Chapter 9 Chad
CHAD
There’s only one seat open at the craps table John walks up to, so I stand behind him to watch as the rest of our friends head toward the slot machines. “So are you a big gambler?” I ask over his shoulder.
He just shrugs and grunts, but now that I’ve spent more time with him, I feel like I’m beginning to interpret all the various noises he makes more easily, so I understand perfectly. He obviously loves it, but he doesn’t want to jinx anything by admitting that.
A waitress comes around, and I order us both double margaritas. I knew coming to Vegas with my best friend and all his friends would be a great time, but it’s so much better than I could have imagined.
“You just going to stand there?” John asks, looking back at me with a quirked brow after a few minutes. I’d kind of spaced out reminiscing about how great everything has been so far.
“Yeah, it’s fun to just watch sometimes.”
I think I hear him mutter “Jesus” under his breath as he shakes his head.
I’ve been trying to balance my time today with John so he still got to spend plenty of time with Liam.
I know what they have is as important to them as my friendship with Blake is to us, and I would never want to get between that.
But when he didn’t follow Blake and Liam to the slots, I figured now would be a great time for more bonding.
It’s almost John’s turn again, so I lean in closer to him and ask, “Can I blow it for you?”
“The fuck?” he says, sounding alarmed for some reason as he turns back to me. “What are you blowing?”
“The dice,” I clarify with a huge smile. “Isn’t that a thing people do? Maybe I’ll be your good luck charm.”
He looks at me with wide eyes before he shakes his head again, and I think he might even be fighting a smile. “Sure, Chad. You can blow my dice.”
“Awesome! Just tell me when.”
Our waitress comes back and John accepts the drink without protest, which feels like a small victory. I lick the rim while locking eyes with John before taking my first sip. It’s really good though, so I end up chugging most of it in one big gulp.
On John’s next turn, he holds his dice up to me. “Okay, Princess, blow me,” he encourages, chuckling to himself. Every grin he aims my way really does feel like a gift. He has such a nice smile, and I’m determined to get as many as I can before the weekend is through.
I dramatically blow on the dice in his hand. I wasn’t really paying attention to the bet he placed, but when he throws them, everyone around the table cheers, so it must have been a good roll.
“I told you! Good luck charm,” I insist.
“We’ll see.” He chuckles again. It’s a nice sound. I’m so glad our friendship has progressed so quickly so I can see him happy like this. The waitress comes back, and this time, I order us tequila shots. “So how much did you win?”
“A hundred bucks.”
“Nice! You should bet more next time, though, now that you know I’m good luck.”
“I don’t think we know that. And not all of us have your unlimited funds, Chad. I can’t actually risk much more than that.”
“Use my money.” I take out a hundred-dollar bill and hand it to him. “I’ll have more fun watching you than spending it myself.”
He eyes me skeptically. “Who keeps the winnings if there are any?”
I shrug. “You can. I’m just excited to be hanging out with you again tonight, and watching you is fun for me.” Our shots arrive, and I hand one to him. “You definitely need to drink more tonight though. I promise to be good so you don’t have to worry about me again.”
“I wasn’t worried about you,” he dismisses, but we both know he was.
“Sure, keep telling yourself that.”
He rolls his eyes but doesn’t deny it a second time as he throws back the shot. “I also don’t trust that you’ll be good. Do you even know what that means?”
“Of course. But we’re in Vegas. I like to have fun too.”
“Was that what you’d call last night? Fun?”
“Fuck yeah, last night was awesome. You bit a fry right out of my mouth, John. We’re bonded for life now.”
“You remember that?” he asks, sounding completely shocked.
“Yeah, I remember everything. I wasn’t that drunk,” I assure him with a laugh.
He scoffs. “You could barely stand. You were all over me trying to stay upright.”
I shrug again. “Doesn’t mean I don’t remember. I’m affectionate. Sue me.”
“Yes, you made that very clear when you trapped me in your bed last night,” he says, but his tone is teasing, not nearly as annoyed as I would have expected from him. He finishes his margarita, and I signal to the waitress walking by for another.
“Our bed,” I correct him with a smile. “And you didn’t need to leave so early this morning. I don’t bite.”
“I very much doubt that. And there’s no ‘our’ anything.” He sighs, but it doesn’t deter my good mood because it’s his turn again, and I don’t even need to ask, John just holds up the dice for me to blow on. He wins again.
Our drinks arrive, and I hold my glass up toward John. “To another great night with my bestie-in-law.”
He stares at me for a moment, blinking a few times before he finally lets out a small laugh and shakes his head. “Keep being my good luck charm and we’ll see.”
He taps his glass to mine and the clinking noise sounds like the promise of the best night ever.