Chapter 14 #2
“Well,” he said, standing and holding out a hand to help me up. “We should probably go. Otherwise, Stella’s going to send a search party.”
***
We didn’t return to the kitchen.
Instead, Alec led me down another flight of stairs to the basement level, and we entered a large entertainment room.
To our left was an air hockey and pool table, and beyond that, an over-the-top flat screen accompanied by movie theater seating.
On the other side was a bar with a sparkling granite countertop, glass shelves displaying colorful liquor bottles, and a row of stools.
In the corner, a vintage jukebox was blasting “Pour Some Sugar on Me.”
A chorus of cheers caught my attention, and I turned toward the small alcove sitting area. Our friends were gathered on two overstuffed couches, and everyone was laughing and pointing at Xander. I watched as he shrugged and took a long chug from the drink in his hand.
“What are they doing?” I asked.
“Playing Most Likely.”
“What’s that?”
“Watch.”
“Your turn!” Stella announced, elbowing Asha in the side. The two were squashed next to each other on the bigger couch, Oliver and Boomer on their respective sides.
Asha displayed a wide grin and pushed a wisp of hair from her eyes that had escaped her braid. “Okay, let me think.” Pausing, she looked around until her gaze landed on me. Her grin stretched, and she asked, “Who’s most likely to keep someone else’s secret?”
On the count of three, everyone turned to me and Alec. Alec’s bandmates and Stella were pointing fingers at him, while Boomer and Asha were pointing at me. There was another chorus of laugher. JJ, who was seated closest to us, leaned over the back of the couch and held out his cup to Alec.
“That’s four for you, and two for Felicity,” he said, grinning at us both.
Stoic as usual, Alec accepted the drink and took four gulps.
With a grimace, he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and passed the glass to me.
Before drinking, I made the mistake of sniffing the contents.
My nose burned at the smell. It was vodka, which I hated, but everyone was watching me, so I took a deep breath and two small sips.
“Ugh.” My mouth puckered, and I shoved the drink back into JJ’s hand. “That’s awful. Is there anything in there besides alcohol?”
“Does ice count?” he asked, swallowing back his laughter.
I shook my head at him. “That’s disgusting.”
Across the room, the jukebox flipped records, and another eighties song started playing. The tune was familiar, something my mom would put on when she cleaned the house, but I couldn’t think of the title.
“Should we sit down?” Alec asked, loud enough for only me to hear.
His hand found the small of my back, and he guided me over to the last place left to sit, a small loveseat.
He plopped down first, and as I shuffled by him toward the other cushion, he took my wrist and tugged me down beside him, nearly in his lap.
Boomer’s eyes went round while Stella nudged Asha in excitement, but no one was more shocked than me.
My cheeks suddenly felt flush, and I wasn’t sure if it was an effect of the vodka I’d drunk or Alec’s not-so-subtle move.
It was quiet as everybody stared at us, but then Oliver said, “So, you two get lost or something?”
JJ’s lips curled in hilarity.
“I was showing Felicity the library,” Alec explained.
Among other things…
I could feel Asha’s gaze fixed on me, but if I looked at her, my eyes would give away everything that had happened between Alec and me.
Not now, I wanted to tell her. Not with an audience.
“You sure, man?” JJ asked. “Your hair’s a little messy.”
This wasn’t true—Alec had smoothed back the stray strands before leaving the library—but he fell for the ruse, his hand flying to his bangs to make sure they were in place, and his friends all roared with laughter.
“You need to be careful with that one,” JJ said to Alec, nodding his head at me. “You don’t want her to suck your soul out.”
“Oh great. A redhead joke,” I said, letting out a long sigh. I wasn’t as much annoyed with him as surprised it had taken him this long to crack one.
“Don’t worry. I have plenty more in the works up here,” he said, tapping a finger to his temple. “I’ve been waiting for the opportune moment. Is it true that you earn a freckle for every soul you steal?”
With an eye roll, I turned to Oliver. “Hey, I found a constellation book on the window seat in the library. There were song lyrics written inside. Is that yours?”
“Oh,” he answered, his eyes getting big. “Um, yeah. It is. Totally forgot about that.”
“A constellation book?” Stella asked, suddenly curious. “What song?”
Reaching an arm over his shoulder, Oliver rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s your song,” he told her. “I stayed here for a while after we… After everything went down…” His voice trailed off.
I must have brought up something personal or quite possibly painful.
I never intended to make him feel uncomfortable.
It hadn’t even crossed my mind that I could make someone like Oliver Perry feel that way.
But I was relieved that everyone’s attention was diverted from my prolonged absence with Alec.
Stella smiled at him and snuggled against his side. “I’d love to see it.”
“Yeah, sure.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “I’ll show you later, okay?”
“As adorable as you two are,” JJ said, reaching for the vodka bottle set out on the table, “I’d rather not watch any more of this lovefest. Let’s move this game along.
” He looked straight at me. “If you two are going to play, it’s time to pick your poison.
I make outstanding vodka shots, but the bar is fully stocked as well. ”
I played with my watch around my wrist and didn’t answer.
It wasn’t like I was a prude. I knew that lots of people my age drank, and I took no issue with them doing so.
Sometimes, if Asha dragged me to a party one her cross-country friends was throwing, I’d have a beer. But that didn’t happen often.
In the year before she ran away, Rose made a habit of stumbling into our room during the early hours of the morning, wasted from partying.
If Mom caught her drunk, it led to screaming matches, so that left thirteen-year-old me to hold back my sister’s hair while she puked, change her clothes, and help her into bed.
After taking care of her all those times, I didn’t find drinking appealing.
Unconsciously, Oliver came to my rescue. “What about the movie?” he asked, frowning in the direction of the TV.
“Nobody wants to watch Casino Royale, Oliver,” Xander said, throwing one of the couch pillows at him. “Thanks to you, we’ve seen it a million times.”
“Actually, I wouldn’t mind,” Boomer replied. “There’s an Aston Martin DBS in that film.”
Oliver beamed. “You like James Bond?”
“He likes cars,” Asha answered with a snort. And, as if that was reason enough to drink, she held out her cup to JJ, who still had the bottle in hand. He obliged, pouring a shot worth of vodka and sliding it over to her. Without hesitation, Asha threw back the booze in one go.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” JJ said, rubbing his hands together. “So whose turn is it?”
“I’ll go,” Alec offered. “Who’s most likely to be abducted by aliens?”
“Come on!” Xander grumbled when everyone except me and Asha voted for him. We both pointed at Boomer. “It’s like you guys are trying to get me drunk. I’m not putting up with this anymore. It’s time for a change of entertainment.”