Kaj had texted him a week after thebackstage incident, probably drunk or high on some shit, and he’d never answered, but the idea of him kneeling, sucking his dick, was the most alluring thing he could think of at the moment.
Certifiable.
But it could also be because he knew tonight he would seehim—Poisoned Letters was playing at the metal venue bar he worked at.
He’d known he risked this happening when he accepted the job, but the pay was too good to reject. Besides, according to the schedule for the next few months, they wouldn’t be performing here again until December, and Noah would be gone by then, so it was just one night. It wasn’t like they had to engage in conversation or anything. Kaj would be busy and so would he.
With a sigh, Noah grabbed his keys and walked out the door. Forty minutes later, he was at the venue.
The concerts started at nine, so the place was already loud and packed. People were drinking like there was no tomorrow, which was only a bad omen of soiled bathrooms and sticky floors.
Noah greeted his coworkers as he stepped behind the bar while putting his hair up, a few shorter strands escaping the messy bun. He hated it—not the locks falling over his face, but having to wear it like this. With how hectic these nights could get, it would end up all sweaty and stuck to the back of his neck, anyway. This was the best option.
For the next hour and a half, everything went smoothly. He chitchatted with some of the patrons while pouring their drinks and rushed through several rounds of shots for a group of friends celebrating a bachelor party, judging by their penis hats. Then Poisoned Letters stepped on stage, and Noah wished he didn’t have to be there. Although he could avoid looking, the drumbeats resonating through every particle of air hit him like shrapnel, bringing memories of different moments of life he didn’t want to remember.
It made no sense to consider any possibility that wasn’t ignoring each other, even if a part of Noah was curious to pry open the door at the end of the corridor to see what could happen. Not when his resentment was so big. Not when they were nothing but an alienation of their past. The sex had been so cathartic that his brain was clinging to the reflection of oldemotions just to have an excuse to get another taste. But none of this was real.
Noah busied himself washing glasses and talking to his coworkers when he wasn’t pouring drinks. He even had a few minutes to check his socials while people watched the show. Leaning his ass against the counter, where dozens of distilled spirits were aligned, he scrolled and scrolled, liking a few posts but only fully reading a couple of them.
“Hey, asshole,” a voice called. “Are you gonna ignore me here, too?”
When Noah raised his head, therehewas, glaring at him like he’d offended all his ancestors.
“Sorry. Didn’t hear you. What can I get you?”
“Whiskey.” Kaj slid him one of the free drink tickets the bands were granted when they played here.
“Right away.”
Noah grabbed the bottle and turned toward him again with a glass in hand. He served the drink, having to actually concentrate on what he was doing to not mess up. Kaj’s stare was so intense that even without looking at him, he could feel the pressure boring a hole in his face.
“There you go. Anything else I can do for you?” Noah asked, ready to move to the opposite end of the bar.
“Are you really gonna do this?” Kaj slurred. “You’re such a fucking coward.”
Noah held his gaze under the dimly lit atmosphere, realizing just now how big his pupils were. Something other than alcohol was running through his system. He clenched his jaw, glancing to the sides to check no one was watching their interaction. Kaj seemed to be short-fused on a regular basis, and he didn’t want his anger to explode right here, so he had to be smarter.
“Not here. I don’t need to air the details of my private life to everyone.”
“When then?” Kaj asked before taking a swig of whiskey.
“After my shift.”
“When’s that?”
“We close at three in the morning, but between cleaning and all, I’d say four?”
“Okay.”
And just like that, Kaj walked away, pushing through the throngs of people until he reached his bandmates.
Noah didn’t have to deal with him for the rest of the night as he went to one of his coworkers for his next two drinks, which was nice. He didn’t need his bullshit while he was trying to work. That he’d accepted his offer to talk later was a plus, because he was sure Kaj wouldn’t last until then. With the amount of alcohol he was drinking, and whatever else he’d taken, the drummer would be unconscious soon enough.
The last hour passed quickly. Once the lights switched on and the music abruptly ended, between murmurs and grumbles, people started to leave. The staff divided their tasks between the bar and the dance floor. They didn’t get into full cleaning mode, just picked up all the trash, wiped the working area and the broken glasses on the ground—there was not one night this didn’t happen, but it still took a while to get it all set. Thank fuck the venue was big enough for their employer to hire an external team that would come the next morning to take care of the bigger things like sweeping, mopping, and doing the bathrooms.
Noah had already packed his things, so he grabbed as many trash bags as he could and walked out of the bar. To his surprise, Kaj was there, leaning against his band’s van.
“It’s about time,” he said as he pushed himself off the vehicle.
