That was Not-Derek. The twin.
Relief hit him like a sack of bricks, and he forced himself to turn away before he made a spectacle of himself. He returned his attention to Jay who was staring at them openly with a look of disdain.
‘Disgusting,’ he signed. ‘How could a person do that to themselves?’
‘Tattoos?’ Basil asked.
Jay’s expression deepened. ‘It’s trashy. Why would someone ruin their future like that? Someday they’ll want a real job and then where will they be?’
Basil couldn’t help it, his laugh bubbled up and he felt it vibrating in his chest loud enough to draw attention from people around them, but he didn’t care. ‘What year are you living in? No one cares anymore. And I’m willing to bet those people aren’t miserable fucks like you. Thanks for dinner, I have to go.’
He felt Jay swipe at him in an attempt to get his attention, but Basil was a lot faster and a lot more fit than he was. He managed to bob and weave through the crowd and he made it out of the loft and down a dark alley, hurrying to a long string of bars where he could get lost in the crowd for a while.
He could make it to his car no problem, but he had a feeling Jay would be waiting, and after all that shit, he needed a drink. He picked the place with the loudest vibrations, then slapped a ten into the door person’s hand and went in. The dance floor was crowded, but the bar was nearly empty, so he whipped out his phone and typed his usual.
Hi, I’m Deaf. Can I please have a vodka tonic with a lemon twist?
The bartender glanced at his phone, then smiled up at him. ‘I know sign language if you want to sign with me?’
Basil felt the tension in his chest unknot and wondered if theuniverse was doing him a kindness after that bullshit date. ‘Thank you. That’s great. It’s been a bad night.’
The bartender—a good looking guy, tall and skinny, dark tawny skin and thick, straight hair combed into an elaborate pompadour—gave him a sympathetic smile. ‘Want to tell me about it? I can sign and work.’
‘You deaf?’ Basil couldn’t help but ask.
‘HOH,’ the guy signed with a shrug. ‘You?’
‘Deaf. My name’s Basil, and if you don’t mind, I would love to complain.’
The guy chuckled as he twisted a lemon peel into Basil’s drink and handed it over. ‘I’m Amit,’ he signed, then offered his sign name. ‘Were they a local? Some of them aren’t so bad, but we get some awful ones from time to time. Too much mountain air.’
Basil laughed as he took a drink and let the burn of alcohol soothe him. ‘He took me to a wine loft.’
Amit pulled a face. ‘Terrible.’
‘The worst. He’s CODA, hearing, spent the entire date telling me what a gift he is to the Deaf Community for his tech work. Then he insulted Fairfield, then told me that everyone with tattoos is trash.’
Amit’s eyes widened. He was called over to make a few more drinks as server’s tickets came pouring in, but he kept Basil’s gaze and signed fluidly with one hand. ‘I have twelve. You?’
Basil shook his head. ‘None, but I met a guy who works in a shop in Fairfield and his work was gorgeous. The guy was a dick.’
Amit’s face brightened and he pulled up the side of his shirt to reveal a bright red and orange phoenix cascading up his ribs. ‘I had this done there. Guy named Sage did it for me. Hurt worse than anything, but I love it. I know the place and they’re amazing guys.’
Basil bit his lip, but he couldn’t help asking, ‘Did you meet a guy named Derek?’
He wasn’t expecting Amit to smile and nod. ‘Yeah. Sage’s brother. Twins, but Derek does more Neo-Traditional work and Sage does a lot of geometric and abstract design. Sorry, I’m a tattoo nerd.’
Basil shook his head as he let that information slowly sink in. Sage. Not-Derek was named Sage, and he had once had his hands on the man right in front of Basil. And Amit had known Derek, knew some intimate details about him. The coincidences were starting to worry him, because nothing had changed his mind about Derek. Not yet. It still wasn’t going to work.
‘I have to go make a couple of blender drinks,’ Amit said, waving to get his attention. ‘Do you want to start a tab?’
Basil looked down at his drink with the single sip missing, then shook his head. ‘I need to drive.’ He laid cash on the counter, then waved off the change before Amit moved to get his receipt. He took another sip but knew he didn’t want this. He didn’t want to be drunk in Denver and stuck waiting to sober up before he could get the hell out and go home. He just wanted this night to be over.
He glanced up when Amit slid the bit of paper toward him, and as he walked away, Basil noticed there was a number and a little note scribbled at the bottom.
Call me some time if you ever want to hang out, I could introduce you around. All my friends are inked, and none of them are douchebags.
It was over the top.It was too goddamn over the top and he was going to get laughed right out of the flower shop. And then the next day he would probably get served with a restraining order because all the guy had done was buy one of his art pieces. Not just that, either, because Derek didn’t have tangible proof that Basil was the one who’d done it at all.
