A Happy Family

Chapter 7

They were quiet on the drive home, mostly because he didn't quite know what to say to her. He was still wrapping his head around everything that had happened and that he had gone along with. When they walked into the apartment, he went straight for the kitchen to pour a drink. He heard her footsteps following him and shook his head as he poured. "An event? Next Saturday? Really Velvet?!" Throwing the drink back in one gulp, he spun around to face her. "What exactly am I supposed to do then? I can't teach someone something big and sparkly and new in a week, Baby Doll. And where is this show even supposed to be Velvet?"

"Have it at the Bleeding Heart. It'll be the perfect "fuck you, I'm moving on", don't you think? You've told me about that night, Val. I know that specific club is a special, intimate place between you two." She propped her hands on her hips. "Why do you think I burned all your sheets? Get rid of the intimacy. Throw him in the trash, cause he's trash and you deserve better anyways!" His heart sank at the thought of doing what she wanted. The Bleeding Heart was the first club Vox had funded for him. It was the first place he'd danced for Vox, the first place he'd really let himself be vulnerable for Vox. And as he remembered; he'd almost given himself to Vox that night too, right there on the floor of the club before it had opened. Of course, they'd been interrupted, but it didn't make the place any less meaningful.

"It has to be there, doesn't it?" He poured another drink and downed it like the first with a hiss.

"You don't have to do anything if you don't want to. I just... I wanna see you flip him one last bird before I have to go. So I know that you won't be sad and alone while I'm getting everything set up for the opening." He smiled and quickly grabbed her, picking her up and cuddling her.

"How did I get such a loving little girl?"

"We talked about this earlier, remember, I fell onto your limo." They shared a laugh and he put her down, walking into the living room and sitting down on the couch. "Now...the only thing I didn't think about was... what we're gonna do." Biting his lip, he tilted his head to the side.

"Leave that to me. I'll come up with something. I'm going to take a bubble bath and think it over." And that was that. He moved into the bedroom and carefully removed Valentine; the wig, the makeup, the dress, the heels. All of it. Running the water hot and filling it with as much bubble bath as he could, he thought about what an event without Vox could possibly be. Something the people had never seen before from them, that he could get set up within a week, and the perfect person to do it. Sinking into the water, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, until it came to him. The smile that curved his lips was one of cruel anticipation.

Walking in the door of the apartment, he threw his keys on the console and sighed, heading straight for the couch. They'd been silent on the way home, and the way Elaine had been staring out the window told him she wasn't exactly thrilled. He heard her follow him in and close the door, following him to the living room. "What the fuck was that?" He threw his hands up and shook his head, giving her a confused look.

"What was what?"

"Don't play stupid, Simon! You were practically drooling over her all night! Did you think I didn't notice you picking her out in the theater? Or did you think I would miss the way that you stared as she walked away?" She was standing in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest, tapping her foot.

"Elaine, everyone was staring at Val the entire time. That's not speculation, that's a fact." She growled and he watched her lips lift in a snarl.

"What is so special about her that makes people look at her? What does she have that draws your attention, Simon? Is it because she's tall? Or because she's thin, or the curve of her hips? What?!" He stared at her for a minute before pushing off the couch and wrapping his arms around her.