“You can thank Knox for that; he taught us all how to not look like complete idiots on a dance floor," Sabin admits.
I look to Knox’s beaming smile. “It wasn’t that hard, they all have rhythm," he dismisses as his hand skims up my thigh.
Valen and Ryker appear out of the crowd, and as soon as they hand me a bottle of water, I chug it down. I finish the last drop, still thirsty and Ryker hands me his water with a chuckle. I stretch across the table and give him a quick peck. Valen hands me a Coke and sits down next to Sabin.
“Did you want something else to drink, Bruiser? A beer or something?” Bastien asks me.
“Um, I’ve never really had alcohol before, so I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“What no school parties or sneaking liquor from the liquor cabinet of your friend’s parents?” Valen teases me.
I roll my eyes.
“Beth never kept us in one place for long, and by the time parties were an option, I didn’t know anyone well enough to get invited. No friends equal no parties and no parents’ liquor cabinets to raid.” I shrug.
“What about when you turned twenty-one? No all-nighter of binge drinking for you?” Ryker asks.
“I had a fight that night.” I shrug.
“Here, try this, tell us what you think.”
Bastien hands me his beer. I sniff it, not overly impressed with the scent, but I tilt back the bottle and swallow a sip.
“Gahhh," I announce and make a face. “It tastes worse than it smells!”
The boys burst into laughter, and I wipe my tongue with my hand before I remember that Valen brought me a Coke. I take a huge swig of the sweet soda and try to banish the gross beer taste from my mouth.
“Why would you pay to torture your taste buds like that?” I ask, and the boys laugh even harder.
Bastien and Knox clink bottles and drink deeply from their long necks. I notice they’re both drinking the same kind of beer and I worry for their palettes. Ryker hands me his bottle and encourages me to have a sip.
“I’m not falling for that again," I tell him, and slide it back across the table to him.
Ryker chuckles. “It’s ginger beer. The flavor is sweeter than the stuff they drink," he tells me, jerking his chin toward Bastien and Knox.
I eye him warily but accept the bottle he hands me. I smell it, and it’s not bad, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I take a hesitant sip, surprised when the flavor is actually nice. It’s a little tart but there is a subtle sweetness, too, and that same fizzy quality that Bastien’s beer had. I put the bottle back to my lips and take a bigger sip.
“It’s good," I concede handing the bottle back to Ryker.
I try Valen and Sabin’s beers, too, but in the end, the ginger beer is the only one I like.
Ryker slips out of the booth--I suspect on the hunt for a bottle of ginger beer--and I sit back and listen to the guys’ banter, and let the fan cool me down.
“You guys come here a lot?” I ask as I try to picture them here on their own. They can all dance, but somehow I don’t get the impression that clubbing is exactly their scene.
“Not really. We’ve probably been a handful of times over the years, but it’s not a regular hang out for us. I just thought you might like getting dressed up and letting loose for a bit," Knox tells me.
“Good call, my Chosen," I tease him, and he gives me a wink.
“So, if this isn’t a regular hang out, what is?”
They seem to think about it for a minute.
“It sounds kind of lame, but honestly we hang the most at our home," Bastien tells me.
“It has everything: billiards, basketball, movies, a pool, and a gym. We go to the occasional party, and we love to do stuff outdoors, but that’s about it," Valen adds.
“We sound kind of boring," Knox chuckles.
