Fall From Grace(4)

An enormously chiseled looking man stood inside the opening of the bar and winked at me as I walked in.  A bright red STAFF shirt clung to his body as if it was painted on; his expression looked like he wanted me for dinner.  Too arrogant.  However, that didn’t stop me from wondering if he’d thought I’d be a main course or just an appetizer.

I scanned the crowded room for Lea and spotted her right away.  Of course, she was the one dancing on top of the table in a booth near the stage against the wall.  Everyone was talking and watching the band play music that was a mix between rock, blues and alternative.  Nothing spectacular; average music, and I tuned them out.

I expertly navigated myself through the crowds of people; the sound of the music drowned away from my ears; I barely noticed when they stopped playing.  When Lea saw me, she grabbed me in her arms and pulled me up onto the table with her.  “You’re home!  Oh God, Gray, I’m so sorry.  Come on, talk to me!”

I held her at arm’s length and gave her a small smile.  “There’s nothing to say that hasn’t already been said.  Let’s not talk about it, okay?”

She took a flying leap off the table and dragged me with her.  I almost fell flat on my face, but she thunderously dragged me to a small crowd of guys who were looking at me in confusion.

Lea marched me right up to a tall blond guy.  “Conner!  This is my best friend in the whole entire universe.  Grace.”  She turned her head to me and yelled over the crowd, “Gray, this is Conner.  The One!” Mad giggling ensued and with it came an exact measurement of just how drunk she already was.

Conner, aka The One, arched his eyebrows slightly towards Lea, and then gave me a huge smile.  I couldn’t help but smirk at her, sighing inwardly.  Yes.  The way he looked at Lea, well, most girls would kill for a guy to look at them the way he looked at her.  My heart leapt for my friend, because she deserved to find her One, as she called him.  I reached my hand out to shake his and instead he grabbed me in a bear hug and lifted me off the ground.  “Welcome home!  Lea’s been talking about you nonstop for the last six months. I was beginning to think that she actually made you up!”

I laughed.  “Well, thanks.  I’m happy to meet you too!”

He gently settled my feet on the floor and wrapped his arms around Lea, who was looking up at him lovingly, and swaying a bit.  “I’m really sorry to hear about your brother.  Lea’s been crying since you called.”

What could I say to that?  Nothing, really.  Lea knew Jacob her whole life.  If I really wanted to think about it, the truth was that Lea knew Jacob even longer than I had.  I didn’t think about it though. The second the thought entered, I wiped it from my mind.  I couldn’t think about those things.  Right now, I just really needed a drink.

Lea staggered closer to the table and grabbed two beers.  “Where’s my pitcher of margaritas?” she yelled to nobody in particular.

Conner shook his head and laughed.  “You drank it all.  Have some beer for now, because you’re going to pass out on me if you keep this up.”

Around us, the movement of the crowd escalated with excitement.  I looked around the room to find the cause.  A man stood in front of the room on the small stage with a microphone in one hand and a beer in the other.  “Are we having fun yet?” he screamed at the audience.  Not waiting for the yells of replies to die down the man keep talking.  “Welcome to Boozer’s!  Drink until you pass out, and we’ll let you sleep on the floor!  Let’s give it up for our house band, Mad World!  Ladies, stay off the stage, but you may throw as much of your clothes at them that you want!”