“We’re...okay?” I do my best to take the strangeness of having a heart to heart with Paige in stride. “I think?”
“Convincing.”
Sarcasm. This is the Paige I know.
“I just...It’s complicated.”
“Veryconvincing.” I swear I see the hint of a grin as she says it.
“You’re kind of an asshole, Paige.”
This time I’m sure she smiles.
“That’s me. Look, I get it.” She keeps staring down at the sidewalk, a few troubled creases forming between her eyes. “Relationships are...weird, and there’s a point when you need to know where you’re headed. It’s hard when you don’t.”
“Uh, yeah.” It’s taking all my effort not to stare at her like she’s grown a second head. “Yeah, that’s really true. Have you and DeeDee been, uh, talking about...?”
I trail off, and Paige chuckles.
“You?” she finishes for me. “You think I’m going to break girl code or something?”
“To be honest, Paige, you don’t seem like the ‘girl code’ type.”
She chuckles. “I’m not, and no, we haven’t been talking about you. It’s just clear that you two are like, disgustingly in love, and yet you’re being this whole no labels, casual, see where it goes kind of thing. One of you has to be holding back, and I doubt that it’s you.”
She says the last part like I’m the most predictable person in the world. I put a hand on my chest.
“Hey now. Why do you doubt that it’s me?”
She gives me a pointed stare.
“Okay, it’s not me,” I admit. “DeeDee just...needs time.”
Paige nods, and I start to think she’s reached her maximum conversing capacity. We head down the next block in silence and approach Taverne Toulouse. The sign spelling out the bar’s name in typewriter font is swaying in the slight wind, and the day is warm enough that the garage door-style windows that make up the front of the building have been hiked up a few feet to let the breeze in. Next week, we’ll be setting up the little temporary patio we have a permit for every summer.
Paige turns to me just before pulling open the front door.
“I know you didn’t ask for my advice, but if she needs time, maybe you need to ask yourself how much time you’ve got.”
She heads inside before I can come up with a reply.
We’re early for the general staff meeting that’s been called to start off the night. With the weather so gorgeous and the universities all done exams, we’re expecting an even bigger crowd than Paige’s last set, and Monroe wants to prep the troops for battle herself tonight.
“Zach! My man!”
Dylan calls out to me the second I step in the room, pulling my thoughts away from the mystery of Paige.
“What are you doing here?” I demand. “Employees only, sir!”
“What are you gonna do? Kick me out?” He steps away from the bar, where he seems to have been talking with Renee. “As the former kitchen manager, I’m giving myself permission to crash the staff meeting.”
The two of us do the one-armed-hug-slap-each-other-on-the-back thing. I turn to introduce him to Paige, but she’s already over at the DJ booth, messing around with the equipment.
“You’re not going to get trashed again this time, are you?” I ask in a fake scolding voice. “You know you can’t keep up with the kids like you used to.”
“Very funny, Zachy Zach. Speaking of...” His eyes light up with that signature Dylan spark. “You’re not gonna bring DeeDee home again, are you?”
I deliver a punch to his arm. “Keep it down, man.”
