“What do you mean?” I asked, my bottle resting on my knee.
“When you’re with these people,” he said, gesturing through the window, “you’re a different person, Tom.”
“I’m not,” I said, but even I knew that was a lie.
“Sure,” he answered. “So, I invited January tonight.”
“What?” I said, sitting up a bit, looking over my shoulder.
Jason smiled widely. “No, but I think I just figured out why you’ve been so effing crazy lately.”
I shook my head denying it before he’d even spoken another word.
He ignored me. “She’ll be at the party tomorrow, you know that?”
“I figured she’d be,” I said, trying to sound absent. I avoided eye contact. “She’s good friends with Casey Donigan.”
“Yeah, she is, but she’s also kind of responsible for the party arrangements. She practically did all the prep for it. She’s a cool chick.”
“That’s cool,” I said, trying to be that very word, but the curiosity was killing me. “So, uh,” I said taking a swig of beer, “is she still seeing that dude from the mailroom?” Smooth.
“No, actually, she’s free as a bird,” he said, borrowing a line from her the night I’d made a fool of myself.
“Oh, cool.”
“God, you idiot. Shall I just set a date at the church then because you’re clearly infatuated with her. Just bite the bullet, Tom. Damn, never thought I’d have to say that to you of all people.”
“Shut it, Jason.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, lifting up his six pack and heading for the window.
“Finally,” I said under my breath.
Jason was right. I was clearly infatuated with her, but that was all. We shared an amazing kiss that nearly flayed the skin from my bones from the sheer razor-sharpness of it, but that was it. I was attracted to her but didn’t want to get to know her. Besides, say, for hypothetical sake, I even wanted to get to know her, I was headed to Europe soon. I didn’t have time to get to know her.
Saturday night was The Belle Jar’s platinum party. That morning, I woke on Charlie’s patio on one of his ridiculous chairs, my back aching like no other. I peeled myself through the window and stood straight in their dining room, stretching my body to rid myself of the kinks.
“Tom?” I heard from the kitchen.
“Yeah, Cherry. It’s me.”
“Where the heck did you come from?” she asked , laughing and rounded the counter.
“You left me out there all night. Some friend you are,” I teased.
“Yeah, well, maybe you shouldn’t have fallen asleep out there, goofus.”
“I’m out of here,” I said, yawning.
“What? Why? Stay for breakfast!”
“Nuh uh. I’ve got to get ready for this party tonight. You guys are coming, right?”
“Now, that was a dumb question,” she teased. “When have any of us denied the chance to dance and party, my friend?”
“I suppose that was dumb,” I said, straightening a stack of papers on her bar top. “See you,” I said, kissing her cheek and heading out the door.
My apartment was a few blocks down from Charlie and Cherry’s. I’d lived in Austin for a year, yeah, but the label still paid my rent here, and I had a roommate who didn’t mind getting the apartment all to himself. I’d dropped my bags there earlier when he wasn’t home but could hear him in the kitchen when I walked in.
“Tom?” I heard from around the foyer hall.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Good,” my roommate Matt said, meeting me halfway. He gave me a slap hug. “Thought I’d have to bring out the big guns,” he joked.
“You got a gun?” I asked.
“No - I...never mind. Come in, ass**le. Haven’t heard from you in a couple of weeks. What’s new, man?”
“Oh, nothing. Got a sweet deal from the label a few days ago. Going to Europe to scout.”
“Damn,” he said, his cereal-laden spoon stopped halfway to his mouth. “That’s cool.”
“Yup,” I said, heading toward the room I hadn’t seen in a while.
“I had Sal clean in there. That cool?”
“Of course,” I said, before closing the door behind me.
My room was in perfect order and exactly as I’d left it. I brushed my teeth in my attached bathroom, threw on my workout clothes and headed out into the New York streets to run a few miles. Working out in New York was definitely different than working out in Austin. The air was very different and I was finding it hard to adjust. I went five miles before turning around and heading back home, unable to go further. In Austin, I’d run six before turning back. It probably didn’t help that I drank so much the night before. I’d come to be a lightweight. I only drank socially and usually had only one or two beers but that night I’d gone a little overboard.
At home, I showered and tucked a towel around my waist before heading for my suitcases and dragging out a pair of boxers. I unpacked, putting everything up so I could see what I could scrounge up that was decent enough for the party. I was spoiled in Austin. It was such a laid-back city, there was no dress code for things like this.
I couldn’t find anything, then decided I didn’t care. I threw on a pair of jeans and belt, stuck my wallet in my back pocket, making sure the chain didn’t hang weird, then picked a black t-shirt and hoodie and threw my green military jacket over that. I cleaned my boots up a bit and threw those on as well. Since I’d woken so late at Cherry and Charlie’s, and unpacking had taken forever, I’d lost track of time. When I looked at my watch, I was actually fifteen minutes late.