Page 11 of The Year of Us: June
Cory
Reese and I shared a kiss in the parking lot before we walked into the bar where he worked.
He left me seated at a stool at his section while he ducked into the back to clock in.
I hadn’t ’been here for months, and I discovered that I had a bit of a soft spot for it.
It was, after all, where Reese and I met.
He reappeared a minute or two later and tied an apron around his waist, then shot me a smirk as he reached for their best whiskey. Their best was merely tolerable, but Reese killed some of the flavor with Coke and set it on a napkin for me.
“This one’s on the house.”
I lifted the glass to my lips and took a sip. “It’s perfect, thank you.”
“Oh ,God, the foreplay has already started.” A woman who had to be none other than Reese’s best friend sat down on the stool next to mine.
“It’s not foreplay,” Reese argued.
“Please. I could see the heart eyes from across the room. Give me my usual.” Then she turned and held her hand out to me. “You must be the boyfriend. Reese has told me… not everything about you because he’s a horrible best friend. But he’s told me enough.”
“Cory Callahan. Architectural consultant and whiskey snob, at your service.” I took her hand, but instead of shaking it, turned it and dusted a kiss across the back of it.
Reese grinned as Morgan gaped at me like a fish out of water.
She looked at Reese. “Damn. I can see why you’re a mopey asshole when he’s not around.
” Before Reese could protest, she turned back to me.
“I’m Morgan, Reese’s best friend and… shit, I had this whole ‘I know where to hide a body’ speech all rehearsed, but something tells me I don’t need it. ”
“Well, thank you.”
Reese delivered a pink concoction to Morgan, who popped the straw in her mouth and took a long sip.
“So, Cory, tell me all about you and my boy here. He’s frustratingly skimpy on the details.” She pushed her long, cherry red curls over her shoulder.
“Morgan, behave,” Reese warned, but I had a feeling she never listened to him.
“I always behave.” Morgan glanced over her shoulder. “Oh look, a customer. They seem really, really thirsty, Reese.” Morgan made a shooing motion with her hand.
Reese sent her a withering glare, but went to the other end of the bar to take that person’s order.
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her if he was actually “mopey” when I wasn’t around.
I had to admit that the thought made me sad for him, but it pleased me in a sadistic way to know that I was missed.
That the lack of my presence was felt so keenly that it bled into other parts of his life, because every moment that I was away from him had started to feel empty and worthless.
Being away from him made me feel wrong-footed in my everyday life.
I guess I was just pleased to know that I wasn’t the only one affected.
“Ugh, you two really are disgusting.” Morgan sighed. “You’re supposed to be paying attention to me, the all-important best friend, but you’re too busy making eyes at Reese.”
With a grimace, I made myself block out Reese and focus on Morgan. But the way he moved behind the bar had been captivating to me from the first night I saw him.
“I love the way he moves. I can’t help it. But I do apologize.”
She offered me a smile and looked deeply pleased about something.
Stirring her drink with her straw, she seemed to contemplate her next words before saying them.
“I’m not actually offended. I’m glad Reese found someone who pays attention to him the way you do.
I am, however, a little jealous. And slightly miffed because he doesn’t kiss and tell. ”
“Well, I hate to disappoint, but neither do I.”
“It’s fine. At first, I thought you were just a one-night thing. And then when you kept coming back, it was clear there was more between you than just…” She made a vague gesture with her free hand. “You know, all that.”
She groaned. “What I’m trying to say is that you make him happy. Don’t stop.”
“I don’t intend to.”
“Good, now that’s out of the way.” Morgan drained her drink, then pointed at mine. “Drink up, buttercup.”
“Are you trying to get me drunk?”
Reese returned and looked back and forth between us, his expression a mixture of pleasure and mild concern. “Another one, Morgan?”
“Please. And another for my new friend.” She flicked her gaze to my drink. “It’s not even good whiskey. There’s no point in trying to savor it.”
“Brat.” Reese shook his head and started mixing another one of Morgan’s bright pink drinks. I didn’t pay attention to what went in it, and only part of me was tempted to try it. The other part of me downed my whiskey and Coke and asked for another.
“I’m afraid that if you plan to get me supremely drunk to pry secrets out of me, that it’s not going to work., I warned Morgan.
“What, you’re impervious to alcohol?”
“No, but I am far too old to go to work with a hangover. My twenties were a long time ago. Not everyone is young and beautiful like you.”
Morgan put her hand over her heart, then looked at Reese. “You have to keep him, Reese. Ten out of ten. No notes.”
“I’m glad you approve.” Reese set her drink down in front of her, then made me another. Even during a weeknight, the bar was getting busy, and Reese’s attention was pulled away from us again.
I liked Morgan. She was kind and funny, and it was clear that she loved Reese. She was also easy to talk to and by the time we finished our second drinks, it felt like she and I had been friends longer than the thirty minutes we’d been sitting together.
When Morgan’s second drink was done, she pulled some money out of her purse and slapped it down on the bar. “Come on, Cory. Let’s get out of here.”
I glanced at Reese, who was down at the other end of the bar. Upon seeing the look of confusion on my face, he made his way over to us.
“And where are we going?” I asked when Reese was close enough to hear.
Morgan looked at Reese and flashed him a bright smile. “I’m taking him on a tour. He’s probably only seen the inside of your apartment.”
“We’ve also seen the inside of mine. And my office. And he did take me to Santa Monica for breakfast one time.”
“Well, that’s a start at least.” She looped her arm through mine. “I’ll make sure he gets home in one piece. Don’t worry.”
What had Reese gotten me into?