Page 37 of This Life and All the Rest
The bar is packed,shoulder to shoulder, when I walk in.
It’s not surprising, even for a weeknight. The Outpost does a great job with specials and entertainment, so it’s never empty. The music is loud, all the pool tables are in use, and the band playing on the stage sounds great.
Before doing a sweep, I head straight for the bar. Mackie sees me after a minute or two and walks toward me, fixing my drink on the way.
“Davis,” he greets loudly with a grin. “If you’re here for P, her group is in the back.”
“Thanks,” I say, taking the glass he hands me. “Yeah, I’m here for Payton,” I confirm, leaning over the bar so he can hear me. “Who all is back there?”
“Everyone,” Mackie says. His grin grows and he laughs. “Your girl has the town wrapped around her finger. You’d never know she didn’t grow up here.”
Mackie graduated the year before me. I would have been in his class if I hadn’t been held back in elementary school. He did a few years at the community college, but I’m not sure what he studied. All I know is he’s the face of The Outpost now, and he’s a damn talented bartender.
I smile back at him and nod, then raise my glass to say thanks once more before I push my way to the back room of the bar.
“Macon,” I hear a voice yell, and I turn to the side to see a smiling Payton approaching me. “You made it!”
She wraps her arms around me in a hug, and even though she’s tiny, I have to square my feet to keep from tipping over.
“Payt,” I say with a laugh, “you lightweight. How are you already drunk?”
“Hush,” she says playfully, standing back up and pointing a delicate finger at me. “It’s my birthday. I can do what I want. C’mon!”
She grabs my hand and pulls me through the crowd until we’re standing amongst a large group of Payton’s friends, most of whom are rec center volunteers, or people I’ve known since high school.
Even Nicolette is here, nursing a bottle of beer and laughing. When she sees me, she waves and raises her drink in the air, so I do the same. I just saw her last night, so my feelings aren’t hurt when she doesn’t trip over herself to come talk to me.
I do my rounds, making sure to say hello to everyone before I dip out early. It’s a lot of high fives and small talk. Some jokes and side hugs. Drunk person interactions. I don’t mind being around drinking. It doesn’t bother me like it probably could, but I have to be in the mood for it, and right now, I’m fucking not.
I told myself I would stay for two hours.
I make a good show of it. I even go back up to the bar to have Mackie make me another drink, but as my watch hand ticks closer to my deadline, it takes physical restraint not to just say fuck it and leave now. It’s not until Payton mentions Casper that I realize I haven’t seen him yet.
“Casper is here?” I ask her, and she smiles glassy-eyed at me over her cocktail.
I’m going to have to double check which friend is keeping an eye on her tonight.
“He is,” she says brightly, then pops up from where she was leaning on the wall and takes my hand again. “C’mon, I’ll bring you to him.”
I chuckle. I’m perfectly capable of finding him myself, but I let her tug me around anyway. Miss Social Butterfly needs to get all her flutters out, or whatever.
She weaves me back through people to the other side of the bar near the booths, then pulls me in front of a table before sliding her arms around my waist. Normally, I’d gently remove her arms and step away, but I’m momentarily caught off guard when I see who Casper has been chatting up.
“Christopher,” Payton chirps, “mister boss man was looking for you.”
She laughs at her own joke as Casper smiles and raises his eyebrow.
“I’m right here,misterboss man,” he says, then slides his arm over the back of the booth behind Lennon, who is sitting next to him.
“Just been catching up with an old friend. Payton, have you met Capri? She’s visiting from France.”
I watch Lennon’s attention bounce between me and Payton, noting the way Payt’s hanging on to me, and I swear I see Lennon’s eye twitch in irritation.
I smirk, then make a show of wrapping my arm around P’s body, resting my hand on her upper arm. Lennon’s attention falls to the contact and sticks. I can practically feel my fingers burning under her gaze.
I’m about to rub Payton’s arm, just to see how far I can push Lennon, when P relaxes into me and I realize what I’m doing.
I drop my arm and take a step back. Payton doesn’t seem to notice.
