Behind Closed Curtains (Desires of the Forbidden)

Chapter 13

Pic of Jackson up top!

The bar that Kaleb worked at could be summed up in one word.

Classic.

The entire place was covered in head to toe, old fashioned décor. The bar was made of a lightly colored wood and stretched around in a large oval in the middle of the room. There were red, leather covered stools seated across the edge of the bar, providing seating for any who wanted to sit alone and drink their beer in silence. Pictures of all of the great singers throughout time were plastered across the wall, random pieces of art littering the spots in between.

Elvis, John Lennon, Prince, Aerosmith, Rolling stones, and so many more I lost count as they all stared back at me from the walls, their almost ethereal presence seeping out through their photos.

There was even a jukebox sitting in one of the corners.

All in all, I was in love from the moment I walked in.

As we all entered the bar, we followed Kaleb along through the field of intoxicated couples and loners, all trying to forget their worlds for a while and just enjoy the alcohol, music, and atmosphere.

Kaleb took us all the way to the back on the bar where a large, completely wooded table sat with a wraparound bench big enough to fit all five of us and more.

"You guys stay here and I'll go grab the first round," Kaleb offered as he shrugged off his jacket, throwing it over the back of the bench.

"You guys have any requests?" he asked, staring at the men expectantly.

"Just beer. Any beer and I'm set," replied Jackson as he scooted his way to the middle of the bench; sitting himself at the back of the table.

"I'm proud to say I have a little bit more class then Jackson here so I'll take a Guinness please."

Jackson scoffed jokingly at Dave's comment, running his hands back through his smooth looking hair before smacking Dave on the back of his head.

"Ow," Dave responded, smoothing his hand over the back of his head while giving Jackson a dirty look. "Dick," Dave muttered under his breath with a small smirk.

"Oh, stop being a baby," Meg shooed him as she turned to Kaleb. "Cosmo please?"

"You got it."

And then he turned to me. His tall stature towering over my body, his stare set firmly on mine with anticipated disappointment clouding his eyes.

"Peaches?"

I shook my head.

Reaffirmed disappointment flashed through his eyes. Kaleb shook his head dejectedly, and then took off back through the crowd to get everyone's drinks.

"Why does he call you that?"

My head snapped in Meg's direction.

"What?" I asked as I slid onto the bench next to her.

"Peaches! I've heard him call you that a few times now," she said with a smile.

"Oh, it's nothing," I mumbled nervously, finding interest in the intricate patterns ingrained into the table.

"It's adorable is what it is!" Meg gushed loudly.

"Yeah, he was even calling you that at the callbacks," Dave piped up to interject. "That's one of the main reasons I thought you two already knew each other."

Not knowing what to say in retort, I simply shook my head 'no' to Dave's statement.

"It's so sweet! Whenever he calls you Peaches, it's like you two have this private joke that belongs to only you guys. It's adorable and intimate, and sort of sexy too." Then, as Meg finished her blabbering, she got an odd sort of look in her eye and turned her attention to Dave.