Page 70 of August Lane
Or she could end things now. They had dozens of verses with titles that could easily become choruses. That’s what she planned to tell him once he arrived at Delta Blue that night. She’d taught him what she knew about song writing and he could do the rest on his own.
That’s what she would have said—if he wasn’t two hours late.
It was 9:00 p.m. on a Thursday and Delta Blue had come alive. Each time August left the studio to check the parking lot for Luke’s truck, the club was louder, filled with more voices and bodies. Silas kept checking his watch and shooting her grumpy looks that signaled it was past timefor her to leave his adult-only business. August was too worried about Luke to pay him any attention. This wasn’t like him. Luke was usually so punctual that Silas had started inviting him in early to talk music while they waited for her to arrive.
She had his phone number, but something about the way he spoke about his mother had always made her reluctant to use it. Today she was more afraid of what might happen to him if she didn’t. August was reaching for the phone when she heard Silas order someone to leave. A familiar voice answered. She rushed out, pushed her way through the crowd until she spotted Luke. He was at the front door, frantically gesturing inside.
“Can’t let you in,” Silas said. “People will think I served you here, and I can’t risk it.”
“Let me talk to her, please! I won’t stay, I swear.”
“Find her at school tomorrow.”
She touched Silas’s back. His voice softened when he focused on her. “He’s drunk, baby.”
August stared at Luke. His eyes were glassy. A red mark on his cheek would probably become a bruise. The fingers clinging to his guitar case strap were covered in fresh scabs. “I’m not drunk,” Luke insisted, stubborn in his delusion. “I mean, I was, but I’m fine now.”
“What happened to you?” August pushed past Silas.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Luke said. “You believe me, don’t you?”
“I do. But Luke, what happened to your—”
“This melody came to me when I was thinking about… well… you and fake thorns, and…shit!”He took a deep breath. “I can’t say it right. I need to play it.” He looked at Silas. “Please let me in.”
“It’s past your bedtime,” Silas said, then glanced at August. “He shouldn’t be driving in this condition.”
“I’ll take him home.”
Silas didn’t seem to like the idea, but then glanced at the crowd. He couldn’t leave when it was that busy. “You sure?”
She didn’t answer. The car keys were already in her hand. “Let’s go.”
August knew Luke lived on a farm, but it was far enough outside Arcadia city limits that she’d never seen it. The property was huge, with miles of land dotted with rolled hay for grazing cattle. It took a while before she saw his house, a brick rectangle in the distance. Luke twisted in his seat, angling himself away from it, and said, “I can’t go home right now.” She could tell he was trying to sound less panicked than he was.
“Where do you want to go?” She couldn’t take him to her house. Birdie thought she was with Mavis, studying.
His eyes darted around and landed on a line of trees in front of them. “Turn there,” he said, pointing at a dirt road. “No one knows about this place but me.”
August followed his directions, letting the woods swallow them until they reached a pond in a small clearing. She parked on the flattest patch of grass and cut the engine.
“Do you swim in that water?” The night was windless, which made the surface eerily still, like it was trying to trick you into thinking it was a mirror.
“Sometimes.”
“Is it dirty?”
“Filled with nature.”
“So that’s a yes.”
“We won’t be swimming. Just follow me.”
They got out of the car and walked closer to the water. Grasshoppers chirped and cicadas buzzed. The pond was alive, playing its music.
August sat, drew up her legs, and watched him do the same. “What happened to you?”
Luke rubbed his forehead, flashing his ruined hand. It had to hurt, but he didn’t show it. Maybe he was used to pain because of football. “I lost track of time.”
