Chapter 27
“We finally get to do this,” Mason says as he sits opposite me.
“Again, you mean,” Dakota corrects him.
“Well, with Andy.”
“Weren’t you the one who wanted to try this place?” Mouly asks. She’s from the graphics department with Dakota, and although I’ve shared tables with her during lunch and she was there for Friendsgiving, I’m glad I’ll get to know her better tonight.
I nod, looking around at the fantastic decor. As soon as I saw the Tiki Tiki Bang Bang’s colorful facade, I knew this bar would be amazing. But I’m still blown away, somehow. The bar area is disguised as a Polynesian hut, the tables and chairs have thatched umbrellas or roofs over them, there are fake tropical plants, parrots hanging from the ceiling, a paradise island backdrop behind the karaoke stage… This all looks like the perfect distraction, and I absolutely need it.
“I still can’t believe you guys already came here without me,” I say with a pout, sliding further in so Tami can join me on the cushioned seat.
“About time you joined us on a girls’ night,” Dakota tells me, slightly reprimanding.
“She’s always too busy going out on dates with the boss.”
I wince slightly at that. There are three other girls here with us, also from Kelex, and I’m a little worried about how they’ll perceive me because of that.
“Which reminds me,” Mace says with a low voice, leaning forward as if he’s about to utter a secret, “You need to share some details about what that man is like behind closed doors.”
I laugh at his boldness, amazed he hasn’t given up on this yet. “I already warned you. It doesn’t matter how much I drink. I’m not telling you shit.”
“Girl, I know rum is your weakness, and this bar could fill a pool with how much they have.”
I offer him a dubious look, and Tami brings her hands together to sign something. “I saw Lex naked once,” she discloses with great amusement.
“Bitch, what?!” Mason practically squeals.
“Tami, you weren’t supposed to tell anyone!” I scold her with rapid motions. “Go read someone else’s lips, you snitch.”
“Respect the disabled, Andy. She has the right to be heard like anyone else.” Then he turns to her, desperate for details, and signs, “Go on, sister, tell me more.”
I roll my eyes and shake my head, slightly regretting coming here. It’s the first time we’re out since the whole office learned Lex and I were dating, so I guess it was always going to happen. Eventually, they’ll tire of it and leave me alone.
In all truth, I wouldn’t mind talking about Lex—the milder side of things—but we haven’t been in the best place lately. It’s been exactly a week since his messy birthday, and we still haven’t healed. We seem okay on the outside since he invited me out for lunch twice, we spent a few nights together, and cuddled a lot while watching the Indiana Jones movies—the first three only.
But something is missing. Something big that we’ve always been amazing at. What used to be our driving force before we fell helplessly in love with one another.
We aren’t having sex.
Like, at all. It doesn’t matter if I stroll around naked after a shower or press myself against him in his bed; Lex shows no interest in being intimate with me. Even when I try to initiate things, he gently pushes me away, arguing he’s tired or not in the mood. On Thursday evening, though, I think he sensed how much his rejections were hurting me because he went down on me until I came twice on his tongue. It felt great in the moment, but then I realized it was like a lollipop you give to a child having a tantrum.
My overreaction and abandoning him in the middle of the night hurt him, but he hurt me, too, and I’m still working hard to bring things back to normal. If what he needs is space, I’d absolutely give it to him, but he’s the one who keeps inviting me back to his place, only to barely touch me.
The fact that he doesn’t seem to want me anymore is incredibly hard to bear.
A waitress comes to our table, distracting me from my thoughts, and everyone begins ordering. When it’s Mason’s turn, he asks, “What’s the big bowl with the blue cocktail I saw?”
“That’s the Eternal Lagoon.”
“Then we’ll share that with my girl,” he says, motioning toward me. “Oh, and six shots of your cheapest rum. I need to get a girl drunk.”
If he weren’t so obviously gay, I’m pretty sure the waitress would have been alarmed by that statement. But between the glittery makeup on his face and the sheer shirt and its frills, there’s no doubt I’m not his type. So, she nods with a smile, writes it down as well as the food a few of us order, and then leaves.
I turn to my friend, shaking my head. “It won’t work.”
“Wait until you try that Lagoon shit.”
