He turns to look at me with amusement. “You’re a grown man, now. You’re allowed to have your dessert before dinner.”
Rolling my eyes, I shove him. Keno pockets the brochure and leads me down the strip until we find somewhere we can get some ice cream. With a banana split and two ice creams in hand, we sit at the bar next to the window and watch the world outside.
There are people dressed up as different characters. Those show girls with the big feathers on their heads who do high kicks. I can’t see the drag queens from here, but their pride flag still waves proudly in the air over the heads of the pedestrians. There’s even a man walking around in a Speedo, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat.
“You think he’s a transplant from New York City?” I ask, nodding in his direction.
“That guy wears tighty-whities. This one is at least in a Speedo. But I think moving here is wiser; he has the weather to walk around like this year-round. Though I can’t say whether that’s the same guy. I don’t know if I’d be able to recognize him in a lineup.”
We continue to people watch as we make our way through the ice cream. “Want to go to a show tonight?”
“Magic Mike?” Keno asks, smirking. “Oh wait. Is it Thunder from Down Under here?”
I roll my eyes. “I was thinking of the drag queens’ show.”
He hums as he licks his spoon. “Yeah. I’ve never been to one. That could be cool.”
Pulling out my phone, I do a quick search until I find the show the two queens we saw advertised. “Six or Nine?”
Keno snorts. “Nine.”
I order the tickets and wait until I see them delivered to my email before closing out of the browser. “Cool. We’re booked.”
“Should have asked the guys if they want to go. And maybe Azure…?”
“It didn’t appear to be booked out. There’s probably room.”
He shrugs and makes no effort to text them. So I don’t bother either.
When we’re finished with our ice cream, we head back out into the heat. “What d’you want to do until then?”
“Well, we can choose a place for dinner. Might need to book for six, so we’re not late to our show.”
“Hard Rock?”
“Always a good choice,” he agrees as he pulls out his phone. “I got this one.”
“Okay, we still have a few hours until then. I’m not interested in gambling or shopping.”
Keno continues to tap away on his phone and then pockets it. “We can head to the hotel gym for a while. Or maybe the pool.”
“Oh. Let’s float in the pool for a while.”
We turn a corner and are practically run over by a couple laughing and falling all over each other as they stumble out of a chapel. I can smell the alcohol on them. Like, it’sstrong.
Keno and I watch them for a minute. Keno’s smirking, amused. “Think this is a Ross and Rachel situation where they wake up horrified and divorce immediately after? Or a Penny and Zack situation where neither of them think it’s real?” Keno asks.
I study the couple as they continue down the sidewalk. The man gives a loud “Wooooo! I’m married!” as they go, throwing both hands in the air. The girl laughs madly, hanging off him for balance, then the man high-fives some random guy. “I’m fucking my wife tonight, bro!” he hollers, to which the group of guys walking by make loud catcalls.
“I’m going to say Penny and Zack. Just a vibe.”
He snorts.
We continue walking, and I peer inside the chapel on the way by. Those I can see inside look remarkably less drunk. That’s good to see, at least.
“You know, the construct of marriage is too old. I’m not sure why or exactly when it started being aboutlove.” He mocks the word, which makes me laugh. “But at least back in the day, it was about making connections. It was about finding a match that was good for one reason or another. I’m not saying it all ended happily, but it rarely ended in divorce like it does now.”
“What you’re saying is you want an arranged marriage? I think I can make that happen for you.”
