Page 24 of Hunt Me

‘Ready?’ Rene asks after waving a hand in my periphery. He’s fully dressed, looking gorgeous in his flapper dress and wig set in a short, sharp bob at his chin.

I give him a nod. I am. I’m ready to become Glimmer Dear and, once again, stop thinking for the little while I’m onstage, where nothing else matters.

Rene smiles at me, his face soft, and he takes my arm as we make our way onto the stage. The lights are bright, blinding almost, but I blink through it. I wave my hands toward the crowd and feel the music pulsing beneath my feet.

Suddenly, it stops, and the lights dim. We’re getting ready for the main performance. I can almost feel the energy of thecrowd. From here, I can make out some of them, smiling faces, waving hands.

And that’s when I see him.

Arhe.

He’s in the back of the bar, his arms crossed over his chest, his head cocked as he stares at me. His eyes are so dark, so piercing, almost like they refuse to let any of the light in the room in. And that should terrify me, but god, it doesn’t.

My pulse flutters in my neck when the lights flash brightly and I can no longer make him out. But it doesn’t matter. Drag is for me, but this performance, it’s for him. This is me showing him what he missed out on when he left me in the cemetery, ass out, humiliated.

Here is what he left behind.

I move with purpose, interacting with the crowd, winking at and teasing them. My comedy is gold, my playful, exaggerated gestures a giant fuck-you to Arhe, who better still be here when I’m done.

I want him to feel the sting of what he could have had.

Or what he might still be able to get if he really means the apology he left on my table.

By the final beat beneath my feet, I’m on my knees, my arms wide, Rene doing jazz hands as he spins in a circle, shaking his ass for good measure. I feel the music settle as I hop up and take a bow, and I blow kisses and shoot ILY signs to the audience before exiting the stage.

I couldn’t see Arhe in the bar before I left. I don’t know if he stayed. My heart’s still pounding from the show as I slip into my seat and quickly grab a makeup wipe to clear away the mess my face has become with all the sweat. The other queens are also starting to peel away sweaty dresses and wigs, and there’s a quiet air of triumph around the room as we begin to decompress.

‘That was amazing. You champ,’ Rene says as he slips past me. He’s pulling his wig off and shaking his hair out.

‘Same. Same.’ I grab another wipe to finish clearing up my face, and when I blink in the mirror, Denver is back. There’s always a small pulse of regret when that happens, and not because I regret who I am, but because for years, I never quite fit in, and even with drag, sometimes it’s hard to step into my own shoes, where I’m a little less worthy and a little less wanted.

But there is a man who is here—or was here—who didn’t make me feel that way. I wasn’t Glimmer Dear in the alley when he saved my life. I wasn’t Glimmer Dear in the cemetery as he traced a touch over my panties and breathed heavily against my neck.

But I’m also in no rush to see if anything changed with Arhe. To see if he’s still waiting for me. I’m going to take my time. To go slow. To make him wait for it. I want to teach him a lesson in fucking patience.

‘Why you moving so fast?’ Rene asks.

Damn it.

‘I’m not,’ my hands lie. ‘I’m moving slow. Look-look.’

Rene lets out a laugh and shakes his head. ‘Bitch, please. You meeting someone?’

I huff and turn my gaze back to the mirror, running my fingers through my hair. ‘No. You think that, why?’

‘You look-like…’ His hand waves around my face. ‘Happy, maybe?’

Not what I expected him to say at all.

‘I’m not happy.’ I give an exaggerated frown.

‘True-biz,’ he signs, his whole body full of sarcasm. Then he giggles, running a hand along one of my bare shoulders before moving away.

Rolling my eyes, I turn away and finish cleaning my face, then check my phone for any missed messages. My heart sinkswhen I see a rambling story from Rome, but nothing from my mysterious cemetery man, which makes sense, considering he doesn’t have my number, but for some reason, I expected him to have procured it by now.

My stomach feels funny as I twist on my stool and prepare to stand up. My normal routine would have me leaving out the back door, heading to my car, and passing out on my couch the second I got home. But I can’t do that tonight.

Not with Arhe nearby. Not with him having watched the entire show. The gift left on my table meant something, but his presence in the crowd tonight meant more. I probably should look out into the bar to see if he’s waiting there, but instinct tells me that I need to go where it all started.