by Amber Burns
“Sorry. Snacks with the wine.”
“Holly, you gotta do the honors.” Dan tilts his glass her way. She’s flustered, her eyes going about the room before she jumps into a quick speech including a profusion of ‘thanks’ to me.
I poke a finger at my chest and everyone, except Astra, laughs. She’s out of the loop until Holly explains, “Ryker helped get me a job with the Lopezes. I’m planning their daughter Lolinda’s birthday.”
“That’s wonderful, Holls,” Astra tilts her head, “I think?”
“I felt the same when Tzatza called.” Holly grins. “By the way, her name is pronounced ‘Za-Za’.”
“Where did that come from?” Jesse asks, his wide smile dimpling his cheeks.
“What?” she blinks, luring Astra in. “You know how long we’ve been trying to figure it out. How long has it been, Astra? We joined the council, what, four, five months now – well, since then. So a long time.”
Jesse and Dan chuckle at her anecdote.
“I didn’t really do that much.”
“Except name-drop you, he means,” Dan grins and lifts his shoulders at me. “How did you find out though?” I ask, bringing the conversation back to the topic of her new hire.
“Two little birds told me,” she says.
“Hey, I’m not little.” Dan’s exclamation makes us all laugh this time.
With that, we clink glasses and settle down for a mid-day snack. Astra and I pick at the food, catching Jesse’s attention first. “What’s up?”
“Not really hungry. I had a big breakfast at the B&B.” I say. I feel Astra shifting beside me, reaching for another cracker she can slowly nibble on.
“I’m starving.” Dan gives me a break from Jesse.
“We ate burgers on the way in,” Jesse rolls his eyes. “How could you be starving?”
I smile, faking the ease. It wouldn’t be horrible if the guys found out about Astra and I, but I wouldn’t exactly feel great either.
I’m still unclear as to where we stand. I like her. Even now I’m enjoying the occasional brush of her knee on mine as she stretches for the snack platter.
Long distance could be a thing. I’d have to bring it up, and let Astra decide if she’s cool with exploring it. But that doesn’t exactly promise forever either.
“Where are you going?” Holly’s asking Dan who's shrugging on his coat and heading for the door. He wipes his hands down his jeans and promises to return, leaving before anyone could get out another question.
Jesse’s staring after him like he knows what’s up.
The suspense doesn’t last long.
Dan is back and he isn’t empty-handed. He’s got two bottles of premium vodka in each hand.
“Come on,” he says as Jesse sighs loudly. “I picked these up, in case. And I feel like this is the perfect case.”
“It isn’t even evening yet.” Holly says, her grin countering it.
He smirks. “You’re not saying ‘no’ though,” and he’s twisting the bottle cap off the vodka, pouring glasses for himself, Holly and Jesse.
I hold up my glass of champagne.
“Bubbly for me,” I’m passing on the vodka. I can’t stand the burning and I’m not a quiet drunk, exactly. At least I don’t like the taste of champagne and I’ll ration my glass for as long as Astra’s entertaining. Although she the quietest hostess I’ve seen.
Our eyes meet and I nudge her leg with mine, passing it off as a slip of the leg. I hope she knows I’m commiserating with her. I’ve been trying to think of anything and everything else except for her naked body spread out over her sheets.
“Wait, wait,” Dan brings me back to the den. He’s gesturing for Jesse to lower the hand holding his glass. “You’re going to ruin the fun.”
“I thought this was the fun?” Holly asks.
“It’s only part of the fun. The other part is, we’re going to play a game.”
“A drinking game? Really?” I don’t bother to hide my incredulity. Jesse laughs lightly.
“Just for that poor attitude, you should drink.” Dan says. He holds out his glass. “None of that sissy stuff either.”
I stiffen. “I’ll pass.”
He shakes the glass, and filled as it is quarter way, it doesn’t splash over Astra’s rug and the den’s floorboards. “Drink.”
“No.”
“One glass won’t hurt you,” Dan demands, his earnest chipping away at my resolve, and even Jesse is eventually leaning on our bassist’s side.
“Do it and get it over with.” Jesse nods at the glass.
I take the glass from him and down the vodka. Covering the stinging in my nose, I hand the glass back and happily accept the cracker from Astra.
“That wasn’t so hard,” he’s saying and I growl to a fresh wave of laughter.
“So,” Dan refills his glass, “here’s what the game is all about. Have you heard of two truths, one lie? It’s that with a twist. For every time you lose, you down a shot.”
“Only one person can guess, and there’s only one guess per round. Oh, yeah, you can get an extra guess, but you have to drink for it. Game?”
“Sounds like fun,” Holly straightens up in her seat, her blue eyes sparkling. “Who gets to go first?”
“I think it’s only fair if the guest of honor goes first.” Dan toasts her. She giggles.
Jesse’s in, probably because of Holly, and I’m in because of Astra.
“You can be the referee.” Dan offers. “Keep these two savages in line.” He says, ignoring Jesse and my dubious expressions.
“I’ll do my best.”
Holly clears her throat. “Okay, here goes.” She smooths a hand down the leg of her black tights.
The box-like teal dress she’s wearing falling below her knees. The black cardigan hanging off her and could easily have been meant for someone twice her size. She doesn’t look old enough to be dressed so professionally, and definitely not to be leading us into the first round of drinking fun.
“I used to have a monkey as a roommate, I can twist a mean cherry knot and for two years I played on a burlesque trailer show.” She looks around. “Who’s supposed to answer?”
“I will,” Jesse raises his hand, forcing Dan to glower and lower his. “Number one and three are truths. Two is a lie.”
Astra is shifting beside me and glance over to see her rapt interest on the game. For someone who isn’t playing, it has me wondering if she’s considering the hard alcohol now for the game.
“You’re right,” Holly sighs. “I have to drink, right?”
Dan nods gravely, only his twinkling eyes give him away. “Bottoms up.”
She tips her head back and wrinkles her nose on swallowing, her throat convulsing. Dan and Jesse laugh.
Jesse picks up the ball with his turn. He gives three pretty obscure statements and when it falls to Dan to decipher it he’s at an obvious loss as to how to answer.
“No,” Jesse shakes his head at his guesses. “Nice try though.”
Dan downs his drink and hisses, holding up a hand and waiting for his throat to clear of the vodka wash. “It’s number two then. That’s the lie.”
“Nope.”
Groaning, Dan waits for Holly to refill him and he gulps the loser’s vodka.
“My turn,” he says, coughing from his beat down by Jesse.
The floor is turned to me as I listen to Dan’s truths and a lie. I guess incorrectly and suffer once, passing on an opportunity to guess again and get Dan to drink.
“Your turn, Ry,” Dan says and leaning into Holly he adds on a loud whisper, “He’s done all these crazy things over the years, just stick with the least craziest thing he says. That’s the lie.”
Jesse drops his head, but he’s hiding the large smile.
Astra’s knee bumps mine as she twists in the settee, her leg drawing up on the chair. I can feel her eyes studying me. I concentrate on picking my statements, not about to ruin everyone else’s good time.
I scratch my
jaw. “Okay, how about: I’m a certified paragliding coach. My great-great-great-great, that’s four generations, grandfather was one of Paul Revere’s confidantes.”
“Who’s Paul Revere?” Dan blurts and Jesse says, “U.S. history remedial.”
“And I’ve only had sex with five women.” I hope my voice didn’t crack at the end. I can’t figure Astra’s mood, made all the harder without seeing her.
Dan hoots. “Now we’re talking! Only five though.” He turns to Holly with a gleam. “That’s the lie. That has to be the lie. Wait, does that include one-nighters?”
“That’s what I said.” I repeat, a bit more solemn given the atmosphere of the situation.
It’s just a game. You’re not doing anything wrong. Have fun, relax, it’s going to be all right. But the pep-talk does nothing to calm my wired nerves.
“Why does it have to be a lie?” Jesse asks, his sitting up from his slouch, looking a little livelier. Holly is really brooding over it, her brow is scrunched up and it’s the first sign of her age.
“Because that’s just...unnatural. What is your dick for, man? Are you starving it or something?” Jesse and I are used to Dan’s lack of filter. Holly and Astra are a little taken by the language.
Sensing the mood shift, Dan apologizes but picks up the tirade. “Seriously though, five women? When was the last time you had sex then?”
“If he answers that then there’s no point of the game,” Jesse points out.
“You could always Google it.” Dan whispers loudly again.
I raise a hand at the same time Jesse says, “Cheaters should be made to drink.”
“What is this, a dictatorship?” Dan winks and waves to restart the game.
Holly claps a hand over her knee and nods. “I’m going to say the lie is the five women. As sweet as it is, it seems...implausible. Sorry, Ryker, you’re too hot to have only five lucky girls drool all over you.”
She squeezes her eyes shut then, wincing, “Let me have it then – am I right or wrong?”
The whole room waits on bated breath when only Astra should, if she cares. I can’t risk looking her way with both Jesse and Dan burrowing holes in me with their anticipation.
I put Holly out of her misery. “You’re wrong.”
Dan makes a failing buzzer noise and Holly tips her glass over the obnoxious ‘wah-wah-wah’.
“Five women!”
Dan’s exclamation tightens my smile, but I repeat, “Five women.”
Raising his glass, Dan bobs his head. “I’ll drink to that anyways.” And he does, wiping his mouth with a loud sigh and earning Holly’s appreciation I bet.
Astra’s friend smiles with the bitter touches of the vodka. “You know what? I hate this stuff,” she’s wiggling her empty glass, “but I’m glad to hear that. You’re a million to one, Ryker.”
“One in a million, you mean,” Jesse leans forward, his glass clenched in both hands. “Maybe we should call it a time-out.”
“Is she drunk already?” Dan waves his hand in front of her face. Holly grabs it and twists, making him beg for release. Jesse and I share a laugh as our mouthy third man shakes his hand of the remnants of Holly’s tight grip.
“I’m not drunk. Yet.” She’s vehement. Eyes glazed and her brow scrunched as she continues, “Oh right, as I was saying, you’re a great guy, Ryker. Really great, and one day you’re going to make one special girl super happy.”
I totally disagree. My picky sex life hardly encompasses other areas of my life. Drunk or not, Holly is putting me on the spot.
“Are you dating anyone right now?” Holly innocently asks, her smile unwavering.
“No.” I’m curt. I do return her smile, but it’s fleeting. I make a grab for a cracker that is further away from me and under the cover find Astra.
Looking someplace over my head, she’s smiling though it’s not reaching her eyes. Damn. I can’t make out a single emotion this way. My neck is starting to cramp. I have to sit back, make it seem inconspicuous with our guests.
“Jesse’s in the lead with two points, me and the Ry-Man are tie. Is that right, referee?”
“Yeah,” Astra drifts back, stammering. She’s uncomfortable, shifting more and more as round two of the game begins. I wedge our fingers between us and stroke her thigh. I absorb her jolt and meet her sharp gaze.
I’m worrying I pushed a little too far by mentioning four other previous lovers, and Holly’s question about my relationship status likely didn’t help. For number five, Astra’s by far the best and the only one who’s proving to be harder to shake off the more we hop in bed.
And that’s the problem.
I can’t – won’t entertain the idea of a long-term relationship.
I wanted her to know where we stood. I thought I might have not been clear, but she couldn’t possibly be expecting more from me. I’m a professional musician, for fuck’s sake.
Probably figuring what I want, Astra whispers, “I’m fine.” She moves her leg away, giving me a wider berth, going as far as the couch will let her.
I clench my jaw and tune into Jesse’s third win against Dan.
We play for three more rounds, and Jesse closes out with no losses and that works out as he’s the responsible driver for Dan and Holly.
“We picked her up on the way over,” Jesse explains, nudging his head at a laughing Dan and Holly wrapped around each other inside the back of the rental four-door. “I’ll drop her off and see this guy gets home safe, too. Want a ride?”
“Nah, I’m good.” I take in the dark skies and streets. Evening is giving way to night quickly.
Gripping his car key, Jesse frowns. “Are you two…?” he lets the question hang between us. I grip his shoulder and squeeze.
“Cliché bastard that I am, let’s leave it at ‘it’s a long story’.” I squeeze little harder and drop my hand. “We’ll talk later.”
I step in from the white, icy world and nearly run in Astra. She’s got her hat and scarf on, struggling to get her arms into her coat, flipping her red hair over the collar.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to drive you to the B&B.”
I’m a little shocked. And hurt. And maybe just a little annoyed.
“Fine,” I cup my jaw, trying to get a grasp on the right words. Did the right words for something like this exist? “We need to talk though.”
“Sure,” she sounds blasé, closing up and leading me to her car.
“I’ll come back for mine tomorrow.” I say, gesturing to the SUV parked on her curb.
“Sure.” No guy gets to be thirty-eight and not now when a girl’s icing him out. I’m getting the cold shoulder and hell if it doesn’t bother me.
Astra’s focus is on the road. The radio’s off and we’re not talking, and the silence is suffocating. Just as I’m planning to break it for fear of going crazy, I spy a familiar red ribbon on the widely spaced street lamps.
We’re at the border of Main Street, and only a few lights from the inn where I should let Astra drive me without a detour, but I’m already asking her to pull over.
“Stop,” I don’t look to her to see if she’s listening. The car is slowing and she stops, in the middle of the street. Astra doesn’t turn the engine off. She does pull to park.
I exit the car, leaning back in to invite her out. “I want to show you something.”
Astra draws her seatbelt off and pulls her key from the ignition. Her eyes are lit by intrigue even if it’s frustration that tightens her voice. “What is it, Ryker?”
She’s on the sidewalk with me. I reach out and thrill at the touch of her arm, drawing her into me before she comes down from her surprise. I wrap a thick strand of burnished red around my finger, kissing her hair and meeting her eyes.
“I used to live near here,” I murmur, swept into the luminosity of her brown irises. “But that’s an understatement. I grew up on this street, before I moved away to college.”
I have her attention now. It’s ea
sier to lead her to number seventy-three. “That’s it. Home sweet home.”
Astra’s silent. I’d be, too. I can’t blame her; first I’m airing out my dirty sex laundry, and then I’m giving her a bit of the past, a piece of me I haven’t parted with…ever.
“My family’s not in there.” I scratch my head at the obvious. Astra is being patient. I suddenly understand how she’s able to manage counselling the new generation of brats at St. B&J.
