Page 30 of A Sip of Sin

“I don’t need to,” said George.

Hollen looked to each side for any hint of a sign or indication of which way he was supposed to go. The girls had already disappeared, leaving an empty entrance and four hallways.“You’re going to regret it. There’s a reason I work my ass off so Adair doesn’t have to. He’s going to go places one day.”

The sound of laughter echoed along one hall. Hollen ducked that way, slowly creeping along. He let out a sigh of relief when he found two doors pinned wide, an array of voices coming from within.

The last thing he’d expected appeared before him. It must’ve been a warehouse of sorts in its last life, but it had been converted into a massive gymnasium and stage. There was a graduated seating area along with a floor that was illuminated with flood lights from above.

The lights were hardly needed with the sunlight streaming through the upper windows along one side, the sounds of the street completely obliterated. Voices and laughter reached him, along with that same wicked beat, one rhythm fading out for another.

Seats everywhere were packed, some people holding signs and others homemade banners that had been scrawled with permanent marker. There were even a few with Adair’s name, one particular woman in her forties holding a sign gleaming with sparkly red hearts. The poor girl probably didn’t realize that Adair was even gayer than he was.

Hollen made his way up the stairs, looking for any unoccupied seat. As soon as he would spot one, others like him would zoom for it, filling the empty spot before he could claim it.

George huffed. “Would you like me to ask them to get out of our way? I’m sure they would listen tome.”

Hollen glanced at his hand as his fingertips tingled, covering it with his shirt when dark markings suddenly scrawled across his knuckles, his nails lengthening with dark tips.

“George,” Hollen spoke through his teeth, his eyes wide. “Not here, okay? There’s like two-hundred people.” His handtingled with numbness as George pulled back, leaving a hollow emptiness behind.

Shaking his hand out, Hollen took one last look around, almost resigned to turning back for the bus and heading homeward. There, at the very top of the seats was a single unoccupied seat. Above it was both a speaker and a light, a beam set right against the back. As he approached, he wrinkled his nose.

There was a full six inches of leg room less than any other seat around it, the beam forcing the builders to shrink it in place. Even with his shortness, it was still a squeeze to fit into the spot.

The view, though… It was breathtaking. He could see the stage perfectly as the black curtain shifted and a row of men and women stepped out. They were all in matching costumes, the women in dazzling pink and the men in a muted blue.

As a new song began, they started to move, weaving intricately as the music picked up. Each movement was solid, only one lady slipping until her partner caught her, and they twirled into the next movement.

“Is this what you were boasting about?” George’s voice thudded against the inside of his ears. “I could do that…Hell, you could—”

“Shhh.” Hollen poked himself in the middle of his own chest where George beat the strongest. “Just wait.”

As the group wrapped up, yells of encouragement hit the air, the crowd roaring with excitement. The round of applause faded, the curtain shifting again before a single man stepped out and the others disappeared. There was an instant of shining recognition when a sudden nervousness curled in Hollen’s belly.

Adair was so fluid as he moved, perfect and elegant before the music even began. His eyes were sharp, casting over the crowd with a frown on his lips. Hollen could have sworn he hesitated on him for just a moment before he looked away.

The music began, and Adair started to dance. A hush fell over the crowd, words leaving Hollen’s lips and sputtering to nothing. If music was movement alone, then Adair had captured it all, each muscle responding to the notes and undulations of the song.

“Your friend—is he—”

“I said shush.” Hollen winced when his voice came out much louder than he intended. No one seemed to notice, too enthralled with the show.

As the beat amped up, Adair followed suit, moving as if it took no effort at all. After a particularly difficult series of intricacies passed, a cheer broke out at the front, followed by more. Hollen had to hold his hands to his mouth so his shout would carry further, pure joy spiking through him as the dance ended on an abrupt note.

The signs with Adair’s name on them rattled with how fiercely they were shaken.

The first sign of a smile touched Adair’s face, a flush moving over his cheeks as he regarded the crowd. His gaze shot straight to where Hollen was sitting, his smile going even wider as his eyes sparkled.

George let out a sigh as Hollen waved, standing on the chair when Adair waved back, his laugh disappearing into the crowd. “I think I’m in love.”

Hollen spluttered, moving from his seat and back to the main doors. Another single person had started to dance, their style so different from Adair’s that it was almost jarring.

“We’ll have to rush to get to work on time.” Hollen glanced at his phone, biting his lip at the time. “Hopefully, Munro has a new uniform for me because I kind of destroyed the last one.”

“Munro?” George scoffed.

“Yep.” Hollen ducked out the door, lowering his voice as they hit the echo of the hallway. “And I don’t want to hear another word. I’m working there, and that’s final.”

“Hollen!”

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