Patrick turned to look at me, but I was sure he was seeing double. “Fuck, man. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to let this happen.”
“Ah, come on! It’s your fucking birthday!”
A vibration came from my pocket. I jerked the phone out and promptly dropped it. I picked it up and cursed violently at the shattered screen.
“Hello?” I called into the phone when I saw Jules’s name on the phone.
“Austin Wright,” Julia said in a serious tone, “are you drunk?”
“What gives you that idea?”
“Besides the slur?” she growled.
“I’m not slurring.”
“What about the picture Patrick posted of you guys doing four flaming shots at Flips? Was that a Four Horsemen?”
“Maybe.”
“Christ,” she spat. “I thought you guys were going out for dinner. Not going to the bar!”
“Babe, don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”
“You’re on a bender! You went and got fucked up!” She sighed heavily into the phone and then was silent for a few seconds. “Should I come get you?”
“You don’t need to come get me.” I turned to Patrick and stuffed the phone in his hand. “Patrick, tell Jules that I’m totally fine.”
Patrick put the phone to his ear. “Hey, Julia. Yes. Yep. Uh-huh. Probably a good idea. Oh, I so am. It is my birthday. Yeah, I know. Sorry. Okay. Sure.” Patrick handed the phone back. “Uh, here you go.”
“Babe, see?”
“I’m fucking coming to get you.”
Then, she hung up on me.
I stared down at the phone in shock.
“What the hell did she say to you?” I asked Patrick.
“That I was irresponsible and a shitty friend. That I should have taken better care of you, and I should be glad that she wasn’t going to kick my ass.”
I sputtered into laughter. “She didn’t say that!”
Patrick shrugged. “Your girl is crazy. She’s perfect for you.”
I couldn’t deny that. Julia was the best fucking thing that had ever happened to me. I’d marry her right now if she wanted to do it. Course, she deserved so much more than no ring and a dirty bar.
“Hey, guys,” Evan said, reaching his hand out to Patrick. “I’m going to call it an early night. My girlfriend hates when I’m out late.”
“Ha!” I shook his hand. “That makes two of us.”
Evan laughed and then disappeared.
“She doesn’t hate when you’re out late. She hates when you drink,” Patrick corrected.
“Eh. Goes hand in hand.”
“You haven’t even fucking sang to me yet!”
“You do not want to hear me sing.”
“I already have!” Patrick said. “I think I still have Fiddler on the Roof on tape somewhere.”
“Fuck you!”
Patrick laughed. Landon appeared then in front of us. His eyes were wary, and he suddenly seemed much more sober than us.
“I just heard from Heidi. Looks like she’s on her way here,” he said. He cringed as he glanced between me and Patrick. “She’s going to chew me out for letting this happen.”
“It’s my birthday,” Patrick said with a shrug. “You need another drink, Landon.”
“I think we’re all cut off.”
“Hey, I’m not pussy-whipped by anyone. I can have as much as I fucking want,” Patrick said.
“Do you want to deal with Emery, Heidi, and Julia?” Landon asked with a pointed look.
“Bring it,” he said.
Landon shook his head and went to the front door to wait for the girls. It didn’t take long before they showed up at the bar. Heidi and Landon seemed to be having a heated argument at the front of the room, but eventually, they moved with Emery to the bar to talk with Peter. I knew Heidi was friends with the bartender. Plus, this was really her bar. She hustled pool here like a champ.
But it was Julia who caught my attention. She was in the skimpy dress I’d stripped her out of in the shower. And she looked hot as fucking hell. Christ, I wanted my dick in her so bad right now.
“Jules,” I said as she approached.
She sighed, looking resigned. “Come on, Austin. We should get you back to your place. Try to detox you again.”
“Babe, I’m fine.”
“Look, I’m not surprised that this happened. I figured it would happen at some point,” she said. “I’m just disappointed that it did.”
“Why the fuck are you disappointed? Because I’m here, celebrating my best friend’s birthday?”
“Not everyone has to get wasted to celebrate a birthday, Austin.”