Page 33 of Hard Rock Muse

10

When Julian took me to a sketchy part of town, I became a little uncomfortable, but he put me at ease.

“This area used to be really rough, but it’s started cleaning up over the last year or two,” he said. “All those old adult porno sex shops are being replaced by cute cupcake and stationary stores.”

I snorted. “Cupcakes really are the first sign of gentrification.”

We stopped in front of a dented metal door. Julian pushed through to what looked like a kind of dank dive bar with low lights and sticky floors. I didn’t mind. I’d been in places worse than this.

Instead of taking a seat, he lead me down a hallway past the bartender. He kept going, heading toward a restroom with anout of ordersign on it.

“Um—” I started to say.

But as he opened the door, I saw the inside wasn’t a restroom. It was another bar, this one even sketchier and stickier than the last. Rough looking guys in leather biker jackets were at a pool table and a muscled older man was washing mugs behind the bar.

“Um—” I said again, not able to find the words to express my reservations after he’d invited me. “This… is your cool bar?”

“It’s a private bar,” he said. “No one will bother you. Walt makes sure of that.” He nodded to the guy behind the bar, who I assumed was Walt.

Although the biker guys looked rough, true to Julian’s word, they spared me little more than a second glance before returning to their game.

Julian lead me to the bar. I took a seat on one of the stools. The stuffing was falling out of a rip in the cushion, but it was still surprisingly comfy.

“What can I getcha?” Walt asked in a gruff voice that wasn’t necessarily unkind.

“I’ll have a beer,” Julian said.

“You?” Walt asked.

“I’ll have what he’s having,” I said.

Julian side-eyed me as he took a sip of the beer Walt had placed in front of him.

I picked up my own and also drank. I immediately made a face.

“I knew you didn’t like beer,” Julian said, almost accusingly.

“It’s fine,” I said. “I’ll drink it.”

“What do you really want?” he asked.

I paused, thinking back to the years before Keith. It seemed so long ago. I dithered back and forth, trying to decide. Julian stared at me, waiting.

“Rum and Coke,” I finally blurted out.

“Coming right up,” Walt said, making me jump. I hadn’t realized he’d been listening.

Julian and I sat in silence until Walt handed me a glass filled to the brim. We both nursed our drinks. I snuck glances at him.

What had he been trying to say back there?

“So you liked the show?” Julian asked with another sip of his beer.

Whatever it had been, I knew that wasn’t it.

“The show was amazing,” I said. “You guys are so intense up there, and your sound works so well together. Plus Cerise is amazing as a front woman. She’s basically got the audience eating out of the palm of her hand.”

“We wouldn’t be Cherry Lips without Cerise,” Julian said. “She’s what pulls us all together.”