Everglow

The pub’s name was Foresters Arms, and the outside looked like it belonged in a Renaissance festival. The indoors was a bit more modern, but still had a medieval tavern feel. It was quite busy for a Thursday, but I didn’t mind. Crowds bred anonymity, and I loved being anonymous. I wondered about a certain person drawing attention, but considering that this particular pub was mostly burly men in their forties, I let my nerves settle.

We picked a table in the corner and got comfy. We ordered beers, and then I brought up my question.

“So. Now you tell me how you guys met,” I said.

Niall chipped in. “Well, I guess it was just love at first sight huh?” he said looking at Chase with his elbows on the table and his chin resting on his hands, batting his eyelashes in faux amour.

Chase joined Niall laughing. “Yeah, he just caught me with those beautiful blue eyes.”

“No, uh you remember my cousin Steve?” Chase asked me.

I squinted in concentration.

“The one who lives in London,” Sharon chipped in.

“Oh, okay. Yeah.” I nodded.

“Well he introduced us when I was up there for the holidays,” continued Chase.

“And Ed flew down here with me. He’s got family down here he’s off to see for the weekend,” explained Niall.

Ed nodded in acknowledgment. “At least that’s what I told him. I’m really just going to find a girl and have a good weekend.”

Niall smiled from behind the glass he was tilting up.

Ed elbowed Niall, causing the beer to tilt so it spilled a bit on his mouth. He coughed a bit. “Now, when you greeted, you told her ‘Nice to meet you again.’ You two met, or just you just fucking around with me?”

Niall smirked in between a few more coughs.

I quickly covered for him, “Yeah. I was getting his room ready this morning at the hotel, and I thought he was my manager, so I hollered at him and called him her name.”

“ I’s alright. Lisa’s not the worst of things to be called.” Niall reassured. His eyes softened a bit as he said it.

The waitress came and went with our meal orders, and the conversation went on to Chase’s holidays in London to Niall’s guitars to Ed’s questioning about the surf here.

I told him all about the waves, and about how Chase and some of our friends came with me a bit. The guys started talking about the beach and a golf course not far from it between mouthfuls of food.

Shannon, sitting to the side of me, put her hand on my arm. “But tell me, love, really, how’ve you been?”

Shannon was absolutely everything I was not. We both had the ability to read people past the words they were saying. The difference was I tended to file away my observations, and she asked and probed. She showed emotions easily, and kindness seemed to radiate from her every pore. She had nice things to say, and she believed the best in everyone.

I was cynical. I cared deeply, but I was absolutely awful at showing it. Contrary to popular opinion and my strong preference, I did have emotions. I just resented most of them leaking out. I was honestly a bit jealous of her ability to talk to people with such softness and ease. Imagine a rhinoceros trying to wash crystal wine glasses, and that’s a pretty good picture of my ease and softness with trying to open up to people.

The other thing about Shannon: since she decided to ask about what she observed, it always pressed past where I cared people to be. So when I replied to her, I smiled with the most genuine smile I could manage and said, “I’m fine. Really.”

At this point I realized Chase had stopped talking and listened for my response too.

“Can you tell them...” he pointed to Ed and Niall, “…about what you do?” They all were looking at me now. Oh, joy, spotlight.

I laughed. “Well, it’d be pretty awkward now if I said no.”

I paused for a second, gathering my words for the best and briefest explanation. “I set myself up to be captured into brothels. It enables me to get in and get out with a couple girls every time I do it. Most of the time, at least. There’s been a few times it goes to hell and it’s a feat to just get myself out. “

I said it all staring at the last few of my French fries, very simply and matter-of-fact. When I looked up, Shannon’s eyes were wide and Ed looked like he’d just been dunked in ice water of tension. Niall’s face went through a few things: a slightly slacked jaw, a furrowed brow, and then eyes that danced back and forth between caution and something else I couldn’t put my finger on.

Shannon was the first to speak. “I knew what happened to you back during the holidays, but… I had no idea you went back in.”

That was perfectly more than enough information from her. I decided to shut the conversation down and turn it elsewhere.

“Well, now you know,” I said with a tight smile and as jovial a tone as I could manage.

“About that golf course…” I started, only to be interrupted.

“That’s incredible,” said Niall. “What you do.”

I was not quite used to that reaction. Chase and Sharron of course didn’t support the sex slave industry, but Chase was very much of the philosophy to keep your own people safe, and let the rest of the world fend for themselves. He was wonderful at keeping his own safe. Thanks to him and his family’s connections, I got out those months ago. He really didn’t approve of me doing what I did now, and I guess he figured if I told the others, they would be of the same opinion and convince me out of it maybe. That it was dangerous and stupid.
Which it was, but I couldn’t do nothing.

I looked Niall square in the eye. There was intelligence there. I could tell he had put two and two together from Sharron’s comment about me during the holidays. He held my look. I expected to find pity, but instead his eyes saluted me. I looked down first.

“Thank you,” I said, much softer that I hoped it would come out.

Without even looking up, I could feel Chase’s discomfort with Niall’s words of approval.

So he decided to change the subject. “What are your hours at the hotel tomorrow, Gema? Do you have the afternoon off?”

“I do not,” I replied, simply.

“Saturday?” he shot back. He was trying to occupy my weekend to prevent me from doing anything. I liked Chase as a person most of the time, but every once in a while he would try to control me. And very few things pissed my off more.

“I’m visiting some friends.” It wasn’t far from a lie. I did have to check up on Vadner and the girls.

Shannon hated conflict, so she quickly piped up, “We should get the check, it’s getting late.”

The check came, we said our goodbyes, and I drove away in my paint-chipped vehicle with the music loud enough to clear my head.

Notes