“I’ll be back before the bands start,” she added.
When they walked out, there was silence for a moment to make sure they were well away. Then it started.
“She was glowing,” Drew said.
“That was from the sex, idiot,’ said Carlie, “Not a proposal.”
“He’s got something planned,” Jackson added. “You could tell.”
After that, the place got busy. I sat quietly at the bar. A few times Drew came over to talk to me. Once I looked up and Jackson glared at us but most of the time, he acted like he didn’t even know I existed. That was fine by me. This would be the rest of our lives. Him sitting on one side of the bar, me sitting on the other. Not looking at each other, not talking. Just sitting there, pretending the other didn’t exist. It seemed a lonely and pointless way to live but I couldn’t imagine anything else.
When Razer and Violet returned, Violet wanted to talk to Alex. They walked out and looks ricocheted around the bar. Carlie looked at Drew and Drew looked at Jackson. Carlie looked at me and I looked at Drew. Then I looked at Jackson and quickly looked away.
Razer stood in the middle of the bar for a moment, as though uncertain where he should be, then followed behind them before he got blasted with a barrage of questions.
“She’s getting married and she’s asking Alex to be bridesmaid,” Jackson said. “Nothing surer.”
We laughed at that. Alex had been pretty interested in Violet until she decided to date Razer.
“This is killing me,” Carlie said. “I’m her friend. Shouldn’t she tell me before Alex?”
“Not if she’s quitting,” said Drew.
“Bloody hell, I hadn’t thought of that. She’d never quit. She’ll die here at Trouble. She loves her job too much.”
I wondered though. Violet did love her job but she’d been doing it for a while now. Maybe she wanted something more. Razer’s popularity kept growing. They might want to move to a bigger town and she’d have more opportunities there. Staying behind for five weeks while he played a festival was one thing but doing that constantly would be tough. I’d never want to do it.
Carlie had moved down the bar, next to the door that led to the storeroom. She was trying to eavesdrop on the conversation. She’d never have a hope of hearing anything over the noise of the bar though.
Just as she had her ear almost to the door, it swung open. Alex glared at her.
Violet followed behind him and then Razer.
“I have to tell them,” she said.
Alex nodded.
We all watched as she walked around the bar and sat down. Carlie handed her a drink.
She took a deep breath but didn’t talk.
Carlie walked over and turned the music down.
Razer walked behind Violet and put his hands on her shoulders to give her moral support. She bent back to look at him and smiled. Was Drew right? Were they getting married? She looked awfully concerned for an announcement like that.
“I’m leaving the bar,” she said.
I almost didn’t hear her.
Carlie turned the music off completely and walked over to Violet.
“Did I hear you right?”
Violet nodded.
“But we were supposed to be rock widows together. The two of us left alone while our men went off to war. Well, rock war.”
“It’s something I can’t refuse. Razer and the guys have been offered a huge European tour. Three months over summer, with a possibility of more dates in Asia.”