WANDERLUST

     this time when sage pipes up, the astonishment barely registers. billy, on the other hand, was practically soiling himself, palms shaking as he gapes at the hostess in wide-eyed horror. ‘ friendliness doesn’t earn michelin stars, ’ he scoffs in response, straightening his blazer as he looms above. across the kitchen, a saucier has the audacity to snicker, quickly silenced by a jab in the ribs from one of her wiser cohorts. ‘ i suggest you get back to work before i take that knife and make an example out of you. ’ a lackadaisical smirk teases the corner of his lips, though from the way the man bristles, he surely wouldn’t be surprised if adrian filleted him on the spot. ‘ as for you, miss ryan — i presume you’re on your way out? ’ deductive reasoning from jacket draped across her shoulders and the bag at her hip. not to mention the fact that he’d consulted the schedule in advance.

lex looked down at the girl’s hands and then up at her face before looking down at her hands again. then her own hands immediately went to her pockets, apparently the girl wasn’t lying. her wallet had fallen out of her pocket. anyone else probably would have taken it for themselves, so lex would be lying if she said she wasn’t impressed. “thank you,” she took her wallet back and shoved it into her back pocket before looking the girl up and down, “i owe you one, really.”

“they’re celebrating that she couldn’t work her shit out in her first marriage by making sure she goes into her next one drunk as a skunk?” she asks, lifting an eyebrow at the other. “doesn’t seem very logical to me.”

   “I never said it was logical,” Sage answers with a shrug, “It was just my best guess. But who knows the real reason behind it all. At least it’s not something that happens often.” 

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   “If you can call getting yelled at by only half a dozen customers a win, then sure – today was definitely a win.” It had been a long day, but Julian was right – with the way things usually were at Hades, today might have been a win for her after all. “At least I faired better than some of the waiters. Kathy had to change her uniform twice tonight – the culprit ? The risotto, flung at her by two separate customers.” 

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   “That it is,” she replies, nodding her head in agreement, “— but do me a favor, won’t you Lucky ?” Sage reaches out, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t forget that there are silver linings too. For every bad thing out there, there’s something good just waiting for you to stumble upon it.” 

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   “Oh please, you say that as if I don’t want to tell you !! ” Sage is more than happy to ramble on about her world travels, to have an audience to what she considers to be some of her most captivating tales. “Now where should I begin – would you rather hear about the delightful fisherman & his family that I stayed with on the Almafi Coast ? Or would you rather listen to the funniest little story about what happened when I got lost in Lima ?” 

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     “Trust me, I’m trying,” Sage reasons, words followed by a long, heavy sigh, “but when you’ve been hurt like that ? It’s hard to not put all your walls up. I try my hardest not to be cynical – to still see the good in things, but it’s a challenge.”  

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     “Of course I’m going to worry,” Sage replies, concern evident in her gaze, “You’re my friend, J. I’m always going to worry.” Try as she might to not get attached to the people here in Vegas,  ( she keeps telling herself its only a matter of time until she takes off again -- of course, she’s been saying that for the last two years ), it’s been unavoidable.” 

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   “I know – but I don’t mind. There’s not much to tell,” she sighs, before taking another sip of her drink ( she needs it if she’s going to tell this particular story ). “Girl fell in love with boy, girl followed boy to Vegas, boy took everything girl had. And that’s it. That’s the end of it – and that’s why I’m here.” 

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    When he says it like that, who is Sage to argue ? His gaze could burn a hole right through her & she swears her heart is pounding loud enough for the entire strip to hear. She knows why she should go – their toeing a dangerous line here – & once it’s crossed, there’s no going back. There’s a million reasons not to take this step, but all of a sudden, none of them matter. “Give me one good reason why I should,” she whispers back, already a woman gone. No matter what words he weaves, she knows she’ll stay put. Her mind was made up quite some time ago. 

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   “No way – I’m not running.” This is big for her, the girl who left home at eighteen & hadn’t stopped running since. Her two years in Vegas had changed her, whether she wanted to admit it or not. She had lost everything & this city helped her to rebuild. “I appreciate the advice, but I won’t be taking it.” 

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   “You see – I’m not really a revenge type of gal,” Sage counters, voice soft, despite the fact that they’re the only two left in the restaurant. “I don’t get how that sort of thing could bring you so much joy. I’ve only wanted revenge once & I couldn’t follow through with it. I felt like I’d be sacrificing a part of myself in order to go after it, & I don’t quite like the idea of that.”