Chapter 32
Gavin
“What do you think the girls are doing?” Jordan says as he bounces a ping-pong ball and misses the cup. All the cups.
“If I had to guess, not losing at beer pong,” Ben says as he tosses a ball and lands it.
“Sorry, it’s hard to focus on Solo cups when the girls are probably over there in their underwear drinking champagne and having a pillow fight,” Jordan says.
“Chicks don’t do that,” one of the other guys scoffs.
“They do in my head,” Jordan says with a smirk, tossing another ball. He misses the cup, but follows it across the floor, sauntering over to pick it up off the ground before it rolls under the bar.
“I’m sure girls do a lot of things in your head that they don’t do in real life,” Ben jabs, and everyone sniggers a little.
“Listen, I may have a lot of wild fantasies, but I did get to live some of them out recently,” Jordan says as he walks back over. He attempts to throw the ball from where he is, missing the table entirely.
“Oh, yeah?” one of the guys asks. “Did you buy a higher quality blow up doll this time? One that won’t pop?”
Jesus Christ.
I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be around guys in their mid-twenties. It’s the same as being around teenagers except that they can legally drink.
“I was with Josie the other night, asshole,” Jordan says.
“She’s a cute little thing, isn’t she?” one of the guys asks.
I toss a ball and sink it; the last one I need to hit. Then I go over to the bar and pour two fingers of whiskey for myself. I’m kind of over the cheap beer and the game too.
“Let’s try something new,” I say to the room of guys who are all half my age. “Let’s not talk about women like they’re pieces of meat.”
“Says the man who, if I had to guess, gets more action on a weekly basis than the rest of us do in a week,” Jordan says.
“The reason I can get women is because I don’t treat them like you fools,” I say. I take a sip of the neat bourbon and suck my teeth afterward. I need it to hit now if I’m going to keep this up tonight.
“I’m just happy I found a girl who is both salty and sweet,” Ben says, and I smile at that. “She’s honestly the greatest girl I’ve ever been with.”
“The greatest girl I’ve ever been with was named Lyla,” one of the guys slurs. “A cheerleader.”
Jordan snorts. “You landed a cheerleader?”
“Yep. Hard to believe, I know. But I happen to have a lot to offer women, if you know what I mean. They just have to make it to third base to experience it in all its glory.”
“You mean once they get past your dull personality and cheap dates, there’s a pot of gold at the end?
” Ben asks, and everyone chuckles. “Seriously, though. Holly is like the entire package. I have been with girls who are fun but can’t commit.
I’ve been with women who want commitment but don’t know how to have a good time.
It’s like everything is on a checklist and they never stray from it. ”
“Sticky note girls,” one of the guys nods.
“What’s wrong with sticky notes?” I ask.
“Nothing if you want your whole life bulleted out for you,” Jordan says.
Ben agrees, though I’m feeling a little annoyed. “The last girl I was with…Charlie, was beautiful and sweet, and organized. So, so organized. She folded my socks. By color and warmth level. It was too much.”
“I don’t see what’s wrong with being with a girl who is grounded,” I say. “Sometimes they’re the most fun of everyone when they finally let loose a little.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Ben says. “I never got that far with her.”
“Maybe that was the problem,” I say. “You didn’t know what she needed, and you never gave her a chance.” I don’t know why what they’re saying is pissing me off. Not long ago, I would have agreed with everything they’re saying. I guess that was before I met Charlotte.
“Trust me, Pops,” Ben says. It’s what he calls me when he’s being a little shit and he knows it. “I gave her plenty of time. She never changed.”
“Women aren’t supposed to change for us,” I say.
“Which is why she was wrong for me,” he states, and everyone else in the room goes quiet. “If you like that type, go find an uptight girl. But she wasn’t for me.”
I open my mouth to blurt something else when suddenly the door flies open.
“Hey boys, think fast!” Holly says.
It takes all us guys a second to realize what’s going on. But once the snowball hits Ben square in the chest, we know exactly what’s happening. The girls are crashing our party, and they’ve come armed.
The next thing we know, the rest of the girls are flooding into the room. With snowballs in hand, it turns into a one-sided dodgeball game. The guys are blocking themselves while encroaching on the girls who quickly run out of ammo.
“Retreat!” Holly shouts right before Ben reaches out to grab her. She slips from his grasp, and all of them take off into the night like a bunch of kids in an all-out war.
I walk to the door, grinning at the chaos of it all. Shadows move around in the snow while everyone is out for themselves. And then, a snowball hits me in the shoulder.
I look over to see Charlotte standing about fifteen feet away with a smile on her lips. It’s a small smile, but I see the challenge in it.
“That wasn’t a good idea,” I tell her teasingly.
“Oh no? And what are you going to do about it?” she asks.
“I suggest that you run…” I say, and she takes off.
A split second later, I run after her. As soon as I hit the snow, I bend down and build up a ball in my hand.
Meanwhile, she makes a break for the trees.
Laughter and shadows fill the night, and I realize that as much as I thought everyone was being ridiculous earlier, Charlotte has a way of bringing the kid out in me.
She brings a lot out in me. Things I thought had died a long time ago.