzz a bit. The adults were starting to get suspicious.”
“Of course,” said Leah.
“But, unfortunately, that turned out to be a mistake,” he said. “We got there, and they were preparing turkey legs on the fryer, and the smell was fucking awful.”
Bailey had her head down, turning bright red and avoiding everyone’s smiles.
“She took one whiff of those greasy fucking legs,” he continued. “Then—”
Bailey looked up like she was going to finish his sentence, but held her tongue. So, I finished it for her:
“She vomited all over the concession stand. She was grounded for like a month.”
“Two weeks,” Bailey corrected.
“Oh, shit!” said Leah, dying of laughter. “That would happen to you.”
“Tell me about it.” Bailey rolled her eyes.
“So, why were you trying to get her drunk?” Leah asked me jokingly. “Trying to get her under the bleachers?”
“Leah!” snapped Bailey.
“Nah, nothing like that,” Garrett answered for me. “He just wanted her to have a good time. Right, Darren?”
“Precisely,” I affirmed.
“He could’ve gotten her under the bleachers without the aid of booze, believe me,” continued Garrett. “Everyone always said they were going to end up together.”
Bailey and I were caught off guard. We awkwardly chuckled, looking at each other and shaking our heads.
She laughed. “Okay, Garrett.”
“She wouldn’t have gone under the bleachers with me, and you know it,” I added.
“I’m not so sure about that,” he said. “Everybody knew how you guys felt about each other.”
“Who?” I asked. “Since when? No one ever said anything to me.”
“Of course not,” he said. “They said it behind your backs.”
“So, guys and girls can’t be friends, I guess.” Bailey sighed.
“Well, to be fair, you two did eventually end up together, right?” asked Leah.
Bailey and I looked at each other for several quiet seconds, waiting for the other to answer the question.
“I guess we did,” said Bailey.
“I won’t speak for Bailey, but trust me,” said Garrett. “Darren here has been ready for Bailey since practically the day he met her. I grew up with the two of them, Leah, I can vouch. Darren’s always had feelings for Bailey.”
“Okay,” I interjected anxiously.
“And,” he continued unhindered. “There was never any other girl, as far as he was concerned. I was so sure these two were gonna get married after high school. Then, Bailey had to go and get famous and forget about all of us. But, he’d still take you under the bleachers, Bailey. His fire still burns bright.”
“Okay, Garrett, enough,” I said in aggravation.
“Oh, really?” said Bailey with amusement. She was staring at me, and I refused to meet her eye contact.
“Garrett is drinking,” I remarked.
“You’re drunker than I am,” he said. “Trust me, if Bailey moved back to Rome, he’d probably propose on the spot.”
“I definitely would not,” I said feeling warm. “Garrett is saying a lot of things.”
“But, are they true?” Leah asked me.
“Hey, why don’t I show you ladies my new tattoo?” I said in desperation.
“You have a new tattoo?” Bailey asked with interest. “Show Leah the one you got right before I moved.”
I rolled up my sleeves to show them the tattoos on my arms. On my right arm, I had a treble clef note inked just a few centimeters from my shoulder. And, on my left arm, I had a tattered lasso running down with dried blood splattered randomly along it.
“Wow,” said Bailey as she admired the lasso, my newest addition. “I love it.”
“It’s gorgeous,” Leah said. “Did you design it?”
“Yep,” I replied. “I’m really proud of it.”
“You should be,” gushed Bailey. “It’s fucking hot.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Really, now?”
As the night progressed and more drinks were consumed, the group had broken fully into sub-groups. Bailey and I talked while Leah and Garrett talked. My chats with Bailey were brief. Most of what was being said was being said in our silences. Garrett and Leah never stopped talking. It was also clear to Bailey and me that they were digging each other.
Eventually, after we’d all watched at least twenty singers and musicians perform poorly on stage, Leah was ready to leave. She was decently wasted, and since Garrett was only moderately tipsy, he offered to drive her to her hotel. They left together, much to our delight.
“That would happen,” said Bailey. “Our best friends hit it off with each other.”
“What do you think’s going to happen?” I asked.
“They’re going to fuck each other’s brains out,” she said. “Then, they’re going to fall in love and name their kids after us.”
I laughed. “Wow, that escalated quickly.”
“So,” she said. “I have to know. Tell me about the girls you’ve been with since we ended things.”
“Not much to tell, really,” I admitted. “I never got into anything serious. I dated. But it never got past a certain point.”
“So no names? No ‘Brittney’ or ‘Kayla’?”
“They were all pretty much the same,” I said. “Nothing special. Just women that I passed the time with. Sorry if that sounds depressing.”
“Not at all,” said Bailey. “I really relate to that, actually. There have been guys that were in my life, but nothing ever serious. I haven’t been in a serious thing with anyone since you.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“It’s true. There’s no one like you, Darren Holt.”
We stared into each other’s eyes, lingering. In that moment, I wanted to grab her, pull her into me, and kiss her passionately.
“I’ve missed you,” I told her.
She stood up from her chair, never breaking eye contact. “I keep thinking one of these days I’ll wake up and see you standing there outside my door. Guitar in one hand and a suitcase in the other.”
She eyed the stage, biting her lip and contemplating.
Before I knew it, Bailey Wright was on the stage. She’d borrowed a guitar from another bar patron, sat on the stool, and just began playing. She didn’t introduce herself, and the crowd didn’t seem to recognize her.
She performed “Lovesong,” a song originally by The Cure. Her version was closer to 311’s, which was the one that we used to sing together often. She was enchanting, instantly capturing everyone in the place. No one was talking. Everyone was listening to Bailey and her beautiful singing and playing. I never wanted it to end.
Bailey Wright’s light shone brightly. The place erupted into applause after she finished, with many shouts of “Encore!” I wanted to kiss her again. I wanted to pull her off the stage and taste her sweet lips.
She stumbled off the stage, traipsing over toward me. She nearly fell over. I was able to catch her just in time.
“I’m a little drunk,” she said giggling. “I’m sorry to ask this. But, could maybe you drive me home?”
“No worries,” I said in her ear.
“Or maybe you could take me over to your house. What do you think?”
Chapter 10
Bailey
I was close enough to him that I could tas
te his breath. Even with the whiskey, I wanted to devour his lips. I was craving him. I wanted him to take me back to his house, and I wanted him to make love to me.
“I don’t mind taking you to my place,” Darren said. “But are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“I’m very sure,” I told him.
He escorted me out to his Ford Focus. I was so drunk that I could barely stand up straight. As he drove me home, we didn’t really talk. We weakly sang a few bars of a few songs, but I was too drunk to even do that.
It felt like it only took a minute to get from the bar to Darren’s house. It was a quaint house, but I didn’t truly register it at that moment. All I wanted was his body.
We got through the door, and we were greeted by a gorgeous Labrador that jumped up and licked me repeatedly.
“Oh, my God!” I fawned. “He’s so adorable! I didn’t know you had a dog!”
“His name is Bo,” he told me. “He normally doesn’t come right up to a new person. He must have a good feeling about you.”
“I’m totally going to steal him just so you know,” I told him as Bo kept giving me love. I kept petting him. “You’re such a good boy, Bo!”
“He probably wants to pee,” said Darren. “Want to go out, buddy?”
Bo leaped from me over to Darren, following him out of the house. Bo barely spent any time on the grass doing his business before he was back bounding into the house to return to me.
“I think he’s choosing me over you, mister,” I said to Darren.
Darren laughed. “You can’t have him.”
Time went by in a rapid blur again. I pet Bo for a long time, unsure of where Darren had gone in the house or what he was doing. Before I knew it, I was growing tired. I was leaning against the couch, eyes closing as I rubbed Bo’s thick fur.
Then, I was up in the air. Darren picked me up and began to carry me from my spot toward his bedroom
“Aw, were you getting jealous of all the attention I’m giving Bo?” I asked.
“You need to sleep,” he said.
“I need a lot of things,” I said as I looked him up and down.
“You’re too drunk.”
“You’re drunk, too.”
“You can’t even walk,” he said. “You’re sleeping in my bed.”
“With you?” I giggled.
“I’m taking the couch.”
“You’re not sleeping on the couch in your own house,” I said. “Come on. Sleep with me, Darren.”
“I’d love to, but I really can’t do that,” he said as he lowered me onto his big, comfortable bed.
“Who cares if I’m drunk? I want you under the covers with me. Let me see your tattoos up close.”
“It would be dangerous if we slept in the same bed tonight.”
“That’s the idea.” I winked.
“You’re drunk,” he said. “And, you’ve been through a lot.”
“Exactly! I need a sweet release. I know you’d give it to me.”
He looked frustrated. I could tell he wanted to oblige me and do what we both wanted. His chivalry still dictated his actions.
“I’m not sleeping with you under these conditions, Bailey.”
“Come on!” I whined. “We always used to sleep in the same bed. Who cares?”
“I care,” he stated. “Trust me. This is for the best.”
Before I had a chance to trust him, question him, or even say goodnight to him, I had surrendered to the power of his bed. I passed out as I looked up at his beautiful face.
I woke up the next morning majorly hungover. My memories of the night before were weak, and I didn’t even realize where I was right away.
Once it occurred to me that I was in Darren’s bed in Darren’s house, I flung the covers off of me like they were on fire. I looked at my phone, checked my reflection, and flung the bedroom door open.
I found him in the living room, sleeping on his couch. The blanket he was sleeping with had fallen to the floor sometime during the night. He was breathing heavily, and he still looked gorgeous, even with his mouth hanging open and clothes disheveled.
I wasn’t looking at him for long before he woke up. He smiled.
“Morning,” he said.
“Morning,” I reciprocated. “Last night is kind of blurry right now. I assume since you’re sleeping out here, and I was alone in there, we didn’t?”
“We didn’t sleep together,” he assured me. “Nope. I dropped you on the bed, and you passed out like twenty seconds later.”
“Ah,” I said, trusting him. “Ugh, my head is killing me.”
“Want me to make you coffee?”
“Actually, why don’t I take you out for breakfast?” I offered. “It’s the least I can do after blowing you off the other day.”
“I’ll take you up on that,” he said grinning. He grabbed his keys and started putting on his shoes.
I chuckled. “You’re not going to take a shower or something?”
“I’m hungry,” he replied. “And, my head is killing me, too. I need some air. Let’s go to Floyd’s.”
We were quiet on our car ride. Once we found our seat at Floyd’s, we ordered. I got my “country breakfast” that I used to get all the time, and we mostly just sat there and nursed our woes with our breakfast. I was too exhausted to decide on any topic of conversation, and I was grateful that he wasn’t bringing up any of my humiliating behavior from the night before. He seemed grateful that I wasn’t asking him what we’d talked about. I seemed to recall something about lingering feelings he still had for me.
“So, when are you heading back to Memphis?” he eventually asked me.
“I’m not sure yet,” I answered. “I kind of don’t want to go back just yet. I’ve got a lot of shit waiting for me there that I’m not ready to confront yet.”
“Like what?”
“Recording contracts,” I replied. “Decisions about touring. Work stuff. I don’t want to think about work right now.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“I need some time,” I said. “I don’t want to rush back. There are still some things I want to figure out before I get back to work and get distracted.”
“Such as? What are you going to do?”
“Well, I’ll have to make a decision about my father’s house,” I said with a weight growing heavier in my chest. “And I don’t know. It has been weird being back here. I feel like there has to be some loose ends I have to tie up.”
“Hmm,” he said. “Well, if you need any help, you know how to reach me.”
“Thanks, Darren.”
“You know,” he said. “If you were still in town tomorrow, there’s a pretty cool thing going on downtown I’d like to take you to.”
“Really?” I asked smiling. “What would that be?”
“On Friday nights, they have an event,” he said. “They play live music, have a bunch of food trucks out, and they have beer carts out with different samples of beer. It’s pretty cool.”
“That sounds too cool for Rome,” I said. “I had no idea that was even a possibility. That couldn’t have been going on when I lived here.”
“It wasn’t,” he said. “It started about a year ago or so. See what you miss when you aren’t around?”
“There’s live music and food trucks in Tennessee, too,” I said.
“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “And, it’s actually music. It’s stuff by artists, not drunk locals.”
I laughed, playing with my hair anxiously. “Okay! Sounds like a plan.”
“Don’t blow me off, missy.” He winked. “My heart can’t handle rejection again.”
“If I’m here tomorrow, I promise I’ll be there,” I said. “I’m wondering how you’ll be able to afford food and beer after you get fired.”
“Why would I get fired?”
“Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“My shift doesn’t start till noon,” he said. “I think Garrett starts at noon, too. I need to pick him up for wor
k, actually. That’s where I’m headed after this.”
Darren drove me back to my dad’s house. I expected that he’d be dropping me off, but as we pulled into the driveway, we were both taken aback.
There was a car parked awkwardly in the driveway that I didn’t immediately recognize, but I’d put it together before Darren had even parked.
“That’s Garrett’s car,” Darren muttered.
Fueled by intense curiosity, we leaped out of the Focus and ran into my dad’s house. Clothes were littering the floor in a trail that led to my bedroom.
“Holy fuck,” I whispered. “Do you think?”
“Oh, yeah,” said Darren.
We confirmed our suspicions and looked in the bedroom. Sure enough, there was Garrett and Leah, naked, under the covers. Garrett had his arms wrapped around Leah.
“Aw,” I cooed. “Look at them.”
“Nice,” laughed Darren. He went over to Garrett and violently shook him awake.
“Huh,” stuttered Garrett. “What?”
“We’ve got work in like thirty minutes, dumbass,” Darren said to him.
In the space of only ten minutes, Garrett and Leah woke up, got dressed, got presentable, and were stumbling into the living room together.
“What’s up?” Leah said to us, yawning.
“You tell us,” I said.
“She can tell us later,” said Darren. “Garrett, we have to bounce, dude.”
Although none of us had a proper goodbye, I believed it was an unspoken certainty that we would all meet again soon after that. Leah and I stood in the living room alone, not speaking until we heard their engines revving.
“You need to spill now,” I demanded.
“I’m still drunk from last night,” mumbled Leah. “Besides, I want to know what went on with you and your soul mate.”
I rolled my eyes. “Nothing happened. We went to sleep.”
“Huh. That sucks.”
I shrugged. “What do you want to do today?”
“I figured we were going back home,” said Leah. “We need to get back to Memphis. Get back to work.”
“I know,” I said dismissively. “But there are a few things I need to get straightened out before I can go back.”
