Page 76 of Just the Tipsy
I toss back the shot right as the door swings open. Ash strolls in. He’s impossible to miss — he’s wearing a bright red silk shirt, jeans, and boots, sunglasses on even though the sun has almost set. His tattoos peek out from his rolled up sleeves and the open neck of his shirt.
“Sup, nerds?” Ash asks, taking off his sunglasses. “Ready to party?”
“As long as we keep it reasonable,” JD says with a sigh.
“You look fucking tired already.” Ash grabs an entire bottle of vodka from behind the bar. “Lighten up. It’s a bachelor party.
“Don’t drink straight out of the bottle.” JD slides him a shot glass. Of course, Ash swigs directly out of the bottle. “You owe us fifty bucks.”
“Fifty dollars for this bottom shelf shit?” Ash looks at the bottle like it’s offended him.
“Surcharge for being a pain in my ass,” JD says.
“Oh, get fucked, JD. I’ve been here thirty seconds.”
“You can get on my nerves in half a second, easy.”
“Can we just relax?” I ask. I don’t know how I ended up as the peacemaker of us all, but it’s been my default position since we were kids. “We should just have a good time.”
Ash and I exchange a look. He listens to me about 50% of the time, and hopefully today is one of those days.
Ash sighs and leans against the bar. “Whatever. I’m still not paying for this bottle.”
“Yeah, you fucking will.” JD wipes down the counter, almost compulsively.
“Who’ll do what?” Wes asks, coming into the bar.
“Nothing,” I say. “You want a drink before people start arriving?”
“Yep.”
JD pours Wes, then all of us a drink.
“Who’s making a toast?” Wes asks, looking to me.
“To your last days with your dick free,” Ash says before I can get a word in otherwise.
I raise an eyebrow. “Try again.”
“To your past life and everything it taught you, and to the new life you’ll have with Rose in the future,” JD says after a long pause.
We tap our glasses together and take a drink.
“Surprisingly deeper than I thought you’d go,” Wes says.
“Still waters and all that,” JD adds, deadpan.
“It was hardly poetry,” Ash snorts and takes a sip of his drink.
From the way he and JD are glaring daggers at each other, it’s only a matter of time before they start at each others’ throats again, but thankfully, Jasper, one of our good friends who works at the bar, comes in with a few other people carrying bags of food.
Thankfully the food keeps JD and Waylon apart, and the party slowly starts to rev up. Ash takes control of the music and JD makes drinks. I always forget how many friends Wes has. It feels like half the guys in our town have descended on the bar.
“I can’t believe you’re getting married,” Jasper says, clapping Wes on the shoulder. “You. Of all people.”
Wes laughs. “Thanks?”
“Not that you and Rose aren’t good for each other — if you two didn’t get together after I choked through all that tension for months, I’d be pissed,” he says. “But if you told the versionof you from four or five years ago about this, would you believe him?”
