Page 47 of Hello Forever
Boz shuddered. “Now I have to worry about mice in my vehicle? Thanksforthat.”
“Set traps in your garage,” Joshoffered.
“Hi there!Excuseme?”
We all looked up to see a redheaded woman leaning into our conversation. She put a hand on Caleb’s forearm. “It’s my friend’s birthday. Her.” She tipped her head toward a tableinback.
All our heads swiveled to look, of course. At the other table another girl sat alone, blushingprofusely.
“Is there any way you could do a shot with us while I sing her HappyBirthday?”
“Uh,” Caleb said, looking stunned by the offer. “My husband hates it when I getdrunk.”
Sheblinked.
“But there’s six of us,” Boz said quickly. “We can sing Happy Birthday really loudly. Trust me. Ready boys? What’s yourfriend’sname?”
“Suzie,” she said,brighteningup.
“On three! One, two,three…”
We all turned around and sang Happy Birthday to Suzie. And then Boz went over and bought her a shot and asked her if she wanted toplaypool.
The dude did have some moves. Gofigure.
The party moved over to the pool tables and everyone played. Josh was weirdly good at pool. Nobody could beat him. And neither Danny nor Jakobitz had to pay each other twenty bucks, because Caleb was the one who’d been hit onfirst.
“Hey Caleb,” I said later, when it was getting late. “Can I ride home with you guys? Looks like Boz has other plans fortonight.”
We all watched as Boz kissed the birthday girl on her neck, then said something that made herblush.
“Of course you can ride with us,” Caleb said. “Let’sgo.”
We grabbed our coats. “Does Josh really hate it when you get drunk? Or was that just some weirdexcuse?”
Caleb laughed. “Just talking out of my ass. Though once he had to pick me up here when I was wasted. He and I had had this horrible fight, and I drove here and let Danny and Jakobitz get meplowed.”
“The dude can’t hold his liquorat all,” Dannyagreed.
I tried to imagine Josh and Caleb fighting and…I couldn’t picture it. Not at all. But maybe I needed to stop imagining that everyone else’s lives wereperfect.
“That’s why that excuse popped out. Memories.” He put a hand on Josh’s shoulder and squeezed. “Women never hit on me. She caught me bysurprise.”
“They hit on you all the fucking time,” Danny scoffed. “You just don’t notice. Should we say g’night to Boz? I don’t want to mess with hismomentum.”
We all glanced at him in the corner of the bar, where he was now liplocked withSuzie.
“Night, Boz,” I called outcheekily.
He gave me the thumbs up without breaking the seal oftheirkiss.
At least somebody would go homeoptimistic.
* * *
“Your friends are awesome,”Boz said on Monday. “The weekend waskiller.”
“Theyareawesome. But I think the whole experience agreed with you. Is that a hickey?” I left my chair for a closer look athisneck.
