Carmine was already at the bar before they showed up. The place was packed, and it took some doing to belly up. Even though he had his back to the door, he knew the moment they arrived. That weird electric energy shared between folks that haven’t seen each other in way too long sparked up, and before he could even turn around, he was sandwiched between just the two people he’d been waiting for.
“You started without us, bro!”
Arlo wrapped him in a big hug, squeezing practically all of the air out of him. Vix spun him around on the barstool and made sure to properly smother him in her bosom right afterwards.
“Mercy,” he gasped, waving the wet bar napkin of surrender. “I am defeated.” All three of them were beaming. Carmine flagged down the bartender so his friends could catch up.
“How the heck are ya, Carmy?” Vix was so giddy she was practically boiling over. “You look great! Wow!”
“Thank you, Gorgeous,” he said, pecking her on the cheek. “I’m exhausted. But all of a sudden, I’m feeling much better about everything. What about you and the stud?”
“Who, me?” Arlo snorted. “Same old, same old, man. Workin’, drinkin’, smokin’, fuckin’… But too much of the first one, and not enough of the last three.”
“And I’m good!” Vix chirped. “Big project at work! They’ve got me on the new account… But I’ll tell you all about that later.” She bounced on her toes.
“Ahh! I’m just so happy to see you guys again!”
“She really is, too,” Arlo agreed. “She practically bowled me over in baggage claim. I had to brace myself like a defensive lineman.”
“You did not,” Vix smirked, pinching him. “But you did stare down my shirt.”
Carmine grinned. It was like nothing had changed, and he was glad. The last time they’d been able to coordinate a hangout of this caliber was ages ago. A few last-minute surprises had threatened to derail the festivities, and their hosts wouldn’t be back in town for another day at least, but none of that mattered now that the party had officially kicked off. The only thing on the agenda for the next week was unadulterated hedonism.
“You have GOT to see the place she booked,” Arlo teased. “It’s got a conversation pit, dude.”
“Oh,” said Carmine, his smile widening. “We’re definitely trying that first.”
“It’s got a double shower, too!” Vix added excitedly. “The place with the hot tub was rented out through the end of the month, which sucks obviously, but THIS one also comes with a full-sized fridge!” She bumped Arlo with an ample hip. “Horny Boy over here’s already got it half-stocked.”
“Just the essentials… Gotta leave a little room for spontaneity, right?”
“Well, I’m sold. You’d better get a move on, I’m already on round two.” Carmine plucked the cherries from his pick and sucked on them, licking his beak as he gave his brow a waggle.
“Only two? You’re slackin’, Red!”
Arlo necked the rest of his pint and ordered another, draping his arm over Carmine’s shoulders and giving their foreheads a knock as they both laughed. Vix nursed her tipple and happily watched the boys flirt, feeling herself slip into that comfy familiarity that she’d been missing since their last big reunion. Time seemed to stop for a moment, and things were just like she remembered them.
She blinked away the reverie as Arlo pulled her in close with Carmine. He stuck out his other arm, phone in hand, flashing a toothy grin.
“Alright folks, first evidence of the night! Say cheese!”
Leave a Reply