“So, where are we going?” I asked, once in the car and carefully pulling the seat-belt tight across my lap. Bastian pulled his tight as well before starting the car. I barely felt the vibrations of the engine it was so smooth. He pulled out onto the main road, and I felt like we were floating rather than driving.
“Surf Shack,” he answered. “I hope that's okay. I know you went there with Charlotte already, but-”
“No, it's perfect,” I interrupted him. I had liked the feel of the bar there. I had been a little afraid he was going to take me to some billionaire hangout where I would be completely out of place. The cute little bar by the ocean was something I could handle. “They have the best drinks.”
He grinned and drove a little faster. The car responded to his touch like a lover, and would have made me jealous if it hadn't been a car. The warm tropical air whipped through my hair as evening descended on the island. It was hard to talk with the roof down, but it was comfortable just to be in the same car as Bastian. We didn't need to talk.
He pulled into the bar parking lot just as the streetlights started to turn on. The place looked just as busy as it had been the other night. Bastian parked, and hurried over to open my door before I even had a chance to undo my belt.
He held out his hand to help me out of the car. I loved it. Chivalry was not dead, and I found I rather liked it.
We managed to find an empty table in the back on the porch. It was the farthest we could be from the actual bar without falling into the ocean, but at least it was a table. It was perfect. Bastian caught the waiter's attention and we ordered drinks and some food. I ordered the special again, both the drink and the Jamaican Patty, and Bastian requested a whiskey and coke with his food.
“So you left Charlotte here alone with Leo drinking those,” Bastian said as the waiter returned with our drinks and meal. Bastian raised his eyebrow at the very girly but delicious fruity drink with an umbrella in front of me. I pushed it toward him and he took a sip. His disgusted face told me what he thought of the fruity alcohol. “Poor guy's shirt never stood a chance.”
I giggled quietly and sipped on my drink. “Poor Charlotte.”
“She'll be fine,” he assured me. “They'll figure it out eventually. They really are perfect for one another.”
“How do they manage to get any work done?” I remembered the vivid shade of red she turned when he sat at our table. “She's so nervous around him.”
“She's actually gotten better. You should have seen her when I was in college.” He chuckled and smiled at the memory. “She was still in high school, so Leo was like a god to her. She couldn't even be in the same room with him for months without stuttering and blushing.”
I could just imagine a cute little star-struck Charlotte in awe of the older, handsome, college boy. It was rather adorable.
“If you knew Leo, though, you'd know that he's just as love struck about her. He just hides it better.” He smiled, remembering something. “The first time she met him, he was actually naked.”
“Naked? Do tell,” I asked, sipping on my drink. Bastian scooted his chair closer to mine so that our legs touched. It made it easier to hear him over the bar, but far more distracting.
“Gabe had this crush on this cute blonde cheerleader across the hall. He never stood a chance with her, but somehow, Leo found out that she had never gone streaking.” He took a sip of his drink and grinned at me. “Have you ever gone streaking?”
“Once, but I want to hear your story first,” I teased.
“Anyway, Leo wanted to help Gabe out, so he organized the whole dorm floor to go streaking down the Oval. He even made up posters to hang in the bathrooms to advertise it.” He laughed. “Gabe was thrilled. Practically the entire hall went. We got out to there and everyone starts dropping their clothes. Of course, it's cold.”
I laughed. “So you just looked normal, right?”
“Yup.” Bastian grinned proudly at me and continued his story. “We all took off running. There's naked people everywhere. And then the cops showed up.”
“Oh no!” I slurped at the last of my drink. I hadn't meant to drink it so fast, but it tasted so good I hadn't slowed down.
“Everyone panicked. Clothes were flying as people scrambled for cover and of course, Leo lost his pants and his shirt in the process. He ran the whole way back to the dorm, butt naked, thinking the cops were after him the whole way.”
“Where was Charlotte?” I asked, wondering how she fit into this story.
“In my room waiting for me to get back. She was visiting me for the night, and I didn't want my little sister streaking with a bunch of college boys, so I told her I had class and that I'd be back in an hour,” he explained. “Leo's keys were in his pants and his room was across the hall from mine. So when he saw my open door, he ran right in thinking he could borrow some clothes from me until he could get back in his room.”
“And there was Charlotte...” I could just imagine Charlotte's face when Leo walked into her brother's dorm room butt naked and flushed from running in the cold. No wonder she couldn't stop blushing around him.
“It was rather traumatizing for both of them.” Bastian laughed, shaking his head. “Gabe never let him live it down.”
“Did Gabe end up getting the girl?” I asked. “I mean, that was the whole reason for going streaking, right?”
“She ended up dating one of the cops.” Bastian's eyes twinkled as he sipped on his drink.
“Poor Leo! All that work and nakedness and Gabe didn't even get his girl.” I started laughing and Bastian joined in.
I loved hearing Bastian laugh. It was rich and deep, with a joy that just made me want to join in with him. I could listen to him laugh all day. I could listen to his stories all day. I wanted to hear more, to find out more about the people in his life and everything I could in his world.