"Guys, I've got bad news." Asher and I both turned our heads to see Reeve coming down the hall. "Apparently, the flu bug wasn't contained to my parents. Riley's got it and he thinks Chey's about to become a victim as well. So I'm going to have to bail."
"Oh no. That's terrible," I said, thinking that her evening is about to get all kinds of gross. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"No, just have a drink for me," she said. I started to panic a little. If she wasn't going, I wasn't going. I couldn't get drinks with Asher – alone. That would definitely not be a good idea for either of us. Reeve came to hug me goodbye and I heard her whisper in my ear. "Go with him, Charlie. Talk to him. Tell him. You both need it." She pulled away and smiled at me and I gave her a tiny nod. I didn't know if I was going to tell him everything, but she was right about talking to him. I avoided this conversation since I arrived.
Reeve gave Asher a brief hug and then she's gone. She left Asher and me staring uncomfortably at each other.
"Are you ready to go?"
"Listen Asher, it's ok if you don't want to go out anymore. Tonight's kind of a bust anyway now that Reeve's gone."
He took a few steps towards me and cocked his head a little.
"What's the matter? Are you afraid to have a few drinks with me?" He wore a sexy smirk and I found it hard not to grin back.
"I'm not afraid."
"Great. I'm driving. Let's go."
Asher
My hand naturally found its way to the small of her back as we walked through the bar. The fabric of her dress was so light and sheer, I could feel the firmness of her back through it and it was enticing. Everything about her was enticing. She opened the door at her house and something gripped my heart and my cock at the same time. It squeezed hard and hadn't let go yet. Every part of me was aching and with my hand on her, I was silently praising the flu bug that took Reeve back home. I wanted Charlie to myself and I wouldn't let this opportunity go to waste.
The bar was dark inside with mellow jazz music playing; the perfect atmosphere for a first date or getting to know someone. I wanted the opportunity to get Charlie to open up to me, not to spend the evening trying to hear each other over loud music and drunk people. I led her to a table along the far edge of a mostly empty dance floor. I motioned for her to sit down on one of the high barstools and then leaned in closer to her.
"I'm going to go get us some drinks. You still drink vodka and cranberry?" I felt her nod as her hair moved along my lips. "Good." I pulled away and headed to the bar, trying to remain calm. It wasn't very busy yet, although I expected it became busier as it was a Friday night. It took a few minutes for the bartender to get to me and as I waited for our drinks, I noticed a man walk up to Charlie, smiling, striking up conversation. She obliged him and looked like she was politely answering whatever questions he had for her. My shackles raised and I felt my blood begin to pulse rapidly through my veins.
Just as I was about to go back to our table to interrupt their friendly conversation, our drinks were placed in front of me. I tried to give the bartender a smile but was so distracted it probably looked more frightening than friendly. I tipped her and then headed back. I saw the man walking away and I was half-relieved to see him go but also half-disappointed that I wouldn't be able to tell him she was with me.
"Who was that?" My words sounded harsh and I chastised myself for it. She shrugged her shoulders.
"Just some guy. I don't remember his name."
Well, that was good news I suppose. She must have picked up on my irritation.
"He came over here to ask me if he could buy me a drink and I told him I was already here with someone." I relaxed a little at her words. Obviously, it went without saying that this wasn't a date. But I'd be damned if some other guy was going to move in on my territory right in front of me.
Her eyes finally looked at the tray I set down on the table.
"Uh, Asher, what is all of this?"
"This," I said dramatically as I waved my hand over the tray, "is a drinking game." The tray had her cranberry vodka and a rum and coke for me, but it also has six shots on it.
"A drinking game? Asher, come on. I haven't played a drinking game since college." She looked nervous which excited me.
"Well then, it's time for a refresher. Here's how it's going to go." I sat down on the barstool across from her. "We are going to ask each other questions, you know, things we're curious about. Things we want to know about each other. You can either answer the question or take a drink. Every time you take a drink you alternate between a shot and your mixed drink." She raised an eyebrow at me which was incredibly sexy.
"Are there any topics that are off limits?" Her question caught me off guard and I felt my eyebrows coming together and my forehead tensing as I think about what she asked me.
"I don't have anything to hide."
She nodded slowly, contemplating. "Me either," she stated.
"Ok, you get to go first."
She sat for a moment trying to think of a question and I just grinned at her. For once in the last two weeks we weren't packing up boxes, or at a funeral, or cloaked in sadness. We were out, in a new setting, making a new memory. This fact brought me hope. This is exactly what I wanted for us – to move forward.
"All right, here's a question." She wriggled in her seat as she sat up straight, obviously pleased with her first round question. "When we were in tenth grade, Robbie Wallis called me a tease because I wouldn't go out on a date with him. The next day his tires were slashed. Did you do it?"
"Of course I did it," I laughed. "You knew I did that."
"No! You would never tell me! You said ignorance was the best bet."
"I thought the answer was obvious." She shrugged her shoulders. "Ok, my turn." I looked her in the eyes, grateful that she wasn't turning away from me, wasn't shying away from the contact as she had so many times since she'd been back. "Do you have a boyfriend back in New York?"
"No." She answered very quickly. My eyebrows shot up before I had the chance to stop them. I couldn't imagine her living in a city like New York and not being snatched up. Her answer didn't sit right with me.
"Why not?" I asked, wanting more information.
"No, no, no. That's not how this works. It's my turn to ask a question." She took another moment to formulate her question and then asked, "Why did you go to see my father so often?" My answer came without hesitation.
"He was my only link to you. He was the only way I could feel close to you. He never spoke about you and I gathered that was because you didn't want him to, but he never turned me away either. We spent a lot of time together and eventually he became more than your father to me, more than the man who lived down the street from me during my childhood." I paused, thinking about Charles and some of the conversations we had, how he gave me priceless advice and help all through college and law school. "It started out as a relationship I needed to feel like you were still a part of my life, but at some point he became my friend." I looked down at my glass and decided to drink even though I'd answered the question. I welcomed the slight sting as the rum coated my throat, and gloried in the warmth that spread through my stomach. "I think," I continued carefully. "I think he needed me too. I know you spoke on the phone with him often, but I think he used me to feel close to you as well."
Charlie reached over and squeezed my hand. "I'm sorry Asher. It never occurred to me that you were hurting over his death. I've been really selfish lately. I'm so sorry." I flipped my hand over and linked my fingers with her and gave her a smile. She smiled back but pulled her hand away. That hurt.
"My turn," I said right before I took another drink. "Who was the last person you dated?"
"His name was David." She said his name coldly. I couldn't pick up on any emotion attached to his name. "Who was the last person you dated?" She asked.
"Define dated." I quipped.
"Someone you would consider your girlfriend."
"So you're asking who my last girlfriend was?"
"Exactly."
"You." I said the word without taking my eyes off hers, and took a shot of tequila while I held her gaze. Her eyes grew wide when she took in what I'd said.
"Me?"
"That's what I said."
"It's been thirteen years, Asher. Surely you've been with someone between then and now."