Chapter 22
Coco lifts her shot glass high above her head. “Here’s to tequila…the champagne of Mexico.” With a swift motion, she gulps down her drink and bites into a lime.
“You know whaaaat?” Lily blurts. “You’re my best friends in the whole wide world.”
“We’re soulmates.” Coco stretches her arms across the table and firmly clutches our hands.
With a dismissive wave, Lily lets out a giggle. “We’re not a couple.”
“Hun, soulmates aren’t always lovers.”
“You got that right, sister,” I agree. “I love you both so much. We should move in together when we get back.”
There is no deeper friendship than drunk girl friendship.
“Yesssssssss,” Lily exclaims as she downs her drink, slamming the glass on the table. She grabs a handful of popcorn and shoves it into her mouth. “Mmm. Tasty.”
Coco joins in, grabbing some popcorn for herself. “This is the best meal I’ve ever had, and that’s saying a lot. I’ve dined at the finest restaurants in Paris, Rome, and Tibet.”
“Tibet?” Lily questions.
“Those monks in the monasteries know their harmonic chants and serve a damned impressive charcuterie board,” Coco replies, tossing the fluffy white snack in her mouth. She leans in and whispers, “Trust me, yak cheese is creamy perfection.”
I scoop a handful of popcorn and lick it like a lollipop out of the palm of my hand before popping it into my mouth. “Salty little suckers.”
Coco nods with authority. “It’s important to have a little something in your stomach before indulging.”
“Well, that would have been helpful information… before we started indulging,” I say, reaching for another handful.
She tilts her head from side to side, her flowing red hair swaying with the motion. “Probably true,” she says.
“Psst.” I close one eye to see Coco clearer and crook my index finger. “I used to hate you.”
“Moi?” Coco rests her hand over her heart, her green eyes widen in surprise. “How is that possible? Everyone adores me.”
“HmmMmm.” I nod with a lopsided grin. “You tried to take my head off.”
“That doesn’t sound like me,” she protests.
“Yup. On the plane, you swung your suitcase without looking first.”
“Oh. That does sound like me.” She shrugs. “My bad.”
Aww, that’s so sweet. She apologized.
I slam down my third… or fourth… maybe fifth empty shot glass on the table. “Gimme another.”
“Here you go Jessica,” Coco pours the amber liquid into three empty shot glasses. “And one for you, Lila.”
“My name is Tesssss,” I slur, feeling a boozy warmth spreading through my body. “And hers sisss Lily.”
Coco narrows her eyes. “Are you sure?”
Lily and I nod in unison.
“Oops. One for Tessica.” She slides the filled shot glass in front of me. “And this is for Lola.”
Lily bursts out in a belly laugh. “Lolaaaaaa. That’s funny.” Her laugh stops abruptly. The color drains from her face and she grabs hold of the table’s edges with both hands. “Is the room spinning for anyone else?”
“Nope.” I down my shot, the burning sensation in my throat intensifying. “I think it’s your brain. Maybe you should eat more popcorn.”
“Layla, hun. You need hydration. Water STAT,” Coco says, sounding alarmed.
“Where’s the nice booze lady?” I spot our server taking an order from guests at a table near the front of the room. “Can you wait a few minutes?”
Lily shakes her head as her face grows paler by the second. Crossing her arms on the table, she rests her head on them. “I’m going to die from tequila poisoning.”
“I won’t let you die!” I declare as I stand up from my chair, feeling a slight unsteadiness in my legs. “I’ll get the water myself.” I stumble over to the bar and stand next to the pool table guy who’s getting a drink.
“Go, sweet Tessica,” Coco cheers from the table, her voice filled with encouragement. “You’re an American hero! You’re the Florence Nightingale of intoxicated bitches.”
“Florence Nightingale was English,” I call back to her.
“Really? Good for her. Well done,” Coco responds, clearly impressed. “I’ll have a shot ready to go when you come back.”
“Excellent,” I tell her, redirecting my attention to the task at hand.
Which was…? Get something from somewhere for someone. I think. Ugh, it’s on the tip of my tongue.
Oh yeah. I remember.
“A glass of water, por fav-please,” I yell to the bartender, my voice competing with the loud blender mixing up a drink. The bartender nods in my direction and gives me a thumbs up.
“Hey,” the pool table guy says to me as I wait.
“Hey,” I answer back.
“Looks like your friend had enough,” he remarks, his eyes glancing back at Lily, who lies motionless at the table.
I look back at Lily, who looks like she may have passed out. “Probably.”
“Are you here with your husband?” he asks.
“Pffft… no husband. Thank God.”
“Boyfriend?” he probes further.
“Mister, you’re talking to man repellant.”
“I’m not repelled,” he counters.
“Clearly there’s something wrong with you,” I answer sarcastically.
He laughs. “Maybe you haven’t met the right guy.”
“I haven’t,” I confess. My mind conjures up an image of Daniel sitting alone at dinner, and I instantly regret my words.
“Until now. The name’s Jake. And you are…?”
I’m not about to give some random guy I just met at a bar in Mexico my real name. I need an alias.
“Tessica,” I answer with a chuckle.
“It looks like you’re a fan of shots, Tessica,” he says smoothly.
“Yup.”
“Care to give me one?” he asks.
“A shot of tequila?”
“No, pretty lady. A shot at you.” He wiggles his brows in the most obnoxious way.
“Um, I don’t think so.” I may be a little fuzzy right now, but I can spot cringey a mile away.
Undeterred, he lays his hand on top of mine. “How about we grab some drinks and continue the party in my hotel room for some private time?” He wiggles his eyebrows again.
“I think I’ll pass.”
“Okay. Your room?”
“Dude, not in a billion years.” Geez, this guy is like a mosquito buzzing in my ear.
“Get your hand off her,” Daniel growls, pulling my hand from under the pool table guy’s.
Wait… what? Daniel? Am I having a tequila induced hallucination? My pulse races and my heart beats quickly. I squeeze Daniel’s hand. Nope. He’s real.
And here.
For me.
I think.
“You know this guy?” Jake asks.
I shrug with a lopsided smile. “He’s my date.”
“Sorry, man. She said she was alone.” Jake raises his hands in defeat and slowly creeps away from the bar.
Daniel scowls as he watches the cluelessly cringey dude return to the pool table, then he shifts his focus back to me. “What the fuck are you doing, Tess?” he asks.
All the drunken, naughty parts of my body respond to him in the most indecent of ways. “You’re hot when you curse,” I purr, walking my fingers up his chest.
“You’re plastered.”
“Say fuck again.”
“You’re wrecked,” he replies.
“Wrong word,” I pout, sticking out my bottom lip.
The bartender joins us, carrying a pitcher of clear liquid and three empty glasses. “Aqua. Para las muchachas,” he says, nodding towards our table. Lily still has her head down, and Coco is belting out an off-tune version of “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” from Dreamgirls to the Silver Fox.
The Silver Fox?
“Gracias,” Daniel sighs, then turns to the person beside him. “Can you grab those?” he asks, as he wraps his hand tightly around the pitcher’s handle.
“Got it,” Thor answers. He gathers the three empty glasses and joins my new besties at the table.
Thor is here too?
“Oh yay! A pitcher of vodka!” I exclaim, clapping my hands in excitement. “Let’s get our drink on, Danny boy.”
“It’s water. Come with me,” Daniel grumbles, his voice filled with irritation, as he carries the pitcher to our table.
“Are you mad at me?” I ask, traipsing behind him.
“I’m not sure what I am,” he says. “Sit down.”
“Can you say fucking sit down?” I playfully bat my lashes and blow him a kiss.
“Just sit, Tess.”
“Bo-ring.” I pout, cross my arms in front of my chest, and plop down in my chair.
He pours water into three glasses and hands one to me. “Drink.”
“I already had a drink. See?” I lift my shot glass and toss it at him, forgetting Coco filled it with booze. “Oopsie. My bad.”
“Water. You need water.” He grabs a napkin from the table and dabs his wet shirt and pants.
“It’ll kill my buzz.”
“You’re way past buzzed. Drink.”
“Ask me nicely,” I tell him.
“Are you out of your…?” He sighs in frustration. “Fine. Please drink the water.”
“Uh-huh.” I shake my head vigorously. “You know what I want to hear.”
He rolls his eyes with a huff. “Drink the fucking water, Tess.”
“Okay, Hot Cursing Man.” I raise the glass and finish the water in a few big gulps. “Not as tasty as my other drink.”
“I’m taking you back to your room before you get yourself into more trouble.”
“I’d love to get into trouble with you,” I say, giving him an obnoxious wink, nearly tumbling off my chair. “Oops.”
“Let’s go.”
“Wait! I need to say goodbye to my friends.” I turn towards the girls. “Bye besties. The potty-mouthed hottie is taking me on a date.”
“I’m taking you to bed,” he says, grabbing my hand and helping me up from my chair.
“Even better,” I say, wiggling my eyebrows.
“To sleep,” he clarifies.
“Pffft,” I huff. “Say fuck again.”
“How much did you drink?” he asks.
I hold up my hands. “Four or five shots.”
“You’re holding up ten fingers,” he says.
“Well, that’s more than three,” I burst into laughter as I wave goodbye to the bestest of best friends.
Coco gives a playful finger wiggle to me, then scowls at the Silver Fox. Lily tries to wave, but her arm only manages to lift halfway before flopping back down on the table.
“Come on,” Daniel says, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me close.
Turning my head towards him, I take a deep breath, inhaling his intoxicating scent. “Mmm, you smell good. Like tequila and a woodsy mountain man Yankee Candle.”
“Let’s get you out of here,” he says, guiding me towards the exit.