When I enter, a few of them are crammed together at a table near the stage. I give them a little smile and wave, unsure if they will even greet me. Raj sees me first, though, and smiles, all teeth on show as he waves a hello, forcing the other two to turn and acknowledge me.
I take a large breath and hold it to ground myself. Then I head towards them, putting my bag on the floor as I take a seat next to Raj.
I can do this. They won’t bite.
“Hey, thought you were ill?” Raj asks with a concerned look.
“Oh yeah, I’m feeling better and didn’t want to miss out on Thirsty Thursdays, y’know?” I say sheepishly.
“Well, Tanner bailed to take care of his niece again, so you can move your time up. None of us can take it,” Jordan suggests with a shrug as he plays a game on his phone.
“Oh, yeah, that would be incredible. I kind of have a friend coming to see me at opening so that would stop him from hanging about too long, I guess.”
“A guy? Like a boyfriend?” Raj asks, his excitement obvious as he dances his nails on the table.
“Not quite a boyfriend, but I am staying with him a while. He’s friends with the owners of Corricks,” I confess, trying to keep from spilling my whole life in the last month to them.
“Arnie?” Frankie asks, his eyebrows high as he invests himself in the conversation.
“Yeah, you know him?”
“No, but I’ve seen him at Corricks and heard from Mags that he is all man,” he exclaims as he trails his fingers up and down his torso seductively.
I laugh at that, and it feels good. Why have I been avoiding people all this time? After just a few minutes with these guys, I feel better and happier too.
“Well... I actually wanted to dance for him tonight,” I admit, chewing on my bottom lip.
“Oh my god, that’s so cute! Are you wearing anything special for him? Are you doing it on the main stage or in a room?” Raj asks enthusiastically.
I hadn’t thought that far. I had an idea to surprise him by coming out dressed for him, a gift to say thank you. But now I’m realising that if I got him into a private room, then it would be more intimate, and I could thank him up close.
Loving this new idea, I decide to just go for it.
“I have something here to wear; I just need to find it and I think.... a private room?” I say to them all as they sit listening to my idea.
“Well come and show us what you’re wearing. Tell Josh your plans and he’ll make sure Arnie gets put in room 2 with a drink when he arrives,” Frankie tells me.
“I’ll make it room 4. I’m not wearing gold for him.”
That gets a gasp from Raj as he pulls my hand into his and leads me backstage to the dressing room area.
“Before you got here, I was planning on doing some henna on myself, but can I do it to you instead? I promise it will look stunning on your skin and Arnie will love it too,” Raj tells me with a wink.
“I... isn’t that for weddings?” I ask him. It’s a bit embarrassing, but I had no idea men used henna.
“Well, yeah, usually. In fact, my aunt would kill me if she saw me doing this for fun. But mehndi’s an art too. I used to doodle designs on my sister’s hands while we watched cartoons.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to get between you and your love for doodles,” I chuckle, unsure what else to say.
“Right, you go sit on that cushion and I’ll go grab my stuff,” Raj commands me, then takes off to where his little employee nook is.
“Do I have free rein?” He points to my hands as he opens his fold-out table.
I offer him my palms. “Go for it.” Raj grins like an evil villain with a plan for world domination.
As the cool paste traces its way across my skin, I watch the design unfold. Each palm adorned with a mandala, a lotus flower in the centre. Raj makes his way up my wrists and designs thick, scalloped bracelet cuffs. To finish, he paints each of my fingers with tiny line work and dots, arches and scallops. It’s so beautiful and intricate. I can’t help but see it not just as a decoration, but as something that carries weight, a memory.
When he is done, he sets the cone down and pulls my hands into his own to inspect his work up close.
