Page 128 of Throwing Shade
“You asked him for me? Specifically?” he said.
I gave a soft surprised laugh. “Of course.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know what to make of you, Mitzi.”
“Anyone would have done the same, knowing how important it was to you.”
He traced the rim of his highball with a finger but didn’t comment.
Magenta, gold, and rose bled through the night sky, sending faint shimmering rays dancing across the floorboards. I swept my fingers through a beam, the dawn of this new day charging the air with a radiant hope, even as I wished for a few more moments of night’s stillness to bask in my remaining time with this man.
Melancholy, I finished my drink. It would be weird to linger here any longer.
Laurent stretched out his hurt leg with a wince.
I stood up. “I’m going, so you can shift in private if you need to heal.”
“Up to you. I’m not going to shift for this though.” His clothes were torn, he had bloody gashes all over him, his jaw was starting to bruise, and he acted like it was nothing.
Laurent was dangerous, but at the end of the day, did it come down to him rattling around alone in this boarded-up hotel, with only books, music, and his inner demons for company?
“Come on, tough guy.” I tugged on his sleeve.
“Where are we going?” he said, putting down his untouched drink.
“To get you cleaned up.”
