“Hence her being a traitor,” Carla said.
“She wants to be a mom,” Emily said. “I respect that.”
“Don’t take her side,” Carla said.
“She already did,” Robin said.
“Wow, we are off topic,” Faye said. She reached for Emily’s hands. “Listen to me. Emily. We sing all over the city. Mostly for fun. We have a handful of paying gigs too. We’ve done weddings and private parties. We avoid the costumes.”
“Costumes?” Emily asked.
“There are rich pervs who will pay big money to have you dress up like their favorite celebrity,” Carla said. “Then they get drunk and get all handsy. No way.”
“Oh,” Emily said. “Right.”
My mind flashed images of some Wall Street asshole sitting in a chair, calling Emily close to him, his hands touching the back of her legs…
I took a breath.
Calm down, Liam.
“What we’re getting at is this,” Carla said. “We’ve seen a lot of shows. Especially here.” She leaned closer to Emily and I. “Faye is banging the bouncer.”
Faye slapped Carla’s arm. “Don’t say it like that.”
“Well, you are,” Carla said.
“It’s true,” Robin said.
Faye looked at Robin. “Maybe you are a traitor.”
“Hey,” Robin said. “You told us you like roleplaying with Dozer.”
“Shut up,” Faye said.
She touched her cheeks.
Emily looked at me again.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Okay, now she thinks we’re crazy,” Carla said.
“I do not,” Emily said.
“Yeah, you do,” Carla said. “You just gave your hunky boyfriend the eyes. So now you want him to make an excuse to leave.”
I laughed. “Hunky?”
“What?” Carla asked. She looked right at me. Blue eyes and all. “I call it as I see it. Robin is willing to give up singing to have a baby. I’m going to miss her. But I can’t wait to hold that baby. Faye likes having Dozer carry her around… preferably to the bedroom. And you… you’re hot enough to set off the sprinkler system, Liam. If I didn’t feel the sexual chemistry between you and Emily, I’d probably make some cheap, cliché, dumb blonde moves on you.”
“And what would those be?” I asked.
Emily swatted my arm. “Really?”
“Emily,” Faye said. “Here’s the deal. You’re the best singer we’ve ever heard. Tonight was Robin’s last gig. We want you to sing with us.”
“Yes,” I said.
“Do you speak for her?” Robin asked.
“Sorry,” I said. I touched Emily’s arm and leaned in. “I’m going to go to the bar and get us a drink. Meet me there in five minutes.”
Emily nodded.
I left her alone, smiling ear to ear.
I looked back and watched as the crowd of people began to swallow Emily up.
But I could still find her. Still see her.
Not a single person in the place mattered more than she did.
We stood outside Emily’s apartment.
She touched the doorknob and then pulled her hand away really quick.
“Do you want to see something?” she asked.
“Yes,” I blurted out.
I was ready to do anything to keep the night from ending.
“Follow me,” Emily said.
We skipped going into her apartment and walked to the end of the hallway.
She took stairs that were so old, it made them into one giant echo as you climbed them. It reminded me of the kind of stairwell that would be in a horror movie.
She walked. I followed.
And we ended up at the door to the roof of the building.
“Oh, no,” I said.
“What?” Emily asked.
“Are you going to push me off the roof?”
“Shoot. You figured it out.”
Emily stood at the door and I stepped up to the top step and stood inches from her.
“Did I hurt you, Em?”
“Yeah.”
“You want revenge on me?”
“Definitely,” she said.
She smiled.
I smiled.
The stairwell was mostly dark.
We both had a few drinks at the bar, not that that was any excuse for what was going through my mind and body. That would not be some kind of reasoning for…
“Don’t get too close to the edge,” Emily said.
She opened the door and stepped out to the roof.
I curled my fists tight and shut my eyes for a second.
What the hell are you doing, Liam?
My internal voice was confused. As was I.
I moved out to the roof and looked around.
“This is kind of my secret place to hide from the world,” Emily said.
She looked back at me and her hair danced across her face.
“I can see why,” I said. “This is quite the view.”
“You should come to the edge,” she said. “I won’t push you. I promise.”
Maybe you should. Before things get…
I wasn’t even sure how to finish that sentence.
I walked by chairs, tables, lights… a full setup like an outdoor living room.
“This is perfect up here,” I said.
“I know,” she said. “The building isn’t the greatest. My apartment isn’t the biggest. But up here… it makes it all worth it.”
Emily leaned against the edge, which was about waist height for her.
I crept closer to the edge and looked over.
I wasn’t afraid of heights, but from this high up, it was impossible not to feel a little jittery.
There was another view that was better to me. Another view that made me even more jittery.
I glanced at Emily. “Tonight.”
“Tonight,” she said.
“Carla, Faye, and Robin.”
“Yeah,” she said. “I don’t think I’ll forget them.”
“You said Faye gave her number to you?”
Emily nodded.
“Are you going to call her?”
“It’s not like I’m calling someone for a date,” Emily said with a laugh.
“Wait,” I said. “Don’t dismiss it, Em. That’s a big deal. Music. Singing. That’s your thing.”
“Liam…”
“Come on,” I said. I leaned against the edge of the building with my left side so I could face Emily. “Don’t just let that pass you by.”
Emily shook her head.
She pushed away and I refused to let her get away that easily.
I gently grabbed her arm and pulled her toward me.
Now what?
“Liam, please don’t.”
“What? Tell you the truth?”
“There is no truth.”
“Yes, there is. There’s always truth, Em.”
“This is why I didn’t want to do that tonight.”
“Why not? You’re an amazing singer. You always have been. Nobody is saying you have to give up your life for it. But you have people who want to sing with you.”
“So what?”
“You get something for yourself,” I said. “And you’re damn good at it. I’ll be there for every show, Em. Okay?”