“What the hell,” I mumbled. I took the thankfully-sweet shot and dropped my glass to the table before ordering a vodka and orange juice, my standby drink.
“My boss is a jerk,” I said.
“The new guy?” Nate asked. Though he wasn’t on my team, we worked in the same office. I nodded, and he laughed, which made his hair shake around his ears. “Trying to make a name for himself already?”
“If he wants his name to be mud, then yeah,” I mumbled. “He cancelled the server upgrade.”
“Moron,” Nate mumbled. He was a hardware guy and used to getting the smelly end of the corporate budget. All of us worked in the information technology field except for Gabe, who Mare and I knew from high school. “I thought everyone was calling him Chia Head.”
“Chia Head?” Mare echoed.
“He looks just like one,” I informed her. “His hair is ridiculous. I think he’s got about as much brains on the inside, too.”
“That’s why it pays to be your own boss,” Gabe said.
“If you don’t mind feeding dick to people,” Nate said with a snicker.
Gabe smiled and balanced the bar stool on two legs, causing it to creak. He was a big guy with a smile that always made his eyes sparkle like he was about to do something mischievous. He often did, too. He was a pastry chef in his own bakery, and he specialized in one-of-a-kind cakes for various functions. He did your normal birthdays and weddings, but most of his business was titty cakes for bachelor parties and penis cakes for the bachelorettes and divorcees.
Apparently, it was quite a lucrative business.
“I’ve never fed dick to a woman who didn’t appreciate it,” he responded. His eyes twinkled as he winked at me.
I shook my head and rolled my eyes at him. I’d never had a thing with Gabe though we flirted with each other a lot. Many people thought we were going to eventually hook up, but it never happened. We had always kept things in the “just friends” realm.
“Hey, Chloe,” Gabe said as he leaned across the table, “the shop said my car is officially kaput. You still up for helping me find a new one next week?”
“Sure,” I replied. “I did some checking yesterday, and there are all kinds of sales going on starting Monday. Lease returns, mostly.”
“Perfect!” Gabe gave me a big smile and his eyes lit up. “You’re my hero!”
“Heroine,” I corrected.
“Heroin,” Gabe replied. “I’m totally addicted to your company!”
“Ha!”
And so the night progressed with talk of work-overload, lack of comp time, and overzealous bosses who didn’t know what the hell they were talking about. Shots were brought around again, and I seemed unable to stop myself from joining with the rest of them. I even bought a round myself to keep the tabs even. It was the polite thing to do.
“Well, I gotta run,” Gabe said as he ran his hand though his styled blond hair. He got up from his seat and threw some bills on the table. “If any of you guys need a ride that doesn’t cost you an arm and a major organ, now is the time!”
I checked my phone to see the time. It was still pretty early, and the thought of returning to my empty condo did not sound appealing at the moment. If I left, my weekend would have started exactly how it had started last week and the week before. Probably the week before that, too. Drink, chat, back home to my couch and a movie, and grocery shopping in the morning.
No wonder I didn’t bother to wear a watch; I could tell the time just from what I was doing next.
Mare and Nate weren’t any less predictable, but at least they could end up going home together even if it turned out to be a casual hook up. I hadn’t had a hook up in…well…ever. I didn’t do that kind of thing. There had to be at least three dates first, then kissing, then maybe a little more, and after I was sure the relationship seemed to be going somewhere, only then was sex on the table.
While I wallowed, Gabe flicked his eyes from my face to my half empty vodka and row of shot glasses.
“Chloe, you need a ride?” he asked.
I should have gone. If I had just let Gabe drive me home right then and there, everything would have remained the same. I would have been at work on Monday morning. I wouldn’t have found myself in a situation way beyond my control.
“Nah, I’m good,” I said. “I’ll hang a while longer.”
“Suit yourself,” Gabe replied. After a quick goodbye and promises of staying out later next week, he wandered through the crowd toward the door.
I turned back to Mare and Nate who were gazing into each other’s eyes, practically oblivious to my presence.