“Ay, it’s the birthday boy!” Freddie called when he saw me. “Welcome back!”
Christy seemed a little disappointed, but only because she knew why I’d returned so quickly.
Is everything all right? she asked with a look.
I nodded. I’ll tell you later.
She rose and gave me a kiss.
“So,” Wren said, “did ya get a piece?”
“A piece of what?” I asked disingenuously.
“Terri. That little tram—?”
“Who wants another shot?” Christy blurted.
“Hey, did you jus’—”
“I’d love one,” I said.
“Yeah, shots,” Freddie chimed in.
Nikki nodded drunkenly. “Hard core! Le’s do it.”
Wren frowned and tried to figure out how the conversation had gotten away from her.
“Only… um… we might’ve finished your birthday bottle,” Christy said with a guilty wince. She looked so cute that I forgot about Wren entirely.
“It’s okay,” I laughed. “We have some Jameson in the cupboard.”
“Oh, come on, not that Irish crap,” Trip complained. “Wha’s wrong with Jack?”
“Nothing,” I said to keep the peace.
“Bottle’s in my office,” he added.
I returned with it and poured six shots. We drank, and Christy visibly relaxed as her supercharged metabolism absorbed the alcohol.
“I know!” Wren said out of the blue. “Le’s play Strip Poker!”
“Yeah, poker!” Freddie said immediately.
“Hard core,” Nikki agreed.
I wasn’t sure either of them could see the cards, much less play an actual game.
“Let’s do another shot first,” Christy said.
“Yeah, shots!”
“Hard core.”
Everyone was drunk already, and another round seemed like overkill. But Christy implored me with a look, so I poured.
“T’ th’ birthday boy!” Freddie toasted.
He and Christy downed theirs. Wren mechanically tossed hers back. Nikki sipped hers almost delicately, while Trip simply stared at his. The first shot had just started to work on my system, so I drank the second and felt a warm glow spread through me.
Dex snapped back to consciousness at that point. He’d never really been unconscious, but more like suspended animation.
“What’d I miss?” he asked.
“Um… nothing?” I said. “You want a shot?”
“God, no. Just the bathroom.” He rose and headed toward the kitchen.
The party wound down pretty quickly after that. Trip spread his palms on the table and had a staring contest with his untouched shot.
“I win,” he said at last. “Time f’r bed. You comin’?”
“Me?” Wren said blankly. “But…? What about…?” She looked at Christy and then me.
“Le’s go,” Trip insisted.
She was so drunk that she didn’t argue.
“G’night,” he told the group. “Thanks f’r comin’. An’ happy—” He swallowed a burp. “Birthday.”
“Thanks.”
He gestured to Wren and supported her as they walked very deliberately toward the stairs.
“What’d I miss?” Dex said from the door to the kitchen. He surveyed the room. “Uh-oh. Time for us to go?”
I felt a sense of whiplash at his sudden transformation, from oblivious to observant.
He helped Nikki stand. “C’mon, it’s late. Let’s get you home.”
“You gonna spen’ the night?” she asked.
“If you want.”
“I want.”
Christy and I exchanged a look. She rose and followed them out, while I tried to decide what to do with Freddie and Rosemary. She was still asleep on the couch, and he was far too drunk to walk home.
“Come on,” I said to him at last, “you can spend the night in the spare bedroom.”
“You’re my bes’ friend,” he said. “You know tha’?”
“Yeah, Freddie, I do. And you’re mine.” It was a little white lie, but a harmless one.
“Hold on. Where’s Rose?”
“On the couch.”
“I don’ think I c’n carry her.”
“I’ll do it,” I told him. “Can you walk on your own?”
“Fuggedaboutit.”
Christy returned. “Lean on me, Freddie,” she told him. She slid an arm around his waist and helped him up the stairs.
I tried to wake Rosemary, but she was out. I picked her up and carried her instead. She’d taken off her shoes downstairs, so I simply laid her in the bed next to Freddie.
“You need anything before we go?” I asked him.
“Nah. We’re good. Happy New Year!”
“New Year’s in January,” I chuckled.
“Wha’ever. G’night.”
I nodded, turned off the light, and closed the door. I barely had a chance to turn around before Christy hugged me.
I returned it and kissed the top of her head. “Everything okay?”
“It is now.”
We held each other in silence until she sighed.
“Snack before bed?” I suggested.
“Stupid metabolism,” she grumbled. “Yes, please.” She thought about it. “Only, let me take my dress off first. It itches.”
“You go get comfortable,” I told her. “I’ll make a snack and be right back.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” I headed downstairs.
The house was a bit of a mess, but it would keep. The kitchen was less of a disaster than I’d feared. Someone had cleaned up and taken out the trash. The same someone—Dex?—had put the leftover pizza in the fridge. I grabbed a piece and ate it while I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Christy.
I was still hungry, so I loaded a tray with her sandwich and a plate of cold pizza for myself. Then I added an apple, a knife, and a couple of glasses of water. I headed upstairs and turned off lights as I went.
Christy was wearing one of my polo shirts from the hamper. She finished brushing her hair and tucked it behind her ears. Her eyes lit up when she saw the food.
“Ooh, pizza, yum!”
I chuckled and set the tray on the bed.
She crawled around it and sat seiza-style. “How’d you know this was what I wanted?”
“I know you,” I fibbed.
“Mmm, you do.”
I ate the sandwich while she polished off both pieces of pizza, crusts and all. Then she eyed the apple.
“Is that for me?”
“No, it’s for the Tooth Fairy,” I teased. “Oh, boy. Now I sound like your brother.”
“Which one? Never mind, it doesn’t matter. I love them all.” She glanced at the apple again. Then she eyed the knife.
“Insistent little thing, aren’t you.”
“I need my energy. I still need to give you your real birthday present.” She beamed for a moment before her expression fell. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out with Terri. I thought… well… you know what I thought.”
I shrugged.
“I told her it was okay and everything.” She sighed and made a Christy-leap. “I wish she was more like me. I could totally fall for her. Oh, Paul,” she complained, “why’m I like this? Why can’t I be normal?”
I fed her a slice of apple and said, “I’ve wondered the same thing. About myself. Sometimes I wish I could be happy with just one woman. Don’t get me wrong,” I added quickly, “I’m very happy with you. But then… why’m I chasing Terri so hard?”
“It’s my fault. I know you can’t turn her bi just by seducing her. I still want you to try, but…” She shrugged. “I guess I’m just being selfish. Like I was with the birth control pills.”
My eyebrows rose with a question.
“I’ve only been on them a month, but I can’t imagine going back to the old way.” She shot me a guilty look. “I hated my little calendar. I had to count the days and do the math, like, fifty times before I was happy. And even then, I worried all the time.”