Somewhere Only We Know(59)
Charlie lifted his chin up at Jack. “Hey, you’re also accomplished.” He looked at me. “Jack’s been moonlighting as—”
“Charlie. She knows about the wedding photography.” Jack interrupted him swiftly and Charlie started. The two shared a silent look between them for about half a second before Charlie got a weird expression on his face and cleared his throat. “I’m gonna throw out our trash. You done, Lucky?”
I handed my tray to him while keeping my eyes on Jack. “What was that?”
“Nothing. Charlie’s just being embarrassing. He makes fun of the wedding photography.”
“Oh, that’s not cool.” I frowned.
He shifted closer to me, closing the small gap I had created. His shoulder nudged mine as he stared down at his lap and said, “I actually feel embarrassed talking about it. It’s not like anything you’re doing. It’s a way to make money aside from the internship. It’s not a passion or anything.” He finally looked at me. “When you talk about music—I can feel it. Your focus and your love for it. I admire that and also envy it if I’m being honest.”
“Thank you,” I said quietly, unsure of how to respond to that sort of flattery. Also, I didn’t want to bring up the photography issue again, but why couldn’t he see that could be his passion?
We left the restaurant and Jack pulled me in close to him as we walked back to the car. With his arm around me, I dropped my head onto his shoulder, feeling immensely satisfied.
I had left my hotel room last night in search of a hamburger. And I had found it.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
JACK
Charlie started the engine. He was conspicuously quiet. I knew he was catching on to what I was doing. And judging me harshly for it.
His music blasted and while it was loud and horrible, it was also kind of nice. To avoid talking to Lucky, to avoid lying to her. I rolled the window down again, letting in gusts of air, feeling the thrum of the music. Not wanting to think, only feel.
“Where to next?” Lucky asked. “The night is young!” It wasn’t quite ten o’clock yet.
Charlie glanced at me. “I don’t know. Up to ol’ Jack here. Seems like he’s the one calling all the shots tonight.”
Good one, Charles. Subtle.
As my body thumped with the bass blasting through the car, I had an idea. “Dancing. Let’s go dancing.”
Lucky looked at me with surprise. “What? Are you serious?”
“Yeah, let’s do it.” I wanted to be in a space where we could avoid digging into the truth. Where we could forget everything and move ourselves through the night. “Charlie, you know a good spot?”
“You know I do,” he said, already peeling out of our parking spot. We drove through throngs of traffic, the crowds getting younger and drunker as we got closer to our destination.
“Do you like to dance?” Lucky yelled at me over the music.
I yelled back, “Not really!”
She looked confused before shaking her head and grinning widely. “We’re doing a lot of things differently tonight!”
We reached for each other’s hands at the same time.
* * *
Charlie dropped us off at a club I’d been to once, in the middle of Lan Kwai Fong—party central for expats in Hong Kong. It wasn’t my usual scene, but it was pretty much where you were guaranteed some dancing. And I was hoping Lucky would be less recognizable in a group of expats over locals.
The area was so crowded that Lucky recoiled as soon as she stepped out of the car. “Oh, Lord,” she said.
“They play the best music. Don’t be scared of the club rats,” Charlie said, sticking his head out the window, right arm dangling alongside the door. Lucky eyed the crowd skeptically, and Charlie took that moment to grab me by the arm and bring me in close. “Whatever you’re planning on doing, don’t,” he whispered furiously.
What a time for him to turn into some noble knight. “Don’t worry about it,” I said tightly.
He got a worried expression that was completely foreign to Charlie’s usual happy-go-lucky MO. “I mean it. She likes you. She doesn’t deserve it. And more than that—you like her. I’ve never seen you like this, Jack. Don’t mess it up.”
I glared at him. “Mess what up? There’s nothing after tonight. Today is it.”
He shook his head but before he could respond, Lucky had whirled around and tugged on my shirt. “There’s a good song playing right now! Let’s go!” she said, jumping from foot to foot in excitement.
“Thanks for the ride, Charlie,” I said, shaking my arm from his grip.
Lucky came over and reached into the window to hug Charlie. “Thanks so much. For the hamburger, for saving us. For everything!”
Then the asshat planted a quick kiss on her cheek and said, “Don’t mention it. Have fun. And you’re gonna kill it on The Later Tonight Show. I can’t wait to watch.”
She looked surprised as he drove away, honking his horn and waving at us. I resisted flipping him off.
“How did he know about that?” she asked.
“I’m pretty sure he’s a fan,” I said drily.
“Don’t be jealous,” she teased as we walked to the end of the long line snaking around the bar.