Graffiti Casanova

Secrets

I'll pick you up in the morning, enjoy CasaHOTTIE til then ;)

I slumped back against the RV, irritation flaring up in my chest. That text was the only response I got after calling both Bennie and Lana for five minutes straight. Bennie knew how I got when I was focused, and she took total advantage of the fact that I couldn't multitask to save my life. 

But I couldn't stay mad at her for long.

I sighed, expelling my irritation with it. She was right, I'd always been a big fan of Casanova, even though it was clear that for her, there was more to it than just that. But whatever her motivation was, if I was going to be stuck here, I was going to be productive.

Acrid-smelling paint filled the air, and I took shallow breaths as I rounded the RV back to the entrance of the diner. I paused to take a look at the progress.

They'd gotten much farther than I'd expected. I checked my phone. Nearly midnight already. The dark, nimble shapes of the crew darted in and out amongst each other, a dance only they knew the rhythm to. The bold colors screamed at me even in the dark-- I smiled. Lana was getting what she asked for. It'd be impossible to miss Ricky's now.

"You like?"

I turned to see a white grin flashing in the dark next to me. Andy, I thought his name was. I returned his grin.

"No question. It's perfect."

His gas mask dangled from one hand, and the other he drew across his forehead, wiping away sweat-sticky hair.

"This side is just about done, I'm gonna move this RV for more coverage on the other side."

"Do you guys need..." I fumbled awkwardly, not knowing what was true and what was just from the movies. "Like, a lookout, or..?"

Andy barked out a short laugh. "Nah, we got it covered." He ducked his head toward me and pointed to one of the guys at the base of a ladder. He was facing the main road, shaking a fresh can of spray paint. As soon as he turned back to the wall to paint, I heard him mutter softly, and the guy next to him gave a sharp nod, turning towards the main road in his place. "We always have someone who keeps an eye out. Benefits of working with the same team for as long as we have."

How long was that, I wondered? Years, I was sure. Maybe even since Casanova got his start. The fluidity reminded me of the band-- at least, how it used to be. Which, in turn, reminded me that I had more lyrics to write.

Andy swung up into the driver's seat of the RV and turned the key, and it growled to life under him. He saluted me, grinning, and rolled off in the other direction. I took one more look at the walls, trying to take in every tiny shape and swirl, then headed back inside.

The chair scraped across the ground as I bent back over my notebook. My eyes scanned the page, and I pursed my lips. I'd lost my train of thought when Bennie ran off with my car. I had to refocus.

Sometimes it helped to leave a project and come back to it with a new perspective-- and I found myself easily fixing the last two tricky lines. I turned the page, elbows planted firmly on either side of the notebook.

Now on to the next one.

I got a few lines in before my eyes began to burn, squinting at the page in the dim light. I closed my eyes, head in my hands.

I guess that must've been when I fell asleep.

I woke with that strange sort of start that has no outward, physical reaction, but inside I knew a noise had just pulled me out of slumber. My eyes slid open to a still-dim room, no sunlight yet streaming in through the windows.