Page 75 of Somewhere Only We Know
“I didn’t assume that!” Jack protested, nervously eating a French fry. “I guess I… didn’t take you for a Soundgarden fan.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I like Soundgarden. And Mariah Carey. And Cardi B. And One Direction. And Max Richter. And I could go on and on. Because I love music. That’s why I do this.”
Jack stared at me in this intense way and I stared back. “What?” If it was possible to smile and frown at the same time, he was doing it.
“Nothing. It… it’s hitting me now that you are so freaking accomplished.”
“It’s hitting younow?” I teased, even as something lurched in my chest. I’d been praised pretty much my entire life, but hearing it from Jack—a boy I liked—well. That was different and new.
Charlie lifted his chin up at Jack. “Hey, you’re also accomplished.” He looked at me. “Jack’s been moonlighting as—”
“Charlie. She knows about the wedding photography.” Jack interrupted him swiftly and Charlie started. The two shared a silent look between them for about half a second before Charlie got a weird expression on his face and cleared his throat. “I’m gonna throw out our trash. You done, Lucky?”
I handed my tray to him while keeping my eyes on Jack. “What was that?”
“Nothing. Charlie’s just being embarrassing. He makes fun of the wedding photography.”
“Oh, that’s not cool.” I frowned.
He shifted closer to me, closing the small gap I had created. His shoulder nudged mine as he stared down at his lap and said, “I actually feel embarrassed talking about it. It’s not like anything you’re doing. It’s a way to make money aside from the internship. It’s not a passion or anything.” He finally looked at me. “When you talk about music—I canfeelit. Your focus and your love for it. I admire that and also envy it if I’m being honest.”
“Thank you,” I said quietly, unsure of how to respond to that sort of flattery. Also, I didn’t want to bring up the photography issue again, but why couldn’t he seethatcould be his passion?
We left the restaurant and Jack pulled me in close to him as we walked back to the car. With his arm around me, I dropped my head onto his shoulder, feeling immensely satisfied.
I had left my hotel room last night in search of a hamburger. And I had found it.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
JACK
Charlie started the engine. He was conspicuously quiet. I knew he was catching on to what I was doing. And judging me harshly for it.
His music blasted and while it was loud and horrible, it was also kind of nice. To avoid talking to Lucky, to avoid lying to her. I rolled the window down again, letting in gusts of air, feeling the thrum of the music. Not wanting to think, only feel.
“Where to next?” Lucky asked. “The night is young!” It wasn’t quite ten o’clock yet.
Charlie glanced at me. “I don’t know. Up to ol’ Jack here. Seems like he’s the one calling all the shots tonight.”
Good one, Charles. Subtle.
As my body thumped with the bass blasting through the car, I had an idea. “Dancing. Let’s go dancing.”
Lucky looked at me with surprise. “What? Are you serious?”
“Yeah, let’s do it.” I wanted to be in a space where we could avoid digging into the truth. Where we could forget everything and move ourselves through the night. “Charlie, you know a good spot?”
“You know I do,” he said, already peeling out of our parking spot. We drove through throngs of traffic, the crowds getting younger and drunker as we got closer to our destination.
“Do you like to dance?” Lucky yelled at me over the music.
I yelled back, “Not really!”
She looked confused before shaking her head and grinning widely. “We’re doing a lot of things differently tonight!”
We reached for each other’s hands at the same time.
Charlie dropped us off at a club I’d been to once, in the middle of Lan Kwai Fong—party central for expats in Hong Kong. It wasn’t my usual scene, but it was pretty much where you were guaranteed some dancing. And I was hoping Lucky would be less recognizable in a group of expats over locals.
