Page 29

He smiles and nods. “Right, yeah…Good to see you. Thanks for coming out again.” His tone is friendly, but as he leans back in his seat, he stretches out his arm, letting it rest on the back of my chair.

I am aware of it both by the heat from his skin, which I can feel through my shirt, and the dagger eyes I am getting from two of the three women.

“Hey, listen,” Mackenzie says to them. “We are going to start back up in about two minutes.” He nods at the bar. “In case you want to grab a drink.”

The women leave, but his arm stays. I’m sure I’m just a tactic to fend off what was clearly an unwanted advance, but I like it. I also like that when he leans in, he drops his voice, so I have to tip my head toward him to hear.

“Zee usually switches us over to the crowd favorites right about now. If you’re not feeling Journey, I’ll understand if you head out, but if you stay, maybe you can walk me home?”

It’s late—way later than I ever planned on being out tonight, and my sheets are freshly laundered and calling to me. Still, I find myself turning toward him so he can hear me over the music.

“I’ll stick around. I may be a born and bred city girl, but I have become a recent recruit to the buddy system.”

He smiles like this was the exact answer he was hoping for.

Benjamin and Rocco return less than a minute later, handing Mackenzie one of their beers with a “You ready to get back up there?” and a firm pat on his back. I get a shoulder squeeze from Mackenzie as he follows the two, grabbing Zee on their way and returning Koko to the table, where she drops back into her seat with a sweaty sigh.

“I thought tonight was going to be low-key,” she says, and I’m not sure if I should take it as an insult or a compliment. “I love it when the universe tells me otherwise.”

She smiles, and although she looks nothing like him, something about her expression reminds me of Larry. That’s two glimmers in one night.

Two glimmers too many.

The band starts up again. It’s a classic rock song I actually do recognize, and there are a lot of drums. I find myself watching Mackenzie and realizing that drumming isn’t just about the beat. It’s strong hands and forearms and contracting abdominals—movements that are hard and precise and—

“He is very hot.” Koko leans in, interrupting my thoughts. I can smell the tequila on her breath as it mixes with the florals of her perfume.

“Yeah, you said that earlier.” I switch my gaze from Mackenzie to Zee and am once again struck by the feeling that I know him from somewhere.

“No, I’m not talking about Zee.” Koko pokes me in a soft spot between my ribs. “I’m talking about Mac. I can totally see why you’re into him.”

I feel my stomach bottom out. “I’m not into him. He’s my roommate. That would be…completely inappropriate.” I stare at my now empty Coke glass, swirling the ice cubes as they clank against the sides.

Koko tips her head so it comes to rest on my shoulder. “Are you sure? You at least have to admit the man is sexy. Look at that broad chest all slick with drummer sweat.”

Against my better judgment, I look.

Mackenzie’s eyes are closed now. A small, contented smile splays across his lips as he tips his head toward the stage lights as if lost in the music.

“Hmmmmm?” Koko pokes me again, finding that same spot from before.

“Of course I find him attractive.” He is arguably the hottest guy I’ve ever exchanged more than a passing sentence with. “But that’s just biology. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Koko manages to give me a side eye while also simultaneously watching the band. “If you say so.”

Before I can further argue my point, Mackenzie breaks out into a drum solo. His arms beat out a wild rhythm that ends the song with one last clash of the cymbals. The whole bar breaks out in shouts and applause.

Mackenzie looks up and twirls his sticks around his fingers before setting them down on top of the drums. He wipes a sweaty lock of hair off his forehead, which immediately falls back to the same place as he leans back in his stool and scans the still-cheering crowd. His eyes catch mine for the briefest of moments—just long enough for him to smile and wink.

Koko leans toward me, waiting until the clapping dies down just enough so I can hear her.

“So banging your roommate…completely inappropriate? Or just incredibly convenient?”

11

It’s almost three when we leave the Gladstone. The streets are still busy with late-night clubbers heading home from the bar or loitering on the sidewalks to eat foil-wrapped shawarma and cardboard containers filled with poutine.

As predicted, Koko and Zee leave together. The moment they slide into a cab, their bodies are a tangled mess of legs, lips, and arms, leaving Mackenzie and me behind on the sidewalk to exchange awkward glances.