Finding Love | ✔️

eighteen

/in love, beggar and king are equal.

-Indian Proverb/

♡

Eight more weeks have gone by.

Then nine. 

Ten.

Eleven.

...Three months.

It's been three months since I landed here, and I'm doing quite alright.

I'm sitting on a large round table at which all of the waitresses and bartenders at Club L'Amore are seated, playing a solid game of poker. There's money on the table, and although I'm playing for fun, I'm getting a bit competitive. If I win, the money would be much appreciated: there's a little something I've been saving up for.

I look across the table from me. Dave is sucking the face off another waitress, whose hands vigorously rub his chest. Yuck.

"I heard that," a voice near me whispers. It's Tallulah, another young waitress like me. Her fat lips and thick hair compliment her bubbly personality. 

"Oops," I say. "I was thinking out loud."

"It's okay. But you'd think that after working at a night club for as long as you have, you'd be used to seeing people screwing each other all over the place."

I laugh. "Voyeurism isn't my thing." It's my turn to play. It's a funny version of poker that Jessica invented. Looking at my cards, I opt for the safe option and pass.

"So, Miss Aprile," Tallulah imitates Dave's Italian accent, "what, then, is your thing?"

"I don't really know."

"I'm sure you've done something." She winks, then sucks her finger suggestively. I shrug and look away.

"No, I haven't."

"Aww, cute." She muses at my inexperience. "But I see how you look at him." 

"He's very good-looking." That's all I say, and then turn my body so as to signal to Tallulah that I want no more part in this conversation. I do realize that sex has been all around me in this job – heck, I have to act sexy – but it's all an act. Romance and all of that stuff have never been able to take priority in my life, considering that I'm usually in a compromising situation (drug-handling, for instance), so I've spent most of my teenage years blocking it out.

That's something that I seem to do a lot. I block and lock things out of my life, pretending that they don't exist, but really they're just piling up...and one day, they'll all just topple over and I'll come crashing down with them. Just like the day Aella found me on the floor.

"April? April? Earth to Aprile..." A chorus of voices sing my name, and I realize it's my turn again. I look at my cards.

I'm done. 

"I'm done," I say triumphantly, putting my cards down with a smirk on my face.

"She's done!" Jessica echoes, which is followed by a couple of groans as she slides all the money to me. 

"Yes!" I hiss. I smile cleanly then strut away, establishing some sort of bravado in my stride. 

I walk out of the club, half jogging and half running to my destination. Eventually, I settle on a skip. I'm so pleased with myself. I've been planning this for Eli since I found the place.

I finally get there, and my smile seems to be struggling against the panting of my lungs. I'm so excited; this is the final payment. I take in a deep breath as I look up at the sign.