16. CHAPTER 16 #2
“Russia,” I reply.
Tek sits up suddenly and smacks the table with both hands. “Thank you!”
“Uh-uh-uh.” Anaise waggles her finger. “The correct answer is Germany.”
“No it’s not,” Tek and I say at the same time.
Austin sighs, “Not again… Look, the quiz guy argued that Russia isn’t fully in Europe, so the answer is Germany.”
“But was it specified, What country—that's one-hundred percent fully in Europe—has the largest population?” I ask.
He sighs again. “No. But it was implied.”
“How?” I argue. “Moscow and St Petersburg are European cities, are they not?”
“Yes, but—I thought we squashed this shit years ago?”
With my beer in hand, I use the bottle to point towards the quiz master. “If he pulls any shit like that tonight, I’ll go down fighting.”
“It’s been a while since I punched someone.” Tek takes another drink, and I watch as his eyes widen, then the smirk that had just formed falls off his face completely.
I look in the direction of his gaze to see Brooklyn strutting towards a table in a dress that might as well be spray paint. She spots Tek instantly, but acts like she doesn’t care as she joins an already full table of women.
Anaise leans over to Austin. “Did you tell her we were coming?”
“What makes you think I talk to her?”
“Well I didn’t say anything.”
“Maybe she has spies,” I add with a shrug, still completely clueless to any kind of history between her and Tek, or Austin, or maybe even my brother.
But I know there’s something there. At the very least I know she’s desperate for Tek’s attention, and that alone makes my blood boil.
I can’t compete with that. Even in a best case scenario where Tek is bi, he'd never pick me over her. I mean, her personality might be total dog shit, but if we’re talking about just a hook-up, she’d win ninety-nine times out of every hundred.
The trivia host jumps back on the stage and runs through the full list of rules.
Anaise snatches at the pen and pulls the paper in front of her. “Quick, what’s our team name?”
Tek smirks. “You already know the answer.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously.” Austin backs him up, and I watch her write, Quiz In My Pants, at the top of the paper.
The quizmaster starts; “Who was the third astronaut on Apollo 11 that didn’t walk on the moon?”
“Michael Collins,” Tek says without hesitation then lays his head back in his arms.
Anaise rolls her eyes and writes it down.
“For two points, what country has the northernmost capital city, and what’s the name of that city?”
Austin leans in. “What’s the capital of Greenland?”
Without moving, Tek quietly says, “Greenland is a territory, not a country. The answer is Iceland, and Reykjavík.”
“Showoff.” Anaise smiles.
The third question is about literature, and Austin gets in before Tek.
Then; “In what year were the first X Games held?”
“Holy shit,” I say out loud and look at the rest of my team. I wait several seconds then look straight to Tek. “Do you know? You look kinda annoyed, so I think maybe you don’t.”
“Quit being a smart ass.”
“No thanks.” I turn to Anaise. “It’s 1995.”
We settle into a rhythm of drinking, answering questions, and arguing about the dumbest shit. It’s a fucking blast.
Every now and then I catch Brooklyn staring.
At Tek.
At our table.
At me.
At one point she walks past us on her way to the bathroom and, without a word, drags her fingertips across Tek’s back. He doesn’t react, but my skin crawls anyway.
After the fourth round of trivia, the bar is buzzing. And the only sober person is Tek.
The fifth round starts, and after gulping down the remains of his third can of Red Bull, he stands. “Anyone ready for another?”
We all decline his offer because Austin only just got back from the bar.
As soon as Tek is out of sight, Anaise rounds the table and slides into his chair, scooting it so close to me our knees knock.
Austin picks up the pen and quickly writes down an answer.
With bright, wild eyes, she looks up at me and says, “Here, take these?” I feel her hand move onto my leg as she passes me Tek's keys beneath the table. She leans in closer, the smell of wine strong on her breath. “Don’t let him know you have them.”
“Why not? He hasn’t been drinking.”
“I know. But it’s getting to the point in the night where he likes to disappear. So if he tries to sneak them out of my bag, he won’t be able to find them.”
She holds a drunken finger up to her lips.
I nod, and slide them into the front pocket of my jeans.
Austin is watching us with one eyebrow cocked, but he doesn’t say anything.
Tek returns and sits in Anaise’s seat without comment.
The entirety of round five I feel Tek’s eyes on me; heavy, as though he’s trying to glue me in place so he won’t lose track of where I am.
Even when it’s my turn to buy a round of drinks I can feel his stare.
It’s just like when we were in his parent’s basement.
Except this time he's not under the influence.
When the final round of trivia ends, the host makes a big production out of tallying the scores.
Anaise leans heavily against my side, slurring as she whispers, “Tek pretends like he doesn’t care, but he does.”
I look at him from across the table and see him actively focused, for the first time tonight, on something that isn’t me. He’s so fixed in on what the host is saying, he doesn’t even notice that Anaise is leaning all over me. Or maybe he does and he’s choosing not to react.
I have no idea anymore.
Maybe I’m too drunk to know the difference between ignoring, and disinterest.
The host calls out the final results, and we come runner up to Quiz-team-a Aguilera.
Anaise sits up straight. “We should celebrate.”
Austin raises his whiskey, having decided that the both of us would be moving on from beer. “To second place.”
Anaise’s laugh is wild and carefree.
I reach across the table and bump the base of my glass against the side of Tek’s Red Bull can. “To being smarter than everyone who isn’t as smart as we are.” He snorts, but his eyes crinkle, and I can see he’s actually having a good time.
“I’m dancing,” Anaise announces, and takes two steps away from the table before back tracking to look at Austin as if to say well, are you coming?
From his spot across the table, he looks at me, and slowly stands. I give him a wink, and watch him follow her to the dance floor.
I swallow down half of the remaining liquor and let the warmth spread through my chest, because, for the first time since I landed back in Broadrock, I don’t feel like I’m on the outside looking in.
Tek runs his most recent empty can back and forth between his palms, the tin cracking slightly under the pressure. “Thanks for coming tonight.”
I shrug. “Thanks for not leaving after the first round.”
He lets his head fall back. “Anaise wouldn’t have let me.”
“She’s just worried about you.”
He stares at the ceiling. “There’s nothing to worry about. Besides, I’ve got you now.”
I let the silence hang as I try with all my might to decipher what the fuck he means by that. Then, emboldened by the alcohol, I tell him, "I'm more than just an emotional support animal."
Tek lowers his head, and fixes me with a look so direct I nearly swallow my tongue.
“I'm serious.” I lean my elbows on the table and close the gap between us as much as I can with furniture in the way. “I don't think you can live without me right now.”
He smiles, but it’s delayed. “You’re an idiot.”
“Yeah, but you’d be bored without me.”
Tek lets out a grumbling noise, but it’s not an argument. And I just let it sit.
I find myself thinking about what Anaise had said, about Tek disappearing, and I wonder how it would feel to chase him down instead of letting him run.
Instead of sitting back and letting him decide the mood, what would happen if I told him how I felt without being terrified that he’d never speak to me again?
Across the room, Anaise is spinning in wild circles, singing so loud her voice is drowning out the song. She catches my eye, and after a very non-tactful thumbs up, she pulls Austin towards her and starts swaying out of tempo.
I run my hand over the keys in my pocket, and for a second I imagine what it would be like to hold onto them forever.
“Are you still pissed at him?”
I blink, and look back at Tek. “I’m sorry?”
“Your brother. Are you still pissed?”
“I don’t think so.” I empty the glass and slide it across the table to sit with the stack of empties. “If he hadn’t left I’d probably not be working at the shop, and… I’d likely still be here tonight. The only difference is, he’d be here too.”
Tek’s eyes pan over to the empty seat beside me like there was a hidden meaning in what I said.
“You miss him?”
The question hits harder than I mean it to.
Tek’s shoulders go rigid, then relax. “Not really.” I don’t believe him for a second, but I nod anyway because I know what it’s like to miss someone and hate them at the same time.
“You know, I’d have put money on him being the one to cheat.”
Tek crushes the can in his fist. “Why’s that?”
“Cause of how our mother raised him. I’m sure you know about that better than I do.”
Tek nods. “Your brother has his moments, but he’s always been loyal.”
“To you.”
“To all of us.”
“And yet he’s not here,” I mutter and turn my head away.
“I like you better than Shawn.” Tek speaks like he’s throwing the words away, hoping I won’t notice them.
“I’d hope so,” I snicker. “I don’t do as much as she did, but—”
“You do it better.”
“My god, Tek. Are you complimenting me?”
“I can stop.”
“But then how would I hear about how much you want me around.”
“Don’t get cocky."
My lips quirk to the side. “I wouldn’t dream of it… Now what were you saying about how much better I am?”
“You do a lot of things better than Shawn… And…” The intense stare is back, and it suddenly feels like we are the only two people in the entire bar. “And I hope that extends to all of your behaviors in the shop.”
I lean forward again and straighten my legs beneath the table so every part of me is as close to him as possible. “What exactly are you talking about?”