Page 8 of Demo
So, I decide to take a steaming hot shower and stay under the spray until the water turns tepid. Then I step out and wrap myself in a floor-length terry cloth robe, scurry into the bedroom and dig myself a hole under the bedcovers and bury myself inside.
Kennedy whimpers and yips at the bedside and I growl in response. “Fine,” I say, and flip the covers up so he can jump in. “But we’re not going to make a habit of this,” I tell him as he settles in.
I never used to let the dog sleep in the bed, but since Knox has been gone, it’s been entirely too big. And Kennedy is a good space-filler.
I fall asleep with wet hair and doggy breath at my back.
Chapter 4
Ten Years Ago …
LYZBETH
“Themusichereisn’tso bad,” I shouted over the needlessly-too-loud dance music that someone selected on the jukebox. What I said was a lie because the song wasn’t my jam at all.
“What?” Knox shouted back, turning his head sideways so I could project into his ear, just as a few drunks pushed through the crowd and bumped into our table, causing our beers to slosh over our glasses.
It was our first date. Actually, it was a double date with Janice and Jared, but they had disappeared into the crowd somewhere.
“Looks like some people are having a good time,” I said as I used a napkin to wipe up the spill.
“At least someone is,” Knox muttered.
My head shot up, and I didn’t hesitate before I confronted him. “Oh, looks like you didn’t have trouble hearing me just then.”
Knox shook his head and had the decency to look a little embarrassed. “Shit, sorry. I’m just … This isn’t really my scene. It’s a little loud and obnoxious for my taste.”
I nodded and raised my eyebrows in a,thank you, Captain Obvious, kind of way, and he just chuckled.
“Wow,” I half-shouted over the still-too-loud music. “You’re awkward.”
Another chuckle. “Yeah, I guess I am. But you’re no social debutant yourself.”
“Another woman might be offended by that,” I deadpanned.
He looked at me for a beat. “Something tells me you’re not.”
“I can only be offended if I’m being insulted by someone whose opinion I actually care about.”
Another snicker. “Touché.”
Knox leaned his elbows on the table, hands clasping and unclasping, as if he were agitated. I noticed a small tattoo on his right forearm, which was strong and thick and had veins that rolled and stretched as he clenched his hands.
“Is that the Joker?” I shouted, nodding my head toward the ugly image.
Knox looked down at his arm and let out an insincere laugh, before pulling his arms in and leaning back in his seat. “Uh, yeah, that would be the Joker,” he said. “Definitely not my wisest decision.”
I reached out and lightly grabbed his wrist, unfolding his arms and turning his right hand so I could get a better look at the tattoo. He stilled at my touch, and I wondered if I shouldn’t have grabbed him. Our eyes locked for a brief moment, and I was able to appreciate the light brown, hazel hue in his before I went back to inspecting the artwork.
“It’s not so bad,” I lied again.
He was quiet, so I looked up to find him staring at me.
“OK, it’s kind of hideous,” I confessed. After another brief moment, I burst out in laughter, and he joined me.
“I was rebelling,” he said as he ran his fingers through his hair, which was dark brown and unruly. “I wanted to get a tattoo, and I just walked into a nearby shop and picked something out of a book, and well, there it is. The guy probably shouldn’t have even tattooed me since I was wasted.”
At that moment, someone turned the already deafening music up even louder and there was no point in even attempting conversation, which was already awkward as shit, so we just sat there and drank.
