“No, don’t worry. At least one of us deserves a fun night.”
Ollie looked like he wanted to argue, so Dex added, “Let’s see when Onyx wants to go out next. Maybe we can all do something tomorrow night, or later in the week.”
“Yeah, let’s do that. I’m sure Onyx can make time. There’s an art show at his gallery soon, too.”
“Awesome.” Dex tried to sound excited.
They said goodbye, and Dex turned toward home, his smile falling as soon as he was safely away from Ollie.
He dragged his feet.
A night alone in his condo was the last thing in the world he wanted. He hadn’t even started packing, and shouldn’t have pushed Ollie away. Avoiding his best friend shouldn’t feel like the safest option, but every time they talked, Ollie dropped yet another confusing, half-explained truth on him, and Dex needed a break.
Instead of going home, Dex detoured to Dorthy’s despite knowing Violet wouldn’t be working. He ordered a beer and found a stool at a high table in the back corner. Drinking alone wasn’t a great habit, and this wasn’t the first time he’d been here that week.
Oh well.
There was no point denying that he was doing worse thanhe’d been a few weeks ago. Dex could have sworn he’d been on the right track, dealing with his issues, selling the condo, and making choices that promoted better mental health. But the whole process of moving sucked, and finding out about the afterlife hadn’t helped as much as he’d have imagined. Dex still had to get through life missing the people he’d loved most.
The beer disappeared, and Dex ordered another.
How had Ollie assumed it was okay to slip that he would live forever into their conversation? Dex focused on death way too much. He didn’t want Ollie to die. It terrified him. But knowing Ollie would never die scared him too. He’d never see Ollie in the afterlife. Eventually, he’d lose him.
It wasn’t fair.
The beer went down too easily, and the whole day looked stranger the longer Dex stewed.
How had Ollie guessed that he couldn’t get Luc out of his head? Why suddenly support hearing the Devil out? It was impossible to imagine what Luc had told Ollie and the others to change their minds.
Dex unlocked his phone. He had to figure this out, and if Ollie wouldn’t explain, that meant seeing Luc. He opened their chat and typed.
Dex:
I’m at Dorthy’s.
Maybe not the best opener, which was entirely the beer’s fault. He’d had three, or was it four? Five? Shit. The fact that he couldn’t pin down his beer count meant he’d passed three a while ago.
His phone buzzed.
Luc:
Hi, Dex. Did you mean to send this to me?
Dex:
Yes.
I want to know what’s going on.
Luc:
Would you like me to meet you? Is that why you told me where you are?
Dex:
Obviously.
Luc:
