“There’s going to be girl on girl action!” I said, imitating the voice. We kept drinking and laughing.
“She’s going to suck my tiny little dick,” said Luna, laughing so hard that I could barely understand her.
“Let’s get two more,” she said. She went up to the bar and I turned to better check out the pool players. One in particular caught my eye. He had dark curly hair and an angular jaw. When he looked up at me I looked down, embarrassed. I opened my purse and fished around for some lip-gloss.
“Let’s try these this time,” said Luna, setting three dark beers on the table. “One’s for Dannon,” she said about the extra one.
They were awful, but we drank them down anyhow, and then, when Dannon still had not shown up, we poured hers into our own glasses and finished it, too.
“Okay, enough buying me drinks. I’ll buy you a drink now,” I said. My voice sounded like it was happening miles away from me. I laughed at how far away and cloudy I sounded. When I stood up to go to the bar I stumbled and fell. I reached for the table, but instead of steadying myself, I knocked over my empty glass and it rolled onto the floor, breaking into several sharp chunks. I was too wasted to be embarrassed. I sat there on the floor, laughing.
“Okay, you’ve had enough. Time to go,” said the bartender, coming out from behind the bar. He didn’t sound mad, at least not to me in the state I was in. Just concerned. And tired. I’m sure he dealt with this kind of thing all the time.
“I’m good,” I told him. “It’s my birthday. I think you need to give me a free drink because I am twenty-one years old today.” I could barely speak. My words sounded over-annunciated, yet slurred at the same time. It just made me laugh more.
“You’ve already had enough.” He leaned down and picked up the chunks of glass. “Watch out for that. Don’t touch that.” He grabbed a broom and dustpan and swept up the glass. I was still sitting on the floor. I let out a rumbly sigh like Mr. Ed. “Sweeping is boring,” I said.
“That glass could be sharp,” said Luna to no one in particular.
“I guess you’re really mad at me?” I asked the bartender.
“I’m not mad at you,” he said.
“Help me up,” I told him, holding up my hands. He pulled me up and I wrapped my arms around his neck. I kissed him. “Do you want to take me home?” I asked him. He put his hands on my back. I kissed him again.
I felt a big hand on my wrist and the guy with the dark curly hair was standing behind the bartender. “I called you and your friend a cab,” he said to me. He was so cute. I let go of the bartender and wrapped my arms around his neck instead.
“What? Why?”
“Is this a friend of yours?” the bartender asked me. Or maybe he was asking the dark haired guy. I was so drunk that I wasn’t sure what was going on.
“The cab is outside already. It’s waiting for you,” said the dark haired guy, removing my arms from around his neck. His green eyes seemed to look straight into my soul. I felt like his eyes were telling me he wanted me, yet he was pushing me away. My lips sought his with a primal, magnetic pull that momentarily sobered me up and for one perfect fraction of a second our lips touched. He broke away from me, but our eyes remained locked. I tried to kiss him again but he pulled back from me.
“Do you know him?” asked the bartender protectively.
“I’m helping her. I’m putting her in a cab,” said the curly haired guy to the bartender, irritated at being questioned. He escorted me outside, his arm around my waist.
“But I’m not ready to go,” I told him.
The next thing I knew, Luna and I were in the cab, heading back to our dorm.
“Don’t throw up in here!” the cab driver told us over and over.
“I’m going to puke if you say that one more time,” I warned him.
“Did you know that guy?” asked Luna when we got dropped off.
“The cab driver?” I asked.
“No, the guy at the bar.”
“The bartender?” I asked.
“No,” she said, getting annoyed. “The guy who got us the cab.”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “I wish I knew him!”
“Well he seemed like he knew you.”