Page 90 of The Barkeep and the Bro

“The waitress should be over,” he said.

“Can you pass the coffee?”

“Yeah. Sure.” Amos flipped over my mug and poured me a steaming hot cup. I drank it black. The caffeine was a much-needed jolt to my system.

Amos leaned in. “So, how was your night?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

His eyebrows jumped up to his hairline. “Okay, then.”

“Sorry.” I shut my eyes. I gulped down the coffee and let it burn my throat. “Just...it was…”

“You’re in a glass cage of emotions?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

Amos knew me well. We’d only reconnected a few months ago, but I considered him my closest friend, more of a friend than my frat brothers a few tables away.

“What happened last night in your room? Do I need to get a banana and doughnut so you can act it out?”

“What? Huh? What are you talking about?” I held up the menu so it blocked my face.

“Charlie, I saw you wince when you sat down just now. It was the my-butt-hurts-from-a-good-dicking wince.”

I put the menu down. It was no use.

He patted me on the back. “I’m glad I snuck the lube and condoms into your bag.”

I motioned for him to keep his voice down, though he was being quiet. It was only loud in my head. And what if Ellie had supersonic hearing?

“How was it?”

My heart wasn’t ready to turn last night into grist for the gossip mill. I was falling in love with Mitch. Hell, I think I was already there. I hesitated to admit how he made me feel because I was scared it was one-sided.

“It was good. Really good,” I said without enthusiasm.

Amos studied my face. Well, at least he wasn’t studying my sore ass. His giddy nature subdued as if he were downloading my thoughts.

“You like him,” he said.

I didn’t answer.

“He likes you, too.”

“He likes flirting with me and fucking me. That’s all I was good for with girls. It’s the same with guys, too. I’m not the best when it comes to actual, real relationships.”

“I saw the way he looked at you during the slow dance.”

I took it so did others, which is why we got stares when we entered.

“Amos, just drop it.” My eyes flicked up, and two tables away, Mitch gave me a clandestine wink that I felt all over my body. But it was followed up by the familiar glare of the bride at the next table over.

I ordered blueberry pancakes because as soon as Amos mentioned them, it was all my stomach could think about eating. Amos regaled me with stories of flirting with Ellie’s drunk frat boy friends, wondering if any of them could also be bisexual. He tried the flirting methods we used at Remix but to no avail. I let him know he didn’t want anything to do with those guys. One of my ex-girlfriends junior year told me that Skeeter was known to be bad in bed among girls in her sorority.

After two cups of coffee, I had to piss like a racehorse. I went to the bathroom on the other side of the diner, away from our room. When I was done, I came out to find Ellie waiting for me.

Hands on hips.

---