Ace quickly redressed himself whilst Laura moved her arms through the jacket sleeves. She turned her head to smell the collar, it smelt like a mixture of cigarettes and a scent all men had.
"Why do you have so many boxes in your room?" she asked, noticing the large pile stacked into a corner of the room.
"I'm just minding them for a friend," Ace said nonchalantly. He lit a cigarette and put his arm over her shoulder before asking, "What do you wanna do now? We got some time before the old lady expects you home from school."
He winked playfully.
"Can we stay here for a little while?" Laura asked, closing her arms around him and resting her head against his chest.
"You're not trying to get your way by pressing your foxy body against me are you?" he teased.
"No," she said, burying her face in his shirt.
"I don't know," he said, tipping her chin up with his free hand before moving both his arms to encase her. "What would we do?" he said looking down at her suggestively.
She smiled before pushing him playfully. He pecked her on the cheek before he lay flat on his bed again. Laura lay down next to him and put her arm over his chest.
"Are you tired again," she asked, noticing his eyes were starting to droop.
"Mmm," he groaned slightly, the sleep he had gotten slumped over the bar this morning had hardly been adequate.
He adjusted himself slightly so he was more comfortable and closed his eyes completely. He felt Laura begin to rub his chest in soft slow circles which helped him drift off to sleep.
When he awoke the sky was dark and Laura was long gone. He sat up, stretching slightly noticing a note tucked under his pillow. He unfolded it, struggling to read it in the dim light.
I had to go home and I didn't want to wake you.
I'll see you tomorrow handsome,
love, Laura.
He smirked when he noticed she had used a pet name for him, she'd never done that before. His look quickly soured when he remembered it was the same thing the skraggy barmaid had called him this morning.
Running his hand through his hair he stood up from his bed and went to see what was on for dinner. His mother looked up from chopping vegetables as he entered the room.
"We'll be eating soon John," she told him.
Ace noticed she had already started setting the table. He sat down at the dinner table across from his Pop who presumably had just gotten home from work. He was listening to the radio, drinking a scotch and ignoring his son. Ace knew his father was intimidated by him and he found it pathetic.
"Here honey," his mother said setting his meal down in front of him.
"Thanks Ma," he replied. He had a bit of a soft spot for his mother and he always felt a little extra ticked off when anybody insulted her.
"Just woken up son?" his father asked as his own meal was set in front of him. Ace knew he really meant why haven't you gotten a job and left my house yet, but he'd never say it.
"Yea," he said in his best 'you got a problem' tone.
His father turned his attention back to his mash potatoes.
"You going out tonight Johnny?" his mother asked. She was the only one he had ever let get away with calling him Johnny.
"Dunno," he said scratching his chest and winking at her.
She chuckled shaking her head, easily charmed by her son.
"Turn that radio off Joe," she said to her husband, "we're eating."
With the radio gone so was his fathers only source of distraction. He instead focused on his meal.
Ace watched him with scorn, enjoying how uncomfortable he was making him yet wishing he wasn't such a joke. The Chambers boys father was known for how savagely he beat his son's, Ace seeing first hand the multitude of bruises, cuts and welts Eyeball had accumulated over the years, and Charlie Hogan's father had once threw him through a window. But Joe Merrill had rarely raised a hand to Ace, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd told him off.
It had always been his mother who slapped him around, and he respected her for it.
"I'll be back later," Ace said to his Ma, kissing her cheek before he headed out the door. He was thinking of seeing who was down at Irby's Billiards.
When he arrived he wasn't surprised to see Eyeball, Vince and Billy already playing.
"Hey Ace," Vince called out, waving him over to join them.
Eyeball gave one look towards the doorway and starting running around the pool tables like a madman.
"What's wrong Eyeball?" Ace called from the doorway, "not happy to see me?"
Eyeball cackled and backed himself into a corner, ready to bolt either way if Ace approached him.
"Come here," Ace said, crooking his finger.
Eyeball began to walk over to him in mock bravado, "yeah, what do ya want?"
Ace knocked him on top of the head before pulling him by his shirt collar.
"What do you do if you see my parked car?" he asked in a low voice.
"Walk the other way," Eyeball answered.
Ace shoved him away, heading towards the rack to pick out a cue.
"Shit man," Billy said once Ace had moved on, "I thought you were a goner."
"I would've been if he hadn't have gotten laid afterward," Eyeball said, trying to suppress his laughter.