Page 150 of The Holy Grail
Another picture appeared, a sort of goofy selfie of him lying on the couch, which made her smile. She knew he had likely bought the couch because of what she’d said the other night—that they all couldn’t fit on his small couch—and the gesture both touched her and made her want to hug him for his sweetness.
JULES: It’s beautiful.
JULES: I love it!
EVAN: It’s also huge.
EVAN: Damn.
MALCOM: We can definitely all fit on it.
Worried Evan might be focusing on how much Malcom had probably spent, rather than on the spirit of the ‘gift’, Jules quickly texted Evan privately.
JULES: Please don’t ruin this for Mal.
JULES: He bought the couch so our time together would be better.
EVAN: I know, and I love him for it, but at the same time I feel a little uncomfortable with how much he must have spent on it.
JULES: Don’t think about what he spent.
JULES: Focus on how happy he is right now. Because he is.
JULES: And we should be, too, because he’s telling us we matter to him.
EVAN:You’re right.
A few moments later, Evan posted a response in the Ménage à Trois group chat.
EVAN: I’m guessing there’s more than enough room to get up to some fuckery on it?
Chapter 48
The Pride & Pour
From the outside, The Pride & Pour was relatively nondescript, with a dark gray brick facade and a large, ornate black awning over the front door, which was painted the color of Prince’s jacket on thePurple Rainalbum cover.
Inside, the purple carried over to the walls, the ceiling, and the small stage, where the DJ was stationed in front of a backdrop of flowing, sequined curtains that sparkled like diamonds. Numerous disco balls hung from the ceiling, throwing bits of light around the room, notably onto the dance floor directly underneath them. On the edges of the room, there were raised seating areas accessible by stairs, with tables and high-top chairs, as well as some booths, that overlooked the entire space.
The bar was a very modern looking length of metal and black lacquer, with a mirrored wall behind it. There were two male and two female bartenders serving drinks—the men were bare-chested, with tattoos and pierced nipples, while the women wore low-cut tank tops and sported dramatic make-up.
As Jules looked around at the people inside, she noted the clientele was about seventy-five percent men and twenty-five percent women, and they all seemed to be having a roaring good time. The vibe was very open and uninhibited, with couples dancing like they’d just met (or were on a first date), to couples that were really grinding on one another, and everything in between. She did see a few mixed couples dancing, but even to her untrained eye, she could see the females appeared to be straight, while their male partners were flamboyantly gay.
For Malcom, it was fun to see so many people all letting loose. The outfits alone were something to see, from sequined bodysuits to leather shorts, and he felt exceedingly boring in his jeans and pink button-down shirt. Evan, in his slim-fitting jeans, Doc Martens, and Sex Pistols graphic T-shirt, looked like he truly belonged here, as did Jules, in her distressed skinny jeans tucked into her high-heeled boots, red halter top, smoky eye make-up, and the handful of necklaces she’d thrown on.
“I look like I should be going to the movies,” Malcom said to Evan. “And a PG movie, at that.”
Evan nodded with a hint ofI told you so. “I did say the pink shirt wasn’t going to be the bold statement you thought it would be.”
Seeing a bunch of men who were actually dancing shirtless, Malcom knew Evan was right.
“You can always just unbutton your shirt a little, and show some skin,” Evan suggested, because unbuttoned shirts were also a thing in the club.
Malcom sighed, before saying in Evan’s ear, “I have a white T-shirt on underneath.”
Evan turned his head, so their mouths were almost touching. “You’re such a forty-two-year-old,” he told Malcom, before kissing him.
“Thanks.”
