33
N ico Price, onetime theater nerd, turned a bottle of Jack Daniel’s over and filled three shot glasses.
He’d been in Conrad’s grade, a zip-up-hoodie type with a curly ginger mop and soulful brown eyes.
Puja Singh had declared a crush on him sophomore year, and rumor had it a blow job had occurred in Mr. Miller’s math classroom, during school hours, though nothing more.
MC tried not to think about it now, as he moved on to garnishing Gabby’s cranberry seltzer with a maraschino cherry.
“Cheers,” Nico said, lining up drinks on the bar. The curls were tamer now, but he’d grown a big, bushy beard to go with them, which sort of worked.
“Cheers,” Conrad said, handing over his credit card. Joe, MC, and Gabby took their drinks, Joe and MC waiting for Conrad to get his shot in hand before they threw their heads back.
“Ugh,” MC said, rubbing her mouth in the crook of her elbow. The whiskey still burned her throat. “That’s the only one of those I’m doing tonight.”
“We’ll see about that,” Joe said.
“Can I have a Yuengling, please?” she said to Nico.
He grabbed a pint glass and leaned over to the draft handles. MC caught Joe staring, appraising Nico’s black Henley and whatever was underneath it.
When they’d gotten their next round, they gathered at one of the high-tops by the windows. Conrad was already off searching for a stool with a back as Gabby insisted she didn’t need one.
“Only a partial whale at the moment,” she said with a grunt, hoisting herself up and smiling at Joe. “I can still dance, if you’re wondering.”
“I’m going to need some proof.”
Her smiled deepened. “Luckily, the Horny Ram always plays the hits.”
The bar was packed and loud, but they all leaned close and managed to have a conversation.
Or at least, Gabby and Joe did. Conrad was quieter than usual, his eyes glued to Gabby as she dished about her clients and complained about her brothers.
MC, meanwhile, kept staring at the door, waiting for Nora to arrive.
“Arm wrestling contest starts in ten!” Nico announced. The crowd cheered and lifted their drinks. MC saw that a few tables were already being moved around by the barbacks. The event, MC recalled from the posters plastered in the entryway, promised everlasting glory and free shots to the winners.
Nora walked through the rearranging just then, fussing with her scarf.
MC leapt out of her seat.
“Hey,” she said, meeting Nora before she even reached the table. “Can I get you something?”
“I thought that was Joe’s job tonight.”
They both looked back at him. He waggled his fingers and stuck out his tongue.
“He’s still reliving the glory of this afternoon,” MC said. “Best not to interrupt.”
“I’ll come with you, then,” Nora said, her wallet already out. “I should warn you, I can’t stay long...”
When they got to the bar, Fall Out Boy began to blast from the speakers. Nora pretended to be engrossed in the indecipherable specials on the chalkboard, brow furrowed, lashes low. She’d worn makeup, just some eyeliner and lip gloss. But it made MC’s pulse race. As did her tight gray turtleneck.
“Maureen loves this place,” Nora said.
MC nodded solemnly. “Do you think it’s the buffalo cheese curd tacos?”
“The Five-Alarm Nachos, actually.”
“Should we get some for the table?”
“Only if you want this reunion to end in everyone shitting their pants.”
“I can think of worse endings.”
Nora shook her head, but she was smiling. “Like what, MC?”
“Okay, maybe not. Are you going to compete, by the way?”
“In the pants shitting?”
“No, the arm wrestling.”
Nora shook her head and waved to Nico. “Can I get a Yuengling, please?”
“Good choice,” MC said, raising her beer.
A few seconds later, Nora finally turned to face her. “Things have gotten a little complicated between us again.”
MC looked over her shoulder, like there was someone crowding in behind her, necessitating the half step she took in Nora’s direction. “Complicated?”
“Given that there’s nowhere any of this can go.” Nora changed her position slightly, her leg brushing against MC’s.
“That’s debatable.”
Nora raised an eyebrow. “We got an offer on the house today.”
The excitement that’d been surging through MC disappeared. Or maybe just abated for a moment. “I guess I knew that was coming.”
“If my parents take it, the closing will be in a few weeks.”
“Oh.”
“I don’t want either of us to get hurt,” Nora added. She sounded serious. “So maybe we should just quit while we’re ahead. Try to start moving on. In advance.”
MC almost agreed with her. They’d been down the road of a fling with an end-date before, even if the reasons for it were a lot more complicated.
But the fact that they were here together now—all of them—also made her appreciate the fact that they’d survived the drama.
The protestors had protested, the fan mail and hate mail had poured in, books had been signed, and a life-size cardboard cutout of Nora Pike had ended up in a dumpster; Gabby had pushed over a Christmas tree, Conrad had had a cup of candy thrown at his head, and MC and Joe had experienced their first real fight on the rooftop of a boring New York media party.
But, in spite of all that, or because of it, they were out at the Horny Ram, potentially on the verge of crippling indigestion but, for the time being, on their feet.
“Arm wrestle me,” MC said.
Nora frowned. “What?”
“Beat me in the contest, and I’ll consider whether this is something we can move on from.”
“You’ll consider it?” Nora’s smirk had returned. “Is this some humiliation fetish of yours?”
“It’s a genuine challenge. And maybe also a little bit of a humiliation fetish.”
“I’m not going to sit at one of those tables as a dozen former football players hover over us, shouting and slobbering.”
“We’ll have our friends to protect us.”
Nora chewed her lip. “What if you win?”
“Then I get to keep doing exactly what I’ve been doing.”
“Which is?”
“Just talking to you. Remember?”
Nora huffed. “Fine.”
“So, you agree to the challenge?”
“Yeah. Whatever.” Her eyes blazed. “If this is how you want to settle it.”
They brought the round back to their table and told everyone what they’d agreed to do—minus the stakes, of course. Then they all went over to claim seats. A few judges had appeared on either end of the row of tables. Nico was carrying over the bar’s chalkboard to keep score.
Another Fall Out Boy song started to play. Someone turned up the volume.
Nora and MC sat opposite each other and rolled up their sleeves.
On MC’s side, Conrad and Joe took positions at her shoulders. On Nora’s side, Gabby leaned over, the fierceness of her expression or her pregnancy earning her a wide berth.
“Wrestlers,” Nico said, “take your positions!”
MC and Nora planted their elbows and grasped hands. The touch was electric—at least for MC. She felt Nora’s squeeze all the way down in her gut. She crossed her legs, then uncrossed them when Joe yelled at her about it.
“She’s going in confident,” he shouted in her ear. “You have to break her will.”
“Or she secretly wants to lose,” Conrad added with a smirk. “But don’t blow your energy at the start.”
Joe nodded. “Go for the endurance win. And stop strangling her hand, I’m seeing white knuckles.”
Gabby shook her head. “Everyone can hear you, freaks!”
MC was sweating. When she’d made this gambit, she hadn’t realized how many people would be watching.
“On my count!” Nico said. “Three!”
She wondered if Nora really did plan on letting her win.
“Two!”
And if that was the case, did that mean she also wanted MC to take things further than talking?
“One!”
Nora rubbed her thumb over the back MC’s hand, waking up every cell in MC’s body.
“Go!”
Nora’s pressure was immediate and sustained, a rush of force that threatened to not only crush MC’s hand but dislocate her shoulder.
“Stop her!” Conrad shouted.
Sadly, MC was already almost beaten. Gritting her teeth, she somehow managed to hold out against total defeat, hanging on for dear life.
The exertion was kind of exciting. It reminded MC of when she and Nora had worked on the magazine together after school—the unspoken intensity.
She pushed past the pain in her arm, fighting to get some leverage back.
“Don’t let up!” Joe was barking in her ear. “You’re turning it around!”
MC could hardly believe it. She was slowly, painstakingly reversing the direction of their hands, pushing their interlocked palms up to where they’d started.
When she reached the top, she saw the corner of Nora’s mouth twitch.
“Finish it!” the crowd was chanting. And though there were five other pairs locked in combat on either side of them, MC felt like the encouragement was for her and Nora alone.
The best part was, Nora had started to smile. When MC got Nora’s knuckles to finally graze the table, one of the impromptu judges called it, and Nora sighed, looking bemused.
MC finally let go of her and shook her hand out. The crowd cheered. Joe was hugging her, and Conrad was already calling for shots. When the obligatory drinks were down the hatch, she saw Nora walking off toward the back, shooting a quick look at MC over her shoulder.
For once, MC made no polite excuses. She shouldered her way through the crowd, into the short corridor between the bar and the patio, where she found Nora waiting a few feet from the door. Her hands were folded behind her. Her shoulders were pressed against the cracked wainscoting.
“You look awfully pleased with yourself,” Nora said quietly.
“I’m not pleased with myself,” MC said, a little wobbly on her feet. But she wasn’t about to back down now.
Nora stayed still. Waiting.
MC stepped closer. Placed her hands against the wall on either side of Nora’s head, hemming her in. “Just kidding. I’m absolutely thrilled to have defeated you in such a public setting.”
Nora laughed, pressing her hips against MC’s. “Aren’t you going to ask me if I let you win?”
“I already know you didn’t.”
MC’s hands dropped to Nora’s hips, then circled around to cup her ass. Nora turned her cheek, seemingly lost in her own pleasure, and MC admired the line of her profile. The way her poker face failed completely when she wanted something bad enough.
“Why are you turned away from me?” MC said, brushing her nose against Nora’s ear.
“Because if I let you kiss me, it’s over.”
“What’s over?”
Footsteps and a third voice made them draw back a little.
“Get it, ladies.”
It was Jen Turner, her arm around a girl MC didn’t recognize.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she added. “Nice arm wrestling, by the way.” Her gaze went to Nora. “Or I guess I should say nice book.” Nora flushed. “Took a bestseller to finally get her attention, huh?”
MC looked to Nora, who said nothing.
Jen raised an eyebrow. “Can we get through?”
MC was more than happy to lean up against Nora again as Jen and her confused-looking date continued on their way.
But when they’d disappeared behind the door, a rush of cold air passing through the hall, Nora backed off and swept her hair up in a bun.
“Love seeing her all the time,” MC muttered, trying to hide her disappointment at the moment being ruined. Nora didn’t laugh. “Hey. Are you okay?”
“Totally.” Nora forced a smile, which MC had never seen her do before, and hooked her elbow in MC’s, like they were suddenly just friends. “Think I need another drink, though.”
And before MC could get her to slow down, Nora pulled away.