Gage puts his hands up in surrender and slinks off, disappearing into the crowd. Van watches, making sure he’s truly gone, before turning back to me and taking one of the drinks.
“What a dick.”
“What did you say to him?”
“I just let him know I am not to be fucked with.”
I’m super curious, because Gage sure backed down quickly, but I don’t push the issue.
“Thanks.”
Vanian grins. “No problem. Unfortunately, I’ve had lots of training around handling people who don’t understand consent and boundaries.” He moves a little closer to me until I have to tilt my head back slightly to keep eye contact. “Sorry if I cockblocked you, but the dude gave me an immediate bad vibe.”
“He did?”
Vanian nods. “I can read people like a book, and he’s trouble. I don’t know what kind, but I know bad when I see it.”
“Well then, an extra thank-you.”
“No problem.” He holds up his glass. “Cheers?”
I clink his glass. “Cheers.”
He leans in closer again. “Now, let’s dance, huh?”
The next few hours fly by in a rush of drinks and dancing, and I feel like I’m twenty-five again. Or maybe sixteen, hanging out with Vanian. My head is pleasantly buzzed, my body tingling with endorphins, and by the time last call is announced, I’m definitely ready to go home.
“Let’s go say goodbye to Lex,” I mumble, grabbing Vanian’s arm for balance.
“Yeah, then we’ll have to call a ride. We can’t drive.”
“Nope. Should’ve thought about that.”
We make our way to the DJ booth, and while I chat with Lex, Vanian excuses himself for a minute.
“So you had fun?” Lex asks.
“A blast, actually. It’s been a long time since I’ve let loose like that. Thanks for the invite out tonight. What made you think of calling me?”
He shrugs. “I don’t even know. It’s like you popped into my head and I was like, shit, I haven’t seen him in so long, so I just called.”
“Glad you did.”
“How are things going at the winery?”
“Good. Things are definitely looking up.”
“What you did is brave, man. Walking away from a career like that. Impressive.”
“It was the right choice for me.” I glance over my shoulder. “I better go check on Van. He’s popular around here.”
“I bet. You need to close the deal on that one.”
“He’s straight, remember?”
“Yeah, yeah. I saw the way you guys were dancing and the way he looked at you. I wouldn’t be so sure.”
“No, he is. We just have a lot of history.”
