“Been busy. Got this band stuff going on, you know?” He nodded as if he understood, but I wasn’t sure if he did. I was sure Nicki was whining to him that I hadn’t been over for one of our deals in a while. Whether or not Evan knew our arrangement, I didn’t know. But it was never happening again. This was how I was getting shit from now on.
“Well, that’s some new shit we got. It’s stronger, so just remember that.” Sticking my hand in my pocket, I felt the baggie. The pills felt the same, but I wasn’t going to mess around with that shit, so I nodded.
“Thanks, man.”
Dexter and Marlowe were playing beer pong now against Rich and Naomi. Dexter threw the ball and sunk it in one of the last two cups they had left. Marlowe reached up and pulled him down, kissing him quickly on the lips. A rush of warmth went straight to my dick.
twenty-four
suckerpunch
Bunny
Dojo was lying in the grass in the backyard while I drank my coffee and smoked a cigarette. I’ve barely left the house in over a week. Since Marlowe moved in, there hasn’t been a need to go anywhere. When she went to work, Dex and I went too. But there was no other need to leave. Until now.
I called Evan to meet up, but he insisted I had to go to Nicki’s for more pills. That was the last thing I wanted to do. Taking a long drag from the cigarette, I heard the pool pump click on from the shed. Dojo barked quietly at it.
“Dojo, hush,” I called to the pup. It was still early. Dexter and Marlowe slept inside. I didn’t want to wake them. I wanted to get this shit figured out to get some pills before they were up so I had a plan and didn’t have to worry about it anymore.
Suddenly, the dog stood and ran toward the door at full speed. When I turned to look at where he was running, I saw Marlowe standing at the glass door looking outside. She smiled over at me, held a finger up, then disappeared into the house.
A few minutes later, Marlowe walked outside wearing my black jacket, holding a cup of coffee. Her hair was pulled up in a bun, still messy from sleeping. If I had to guess, she wore tiny little shorts under it, and nothing else, and the thought made my head spin. I took another drag from my cigarette before sipping my coffee.
Marlowe sat down in the chair next to me, and Dojo sat between our chairs. “You’re up early.” She reached over and grabbed the cigarette pack from my lap. I watched as she expertly put one in her mouth and lit it. All while still holding her nearly full cup of coffee. She pulled the cigarette away from her lips and blew out a small cloud of smoke, looking at me expectantly. “I said, you’re up early. Everything alright?”
“Oh.” I shook my head, refocusing my attention. “Yeah, just couldn’t fall back asleep, didn’t want to wake you up.”
“You had a nightmare last night.” It was a statement, not a question. “You haven’t had one in a while, right? Like since I’ve been here, I think.” She reached over and rubbed my arm. “Glad I got in your bed last night.”
“Me too.” Looking down, I kissed her forehead. When I woke up in a cold sweat last night, Marlowe’s arm was across my waist. She was curled up into my side with her head resting on my arm. Tears began falling as soon as I felt her presence. When I rolled over, I squeezed her to me until I fell back asleep. I didn’t realize she had woken up.
The lack of pills was the reason I had the nightmare, but having her there too was an anchor. I don’t know if I would ever understand how she and Dexter managed to pull me out of the darkness.
When we went back inside a while later, Dexter was sitting on the couch watching TV. We joined him, relaxing the rest of the day until Marlowe had to get ready for work.
We arrived at Captains for Marlowe’s closing shift, and I stood out back smoking. Pulling out my cellphone, I pulled up my contacts and dialed Evan. One last ditch effort to get him to bring me shit here tonight.
“Yeah,” he answered.
“Captain’s tonight?” I asked.
“Fuck no, Bunny. I already told you. Deal with Nicki or nothing.” Evan hung up the phone.
I resisted the urge to throw my phone on the asphalt. “Dammit,” I muttered, throwing my cigarette to the ground and stomping it out with my shoe and going back inside.
The entire night out, all I could think about was how I could get those pills. Even as Marlowe teased Dexter and me, pills were all I thought about. She tied a cherry stem with her tongue and passed it over to Dex with her teeth, and all that crossed my mind was going to Nicki’s later and trying to get pills from someone.
After the bar had closed, Marlowe sat on the bar with her legs wrapped around Dexter. His hands rested on her hips. “Is it time to go yet?” He whined.
“Yes, let’s go.” She looked over at me, and I instinctively pulled her head down to mine, kissing her fiercely.
Marlowe rode in the back of the car as I drove. She sat leaning between us, singing along to music on the radio. We shared a cigarette between the three of us on the drive.
“Someone has to carry me inside. My legs are broken.” She fell back on the seat as we pulled into the driveway.
I had already formulated a plan for getting what I needed from Nicki’s tonight, and as soon as we got inside, it was go time. Marlowe was being so fucking adorable right now, as usual, but I was on a mission tonight. I didn’t even argue with Dexter when I put the car in park, and he jumped out to pull Marlowe from the backseat.
Dexter threw Marlowe over his shoulder, and she started laughing. Walking in front of them, I opened the door. Tossing Marlowe onto the couch, Dexter started tickling her. They were preoccupied, and I backed up to the door.
