“Oh. So you haven’t sat behind the counter for five minutes and you are already thinking about the next job?”
“A man’s gotta hustle.”
“Word.” Rory bumped a fist to her chest and said it out loud in her best rapper imitation. This time, it was Arsen’s turn to laugh.
“Thinking of becoming a rapper, are we?” he said.
“Oh, dear God, no. Of all the things I have done in life, I have never ever thought of becoming a rapper.”
“So what are all the things have you done in life?”
“Well. I grew up in LA, so the usual stuff. A bunch of times I was an assistant to people who worked in the entertainment business. Chauffeuring them around, catering to their whims. I have been an assistant buyer at a small clothing brand as well, and once, at the behest of my parents, I was a full-time volunteer at the local church. You can imagine how that turned out.”
“Why? You seem like a good church-going girl,” Arsen winked.
“I have been called a lot of things but not that.” Rory chuckled. “How my mom would love to hear you say this…And I have also painted houses for a living,” she finished.
“Now that I find difficult to believe. In fact, I refuse to believe that.”
“Oh c’mon. Don’t tell me that you think that it is a man’s job?”
“Not that. I meant that a pretty girl like you would never put herself out in the harsh sun like that.”
Dammit. Stop flirting. His words were simple, but that twinkle in his eyes as he stared deep into her—that’s what made his compliments most special to her. With him she didn’t have to worry if he was just saying things. She knew he meant it.
“When I moved to LA, my first job was a nighttime security guard. Which suited me well because at the shitty building complex where I was living, you’d get to hear tons of police sirens at night. It was difficult to get good sleep. So I decided to doze off on the job instead.” He paused as if in reflection.
“In fact, that building complex, where I was crashing on an old pal’s couch, was where I first met Mickey. As the media is fond of saying, ‘the rest is history.’” He snorted sarcastically as he looked away.
“It must’ve been pretty good in the beginning?” Rory interjected, taking a seat on the high stool right opposite him.
“Absolutely. It was pretty great. He was a great singer, had a charismatic stage presence, and the first year or so was pretty darn awesome. It was all good before a lot of money started rolling in, and with that came the drugs and the parties. At that time it seemed awesome to be rich and famous but in hindsight, that is what tore the band apart.”
Arsen was still dealing with his inner turmoil. Rory could see that his attachment to the band and to his music was so intense that he easily got lost into contemplative thoughts every time he spoke of Mickey or the band.
“At times it can seem very difficult. As if there is no way out, no solution. But there is always a way,” she said in a gentle voice.
A big smile came upon Arsen’s face.
“Are you sure you haven’t been a guidance counselor as well?”
“Why?”
“There is just something about the way you give assurances. When you just said it, I really did feel like everything was going to be all right.” Arsen smiled. If only I could give such assurances to myself, Rory thought, though outwardly she flashed a smile at Arsen.
They must’ve sat by the counter and chatted for more than an hour, but to Rory it seemed like minutes. She was right about Arsen. There was certainly more to him than met the eye. Despite his perfect, muscular, rebellious good looks, he most certainly wasn’t your average, spoiled rockstar. The time went so fast, it wasn’t until her stomach made grumbling noises that she realized that it was beyond lunch time.
Rory wondered if she should order some food, but Arsen insisted that they head to the kitchen and make something themselves. To her surprise, both of them did actually throw together quite a sumptuous meal. Even doing chores with him is so much fun.
Things just became interesting when Arsen was around. It didn’t hurt that he had a sharp, sarcastic sense of humor. It also didn’t hurt that the more time she spent with him, the better he looked. I could eat you like an apple, Rory thought to herself as she bit into an actual apple and stole a glance at him. Her naughty thoughts were disturbed when the sound of his voice echoed in her ears.
“Now that we are fed and full, I think we both could use a drink… or five,” he said.
Rory chuckled.
“Every time you come here, you’re always trying to get me drunk. You better not be thinking of taking advantage of me,” Rory smirked.
“Damn. You unraveled my plan. Now I will have to think of some other way to… take advantage of you.” Arsen squinted his eyes and put on an evil smirk. After a few seconds of him holding the pose, Rory was confused if he really meant what he said, but then he broke into a big laughter.