That Horrible Mouth of Yours

FOUR.

The rest of the night went on without a hitch. Eddie and I spent the majority of it wobbling around the dance floor, though I tended to be a more enthusiastic dancer. Eddie adopted the mannerisms of an excited child whenever Elvis or Frank Sinatra blared through the jukebox. "Hound Dog" seemed to be his favorite, and he even tried to do Elvis' signature pelvic thrust.

"Oh my god!" I was covering my mouth, trying to contain my laughter, but the sight of him trying to dance like that was hilarious.

"What? This doesn't just drive you crazy?" The crooked smile on his face gave away his jest.

With an amused shake of my head, I idled away from the dance floor and deposited a few nickels in the jukebox. Some of the records looked like they had been in it since the fifties. My eyes scanned over the different songs until I found one that was newer, and decent. The atmosphere changed from the drawl of Mr. Presley to the upbeat vocals of Elton John.

"I'm surprised they even have a record newer than '64 in there," Eddie inclined his head toward the jukebox.

"Who wouldn't want the vocal stylings of Elton John in their bar? He's a genius," I state.

"Luli. No one is better than Elvis. He's the King!"

"No one? The Beatles, Eddie. The Beatles are probably the greatest of all time!" My mouth is open in shock, how can someone not like the Beatles?

We continued to dance through the night until the bar had nearly emptied, and the bartender started to clean up.

"I guess it's time to go," I shifted back and forth on my feet.

"I guess so... Do you have a place to stay?" Eddie asked me.

"Well, I don't think Glenda really has space for me, but I can find someplace."

"That's crazy, you can stay with me. I've got a spare room back at my place, but it's a little out of town."

Wariness bubbled in the pit of my stomach, and I felt a need to decline.

"I don't want to be a burden, I can stay in a motel, really."

I noticed the slight clench of Eddie's jaw, but he still led me out to his truck.

"All right, well, we only got one motel here, and it's right outside town. "

It only took a few minutes to reach the motel, sitting isolated in miles of corn fields. On one end, the office and maybe 10 rooms were spread across most of the property. Adjacent to the last room was a truck stop, with a large neon arrow pointing to the door. I made a move to go pay for a room, but Eddie stopped me.

"I've got it, Luli." He smiled.

"Thanks, Eddie." I grinned faintly and hung my head, digging the dirt with my toe.

"Don't worry about it." He ambled into the office, his gait lopsided, and his left leg buckling only the slightest bit. My eyes were drawn to the neon sign above the truck stop, where a long haired boy gazed at me through the window. I quickly glanced at Eddie, handing the woman at the desk a crumpled bill, and decided he would be able to see me from where I stood.

The boy tried to resume his work when he noticed I had entered the store, but I could tell he was fidgeting.

"Hey," I greeted.

He jerked up to meet my eyes and cracked a small smile.

"Hey, uh, you need help with anything?"

Even the slightest smile made his eyes sparkle the bluest blues I had ever seen.

"Oh, no, I'm just waiting for a motel room." I offered him a close lipped smile, turning to browse through the store.

"Well, at least have a cup of coffee," he shimmied past me and headed for a coffee cart across the room. I followed him closely until he turned suddenly and I was taken aback. "I'm Clement, by the way."

"Luli," I grabbed his outstretched hand, which he shook quickly, then returned to pouring coffee.

The bell on the door chimed behind me, and Clement's eye shifted past my shoulder.

"Hi, sir, how are you?" I looked over my shoulder to see Eddie eyeing Clement and clutching a key in his hand. He caught my gaze and tipped his hat.

"Fine, thanks. Luli, I got your key."

I quickly shifted my weight away from Clement.

"How much do I owe you?" I asked as I dug through my pockets for some coins.

"Nothing. It's on the house," He grinned and held the cup towards me. I smiled and nodded my head, before Eddie opened the door and guided me out. "See you around."

Eddie waited until we had reached my room to speak.

"He seemed a little too friendly, don't you think?" He fidgeted uncomfortably and fumbled to unlock the door.

"No," I countered, and grabbed the key from him, "he was being polite."

Eddie grunted and backed away towards his truck.

"Guess I'll see you tomorrow then," he turned and got in the drivers seat.

"Guess so," I mumbled.