Page 64 of Heart So Hollow

I lift my hand and Hildy grabs it, jerking my finger up to her eye. She scoffs in surprise and goes silent. Her face relaxes as she examines the ring, rotating my finger from side to side. After a minute, she gently sets my hand back down, speechless. It’s not like her. Usually, she’s yelling something in a dramatic display—positive or negative doesn’t matter. Now, she’s looking at me like she has no clue what to say.

“Are you OK?” I chuckle.

“Yeah!” she chirps, finding her voice, “I’m just like…wow!” She rubs her fingers across her hairline, “Congratulations!”

Hildy throws her arms around my shoulders and it feels like I’m being squeezed by a python. She lingers there, not letting go, and when I glance at Bowen over Hildy’s shoulder, he just gives a shrug. Apparently, he also didn’t expect Hildy to be so overwhelmed with emotion.

Hildy reaches across the table for her glass and downs the rest of her beer. She suddenly straightens up, her eyebrows arching like she’s just thought of something. She smacks her palm on the table again to get everyone’s attention as she swallows.

“Hold on, hold on, hold on!” She waves her hands over the table, “So, when’s the big day?”

“Well…” I begin, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.

“She has to finish writing her book first,” Bowen interjects, “it’s a whole dowry thing. She sells the book, makes millions, and pays me back for helping her level up.”

“Yes,” I roll my eyes so far back I think they’re going to detach from my head, “exactly.”

Then I glance across the table at Hannah. She hasn’t said a word since Bowen made his announcement. She gazes around the bar, stone faced, for a few minutes before grabbing her coat and her purse. She stands up and leaves, making her way to the front and hurrying past the bouncers at the glass doors.

For a moment I think she left, but she didn’t. Of course she didn’t. I can see her through the front window, leaning against one of the columns under the overhang and lighting up a cigarette.

“Oh, hey!” I pat Hildy’s arm, “I was going to ask you something.”

Hildy looks relieved for me to change the subject, having finally composed herself.

“Did you ask Hannah to stop by the house today to take care of Waylon?”

“Mm, no,” Hildy shakes her head, “she came over and fed our dogs today because we stayed last night at Jay’s grandparents. But you all got back yesterday, right? Oh, God,” her eyes bug out in alarm, “was I supposed to come by today?”

“No, no, no!” I laugh, shaking my head, “We came back yesterday. I must’ve overheard her talking about your house and I just got confused.”

Relief washes over her face and she seems satisfied with that answer.

Bowen turns his attention back to us and smacks Hildy on the back, “What do you guys want—another beer? A shot? A Xanax?”

Hildy sniffs and takes a deep breath as she rises from my lap, “I’ll go with you,” she says as she shoves Bowen in the shoulder and follows him to the bar.

He and Hildy stand at the bar for a minute while the bartender sets down drinks in front of them. Bowen says something to Hildy and she starts gathering the bottles in her hands while he turns and heads in the other direction toward the restrooms. But instead of turning down the hallway, he veers to the right along the front windows and disappears out the glass doors. I scan the windows, following him until he stops in front of Hannah. She must be on her second cigarette by now. I crane my neck to see them through the crowd as Bowen says something to her and she looks up at him with a pained expression, one hand clasping the front of her long camel peacoat closed.

I stand up and walk in the same direction, weaving through the crowd until I get to the restrooms. I stop at the hallway, lingering next to the window, concealed by the crowd. Despite her frosty response, Hannah isn’t too offended to not stub out her cigarette on the concrete and follow Bowen across the parking lot. From my vantage point, I can see them walk between two cars and stop next to Hannah’s vehicle. Or, rather, I can see Bowen stop next to her vehicle. Hannah’s standing opposite Bowen, but she’s too short for me to see past the back hatch. It’s dim, but there’s enough residual light from the parking lot for me to see that Bowen is speaking.

It plays out like a silent movie; Hannah’s facing away from me and he’s standing opposite to her so I can see his face but not hers. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but I see his mouth moving. The first minute, Bowen looks calm, but serious. However, with each passing second, his face changes, becoming more and more irate. It’s around this time I wish I could read lips.

Bowen glares at Hannah, his mouth moving faster and faster. He throws his head to the side, leans forward as he speaks, and furrows his brow in disdain. In a way, he doesn’t look like himself. I’ve never seen Bowen angry at anyone. Granted, I don’t mind so much right now because I hope he’s letting her have it for sneaking around our house. I don’t know what Hannah is saying, only that she’s shaking her head and seems to be brushing off his aggressive posture.

Finally, the conversation appears to wind down. Bowen scowls at her in silence for a few moments and then says something quickly, nodding toward the bar. When Hannah turns around, her face is a chaotic mixture of contempt and distress. She storms back across the parking lot, her hands shoved in her coat pockets. Bowen follows her at a distance, and as he gets closer, I notice his demeanor changes again. He strolls across the asphalt like nothing happened, looking the same as when he left our table.

I wait for both of them to sit back down before I return. When I sit down next to Bowen, he slides one of the beers in front of me and raises his glass. I pick it up and clink the edge of mine against his before he downs a quarter of the glass.

I raise my eyebrows and lean against his shoulder, “Are you OK?” I chuckle.

Bowen drapes his arm around my neck, pulling me closer, “Don’t I look OK?” He flashes a smile.

I glance across the table at Hannah, now immersed in conversation with Hildy, “You do now.”

Bowen knows immediately who I’m referring to, but he’s unaware I saw what happened in the parking lot.

He settles his sights on Hannah and he raises his voice, “She’s acting like a fucking baby and needs to grow up.” He’s looking at her, but speaking to me.

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