Page 48 of Heartstruck at Dawn
We followed Tobias’s instructions and downed the tequila shots in unison.
“Oh, my God—Tobias. I’m going to kill you!” I said in between coughs. He laughed. I clutched Nathan’s arm and held on to it as a reaction to the burning sensation of my throat. It was more potent than the aquavit, and the shot was taller. “Was your shot filled with water?” I asked Nathan, who didn’t grimace one bit and made it seem he’d just drank chocolate milk.
“I’m used to it. Are you okay?”
“Um, yeah. The lime helped a little.”
The doorbell rang.
“I’ll be right back,” I said to Nathan, trying to smile, and rushed to open the door, feeling a shiver creeping up my spine. The tequila still stung at my throat.
“Hey, Ren!” He walked in dressed up as a Jedi Knight. “I love your costume!”
“Thanks, Billie,” he said as I closed the door. “Wow, you look great.”
“Thank you. I’m so glad you could make it.”
As I introduced Ren to everyone, Tobias turned the TV on and searched for a music channel of his liking. Everyone hovered near the dining table.
I transferred the salt and the lime plates to the table and moved a couple of chairs away for easier access. With the music in the background and everyone standing up, it now felt like a mini party.
Cecile seemed distracted. I could tell she was making an effort to smile and keep up with the chit-chat. But she was probably still bothered by her issues with Paul.
“Let’s have another,” Sophie suggested.
“Okay.” Cecile shrugged.
“Yes, ma’am,” Tobias said, pouring the shots again.Yes, ma’am. Tequila didn’t seem to work yet because that reminded me of William.Keep the shots coming.
We all downed another one, and Ren turned to me and made a remark about how good the tequila was. We switched to speaking Spanish for a bit. It was always fun to practice with him. But Nathan had stepped away from my side and was now talking to Tobias in Swedish. I could also hear Sophie and Cecile talking to each other in French.
I was worried Ren might’ve thought I askedhimout on a date. I wanted him to know that he was free to roam and talk to my friends too. This was a group date. But he wouldn’t leave my side, and I didn’t mind talking to him. I always had a great time with Ren, but I also wanted to get to know Nathan better.
“Why don’t we all switch to English?” I proposed. We all looked at each other, realizing that everyone had their own little chat going on in a different language, which sounds really fancy but not as fun.
Ren asked me one last question in Spanish before we regrouped: “Tony Montana es tu date?”1
“¡No,para nada!Todos vamos en plan de amigos.”2
“Hey! You’re still speaking Spanish.” Tobias complained.
“Sorry!” I switched to English and finished explaining things to Ren. “CJ wanted everyone to arrive with a plus one. That’s why we asked the three of you to join us. And I thought it was a great opportunity for you to meet my friends too.”
I hoped he didn’t take it the wrong way. He looked chill about it.
“So, where’s the party?” Tobias asked.
“It’s in a loft in the West Village. A friend of CJ is an artist, and he uses it as a studio,” I explained. “They were going to clear it out for the party.”
Yup. I was starting to feel the alcohol kicking in. It’d been a while since I last had a drink, and tequila was proving its strength. The sensation was different from wine, though. It made me feel more upbeat and made me laugh more.
The guys seemed unaffected by the tequila. Sophie couldn’t stop giggling, and even though Cecile kept a straight face, I could tell she was tipsy.
“I think we should get going,” I proposed.
“One last shot before we go?” Tobias replied.
“Sure.” Cecile held up her glass for Tobias to refill. He smiled at her and poured tequila into it.
