Whiskey for Elephants

3.

We'd been driving for an hour or so, but it was a great time. When they said Mr. Radke was a special client, I thought they meant because of his rep, but they meant that it was hard to move on from working with him after you did. Or, you knew it would be based on the fact you loved being around him.
"Shouldn't be long now." I say, nudging his arm, he'd been almost asleep. Turns out, I learned, he couldn't sleep last night. He nodded, almost invisibly. I was too excited to be close to my home town. When I was sure he was asleep, I shut the air off, rolled the windows down and took a big whiff of the smelly ass Kingston Mines. I slowed down because the road was getting heavy with traffic. I unplugged his phone from the aux and put on some Post Malone.
After about fifteen minutes, we pulled into the cramped ass parking lot of the Diner. I nudged him awake.
"Hm? We here?"
"Yeah. Get out. Some food will do ya good." I say, adopting my old dialect shamelessly. I got out, locked the car upon hearing the second door close. I held the door for him and he shook his head to wake up. I pointed him to a booth in the far corner and used the bathroom. After, I joined him. I already knew what I wanted.
"Is this where you're from?" He asks, more tired than earlier.
"I'm actually from a town over." I say. Soon, my regular waitress walked over. "Hey girl, you know my usual. But today, blueberries?" I say.
"You got it. For your boyfriend?"
"Client. Mr. Radke?"
"I want biscuits and gravy? It looks good." He says. She wrote it down.
"Lemon water with coffee?" I nod. "Water for him, as well. Heated." I send her off and when I look over, Radke is almost asleep again. "Ronnie!" I say. He jerked awake, blinked really big, and said, "I GOTTA PEE."

A few minutes later, I heard him sit across from me, so I put my newspaper down.
"What's wrong with me being your boyfriend?" I furrow my brow. I sip my lemon water.
"The fact that I work for you. Otherwise, you seem to be a decent human. Anyone would be lucky, if they could put up with you." He sat back.
"Oh. That was no bullshit. You didn't even lie to cover anything up." He says, astonished. Our food arrived and I dowsed my waffles in butter and syrup. He tore into the biscuits and gravy.

After a few minutes, we finished eating. I tipped and tossed Mr. Radke the keys. I stopped at the temporary tattoo coin machine.
"What.. are you doing? You have three real tattoos." Mr. Radke said, unamused.
"These ones are glittery AND cheaper." I stick my tongue out at him. I take it and stuff it in my glove box for later. I let Mr. Radke drive back and this time, I'm the one who can't stay awake.

Some minutes into the drive, I wake up and groan. Forgetting he was in the car, it startled me to hear him gently ask what was wrong. I just said the words, 'my neck.' Before fading back into sleepy land.
When I woke again, my head was resting on Ronnie's chest. Jerking myself up, I take in my situation. We were fully clothed in my hotel room, both asleep, allegedly. I check the time. Ronnie had an hour until the AP shoot. I wake him up.
As he got ready and I made phone calls, he recollected to me everything that happened after the diner. Falling asleep on his arm driving. Waking up to walk to the room and unlock the door. Being tired enough to not give a shit about sleeping in the same bed. The whole nine.
He left in his car and I left in mine. When we got to the shoot, I registered him and claimed him present.
As the shoot progressed, I sat in the background, trying to figure out when I started calling him Ronnie.
About three hours later, the shoot was over and I was by myself in my room. I was trying to decide if I'd drive back to my hometown to stay the night at my aunts or to go and see the shower at the venue.
I perused my folder for today's set list.
If I wanted to learn anything else about Mr. Radke, going to the show tonight would be a shoe in.
My Bluetooth headset buzzed.
"Go for Durant." I say.
"Ms. Durant? This is Darwin, I am in charge of the behind the scenes crew. Ronnie has reserved three tickets. Any idea who they could be?"
"Hm. Don't know Darwin. Let me call him." I hung up and walked four doors down, knocking on the fifth. Ronnie opens the door in a towel and I heard a female in the shower. Taking a breath, I asked him who the third ticket was for. He leaned in his door way, taking longer to answer than necessary. He had a look on his face that said he was trying to decide.
"Well, i haven't got all day, Mr. Radke." I say, feigning looking at my phone for time.
"Oh, we're back there Now?"
"I'm just trying to get out of your hair. Sounds like you're busy." I say, trying my damnedest to get him off my case.
"I'll let Darwin know myself." He says, before shutting the door in my face. I stood there a moment. I swallowed my pride and walked back to my room, called Darwin, informed him of what I was told.
An hour later, I decided against going to the show, for obvious reasons. I packed my suit case and set it by my door. I was stuffing my purse full of shampoos when I heard a knock.
"It's open!" I yell.
"Hey dude, where are you?" Radke asked.
"Right here. Whatcha need boss?" I say, as nonchalantly as possible. I was still cooling off from our run in earlier.
"Are you coming tonight?"
"No. I have somewhere to be." I say, blatantly.
"Jeez, Durant, What's with you?"
"Nothing. Busy." I shrug. I busy myself throwing garbage away and make a show of finding my keys.
"Busy leaving?" I nod. "Why?"
"I'm not needed." I say, to put it simple. From the look in his eye, he knows somethings up. As expected, he challenges me.
"So nothing to do with that stuff from earlier."
"OH would you look at that? I have to check out. See ya when I see ya." I gestured him out as I left.
"Danika. Answer me."
"I don't need to witness or hear of any triumphs of yours. This is me utilizing the professional shroud." A pit formed in my stomach as he said, 'okay.' I didn't turn until I got to the elevator and when I did, what I saw was a man who looked SO exasperated at everything, but his gaze trailed after me.