Looking for Trouble(48)
“Is that where the drum circle is?” Dylan asked.
“Yep.” Clay shoved his hands into his pockets. If he thought he was going to fight the dancing thing, he had another thing coming.
They went to a small steakhouse not far from where the drum circle was. They chatted about their plans for the weekend and work when they got back. Clay had a few welding commissions he needed to get done.
They finished dinner, and the second they went outside, Dylan heard the drumming. Hundreds of people were already there—on the grass, sitting on the bricks, lining the sidewalks—listening, dancing, singing.
There was a bit of everyone—babies to the elderly, every color, and what looked like every social class as well. He saw street performers, a guy entertaining people with his dog, and people in slacks and button-up shirts. Two women danced to the beat of a group of people banging their hands on drums to create an addictive beat.
It was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen. “I love it.”
“I knew you would.”
He thought maybe he loved Clay too.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Clay
“Come on. Let’s go!” Dylan threaded his fingers together with Clay’s and attempted to tug him through the crowd.
“Wait. We can take a look in some of these shops,” Clay told him. He really wasn’t the dancing type.
“I will not be distracted!” And of course the little shit made him laugh. Dylan was good at that.
They worked their way through the mass of people until they got to the corner, where they waited to cross. When they could, a whole wave of people went with them as they made their way across the street to the drum circle.
There were probably about twenty or twenty-five people drumming—some men, some women. There was a lady with dreadlocks and an ear-to-ear smile as she spun, then slammed her hands down over and over on the drums.
When they reached the bricks, Clay pulled Dylan to a stop. “I’m not dancing.”
He poked out his bottom lip. “Please?”
Okay, so he sort of wanted to give in already. Dylan was too cute for words, but then he thought about what was at stake, and he just couldn’t do it. “I’m not the dancing-in-the-park kind of guy, Trouble.” He just didn’t have it in him. He was boring that way.
Dylan got small wrinkles around his eyes. “Really?” He sounded disappointed, as though he hadn’t really expected Clay to say no. The last thing he wanted was to let Dylan down, but…dancing in the park? He wasn’t sure he could do it.
“I’d love to watch you dance, Trouble, but I’d look ridiculous out there.”
Dylan rolled his eyes. “No, you wouldn’t look ridiculous, and who cares if you did? It’s fun!”
Clay seriously questioned Dylan’s idea of fun. Still, it was hard to deny him. He liked making Dylan happy, enjoyed being the reason he smiled and feeling like he could take care of him. “Let’s look around for a few minutes, and then we’ll see.”
Dylan cocked a brow at him, and Clay knew exactly what that look meant—he thought he’d won.
Forget that he probably had.
They walked around, drums in the background. They saw a man on a unicycle, another doing magic tricks, and a woman who was a mime.
Then they saw a younger guy who had a table set up and was giving tarot card readings for donations. Clay didn’t believe in that kind of thing, but when Dylan’s hand tightened around his and he was suddenly being pulled again, he realized Dylan must.
“I’ve always wanted to have a reading,” he told Clay as they waited in line. “I’ve never had one.”
“Eh. I don’t believe in it anyway,” Clay admitted.
“You need to learn to have a little faith in something. And even if it’s not real, which it likely isn’t, it’s fun. Loosen up. It’s okay to enjoy yourself, Clay.”
Those words bounced around in his chest a bit, hit home in ways Clay didn’t like to admit. Dylan was right, and he knew it.
It didn’t take long for Dylan’s turn. Clay waited beside him as he spoke to the kid doing the readings.
“Do you have a specific question, or do you want an overall reading?” he asked.
Dylan’s eyes darted to Clay. “Just overall is fine.”
Clay frowned. “Do you want me to step aside? I can.”
“What? No.”
The man doing the reading shuffled the deck, telling Dylan to let him know when he should stop. When Dylan did, the man asked Dylan to cut the cards, then turned three over.
“Hmm. This is interesting. I see you have some major decisions to make in your life. It seems you’re at a crossroad. You know which direction you should go, but you’re scared. It’s important to remember that just because things didn’t work out in the past, doesn’t mean they won’t work out in the future.”
Dylan nodded, and the man continued. “There are things you want, but you won’t go after them. I see success in your future…dreams coming true…love, but just because it’s there, doesn’t mean it’s just going to happen for you. It takes work, and you have to be willing to put yourself out there, take a chance and try.”
Clay shifted as he listened. Sure, in many ways it was so broad that what he was saying could be about anyone, but Clay couldn’t help but think of them… He recognized the emotion swelling his heart, even if he hadn’t put words to it. Forget that it was probably only said because the kid could tell he and Dylan were together, but he couldn’t help but wonder if Dylan could feel the same about him.