Page 32 of Champagne Kisses
“Yeah. Let’s call it a tie.” As usual, the twins are on the same page.
“Wusses,” I hear Cory mumble under his breath.
“C’mon, Cory. Cut them some slack. They are almost senior citizens!” For that comment, I get a glare and a towel to the face from both Noah and Henry, but Henry can’t hide his smile.
“So what are everyone’s plans for the rest of the day?” Noah asks. He grabs a water before helping me pack the flags. “I’m taking three of the five New Kids on the Block out to dinner before their show at the Garden tonight.”
“New Kids on the Block at the Garden?” Cory scoffs. “Those guys haven’t been cool since I was in elementary school.”
“Revival tours are trending, bro. The show has been sold out for weeks.” I detect a note of pride in Noah’s voice. Landing NKOTB was a major reason he made partner two years ago.
“Nothing exciting for me, I’m afraid. I’ve got to walk my client through a settlement offer on Monday, so I’ll be studying tonight,” Henry says. All of us groan in response and he rolls his eyes.
“Well,” Cory puffs out his chest with pride, “I have a hot date tonight with the girl one floor below me. She came up to complain about the noise last time I had company over and I asked her out.” He wiggles his eyebrows for emphasis on the word “company” and I grin.
“Leave it to you to get a date out of a noise complaint,” I laugh. Though none of us have girlfriends, Cory might be the biggest player I know.
“What about you, baby bro?” Noah asks as we all start walking towards the subway.
“Nah. No hot date for me.” We keep walking and I wonder if I should tell them. Why not? They might even be happy for me.
”Ihavestarted seeing someone,“ I admit. All four of my brothers stop in their tracks and exchange looks. No one says anything. Cory’s jaw actually drops open.
“Wow. That is not the reaction I was expecting.” I resume walking and Noah is the first to snap out of it, jogging to catch up.
“Our bad, Adam. This is just the first time you’ve mentioned getting serious with anyone.” Cory still looks upset, his shoulders hunched and brow furrowed. I might be the youngest, but Cory has everyone beat in immaturity.
“Don’t apologize for me. I for one am shocked the guy who used to set a timer on cuddling now has a girlfriend.” I’m not surprised at Cory, but even Damon and Henry are keeping quiet. So much for our “band of brothers”.
“OK, calm down, everyone. I’m not getting serious; it’s only been one date. She’s not my girlfriend or anything.”Not yet.I see nothing but doubt on their faces and try my best to change the subject back to the game before everyone disperses. Henry’s off to Grand Central to catch the Metro North, Noah gets an Uber, Cory opts to walk to his place on Columbus Circle, and Damon and I take the train heading to Brooklyn.
We push through the turnstiles and find the B train arriving on the track. At least the subway’s on my side today. We push through a group of lost tourists (do you really need to look at the map right in front of the subway doors?) and grab a couple seats.
“So tell me about this girl you’re seeing.” Damon looks genuinely curious, but I’ve learned my lesson.
“No way, man. Fool me once; shame on you. Fool me twice, I start to look like an asshole.” His eyes soften and he nudges me with his knee.
“No really, baby bro. You just caught us off guard. I wanna know about the woman who made Adam Park change his wicked ways.” I want to know more about Maya too. I lean back and resign myself to being the butt of a few jokes.
“Well…Her name is Maya,” I start slowly. Damon nods for me to continue. “She did the favors for Bryan’s engagement party and then gave me a ride back from the Cape.” Damon sits up straighter in his seat.
“I thought you rode with Emily.”
“That was the plan, but she actually came onto me pretty strong at the end of the party. I figured four hours alone in the car with her after turning her down yet again would be pretty awkward.” Though I haven’t told Bryan about his sister, all of my brothers know. He simply nods and grabs an energy bar from his bag.
“So what does Maya look like? Is she cute?” What a ridiculous question.
“Of course she’s cute,” I say with only the tiniest hint of defensiveness in my voice. Damon looks at me expectantly when I don’t elaborate.
“Well…?” Damon is clearly waiting for a full description complete with height and bra size. I roll my eyes.
“I don’t have a picture of her or anything. She’s cute. Dark hair, dark eyes, seriously curvy, and she wears her hair in locs.” Damon chews slowly and is silent for a while.
“So…she’s Black?”
“Yes,” I say with warning in my voice. He holds up his hands.
“No offense, bro. I’m just trying to get a picture. And she’s curvy? That’s new for you.” Although his words are rubbing me wrong, he is right. Whether intentional or not, I’ve never gone for bigger girls in the past. But Maya is different. I was drawn to her right away, curves and all. He would be too if he saw her. That thought alone makes me want to sock him in the jaw.
