Next-Door Incubus

Eros was leaning against the wall with his jaw clenched, eyes focused intensely on me. He gripped my glass of water in his hand. “Did you leave your drink alone?”

“Can-can you just leave me alone, Eros?” I whispered and wrapped my arms around my body. I tried to squeeze by him and sneak into the hallway to Trevon’s office, but he grabbed my arm.

“No, I can’t. Someone spiked your drink.” He pulled me closer to him. “Now, did you place your glass down anywhere?”

I shook my head. “No…” Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes again. “I never set it down.” Not once.

My gaze shifted behind him to Trevon who was storming toward us, lips in a tight line, tie loose around his neck. He had a dirty mop in one hand. “Dani, I need to speak with you in my office. Now.” He hurried down the hallway to his office and held the door open for me.

After giving Eros my weakest grimace, I walked into Trevon’s office. There was an open bottle of Brandy on his desk, and a pile of costumes and accessories that people must have left or lost tonight on the plush green chair across from his desk. He slammed the door and placed the mop against the wall. “What was that?”

“I—I’m sorry.”

“Sorry, Dani? That’s all you have to say? This is the second time you’ve puked everywhere in my bar. And each time I have to clean up your mess.”

I parted my lips, keeping my eyes trained on the floor. “Eros said that my drink was spiked.”

He gave me a hollow laugh. “You think your drink was spiked? Really? You think someone would spike your drink two fucking parties in a row? Do you know the probability of that?” he asked, his breath reeking of alcohol. He walked to his desk and shook his head.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t… know what you want me to say.”

“How much did you have to drink tonight?”

“I didn’t have anything.”

“Don’t bullshit me,” he said, jaw twitching. The raging look he was giving me was absolutely terrifying—I had never seen him look so wrathful before.

“I didn’t! Why would I lie to you?” I clenched my teeth together. “Why are you acting like this?”

Guilt flashed across his face but disappeared almost immediately. After a few moments of complete silence, he shook his head again and snatched a gold chain off his desk, throwing it into the pile of clothes on the green chair. “How much?”

“What don’t you understand about the word ‘none’? I had nothing! Maybe if you actually saw me tonight, you would know that. But you were out having such a merry fucking time with everyone else. Couldn’t be seen with the girlfriend that you begged to come.”

“Dani—”

“No!” I stepped forward. “Don’t Dani me. I came here for you. Not to dress up and dance and have a good time. I came here because you wanted me to. You told me you wanted to show me off. And what do you do? Ignore me all fucking night?”

“Is that why you puked everywhere?” His voice was oddly calm. “You wanted to get my attention?”

I dug my nails into my palms. “Are you serious right now? Are you really fucking serious?” I stormed to the door. I wished he never opened this stupid damn bar. “I’m not taking this anymore.”

“Less I have to clean up later on,” Trevon said under his breath.

I slammed the door. Fuck him. Fuck this whole damn thing. He wasn’t going to ever have to clean up my mess again because I would never come back to this place. This bar was far more important to him than I ever was.

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CHAPTER 11

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Dani

I didn’t know where Kasey was, Maria wasn’t at the booth, and I had $2.75 of spare change in my wallet. So, I walked to the bus stop at the corner of Sixth and Liberty bounced up and down on my toes, trying to keep myself warm.

Sharp pains continued to pulse in my stomach. I feared that as soon as I stepped onto the bus, I’d throw up again. But it was my only way home.

A familiar black car pulled up to the curb with its window rolled down. With one hand resting against the top of the wheel, the other on the gearstick, Eros leaned over the passenger seat and gazed out the window. “Get in.”

I clenched my fists by my side. “No.” I didn’t need him cleaning up my mess either.

“Get in, Dani, or I’ll put you in myself.”

My bus approached a red light down the street. I pulled out my wallet.

Eros sighed and parked the car. “Why do you have to make this hard?” He got out of the car.

“I’m not going with you. I’ll just puke all over your car.”

“I don’t care what you do in my car.”

“Well, I do.”

He opened the passenger door and waited patiently for me. “Just get in, Dani. It’s cold out.” After a couple of moments, he took my hand and pulled me toward the car.

I frowned at him, feeling torn, and sat. I just wanted to get home as soon as possible, so I could curl up into my blankets and forget about this whole night.

The ride was silent. I stared out the window, watching beads of rain race alongside the glass. Did Trevon really think of me as work? Was that what I was to him—just a mess that needed to be cleaned up? Tears welled up in my eyes. Why didn’t he believe me when I told him my drink was spiked? It was like he didn’t even care about it or about me.

I took a shaky breath and gripped the handle on the car door tightly in my hand. Don’t cry, Dani. Not in front of Eros. You’ve embarrassed yourself enough tonight.

A tear slipped down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away with the back of my hand.

“Dani,” Eros said quietly, looking at me from the driver’s seat. “It wasn’t your fault.”

My chin trembled.

It was my fault. I was the one who couldn’t hold it in. I was the one who made a mess. And I was the one who couldn’t even clean it up.

“Look at me.”

Another sharp pain pierced through me. I clutched my stomach, eyes widening. “Pull over.”

“Dani—”

“Now.”

As soon as the car stopped on the side of the road, I stumbled out and fell to my knees on the concrete. My throat burned, and I hurled but nothing came out. My stomach was turning over and over, not stopping. My arms were posted on the ground, trembling.

More tears were falling.

I wanted to go home.

Eros got out of the car, and the next thing I knew I was in his lap, his arms curling around my body. He laced his fingers into my hair and gently rubbed the top of my head.

“I—I wasn’t faking it,” I said, choking on my words. I wasn’t even trying to hold back the tears anymore.

“I know,” Eros whispered.

I squeezed my eyes shut, letting the rain drench me. At least he didn’t think I was just looking for attention. I grasped onto him, hoping that he’d never let me go.

He gently held the sides of my face. “Dani, can you look at me?” His eyes were a soft green and his hair was plastered against his forehead. Drops of water were rolling down his cheeks and falling off of his jaw.

“I didn’t even want to go tonight.”

“Don’t sacrifice your happiness for someone else, especially for someone who treats you like that.”

Ollie’s Diner sign blinked above his perfect fucking face, and I paused. I wasn’t sacrificing my happiness, was I? I just wanted to make Trevon happy. When he was happy, I was happy. It was just a bad night. We would get over this.

He picked me up in his arms and placed me back in the car, adjusting the vents so the hot air would warm me.

As soon as we got home, I brushed my teeth and rinsed my mouth with mouthwash, getting the vile taste of tonight out of my mouth. Eros was in the kitchen, pouring me some medicine. Needing desperately to also take a warm shower, I locked the door and peeled off the top half of my costume.