Page 4 of Fireworks Flame
“No problem,” the guy says, backing away. “I was just trying to be friendly.”
“That’s what I love about LA,” Deiss says, turning his attention to the mess on the table. “Everyone’s so friendly. They’ll give you the shirt right off their back.”
“As long as it’s guaranteed to end up on the floor at the foot of your bed?”
“Exactly.”
We grin at each other, and my skin flushes warm.
“Slow day at the shop?” I ask, referring to Studio Sounds, the record store Deiss owns.
“No more than usual. I saw your text, though, and figured I’d head over so you wouldn’t be stuck here alone.” He reaches for a dirty glass as he glances back at the slick guy, who has rejoined his friends. “Should’ve known there was little chance of that.”
I search my brain for a clever response but am distracted by the sight of him transferring the mess from our table to one next to us that has just opened up. Usually, he’s lounging against something, surveying everyone else’s efforts like we’re all putting on a show for his personal entertainment. Still, as strange as it is to see himtidying, he manages to do it in a way that looks like no effort at all. It’s like he’s yawning, his arms stretching out lazily, just happening to accomplish something in the movement.
“Howisthe shop?” I ask instead. Business has been slow because, shockingly, in the time of streaming music, records aren’t exactly a hot commodity. But last year, Deiss rearranged it to be able to host after-hours concerts with local bands.
“Poorly managed.” Deiss grins and leans against the now emptied table. He makes it look so comfortable that I want to slide off my chair and copy him. “I keep getting distracted by the new guitar stock, Booker is worthless, and Mia scares all the customers off. Iamlooking into getting a liquor license, though.”
“For the basement shows?”
He nods. “The door money is good, but a lot of the profit comes from liquor sales.”
“How do you know if you haven’t gotten the license yet?”
“I’ve been charging people for shots and pouring it into their mouths from the bottle.”
“Deiss!” I force a frown, even though I can’t help secretly being a little delighted by his insubordination. I’ve always been jealous of the way he seems so unencumbered by the rules.
He offers a shrug in response. “No cups, no proof, right?”
I tsk my disapproval, but thanks to the arrival of our friends, I don’t feel obligated to verbalize it. They come in together, conspicuous despite the crowd. It’s probably Mac who draws the most attention. Men of his height and good looks tend to be noticeable, especially if you’ve seen his latest underwear ad. But it’s Phoebe, dark and willowy with an Afro that makes her look several inches taller than she is, who my eyes go to.
As always, she’s wearing mismatched pieces she’s likely uncovered at a thrift shop. They shouldn’t work to make an outfit, but of course they somehow manage to. She looks effortlessly cool, like she belongs on one of the pages of the magazine she writes for, the complete opposite of me and my carefully chosen neutrals and fresh blowout. I want to take a picture of the textures and patterns, the shocks of color, so I can study it and figure out how it all works together. It’s the kind of understanding that’s invaluable for my work in graphic design.
Next to her, Simone is a study in subtle elegance. Hers is a look that does not require dissection. It can be summed up in brand names and dollar signs. I know this because I’m like the version of her on a budget. It’s not something I’m jealous of, simply a fact. Even her flawless skin and gorgeous bone structure screammoney.
“The Ice Queen and King Cagey are having fun without us!” Phoebe points an accusing finger at us, even as she beelines toward Deiss to tackle him with a hug.
Mac hurries behind her, wrapping his arms around me so that my face presses into his chest. Weirdly, he smells like cotton candy. He’s probably spent the afternoon in bed with some model who wears body spray designed for teenage girls.
“You feel good,” Phoebe says, patting at Deiss’s chest with one explorative hand while the other stays draped around his neck. “Have you been working out?”
“Have you?” Mac asks Deiss, seemingly delighted at his ex-girlfriend groping his best friend. “We should try picking a fight later to see if you hulk out.”
I look for some sign that he’s joking, but naturally, there isn’t one. Mac’s greatest quality is also his worst: he’s impulsive and enthusiastic about everything. It’s what makes him one of the few people brave enough (or just oblivious enough) to bear-hug me, a woman most people barely risk approaching with a handshake. But it’s also what makes him think of picking a fight with someone for an entertaining experiment. He’s not violent by any stretch of the word. He just hasn’t thought through the fact that fights involve both causing and receiving pain.
“Someone has to move all the boxes at the shop.” Deiss rubs his hand over his head from front to back so dark hair spillsinto his face. He’s trying to disappear, but it’s a useless effort. “Booker certainly isn’t going to do it.”
“That bag is gorgeous, Simone,” I say, attempting to help him out by deflecting attention. It’s an easy pivot. I’ve greeted Simone with compliments ever since freshman year when I learned it was the way of the sorority girls. Although, upon further inspection, I discover that her bag is, in fact, gorgeous.
“Isn’t it?” Simone leans in and kisses the air beside my cheek, leaving a cloud of Côte d’Azur in her wake as she pulls back. “I’m loving your new highlights. Honeyed blond is totally your color.”
“Thanks.” I expect her to recommend for the hundredth time that I try her salon (where Groupons are nevereveraccepted), but her gaze has already shifted from me to Deiss. Her eyes narrow as if they can x-ray-vision their way under his black leather jacket to the muscles Phoebe claimed to have discovered beneath. She has that look on her face that I recognize from freshman year—the look that says she wants to stuff him in a syringe and shoot him into her veins.
Eleven years.
I know Simone hasn’t been pining for him for all this time. That look of hers has appeared a lot less frequently over the years, especially since Deiss’s beard thickened enough to cover half his face. But I also know if Deiss ever went up for sale, she’d whip her black Amex out so fast, anyone it its path would be sliced to ribbons. She pushes around Mac to sit next to Deiss as Phoebe slides onto the stool across from me.
