Chapter 21
Lisanne made a mental note to put shower sex at the top of her list of favorite things to do with—and to—Daniel. Whether it had been the steam, his slick soapy hands, hot water, and hotter sex, the combination had been an alchemist’s dream, creating a wonderful golden, molten moment.
She glowed, and Daniel looked very pleased with himself. Unfortunately and perhaps inevitably, his dressing had been completely soaked.
Lisanne was shocked again when she saw the long scar and shaved skin, although his hair was beginning to grow back, creating a soft, peachy fuzz.
Hiding how she felt as she looked at the ugly scar, guilty by association, she still insisted that they couldn’t risk going back to bed. Either Harry or her parents would be home soon.
“Five more minutes,” begged Daniel, pressing her naked body up against the bedroom door.
“No!” she said, insistently. “Put your damn pants back on. Anyway, we need to fix your head.”
“Many women have tried,” he said, solemnly.
“Hardy ha ha! Now get dressed.”
It didn’t take Daniel long: one pair of pants, one t-shirt, and he was done. Lisanne’s reassembly took a little longer and she wanted to blow-dry her hair, thus avoiding anyone asking why she had soaking wet hair just after her boyfriend had arrived to visit.
Daniel lay back on her bed watching her, a small smile on his face.
“What?” she said, once she’d finished.
He shrugged. “This—I like it.”
“What, watching me dry my hair?”
He smiled, although his eyes looked a little sad.
“Yeah, but not just that. All of it: you, me, spending time, nowhere special to be, no pressure, you know. No roommate.”
“I know what you mean. But Kirsty’s not so bad. You two get along now, don’t you?”
“Yeah, she’s okay I guess. I just meant … ah fuck it. I don’t know what I’m talking about.”
“We could maybe go to your place sometimes?”
Daniel shook his head. “No, baby doll. I wouldn’t do that to you. Besides, I’m moving out. I’m going to get a room somewhere. I’ve seen a couple of places…”
“But … what about Zef? Isn’t it your house, too?”
“It’s not really working out anymore—things have gotten kind of intense. I just need to find my own place. Hey, I forgot to tell you, I got a job.”
Lisanne’s face fell. “What about school? What about your degree?”
“I’ll only be doing 15 or 20 hours a week, that’s all. It means I’ll have to work weekends, but I’ll still go to school. I might have to drop one class—I’ll try it first.”
“I’ll never see you!”
He stood up and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “We’ll work it out—if you want to.”
“Of course I want to! Why wouldn’t I?” She kissed him quickly. “Idiot.”
He smiled down at her.
“I don’t know, Lis, I come all this way, and you abuse my body the second I walk through the door, and now you’re name-calling?”
She pinched his ass, making him jump.
“Get used to it—you’re mine for the holidays.”
Five minutes later, Lisanne’s parents found them sitting innocently at the kitchen table while Lisanne taped pieces of gauze to Daniel’s head.
“Hello, Daniel,” said Monica, warmly. “How are you, dear? Oh, you look so much better than last week,” and she kissed him on the cheek, making him duck his head and grin.
He stood up to shake hands with Lisanne’s father, which earned him an angry reproach from Lisanne as her fingers skittered over his wound, causing him to wince.
“Sit still,” she said, swatting his back to make her point.
“Lisanne!” hissed her mother.
“Well, he can’t hear me, Mom, so I have to,” said Lisanne, petulantly. “It’s the only way I can make him pay attention.” She pulled on Daniel’s arm so he looked at her. “My mom thinks I’m being too rough with you.”
Daniel laughed. “Yeah, you’re pretty scary.”
“See, Mom,” said Lisanne. “He’s fine.”
“Well, still … may I offer you a drink, Daniel? Some iced tea or a coffee perhaps?”
But Ernie had already reached into the refrigerator and pulled a can of beer from a six-pack. “Or one of these?”
“Yeah, great. Thanks, Mr. Maclaine.”
“I’ll have a beer, too, Dad,” said Lisanne.
“You certainly won’t!” snapped her mother.
“Why not? Daniel is only a few months older than me!”
“Lisanne!” said her, mother in a warning voice.
Lisanne pouted, and Daniel winked at her.
“Honestly! I think you like Daniel more than me!”
Ernie rolled his eyes. He taught hormonal teenagers for a living. Having them at home, as well—that was wearing, to say the least.
“I’m going to watch some TV,” he announced to no one in particular. “There’s a Bruce Willis film on in a minute.”
Monica shook her head.
“I don’t know what plans you two have this evening, but I’m beat. I can order pizza if you’re hungry.”
Daniel looked worriedly at Lisanne, who was nodding happily.
“Um, Lis,” he said, quietly, “I don’t have any money on me. I’ll, ah, have to go to the ATM tomorrow to pay for it.”
Monica laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Nonsense,” she said. “You’re here as our guest. We won’t hear of it.”
Harry interrupted them by slouching in through the back door and slamming it behind him.
“Hey, Dan! Whoa, wicked scar! That’s awesome. It must really hurt.”
Lisanne pushed her brother, but he shoved her back, making her stumble.
“For goodness sake!” yelled Monica. “Can you two at least pretend you’re housebroken!”
“Sorry, Mom,” said Harry, cheerfully. “She started it.”
Daniel had only caught part of the conversation, but he guessed the rest.
“How you doin’, man,” he said to Harry. “You want to see where they took my brain out?”
“Yeah!” said Harry, peering at Daniel’s half covered scar. “They really took your brain out?”
“Sure,” said Daniel, “but I think they put it back the wrong way around.”
“I can’t tell the difference,” said Lisanne.
Daniel grinned as Monica gave her a hard stare.
“Lisanne, finish up with Daniel’s dressing and tell me what pizza you both want.”
Harry wandered away after extracting a promise from Daniel that they’d hit the arcade at least once during the holidays, and Lisanne placed the last piece of tape on Daniel’s wound.
He pulled his beanie back on, covering her work.
“Are you going to wear that inside as well?”
He nodded. “Yeah, so?”
“I just think it looks weird wearing a hat indoors.”
“As opposed to a six inch fucking hole in my head,” he snapped.
Lisanne bit her tongue as an angry reply surged forward. For once, she took the hint from his irritated expression. It was obviously a sensitive subject in more ways than one.
“Sorry,” she said, softly. “Sorry.”
She placed a gentle kiss on his short hair as he rested his head against her body, and let his arms wrap around her waist.
Monica suddenly felt like an outsider in her own kitchen, as she witnessed their private moment. She was proud of her daughter for dealing with Daniel’s disability with pragmatism and directness, but at the same time she was terrified by the depth of feeling she saw between the two of them. He was Lisanne’s first boyfriend, the first boy she’d ever shown the slightest bit of interest in, and it was obvious to Monica that her daughter was head over heels in love. Daniel was less demonstrative in his affections but his actions spoke louder than his few words. Monica was in awe that he’d elected to have a surgical procedure because he wanted to hear Lisanne sing.
And the physical nature of their relationship, that was a concern, too. Especially since Monica had cleaned Lisanne’s room after their Thanksgiving visit and found a number of used condoms in the wastebasket. That particular fact of life she’d omitted to mention to her husband.
She’d tried to have ‘the talk’ with Lisanne but, stubborn as ever, her daughter had insisted that she knew what she was doing and that it was none of her mother’s business. It had been a short conversation.
“Why don’t you two go on through to the TV room and I’ll order the pizza. Hawaiian, honey? And what would Daniel like?”
Lisanne ran through the menu from memory and Daniel settled on the Meat Feast, winking at Lisanne as he did so.
Monica didn’t miss the look on her daughter’s face as Daniel made his choice, but she very much wished she had.
Lisanne led him into the TV room to await the arrival of the food.
“Dad, can we have the subtitles on, please?”
“Oh, right,” said Ernie. “Of course.”
For ten minutes, they watched Bruce take down a helicopter with a car and generally save everyone from the bad guys, when the doorbell rang. As Monica got up to answer it, Harry looked at Daniel.
“How do you answer your door?” he said, suddenly curious.
“He stands up and opens it, moron,” muttered Lisanne.
“No, really,” persisted Harry.
Daniel had missed Harry’s question, but he’d seen Lisanne’s reaction.
“What, baby?” he said, frowning. He really hated it when people answered for him.
She sighed.
“Harry wants to know how you answer the door,” she said, scowling at her brother.
Daniel stiffened slightly but replied easily. “My dad fixed up a light linked to the bell. Someone rang the doorbell and the light would flash in the living room.”
He didn’t bother to mention that it had been broken over a year ago.
“What if you were in the kitchen, or in your bedroom?”
Daniel lifted one shoulder. “Someone else would have to answer.”
“But what if there wasn’t someone around?”
“Harry,” said his dad, “that’s enough.”
Daniel flicked his eyes to Ernie before replying. “If friends are visiting, they text me first. Otherwise I’d hope they’d leave a note.”
Harry looked down.
“It’s okay,” Daniel said, quietly. “You’re wondering how it works—I get that.”
“Yeah,” said Harry, sounding subdued. “Sorry.”
Daniel shrugged. “I can still kick your ass at Ridge Racer.”
Harry raised his eyebrows. “You think?”
“Sure. Bring it on.”
Lisanne smiled to herself and rubbed Daniel’s thigh softly. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. Lisanne found herself suddenly breathless, then she remembered where they were and that her dad was watching them out of the corner of his eye.
Monica returned carrying the pizzas, and everyone dug in. Lisanne was just chewing on a slice of her Hawaiian, and smacking Daniel’s hands away when he tried to steal pieces of pineapple, when her phone buzzed in her pocket.
She glanced at the text but didn’t comment.
“Who was that?” said Monica. “One of your college friends?”
“No,” said Lisanne, shaking her head and hoping her mom would take the hint.
“Who was it then?”
“Mom!”
“Well, I’m just asking. It’s not a state secret, is it?”
Daniel winked at Lisanne, amused by her scowl.
“It was Rodney.”
Her answer wiped the smile from Daniel’s face. “Who’s he?”
Lisanne threw an irritated look at her mom, and Monica had the grace to look slightly abashed.
“A friend from high school.”
Daniel continued to look at her.
“He was in the orchestra, okay.”
“Yeah, and he had a crush on Lis for like forever!” snickered Harry. “He was always asking her out.”
His mother gave him a look and Harry suddenly found his ham and mushroom pizza of great interest.
“Well, tell Rodney we said ‘hi’, and that I hope Reverend Dubois has gotten over his strep throat.”
“Okay,” Lisanne said, quietly.
Daniel was silent, apparently lost in thought, and ate his pizza without asking anything further.
She saw him wince as he chewed.
“Are you okay?” She touched his arm so he’d look at her. “Are you okay?” she repeated.
He gave her a lopsided smile. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“Does it hurt?”
“Only when I laugh.”
“I’m serious!”
“I’m fine, Lis. I’ve just been living on instant soup for a few days. This is giving my jaw a work out—that’s all.”
Monica looked appalled and glanced at her husband. He gave a slight shake of his head and carried on watching the film.
“Didn’t … didn’t Zef help you at all?”
Daniel frowned and said quietly, “Drop it, Lis.”
“But he should have helped you!”
Daniel didn’t reply, but picked up his beer and took a long drink.
Lisanne’s phone beeped again but she ignored it.
“You got another message, Lis,” said Harry, helpfully.
Lisanne was about ready to strangle her little brother, and from the innocent look on his face, he knew it, too.
Daniel looked at her quizzically, so she pulled out her phone and checked the message.
“It’s from Rodney,” she said, answering his unspoken question. “He wants to meet up tonight. I’ll tell him I’m busy.”
“You should see your friends, Lis,” said Daniel.
His look was challenging and Lisanne felt like screaming with irritation. If Daniel wanted a pissing contest with Rodney, well, who was she to stop his fun? Although she wasn’t sure how much fun it would be for Rodney. But she did want to see him.
“Fine! Fine! I’ll tell him we’ll be there in an hour.”
Daniel raised his eyebrows then took another sip of beer.
Lisanne sent the text, and stomped upstairs to change, leaving Daniel with her parents. As far as she was concerned that was his punishment for … when she thought about it she wasn’t exactly sure why she was mad at him. She just knew she was.
She decided to channel her inner Kirsty and resurrect the denim miniskirt that had led to some very steamy car sex with Daniel. Well, to be fair, all the sex she’d had with Daniel was steamy. That boy just exuded heat. No wonder all the girls at college wanted him. She sighed. He’d written in his letter that he loved her but he’d never said it to her face—he’d never even come close to saying it.
The precious letter was kept between the pages of her favorite violin score, Jules Massenet’s Meditation. She unfolded it thoughtfully and read it again. Yes, there it was in black and white—I love you. So why couldn’t he say it out loud?
She sighed, tucking the letter away carefully. When she was old and grey and wrinkled and sagging, she’d pull it out and say to herself, ‘I, too, was once adored’—because it sure looked like she wasn’t going to hear it anytime soon.
She ransacked her makeup bag, glad that the contents had increased in both quality and quantity under Kirsty’s vocal encouragement, but when she looked at the overall effect five minutes later, she suspected she might have overdone it—just a little.
Although she felt a slight sense of unease, she also felt irritated and rebellious. So she found her tightest t-shirt and pulled on the same pumps that she’d worn to her cousin’s wedding, and Sonia Brandt’s eventful party, even though she knew they were little short of foot coffins.
Daniel’s backpack had been removed to the guest room, and when Lisanne came downstairs, the only change he’d made was to throw a plaid shirt over his t-shirt—unbuttoned, of course.
His eyes widened with surprise when he saw her but he was also smart enough not to say anything. Her mom, on the other hand, saw no need to hold back.
“You’re not going out dressed like that!”
“What’s wrong with it, Mom?” snapped Lisanne, her eyes blazing.
“You look … you look…”
“What do I look like?” she spat out, her hands on her hips.
“I think you should put something over that t-shirt,” said her mom, backtracking several long steps. “You’ll catch your death.”
“It’s fifty nine degrees outside!”
“At least take a jacket—so you can cover up.”
“Don’t tell me what to wear! I’m nearly 19, Mom!”
Ernie slid further down in his chair as Monica sucked in a deep breath, and opened her mouth as a preliminary to blasting her daughter.
But Daniel’s reaction was faster. He wrapped his arm around Lisanne’s shoulders, and steered her out of the room. “Come on, baby doll. You can have my shirt if you get cold,” and he gently walked her away.
As soon as they were out of the living room, she shrugged off his arm and stamped out of the house.
Daniel watched her thoughtfully before climbing into Monica’s car without speaking, and Lisanne started the engine. But then Daniel switched on the inside light, and she turned to look at him.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” she snarled.
“Lis, for fuck’s sake! What is it?!”
“Why wouldn’t you touch me after Thanksgiving?”
He frowned, wishing he knew what the hell had turned her into a rabid ball crusher during the last sixty minutes, although he could make an educated guess.
“Well?”
“It didn’t feel right.”
“What does that mean?”
“Because I hadn’t told you about this.” He gestured toward his head.
“What difference does that make?” she yelled.
He didn’t understand her anger, but then the meaning of her words sank in. She didn’t care. She really didn’t care that he was deaf. Daniel couldn’t help but grin at her—which drove Lisanne into a complete rage.
“Why are you smiling!” she shrieked.
He leaned over and pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard. She resisted for a fraction of a second, then scrambled onto his lap and began to grind against his jeans.
They were both lost in the moment when Lisanne heard her phone beep with yet another message. It brought her to her senses, and she remembered that they were still sitting in her mom’s car, with the interior light showcasing their every move—on her parent’s drive.
She clambered inelegantly from Daniel’s knee, too intent on pulling her phone out of her purse to see that he had to adjust himself.
“Rodney wants to meet at a coffee shop instead,” she said, shortly.
She was rather relieved. She knew that Reverend Dubois and his wife would be shocked by Daniel—his tattoos, his pierced eyebrow, and certainly by his swearing, which he almost never managed to curb entirely, no matter how hard he tried.
“Don’t want to be late for Rodney,” Daniel said, snidely.
“You don’t have to come,” she snapped.
Daniel stared at her in disbelief.
Consequently, the drive to the coffee shop continued in stony silence although, to be fair, Daniel couldn’t have seen anything Lisanne said anyway, firstly, because it was dark inside the car, and secondly, because with only seeing her profile it was virtually impossible to read what she was saying. He didn’t have to worry—Lisanne was berating herself for agreeing to meet Rodney and therefore getting them all into what she was sure to be a highly uncomfortable confrontation.
She parked outside the coffee shop and hoped to speak to Daniel before they entered. But he was already holding open the café door by the time she’d picked up her purse and climbed out of the car. All she had time to say was, “Be nice!”
He raised his eyebrows and suppressed a smirk. Almost.
Rodney was sitting at a table near the back, staring moodily into a cup of foaming cappuccino. He was nice looking in a blond, preppy sort of way—he looked safe. It was the opposite of how people looked at Daniel.
Rodney started to smile when he saw Lisanne and then his eyes bugged out as he swept his gaze up and down her, taking in the micro mini, heels, and heavy makeup. When he saw Daniel, his mouth dropped open in a silent pop.
Lisanne hugged him tightly—because Rodney was her friend, her one true friend from high school—and also because she hoped it would make Daniel insanely jealous. She couldn’t help questioning the wisdom of making her highly volatile boyfriend even more incendiary, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself either.
“Look at you! College must agree with you, hot stuff!” said Rodney, kissing her cheek.
Lisanne fully expected to see Daniel scowling when she turned around to introduce him, so she was bewildered to find a broad smile on his face.
“Um, Rodney, this is my boyfriend Daniel Colton. Daniel, this is my friend from high school, Rodney Dubois.”
The two men shook hands, and then Daniel headed to the counter to order a latte for Lisanne and his usual black coffee.
“So,” said Rodney, slowly, “that’s your boyfriend.”
“Yes,” said Lisanne kindly, but firmly.
“He’s different.”
Rodney’s voice was amused but without judgment.
Lisanne smiled. He was so right.
“And you look different, too. My mom would have a heart attack if she saw you now.”
Rodney’s voice took on a wistful tone that made Lisanne regret dressing so skimpily. She hoped it didn’t look like she was rubbing his face in the fact that she now had a boyfriend—and it wasn’t him.
Daniel returned and slouched down in his chair, angling it so he could face both of them at the same time.
Rodney turned his gaze to Daniel.
“Are you studying music, too?”
Lisanne winced but Daniel kept his gaze neutral.
“No, economics with business, and math as a minor.”
“Oh,” said Rodney, clearly surprised. “I thought…” he glanced to Lisanne for help.
“What about you?” said Daniel, steering the conversation away from himself. “Lisanne hasn’t said … You were in the school orchestra together?”
“Yeah, I played the cello—but nothing like Lisanne.” He smiled at her fondly, “She was out of everyone’s league.”
They both stared at her and she felt her face heat up.
“I’ve been going to theological college to train to be a pastor, like my father.”
Daniel raised his eyebrows. “Can’t be easy for you.”
Lisanne frowned. It wasn’t like Daniel to make assumptions like that, but when she looked at him, she saw something like sympathy in his eyes. She was puzzled.
Rodney sighed. “I used to think it was…”
Lisanne stared. “But you’ve wanted this like forever!”
“Things change,” he said.
“Yeah,” said Daniel, nodding slowly in agreement. “They do.”
Some sort of unspoken communication passed between them, and Lisanne felt very much on the outside.
They were interrupted by a girl who asked them for the time—presumably as a pretext, because she made no attempt to restrain her open ogling of Daniel. Lisanne sighed. She was getting used to it, although it still pissed her the hell off. She rested her hand on Daniel’s thigh in a clear, territorial display.
Daniel smiled down at her and Rodney looked amused.
They chatted amiably and Lisanne was surprised—and if she was honest with herself, slightly annoyed—that the guys seemed to be getting along so well. She just wouldn’t have figured it. Wasn’t Rodney supposed to be pining for her? Wasn’t Daniel usually jealous of any guy who talked to her? It was very confusing.
She was even more surprised when Rodney suggested they go on to a club where the bouncers were a little lax on IDs. And even more surprised when Daniel said it was fine by him.
“Um, I don’t think Mom and Dad would…”
“Come on, Lis,” said Daniel, nuzzling her hair. “No disrespect to your folks, but I don’t think I can handle the rest of the evening watching Bruce Willis films with your dad, while he tries not to leap out of his chair every time I touch you.”
Rodney chuckled knowingly and Lisanne threw him a dirty look.
“Come on, baby doll,” whispered Daniel persuasively, using the sexy smile that he knew she couldn’t resist.
Lisanne tried once more. “Do you think you should, after … you know?”
Daniel frowned and pulled away from her, his eyes flicking up to Rodney, who looked puzzled.
Lisanne capitulated. “Okay, fine. But please don’t drink. I hate being the only sober person, and I have to drive.”
Daniel still looked irritated and agreed curtly. Rodney just shrugged and nodded.
“I’m driving, too,” he said.
As they walked out onto the street, Lisanne shivered slightly. Daniel looked down at her and without speaking, pulled off his shirt and handed it to her.
She couldn’t help smiling to herself as she slipped it on and tied it in a knot at the front.
Rodney was staring at the tattoos he could see winding their way down Daniel’s arms.
“Nice ink,” he said.
Daniel hadn’t seen him speak so he didn’t answer. Rodney frowned but chose not to comment.
The club was one that Lisanne hadn’t heard of before—although clubbing had never really been her thing—and was surprised that Rodney seemed to know about it. The two bouncers were well muscled men, clean cut, and identically dressed in white t-shirts and tight jeans.
Rodney turned to Daniel.
“I should have said but I didn’t think you’d say yes.”
Daniel smirked. “I don’t give a shit.”
Rodney blinked then gave a small smile. “No, you don’t, do you.”
“Just so long as the only hands I feel on my ass belong to baby doll.”
Lisanne was puzzled, her eyes toggling between the two of them. What on earth were they talking about? She didn’t know what was going on. It must be a guy thing. How irritating was that?
Stopping at an ATM so Daniel could withdraw some money, then paid the club’s cover charge, and Lisanne walked in with Daniel’s arm draped casually across her shoulders. It was almost darker inside than on the nighttime street. Lisanne peered into the gloom, wondering if there would be anyone she recognized.
She could feel the music vibrating through the soles of her shoes and relaxed slightly, knowing Daniel could feel it, too. She understood now why he felt comfortable in clubs—if they didn’t have live bands—he wasn’t at a disadvantage.
Rodney pointed his chin toward the bar and they all followed—it was the only part of the club where there was a chance of speaking and being heard. The irony was not lost on Lisanne.
She asked for a bottle of water and both of the guys had beers. She frowned but didn’t say anything. Daniel took a long drink and then leaned down to speak into her ear. She felt his cool lips and warm breath on her skin, causing a tremor to run through her.
“Want to dance, baby doll?”
She nodded and he pulled her out onto the dance floor. Rodney watched from the bar, his face holding a slight smile, although his eyes were filled with longing.
Lisanne felt bad for leaving him by himself, but it had been his idea to go to the club after all. Then she felt Daniel pull her into his chest and she stopped thinking about anybody else.
She loved how at ease he was with his body, feeling the rhythm, perhaps hearing the music in his mind. It was hard to say—he so rarely talked about things like that—personal things. The only time he’d truly opened up had been in his letter. It was frustrating.
She felt his hands on her hips, pulling her closer. So she let her fingers drift up his chest, brushing over his nipple rings, and tightened her hands firmly behind his neck. He grinned down then suddenly dipped her low to the floor, making her squeal. She caught a flash of Rodney’s grinning face at the bar as Daniel stood her upright, and kissed the bare skin beneath her throat.
They seemed to be getting quite a bit of attention with people staring at them. Lisanne felt herself moving to Icona Pop’s pumping vibe, I Love It. At first, she felt rather self-conscious but Daniel didn’t seem to notice or, if he did, it didn’t concern him. Plus, everyone around her seemed to be heading to the dance floor to let loose for that tune, and the DJ pumped up the bass.
Twenty minutes later, and Lisanne was out of breath. She tapped on Daniel’s shoulder and signaled a timeout with her hands. As they walked back toward the bar, a man stopped them and said something to Daniel. She couldn’t hear what it was, but Daniel shook his head and hooked a finger into the pocket of her denim skirt. The man held up his hands and backed away. It occurred to Lisanne that there were very few women in the club. Looking around the room, she glimpsed two men kissing openly, and she nudged Daniel. He glanced over then smiled at her, totally unfazed.
Rodney looked challengingly at Lisanne.
“There aren’t many girls in here,” she said, slowly. “I think this is a gay club.”
“Yes,” said Rodney, “it is.”
“Did you know?” she said, wide-eyed.
Rodney nodded so she turned to Daniel, who was watching her with amusement.
“Did you?”
Daniel grinned at her.
“Baby doll, the look on your face. You’re so cute!”
Lisanne stared in confusion. “Why are we in a gay club?”
Daniel looked at Rodney. “Do you want to tell her or should I?”
“What?” said Lisanne. “Tell me what?”
Rodney grimaced, then looked up at Lisanne. “I’m gay.”
Lisanne stared.
“No, you’re not.”
Now it was Rodney’s turn to stare.
Lisanne had heard what he’d said, but the words seemed to take forever to make sense.
“But … what…? When…? I mean … are you sure?”
Rodney looked dumbfounded by her question. “Well, yeah. I’m sure.”
“Since when?!”
“Well, always, I guess.”
She turned her accusing gaze to Daniel. “How the hell did you know?”
He shrugged.
Dumb. Dumber. Dumbest. Lisanne flushed with anger and embarrassment.
“Well why didn’t you tell me?” she yelped at Rodney.
“It’s not so easy. We’ve been friends like forever. I thought you’d figure it out. Eventually.” He sighed. “But you never did and … your parents are friends with mine and Dad’s a preacher…”
Lisanne felt hurt. “So you can tell my boyfriend that you’ve known for all of two hours, but you can’t tell me? We’ve been friends since kindergarten!”
“I didn’t have to tell him, Lis, he just knew. I didn’t know how to tell you. I hoped … you know … you’re not mad?”
“Yes! I’m so mad at you! I’m mad you didn’t tell me. I’m not mad you’re, you know, gay, for goodness sake! We’re friends, Rodney.”
He looked relieved. “Thanks, Lis.”
“Do your parents know?”
He shook his head. “I’m waiting until after Christmas for that conversation … and that I won’t be going back to theological college.”
Lisanne shook her head, sadly.
“It’ll break Dad’s heart,” said Rodney bitterly, and Lisanne didn’t know if he meant because he was gay or because he no longer wanted to train to be a man of the cloth. She was tired and feeling emotional, and still kind of pissed at Daniel because he’d guessed in a few minutes what had been under her nose for years.
She’d always thought that Rodney liked her that way. It was beyond embarrassing. But what Rodney had to face—that was way harder. She gave herself a mental kick—this wasn’t about her.
“Well, fine. I suppose you want to go shopping with me now.”
Rodney rolled his eyes and pretended to sigh. “That is so cliché!”
Lisanne gave him a big hug and kissed him on the cheek. “Serves you right for not telling me.”
Rodney gave her a squeeze and looked at Daniel. “Look after my girl.”
Daniel smiled. “It’s a full-time job.” He looked at Lisanne’s tired face. “Do you want to go home now, baby doll?”
She nodded and looked at Rodney. “Are you going home, too?”
“No. Think I’ll stay for a while,” he said. “Maybe we could catch up again before New Years?”
“Sure, I’d like that. Take care, Rodney.”
She slipped her hand around Daniel’s waist and they strolled out of the club.
They hadn’t walked more than half a dozen paces before Lisanne heard someone calling her name.
“Hey, Maclaine! Mouse Girl!”
She turned with a horrified expression.
Grayson Woods.
And associates.
“Your faggoty fucking friend broke my goddamn nose!” he growled.
Lisanne looked up, realizing that Grayson’s nose had indeed been remodeled.
Daniel glanced around him and his lips tightened into a thin line.
“Get back to the car, Lis,” he said, quietly.
“No!” she gasped. “I’m not leaving you!”
His gaze was strained and deadly serious. “Go now, Lis!”
He was still staring at her, his eyes burning with intensity—when Grayson hit him, catching the left side of Daniel’s face.
Suddenly he was on the floor, holding the side of his head, and Grayson Woods was standing over him with a cruel smile twisting his lips.
“I’m going to fuck you up,” he snarled, aiming a kick at Daniel’s unprotected ribs.
Lisanne screamed as one of Grayson’s friends aimed a second kick. Daniel was still holding his head, using his hands to cover the left side. He coughed and gasped, as the second blow caught him low in the stomach. Lisanne ran forward but Grayson batted her away.
Lisanne screamed again, and the bouncers from the club looked up and started toward them. Before Lisanne could react, there was an old-fashioned melee going on at her feet. More men ran out from the club, and soon it was Grayson’s friends who were getting a beat down, curses filling the air and fists flying. The fight broke apart, and Grayson fled, sprinting down the street, his friends trailing behind him.
Lisanne was on her knees next to Daniel. He looked dazed and she realized blood was seeping through his beanie.
She pulled it off and saw the gauze was soaked red. Her heart shuddered and she felt sick.
One of the club guys pushed her out of the way.
“I’m a nurse, let me look.” He checked Daniel over quickly, running his hands along his body to see if anything seemed to be broken.
Daniel sat up shakily and the nurse only needed to glance at the dressing, before giving Lisanne a significant look.
“Okay,” said the nurse, “let’s get him off the street.”
Hooking Daniel’s arms around their shoulders, two burly men half dragged, half carried Daniel back into the club. Rodney came running over, his face pale and shocked.
“What happened?”
“Grayson Woods,” gasped Lisanne, her hands trembling from fear and adrenalin.
“Fucker!” hissed Rodney.
Rodney saw the blood-soaked dressing on Daniel’s head and looked confused, but the nurse was thoughtful. “I think we should get him to hospital,” he said, calmly. “Just to get him checked over.”
Lisanne rubbed Daniel’s arm, and he looked up at her, his eyes slowly focusing.
“They’re going to call an ambulance.”
He shook his head slowly. “No. No more hospitals, baby doll.”
“Daniel…!”
“Please, Lis,” he said, sounding dazed.
“You’re bleeding all over the place!” she cried.
He gave her a lopsided smile. “Yeah.”
“Take him into the office,” said the nurse. “They keep a first aid kit in there.”
Rodney and one of the other men helped Daniel to stand, and led him into a room a short distance from the main entrance, lowering him into a seat.
The man who’d identified himself as a nurse gently pulled off Daniel’s dressing.
“Has he had a procedure?”
Lisanne nodded. “Yes. A cochlear implant—a week ago.”
The nurse glanced up at Lisanne’s worried tone.
“Okay, that doesn’t look too bad.” He stood in front of Daniel and spoke slowly and clearly. “Where you had stitches, one has pulled apart slightly. There’s no bleeding from your ear that I can see. Breathe deeply for me.”
Daniel pulled in several deep breaths, letting them out slowly. Lisanne could see it caused him some pain but the nurse looked pleased.
He stood in front of Daniel and gave another instruction.
“Can you tell me where you are?”
“Shit-poke, Iowa.” Lisanne nudged his arm and Daniel sighed. “Well, I guess it must be Georgia then.”
“Can you repeat the months of the year in reverse order?”
“Give me a fucking break,” said Daniel.
“He’s only trying to help,” snapped Lisanne.
“December, November, October, September…” Daniel intoned, obediently.
“Okay, that’ll do. Let’s take a look at your ribs.”
Wincing, Daniel pulled up his t-shirt and Lisanne’s hand flew to her mouth. Several large bruises were billowing out across Daniel’s smooth skin.
The nurse ran his hands over Daniel’s chest and stomach. “Nice nipple rings. Ahem. There doesn’t appear to be anything broken, but I still think you should have an x-ray to check if your ribs are cracked.”
“Fuck that,” said Daniel, tiredly. “They wouldn’t do anything even if they were—except tape them up. I can do that myself.”
The nurse shook his head but smiled.
“Okay, Mr. Oh So Stubborn. Last test. See if you can touch my finger and then touch the tip of your nose.”
Daniel dropped his t-shirt down and straightened up. Lisanne winced in sympathy. She was glad that he didn’t have any trouble following the nurse’s instructions.
“Sure I can’t persuade you of the benefits of a quick trip to the emergency room?” said the nurse.
Daniel shook his head and cursed again.
“No, I’m good.”
“Honey, you’re more than good,” sighed one of the other men. “Vernon, next time I want to play nurse with the hot guy.”
The nurse smiled and Lisanne wanted to sink through the floor—even guys were ogling her boyfriend now. At least they weren’t hitting on him—yet.
“He’s pigheaded, that’s for sure,” said the nurse. “Hard headed, too. I’ll just put some butterfly strips over his wound. I suggest you wait here for 10 minutes and if there’s any dizziness, call an ambulance, no matter what he says.”
Lisanne nodded.
When the nurse was done, he tried one last time to persuade Daniel to go to hospital, and also to persuade Lisanne to call the police. Daniel wouldn’t allow either, and eventually the nurse left them alone with Rodney.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” asked Rodney. “What’s this implant you were talking about?”
Lisanne turned to face him.
“Daniel’s deaf. He had surgery a week ago and they placed what’s called a cochlear implant just behind his ear, under the skin. Eventually it’ll help him to hear. We hope.”
Rodney stared at Daniel. “He’s … you’re deaf? Completely deaf?”
Daniel met his gaze evenly. “And you thought you were the only one who was different.”
Rodney’s breath caught in his throat, and the two men stared at each other.
“Wow, I … I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry, man.”
Daniel stretched slowly, feeling his ribs as he did so. “Yeah, I get that a lot.”
Rodney gave a rueful smile. “Yeah, right.” He shook his head. “I didn’t even guess.”
“That’s the general idea.”
“But how?”
“Daniel lip reads.” Lisanne answered for him.
Rodney looked out of his depth. “But why do you hide it?”
Daniel gave him a disbelieving look. “You’re asking me that?!”
Rodney stared, then laughed out loud and shook his head. “Most guys try and act cool about it—except for the Neanderthals like Grayson Woods—but even the ones who pretend they aren’t that bothered make jokes about keeping their backs to the wall. You don’t.”
Daniel shrugged, but Lisanne saw a small ripple of pain run through him.
“Well, hell, man, I’ve been called every crappy name under the sun—know every dumb joke about being deaf: ‘How does a deaf person know if someone is screaming or yawning?’ Funny, huh. Got into a lot of fights. I don’t give a shit who you fuck as long as it’s not baby doll because that’s my job.”
Rodney smiled and raised his eyebrows at Lisanne, who was trying to cool down her flushed cheeks. Such a dirty mouth!
“So,” Rodney asked at last, “why did that asshat hit you?”
“Daniel broke his nose at Sonia Brandt’s Thanksgiving pool party.”
Rodney snorted. “Seriously? A lot of people have been wanting to do that for years. The guy’s a bullying bastard. But why did you hit him in the first place? At the party—which no one invited me to, by the way.”
“You were away, remember?”
“Whatever—tell me about Grayson.”
“He was … rude to me,” Lisanne said, simply.
Rodney looked at Daniel with renewed respect. “And you broke his nose?”
“With one punch,” Lisanne said, a touch of pride tinting her words.
Rodney shook his head. “Well, Woods knows how to hold a grudge, so you’d better watch your back while you’re in town.”
“Rodney! If you think I’m going to give him the chance to do this again—or to someone else … my Dad plays golf with his dad. Once he sees…”
“Lis,” said Daniel, patiently, “I broke the guy’s nose—he could have landed my ass in jail. I think you should just leave it.”
Lisanne was furious that the omerta of guy on guy fights seemed to be alive and kicking. She started to protest but Daniel looked so tired and battered, she bit down on her lip to stop the words flooding out.
“Do you want to go home?”
“Yeah, baby doll. I don’t think I can take any more ‘fun’ tonight.”
Rodney looked sympathetic then glanced at Lisanne. “Poor, Lis. All dressed up and no one to have ‘fun’ with.”
“We did that before we came out,” she said, coolly.
Rodney looked surprised. “Whoa! Way to go, Lis. You have changed.”
Lisanne wondered whether he was right. She still felt like the old Lisanne Maclaine but people did seem to treat her differently. Was it just the outside that had changed? Some more makeup and shorter skirts? Or had she changed on the inside? Had college and Daniel and living away from home, had these things changed her?
She was still pondering the question as Daniel struggled to his feet.
“Fuck. I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck.”
“What are you guys doing tomorrow?” Rodney said, hopefully.
“Fuck all,” replied Daniel. “Merry Christmas.”
“We’ll catch up before New Years,” said Lisanne. “Text me?”
“Sure,” said Rodney, then waited until Daniel was looking down. “By the way, tell your boyfriend I like his nipple rings. They’re … inspiring.”
They left Rodney grinning to himself as he headed back into the club.
One of the bouncers walked with them to Lisanne’s car, winked at Daniel, blew him a kiss and then smiled cockily at Lisanne.
She sighed and started driving home.
Why had she ever thought her life was boring?