I was distracted by the sound of some out-of-tune singing. We were far enough from the stage not to be deafened, but close enough to have a perfect view. That was always how it seemed to go around Stephan. He led a charmed life. “They start the Karaoke this early?” I asked Stephan, surprised.
He shrugged. “I guess so. It does seem awfully early for that, though. They need to let us get a little more buzzed before we have to listen to that.”
I agreed, laughing.
Melvin was back in short order. He’d made us each a Pom-tini, which was delicious enough that I didn’t think it could possibly get me drunk. He’d also brought us a shot he called ‘surfer on acid’. I’d never heard of it. I smelled it, and my nose wrinkled. It was strong. “What is it?” I asked him.
“Jagermeister, pineapple juice, and coconut rum. Trust me, it’s good.”
Stephan grinned at him. “I trust you,” he declared, and downed it. He gasped as it went down. “Damn, it is good.”
I downed mine. There was only one way to do a shot, as far as I was concerned, and that way was fast. They were right, it was very good, and I felt a nearly instant, fuzzy buzz. Okaaay, I thought. I needed to slow it down. Even one shot was a shock to my system after so much time without. Though it was a shot that packed a hell of a punch.
Melvin brought us each a glass of ice water without us having to ask, then went to tend to the growing crowd. Stephan would have to stay late into the night if he hoped for much of Melvin’s attention. The bar was getting more crowded by the second.
Melvin was extremely busy, but still managed to stop near us to have short conversations with Stephan every few minutes, and I took this as an encouraging sign. He was definitely giving Stephan special attention, beyond being simply friendly. I finished my first Pom-tini way too fast. “Damn tiny martini glasses,” I muttered to Stephan, my voice way louder than I’d intended. Yep, I definitely needed to slow it down on the drinking. Stephan laughed at me, finishing his as well.
Melvin immediately had martini and shot refills in front of us. Okay, we were definitely getting special treatment. He wagged a finger at us. “Your next round will be a new surprise.” He winked at Stephan as he walked away. I smiled broadly at Stephan. He smiled back at me. He was the happiest I’d seen him in a while, and it brightened my mood a lot just to see him like that. He’d been majorly hung up on his Ex from a year ago, and it was a relief to see that he was finally moving on. “We better drink these fast. I want to see our next surprise,” Stephan teased me.
I laughed and took the shot. Screw slowing down. I wanted our next surprise. Stephan and I unwisely raced to finish the Pom-tini. I pointed at him, laughing, as I finished mine just a second ahead of him. “I win,” I said.
With perfect timing, Melvin slid a new shot and martini in front of us just as Stephan set down his glass. “A Kamikaze, and a Razzle-tini,” he told us, having to almost shout now with the horrible rendition of ‘Moves Like Jagger’ a group of three were belting out from the stage. I thanked him. Stephan did the same, squeezing Melvin’s hand just as he was pulling back. It was a surprisingly bold move for Stephan. Melvin blushed and smiled at Stephan as he went back to tend to customers.
I practically beamed at Stephan. “He’s soooo interested. You know that, right?” I asked him.
He nodded, looking suddenly shy, but very pleased. “Yeah, I’m finally sure of it.”
It wasn’t long before the crew started showing up. Brenda showed up first. She was a middle-aged woman, in her mid-forties, I guessed. I saw her less than anyone else on the crew, since she worked in the back galley of the plane, and I worked in the front, but she seemed very nice. I thought we could easily be friends, if we spent a little time together. She walked up to us, smiling.
She had dark brown hair cut in a bob that flattered her bone structure nicely. She had a medium build and was very pretty. I knew she was married with some teenage children, but I didn’t know all the details yet. I made a note to ask her more about her family. She seemed like she would be a good mom, with her kind eyes and calm manner.
We greeted her a little more loudly and boisterously than was our habit, and she laughed at us with good humor. “You guys have been at it for awhile, huh?”
Stephan insisted she take his chair, and she did so, thanking him with a dimpled smile. “He’s one of the last throwbacks to a true gentleman,” she said to me. I could tell she was assuming that he and I were an item, and I didn’t correct her.
Within five minutes, Stephan had secured the seat on the other side of me. I giggled at him. “How do you always do that?” I asked, turning in the direction of his new seat.