Chapter 34 #2
“Carol! Please, calm down,” Pat says, standing up from the loveseat.
“Easy for you to tell me to calm down!” she yells.
“No need to crash the party over this, man,” Santiago says, walking up to them all, looking at both Tim and Carol.
“I don’t fucking care! This shit really made me mad!” Carol balls both hands into fists again. “Gene, you’re just as bad as Ray. And you know it. Maybe you two really are meant for each other.”
Ray’s heart never stops pounding. Gene scoots off of Ray to sit in the free spot that Pat used to occupy. Ray mourns the loss of his heat, despite the chaos, his breathing stuttering.
Everyone is fucking watching us.
“Carol, Tim, please,” Dennis says, walking into their orbit, holding his arms out. “I don’t want this to get out of hand.”
“Yeah, man. We’re just trying to have a good time!” Santi adds. “Sorry you gotta see this, babe,” he says to his lady next to him.
“Carol, we have your things,” Tim says politely, resting his palm on her shoulder. “You’ve made your point. We should leave now.”
She takes a deep breath, in, and out. She relaxes her hands by her sides. Turning toward Tim, she frowns, shaking her head. “Fine. You’re right. Let’s get out of here.”
Without a care, she pushes past Santi, pushes past the other people huddled around, walking briskly toward the kitchen with Tim in tow, off to the foyer and the side exit. Only when Ray can no longer see her and Tim does he let out a deep sigh of his own.
The air feels so still. He can hear his heartbeat in his ears. No one seems to move until they all hear the door click, the cue that Carol and Tim have really, truly, finally left.
“Oh my god…” Ray whispers.
Gene groans, gripping his drink with one hand against his knee, his other hand holding his wounded cheek.
“Gene, are you alright?” Ray asks, still breathing heavily.
“Y-yeah. I’m fine.”
“She knocked you pretty good, didn’t she,” Pat remarks, turning toward them.
“Yeah, but I’ll be alright.”
“I’m gonna grab some towels to clean this up,” Dennis says, motioning his arm at the spilled drink on the floor before he’s off toward the hall.
“What a way to end the year, huh?” Santi says, holding his lady’s hand. “You think that’s the last we’ll see of her?”
“I hope so,” Ray says, looking down at the mess on the carpet.
“I’ve got to ask, though,” Santi says, “What was it that you stole from her?”
Ray chokes, the lump in his throat making it hard to breathe. “Do I really gotta say?”
“You’ve got me curious,” Maurice pipes in, Kenneth right beside him.
“Yeah, Ray, tell us!” Pat says with a smile.
More people chime in, a ruckus forming around them. She really did come here just to embarrass me, didn’t she? He looks at Gene, asking him without words what he should do. Gene doesn’t seem to have an answer. There’s concern in his eyes, but… he purses his lips to one side, and gives Ray a shrug.
It’ll be alright, Gene suggests.
“Okay, if you all really wanna know,” Ray says, eyeing the crowd. “I, uh… stole… some of her underwear.”
A beat passes. The room stares at him.
And then—
Santiago belts out a laugh.
“Oh my god, you sly pervert!” Santi slaps his knee.
“She told me she was missing some, but you stole ’em?” Pat joins in the laughter as well.
“I always knew you were a sleaze,” Mick says, popping in beside Maurice.
“Why’d you steal them? To wear them yourself?” Santi teases.
“N-no…” Ray lies, his face feeling blisteringly hot.
“Nothing wrong with wearing women’s underwear,” Maurice says matter-of-factly. “The frilly ones are especially nice. I’ve actually bought some for K—”
“Maurice, you better shut the hell up, right fucking now,” Kenneth blurts, his face beet red.
That gets Gene to laugh. Ray turns his head toward him, the sight of Gene’s smile untying the knot in his stomach.
The way his eyes crease, the sweet sound of his laughter, it eases Ray in a way that nothing else can.
It makes Ray laugh too, the feeling so damn good after everything that just happened.
“Say, why don’t we liven up this place a little?” Santi exclaims to everyone. “Let’s get some music goin’! Ray, how ’bout you pick out a record?”
“Oh, sure.” He stands up, holding his hand out for Gene. “Let’s pick one out together, yeah?”
Gene’s smile shines brighter, despite the sore redness on his cheek. “For sure.”
He grabs Ray’s hand and stands up as well, and they go to the record rack to pick out a tune.
The hours pass by without a care, thankfully.
Everyone gets more drinks, dances to the music, and has a great time.
It seems nothing can sour this wonderful party.
Ray sure was scared for a bit there, but, surprisingly, everything ended up alright.
Most importantly of all, Gene stood up for him.
It happened so fast, like on instinct—Gene was there for him.
It warms his heart just thinking about it.
He stands beside Gene, both of them leaning against a wall as everyone else crowds around the TV, waiting for the ball to drop.
“How’s your cheek feeling?” Ray asks Gene. They’re standing so close, shoulders almost touching.
“It stings, but I’ll be alright.” Gene shrugs.
“Thank you, for, uh… for doing that. You didn’t have to. I deserved it.”
“Don’t say that.” Gene shakes his head. “I never want to see you hurt, Ray. I’ll take the blow for you any day.”
He smiles. “Again, thank you. Though… I realized what you said could have a couple different meanings.”
“Take the blow? I guess so—blow, like dope,” Gene chuckles.
“Of course you would think of that first,” Ray chuckles as well. “You could take another kind of blow-something-or-other from me—”
“Ray! Cool it.” Gene laughs even harder, their shoulders bumping together. “Everyone’s around us…”
“No one’s paying attention. Plus, everyone’s rather buzzed, looking at the TV.”
“Maybe we should be checking that out, too. We might miss the ball drop.”
“Oh, yeah. Don’t wanna miss that.”