Fedya turned to walk away from the loft’s office nook, still checking his pockets. He was certain that Dielle was grinning. It must have been the March weather, he thought. With the temperature going back and fourth between warm and cold there was no way of knowing what he would be wearing one day or the other but still, how could he have forgotten to put a pack in his donkey jacket?
Casually he walked towards the far corner of the loft where the Circle Band did most of it’s practicing. He brushed his hand behind one of his speakers and..
“Oh, I did a little bit of house cleaning the other day. You wouldn’t believe what you guys leave lying around.”
Fedya grimaced. . The goddamn, he somehow managed to suppress the first few words to describe Dielle that occurred to him, person! She was enjoying this! Housecleaning? She knew damn well Mr. Lu came in to sweep twice a week and HE knew what not to throw away… most notably anything taped to the back of a speaker.
“It is good you is tidy person, my friend, he said, with gritted teeth.
Dielle returned his half smile, looking suspiciously smug.
Fedya looked around, trying hard to not look frantic. It was bad enough Dielle forced him to smoke on the street, now she was taking his emergency stash. Wait. Maybe she hadn’t thrown them away! Maybe she had…. Fedya glanced over at the office area where Dielle had gone back to doing paperwork. He would not give her the satisfaction by asking he would check the desk drawer when she…. but he needed a smoke NOW!
He could tell he was getting irritable already. The argument between Kevin and that punk Amazon guitarist, what was her name, Bian was beginning to get on his nerves. To be fair it wasn’t much of an argument it was Bian yelling and Kevin was just standing there and…. that was it!
“Ah, Bian, my friend! I am sorry to interrupt, but I am needing to borrow your boyfriend for short while”, he said with his best smile.
Bian paused and turned to look at him scowling. “He’s not my boyfriend,” she growled.
“That is good,” Fedya said putting a hand on Kevin’s shoulder. “Then you not mind me taking him for little talk then, no?”
Bian said nothing.
Fedya paused as he led Kevin away, “So… if you not find one… you look for good replacement, yes?
Bian glared at him but, as Fedya noticed with a wry grin, did not say no.
He turned back to Kevin who hadn’t moved from where he had moved him. “Ah Kevin, my friend, I have something very important to ask you.”
Kevin blinked and turned to stare behind Fedya . “How important?” He asked.
Fedya followed Kevin’s gaze but all he could see was a small plush koala bear seated on the other speaker. He shrugged. “Is nothing big. You just still have my spare smokes, yes?
Kevin blinked again and started patting his plaid shirt until he finally got to the breast pocket; the shirt’s only pocket Fedya noticed annoyed, pulled out a crumpled packet and passed it to Kevin. Fedya snatched them, no longer caring if he looked desperate. The packet was crumpled. Two cigarettes were crushed beyond repair but that was okay. He had rolling paper One looked wet, possible moldy and nibbled by something. The other three looked fine and…. Fedya let that last thought sink in. “This no good.” He said slowly.
“Sorry.” Said Kevin.
This not good. This not enough to last until gig… this barely enough to get… He grabbed Kevin by the shoulder. “Come, we must get to my place. We need to get supply.
“But what will Dielle and Michelle say when…”
“They understand. This Emergency.”
