15. Sunny
The bar is dark and lit entirely in electric blues and purples that remind me of the inside of a lava lamp.
Since there are only four of us, the host combines us with a group of coworkers from a nearby dental office.
They’re mostly middle-aged. It’s a random pairing but, within minutes of being shown to our karaoke room, Eli has already made introductions, memorized everyone’s names, and somehow convinced the practice owner, Dr. Lee, to buy us all a round of shots. The waitress doesn’t ask to see IDs.
The shots are clear and taste like fire.
Seventeen-year-old Isaac, who’s a hair shorter than Asher and could easily pass for a senior in college, gets an extra one because Mary, a reserved dental hygienist and grandmother of two, doesn’t want hers.
She needs to be “fresh” for bible study in the morning.
Asher gives Isaac a disapproving look, but Isaac only shrugs.
“Let’s get this party started!” Eli exclaims, grabbing the mic and appointing himself emcee of the evening’s festivities. “Who’s up first, any takers?”
Asher and I, both self-proclaimed introverts, have no interest in performing, so we sit back and watch while drinking beers.
Catherine, the dental practice receptionist, volunteers to kick things off with an offbeat attempt at her favorite Celine Dion song.
Dr. Lee follows with a Justin Timberlake number, and it turns out that he has an amazing and very unexpected falsetto.
Asher and I are laughing harder than we ever have together.
There are tears streaming down my face, and I almost drop my beer bottle, which makes us laugh even harder.
Asher takes off his glasses and wipes his eyes.
Not to be outdone, Eli performs next and does an incredible impersonation of Eminem.
The ladies in the room go wild. They’re cheering almost as loudly as Isaac.
But then, Mary grabs hold of that microphone.
Quiet, unassuming Mary takes hold of that microphone and sings Tina Turner’s version of “Proud Mary,” and she absolutely kills it.
Everyone is on their feet, clapping and screaming.
Asher and I look on in shock, our jaws dropped, huge grins on our faces .
We’re sure no one can top Mary’s performance so, afterward, Asher and I leave the private room and sit at the bar, which is mostly empty.
To be honest, I’m relieved to have a break from “M.C. Eli.” He’s a little too handsome.
A little too charming. I’m also buzzed and want another beer.
Asher orders me one, and a Maker’s Mark for himself.
As we sit and sip, he has his hand on my thigh, and he whispers in my ear that I look gorgeous, and he can’t wait to take me home.
I steal a sip of his whiskey and wink at him. “I can’t wait either,” I say.
It’s true. I enjoy being in Asher’s bed. To be quite honest, he’s very skilled in that department.
It’s still not the same as it was with Dex, though.
Sex with Oliver Dexter was a transcendental experience. Completely and utterly mind-blowing. Because the connection we had was special. I knew it then. I know it even more so now. I wonder if I’ll ever feel that way again.
Don’t go there, Sunny.
I must be getting drunk.
Asher and I lose track of time, drinking and kissing at the bar. When we get back to the karaoke room, Eli and Isaac are nowhere to be found. “I’m going to check the bathroom,” Asher says with a furrowed brow. I follow him.
While I’m waiting outside the men’s room, I hear angry voices but can’t make out what they’re saying because of the electronic dance music blaring over the speakers. Eli comes out first and, when he sees me, he smiles. I’m about to ask him if everything is okay when he puts his hand on my waist.
“Thanks for letting us stay with you guys this weekend,” he says, leaning into me so I can hear him. “My brother’s a lucky man.”
Then he steps back enough for me to see his gaze travel from my eyes to my lips and back again. His hand is still on my waist, and he’s so close that I can feel his breath on me, and his chest against mine.
And the worst part is—I don’t mind.
When the bathroom door swings open again, I step back with a start.
Eli casually turns to lean against the wall.
Asher doesn’t notice either one of us at first. Isaac is hanging off his shoulder like a wet noodle, his eyes half-open, a dopey smile on his face, and Asher is busy just trying to keep him upright.
“We have to get him home,” Asher tells us. “Help me out, man,” he instructs Eli.
We walk outside—well, three of us walk, and one of us attempts to.
Asher tries to hail a taxi. “Dude, we can’t put him in a cab like this, he’s gonna puke,” Eli keeps saying.
“We have to get him some food.” After minutes of back and forth on the subject, Asher finally concedes and we stop at a corner store, where he buys Isaac a Coke and some chips.
We walk to a nearby park so Isaac can sit and eat.
It’s almost two o’clock in the morning now, and Asher and I are fading. Eli and Isaac are having a ball. They’re on the swings, singing Nickelback songs at the top of their lungs. Asher turns to me with an exhausted smile. “I’m sorry about them. Thanks for being a good sport.”
“Anytime,” I say, giving him a peck on the lips.
That’s when we hear tires screeching behind us, and when we turn around, we see flashing lights. A police car just pulled over, and two officers are getting out.
“Everybody out of the park,” the older of the two officers yells. He’s so close to me, his voice so ear-splitting, that I nearly jump out of my skin. The younger cop says nothing.
Asher takes my hand and squeezes it. “It’s okay,” he whispers. “We’re fine.”
But I don’t feel fine at all. My heart is racing, and my palms are sweating, and—I just applied to law school for goodness’ sake! What if I get arrested? What will my mom say? Why am I drunk at a park with Asher and his brothers in the first place?
Suddenly I’m questioning everything.
“City parks close at 11:00 p.m., and it’s 2:16 a.m.,” the loud officer roars thunderously once we’re all on the sidewalk.
“I’m so sorry, sir, we’re not from here,” Eli interjects with wide-eyed sincerity. I hold my breath.
“Is that right?” the older officer shouts. The younger one twiddles his thumbs.
Eli sighs. “Yeah, our dad was in the Air Force, so we moved around a lot.”
The older officer looks up, and his face softens. A little bit. “Air Force, huh? My Grandpa Joe was in the Air Force. A fine man, he was,” the officer continues with a faraway look in his eyes. “I bet your dad’s a fine man too.”
“Very fine, sir,” Eli says with a solemn nod. “Very fine indeed.” Asher gives Eli a look that could kill.
The loud officer is silent. He looks over at his partner, who just shrugs.
“Alright,” the older one says gruffly. “For your dad’s sake, I’ll let you go.
But don’t let me catch you out here again,” he bellows as he and the younger officer start to turn away from us.
I smile at Asher, and he gives me a huge hug.
And that’s when Isaac throws up.
Eli, Asher and I all look at him, our eyes wide with horror, then turn to the officers. The loud one purses his lips angrily and is about to say something when Eli springs into action.
“You know, Isaac here is planning to enlist soon? He gets real nervous just thinking about it. He wants to make our dad proud, but he’s afraid he isn’t man enough.” Eli glances down at the pool of vomit on the sidewalk and crinkles his nose. “It makes him sick to his stomach sometimes.”
Isaac is staring straight ahead with vacant eyes while the loud officer looks him up and down. “Time to man up, son!” he finally hollers. He’s so startlingly loud, I gasp.
The officers get in their car and drive off, leaving Isaac still staring into space and the rest of us completely dumbstruck. Then Isaac starts laughing.
“Well played, man,” he says, patting Eli on the back. Eli takes a theatrical bow. Asher stares at them stonily, but I breathe a huge sigh of relief.
“Thank you,” I mouth quietly to Eli when he meets my gaze. He winks at me.
We get home at three-thirty in the morning, and by the time we’re in bed, it’s four. Asher falls asleep right away, but I can’t get my mind to stop racing, so I get up for a glass of water.
When I walk into the kitchen, Eli’s there, wearing only boxers and eating leftover stir-fry he found in the fridge. “You okay?” he asks as I fill up a glass .
“I can’t sleep. I still feel shaken up.” Before I know it, tears are falling from my eyes.
Eli wraps his arms around me and holds me the way Dex used to when I was sad—with one hand on the small of my back, and the other on the back of my head.
And that’s when I lose it. I bury my face in Eli’s neck.
And I know it’s not just our run-in with the cops that has me distraught.
It’s the way Eli Abadie charmed every single person we met tonight. The way he had the audience in the palm of his hand when he was singing karaoke. Even the smell of his cologne. He smells just like Dex did, our very last time…
It’s been 546 days since I’ve seen him. And I’m still not over him.
But kissing Asher’s brother won’t help.
So I wipe my tears and go back to my boyfriend’s bed.