“They went looking for someone,” I explained.
“Hey, what’s up?” Lana asked as she joined us.
“Sexy Redhead left his phone on the bar. I assumed Keeg would have Robin’s phone number so we could text him and let him know.”
Of course, considering everything that had happened and that they’d seen me chatting with him, it was embarrassing to report that I had not, in fact, gotten his digits.
FML.
“Peter Pan said something about heading back to Town Square,” Lana added.
“I can give him his phone back,” I volunteered.
I shouldn’t have wanted to do it, but I knew what my intentions were, and clearly Kendra did too as she turned to me with a big smile on her face.
“I bet you will. Here. Go find him, and don’t come back without a number this time, okay?”
Everyone laughed, but it was now or never.
“Deal,” I said, taking Peter Pan’s phone.
I left the bar and headed back to Town Square, determined as hell to at least get Oscar to admit he wasn’t interested.
The Square wasn’t nearly as packed as it had been before the King’s speech. A few street vendors were still operating, and some drunk, costumed people clustered in groups. I didn’t see Oscar straight away, so I checked nearby alleys before finding my Sexy Robin crouched before a young girl, who must’ve been who he and Peter Pan had gone searching for.
I hurried toward them, and as I neared, I noticed the girl—maybe eleven or twelve—was dressed as Maleficent fromSleeping Beauty. Her face and hands were painted green, and she wore a black robe with matching horns on her head.
“Hey, your friend forgot this,” I said as I approached.
Oscar stood up, turning to me, his eyes shifting between me and the girl.
“I’m sorry that I was trying to help my people,” she said, as though she was mid-fight with him about something. Must’ve been some sort of game.
“Reggie, this is Keeg,” Oscar said.
“Hello, Keeg. I am…” She hesitated. “Reggie.”
“Hi, Reggie. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said, confused by their peculiar exchange as I took her hand for a shake. She eyed my hand strangely. Maybe that wasn’t a custom in their country.
“I’m in trouble,” she went on.
“Yes, you’re in a lot of trouble,” Oscar said before turning to me. “She’s my niece. She wandered off during the parade.”
“I was being supportive of a good cause,” she insisted.
“Yes, of course you were.”
I handed him his friend’s phone. “Peter Pan left it back at the bar. Apparently, it’s difficult to keep that in his tights.”
“Oh, thank you,” he said. “That was really nice of you.”
An awkward silence followed, and it sucked that I couldn’t exactly confront him in front of his niece about anything that happened at the bar.
“Well, I guess I probably should go back,” I said, admitting to myself that he didn’t seem any more interested in taking things further with me than he had back at the bar.
“Keeg, we have to walk back to Town Square anyway, if you want to come with us.”
Maybe he did want to talk about it, after all.
