Rock Candy Kisses(23)

"We can do this." I pull back and gently wipe her tears away.

Her eyes are twin pools of crimson. Her lips are bloated, her cheeks  fuller than ever before. I loved her once. Then everything got fucked  up, and here we are. But that doesn't mean we can't meet in the middle  and shepherd this sweet baby boy through the thorny trails of life.

She nods pulling herself up to a sitting position. "You can do this."

I touch my hand to her hard belly. "And I will."



* * *



Halloween night at the Black Bear is a funfest and a mind fuck all at  once. Hanging bats, floating ghosts, girls dressed like strippers under  the loose guise of a Disney princess. My head throbs just trying to make  my way through the crowd in the dimly lit room. I'm a thousand percent  certain that the fire code has been exceeded twice over because in all  the months we've performed here, I've never seen it so thick with  bodies.

Annie sits on the table with her back straight against the wall, a  butterfly with her wings pinned to the wax board. She's  beautiful-ethereal with her hair loose and wild. Her camera pointed at  every direction at once. She reminds me of Benji that way, always  observing the world through the lens. The eternal observer. The overseer  of all things chaos.

I've been meaning to retrieve Benji's camera from my father's hovel.  That is if it's still there, if it hasn't been lifted by Jeff the  boarder and pawned for cash-rolled into a blunt, gone up in smoke like  my brother. Ben mentioned he left it at Pop's somewhere in the middle  closet while hanging out there for a few nights. He also mentioned it  might be at Olivia's, and, if that's the case, it's a lost cause. Olivia  will probably want cash for it, but that's just because she's Olivia.  She's a taker in every capacity. It doesn't surprise me anymore. Or at  least it shouldn't.

The lyrics stream out of my mouth on autopilot, but I can't take my eyes  off Annie. She's beautiful on a daily basis but tonight she's a vixen,  and my entire body is begging for one more hit of what we shared earlier  this week. She's wearing tiny black cat ears, a tight black top, and  matching jeans, a long furry tail and kitten heels to complete the look.  I can see the whiskers painted on her cheeks from here, and that  delicious pink mouth I want to cover with mine. Annie is no girl, she's  all woman, and I'm dying to make her mine, pin her to my wax board with  my body. I can't help it. I don't give a shit if her brothers are in the  room. If they're loading their sawed off shotguns while I sing every  song of the night directly to her.

The last set begins as it nears midnight.

The crowd pushes against the stage. Girls wearing not much more than  lingerie hop up next to me, gyrating what their mama's gave them,  grinding their hips into my legs. Where the hell is security? At the  very least, the Edwards brothers should pluck them off with an oversized  net. The slutty cop, the sexed-up schoolgirl, and an entire slew of  half-dressed princesses dangle from my limbs.

It's hotter than an inferno up here, and, when the guitar solo hits, I  rip off my T-shirt just to keep from passing out. The room explodes with  riotous approval. I swear I can see Annie blush from here. I've been  working on a song all for her. It's not ready yet, and I want to get it  just right before I belt it out at the Black Bear.

Johanna, the traffic-stopping anaconda climbs the stage and glues  herself to the left side of my body. Try as I might to evict her, she's  riding my thigh like a mechanical horse. I look to Holt and flick a  finger in the air for him to get this shit under control before I have  to stop the set and do it myself.                       
       
           



       

I shoot a glance to Annie, and the joy from her face is drained at the  sight. Annie isn't the jealous type, but I got it out of that French  interpreter of hers that it was this girl right here that sent Annie  flying that day she hurt her shoulder. Thank God Annie is fine, but I  don't take lightly to someone hurting my girl. I hop off the stage  leaving the blonde baffled by my move. I make my way through the crowd  still wailing into the mike without missing a beat. I flick my fingers  at Annie, and she shakes her head, petrified. I can't help but laugh a  little right through the lyrics.

"Come here, Annie. I want to dance with you." I pull her down from her  perch, and she hands her camera to Baya. The song has about a minute  left, and I let it wrap up as an instrumental with Annie swaying softly  in my arms. Her eyes lock with mine as I put the mike to my lips. "I  love you, babe." I hold up my hand the way she taught me, shorthand for I  love you and smile at, Annie, the most beautiful woman in the room.

The room dissolves in a round of celebratory praise, but fireworks  detonate in my heart because I do believe that was my first public  proclamation for the girl who already holds the title as love of my  life.

And then I kiss her. It's an inadvertent F.U. to her brothers on their  home turf, but, in all fairness, this is her home turf, too. I want the  entire world to know that I choose Annie-that I love her.

Annie buries her face in my neck a moment before coming up for air.

"I love you, too," she mouths.

The DJ takes over as the band packs up. This is usually the part where I  pitch in, but I think they'll understand if I opt out just this once.

"You want to get out of here?" I ask Annie, mouthing the words slowly, as she digs her fingers into my ribs.

Hers eyes widen just past my shoulder, and I turn to find the angry brother brigade marching my way.

"What's going on?" Holt expands his chest like he's looking for a fight.  He is. I'm sure my face looks like a pretty good target. I have no  doubt the disagreements we have about me seeing Annie will be settled  with our fists. It's just a matter of where and when.

Annie signs something over to them. I've spent hours glued to the  Internet trying to figure out how to sign, but, she's quick, and I'm  betting I can guess the point she's trying to get across simply from the  angry glint in her eye.

"Is that so?" He laughs as he looks to me. "Annie says you two are leaving. Just where do you think you're taking my sister?"

I glance around the bar for Wyatt. He mentioned he might show tonight,  and I have a feeling I'll need backup in just a few seconds.

"Wherever she wants." My hand glides around her waist as I pull her in  close. It's not lost on me that I'm a pussy using Annie as a human  shield. But, in my defense, that wasn't my first intention-just a happy  coincidence.

Bryson signs something, and she gives an incredulous huff. Annie picks  up my hand and leads me over to her roommate where she retrieves her  things.

"Are you guys taking off?" Marley looks from me to Annie.

Annie whips out her phone. We're going to his place. Don't expect me home tonight.

Hot damn. I glance behind me as both Baya and Izzy try to contain their  insignificant others. This little newsflash isn't going to go over too  well.

Annie follows my gaze and holds up a finger before heading back to them.

I try to follow, but Marley pulls me to her. "You know she loves you,  right?" Her eyes fill with concern. Marley is dressed as a belly dancer  with her makeup smeared on thick as a paste giving her a dizzying  animated quality. "I mean-she mentioned that you've talked about your  feelings, but she's my roommate, and I really care about her. Don't even  think of cheating on her, or I'll knife you." She says it so cool and  matter of fact, I think I misheard.

"I would never hurt Annie. There's nobody else I want. Cheating isn't  happening." I've only met Marley a few times, but there's definitely  something that's got her ticking like a bomb. "What's really going on?"

"Never mind. It's a me thing. Just got some bad news today, that's all.  Know this, when a girl loves you with all her heart, you owe her that  much at least. And if you decide to get involved with someone else-do  her the courtesy of getting out of your relationship first. Nobody is  holding a gun to your head asking you to lead a double life." She  screams the last few words at me before taking off toward the exit like a  hurricane on fire.

What the hell was that about? Is she talking about Olivia?                       
       
           



       

I try to find Annie, but she and her brothers have disappeared. Great. I  wouldn't put it past her dicey big bros to have paid Marley to chew me  out so they could whisk Annie to safety. I'm sure they've got her tied  to the back of their truck as they speed their way to Mommy's house.  They can't handle the fact she's grown into a beautiful woman. I get it.  But, at the same time, I don't.

I thread through the crowd and head for the restroom. A body slams into  mine as I make my way inside and pushes me into a stall. Before I know  it, a sweater is coming off, and my face is plunged down into the soft  cushion of oversized tits. I struggle from the herculean grip this  chick's got on me and pull back hoping to see the face of the girl I  love.