“Stripped to flesh and bones
I embrace your dysfunctional love
Until we fall into mutually assured destruction
Cast your line and hurt me once more
Toxic, give me the coldest war
Suffocate me under the knife of your sick devotion
Your sick devotion
Your sick devotion!”
Thenocturnalbreezewascooler than the day before, but it could also be the fact that his hair and skin were still wet, and he was wearing clean sweat shorts and flip-flops. That ridiculous type of sandal that made him walk like a drunk penguin. How could anyone call that rubber sole with a strap keen on butchering the space between your toes footwear? Chris definitely liked his trashy, worn-out Vans better.
“What’s gotten into you?” Leah clipped as he let himself fall on the beach chair beside hers.
“Nothing.”
“Tell that to your brows.” She pressed her index finger between them.
Chris slapped her hand away. “It’s just that you made me buy these stupid flip-flops, and I almost died three times walking from the showers to here.”
“First, you’re exaggerating.” Leah rolled her eyes. “And second, I didn’tmake youbuy shit. I just suggested you get them. Sneakers aren’t allowed into the showers, and going in barefoot would risk you catching something.”
“Technicalities.” He grabbed a beer from the ice bucket on the ground between them.
“Seriously, though. What’s wrong?” she asked in a lower tone, knowing how reserved Chris was.
They were surrounded by other musicians and techs, lazing around amongst pizza boxes and empty drinks in the temporary camp settled beside their bus. The banter of the Aussie area in the chair-made circle was loud enough for nobody to eavesdrop, and the other part of their crew was so engrossed in their jam session they wouldn’t hear what they were talking about either.
“Nothing,” he repeated.
The fizzy sound of his carbonated drink, background laughter, and acoustic music flooded the space between them for a few seconds. Chris wasn’t looking at her, but he could sense her gazing at his face.
“You’ve been weird ever since we landed in the States,” Leah said.
“Tired.” He gulped half of his beer in one go.
“Ugh. You can be so annoying sometimes.” Propping her elbow on the chair’s arm, she rested her cheek on her palm, not even trying to push it.
“You are annoying.” He pulled a lock of hair she had missed putting into her messy bun. It had grown so much; the longest she’d ever had it. He loved it. It was so soft and wild, wavy but with curlier parts in the lower layer. The Narcissa Malfoy color style looked good on her. “Are you going to talk tohim?”
“Am I really gonna have this conversation with each one of you?”
“What?”
“Erik asked me the same thing the other day. My answer is still no. I can’t. It’s fucked up and I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“The beginning?”
“Thanks, Captain Obvious. I wish it were that easy…” Leah took a sip of her beer. “Why are you trying to divert the conversation and make this about me, anyway? What are you hiding?” She narrowed her eyes at him, shifting in her seat when she crossed one leg over the other.
Chris scrunched his nose. “Your feet are dirty.”
“Been walking in this dust all afternoon.” She leaned over and grabbed his cheeks with both palms and squeezed, making his lips pout. “Now spill it.”
