Our waitress comes back and John accepts the drink without protest, which feels like a small victory. I lick the rim while locking eyes with John before taking my first sip. It’s really good though, so I end up chugging most of it in one big gulp.
On John’s next turn, he holds his dice up to me. “Okay, Princess, blow me,” he encourages, chuckling to himself. Every grin he aims my way really does feel likea gift. He has such a nice smile, and I’m determined to get as many as I can before the weekend is through.
I dramatically blow on the dice in his hand. I wasn’t really paying attention to the bet he placed, but when he throws them, everyone around the table cheers, so it must have been a good roll.
“I told you! Good luck charm,” I insist.
“We’ll see.” He chuckles again. It’s a nice sound. I’m so glad our friendship has progressed so quickly so I can see him happy like this. The waitress comes back, and this time, I order us tequila shots. “So how much did you win?”
“A hundred bucks.”
“Nice! You should bet more next time, though, now that you know I’m good luck.”
“I don’t think we know that. And not all of us have your unlimited funds, Chad. I can’t actually risk much more than that.”
“Use my money.” I take out a hundred-dollar bill and hand it to him. “I’ll have more fun watching you than spending it myself.”
He eyes me skeptically. “Who keeps the winnings if there are any?”
I shrug. “You can. I’m just excited to be hanging out with you again tonight, and watching you is fun for me.” Our shots arrive, and I hand one to him. “You definitely need to drink more tonight though. I promise to be good so you don’t have to worry about me again.”
“I wasn’t worried about you,” he dismisses, but we both know he was.
“Sure, keep telling yourself that.”
He rolls his eyes but doesn’t deny it a second time as he throws back the shot. “I also don’t trust that you’ll be good. Do you even know what that means?”
“Of course. But we’re in Vegas. I like to have fun too.”
“Was that what you’d call last night? Fun?”
“Fuck yeah, last night was awesome. You bit a fry right out of my mouth, John. We’re bonded for life now.”
“You remember that?” he asks, sounding completely shocked.
“Yeah, I remember everything. I wasn’t that drunk,” I assure him with a laugh.
He scoffs. “You could barely stand. You were all over me trying to stay upright.”
I shrug again. “Doesn’t mean I don’t remember. I’m affectionate. Sue me.”
“Yes, you made that very clear when you trapped me in your bed last night,” he says, but his tone is teasing, not nearly as annoyed as I would have expected from him. He finishes his margarita, and I signal to the waitress walking by for another.
“Ourbed,” I correct him with a smile. “And you didn’t need to leave so early this morning. I don’t bite.”
“I very much doubt that. And there’s no ‘our’ anything.” He sighs, but it doesn’t deter my good mood because it’s his turn again, and I don’t even need to ask, John just holds up the dice for me to blow on. He wins again.
Our drinks arrive, and I hold my glass up toward John. “To another great night with my bestie-in-law.”
He stares at me for a moment, blinking a few times before he finally lets out a small laugh and shakes his head. “Keep being my good luck charm and we’ll see.”
He taps his glass to mine and the clinking noise sounds like the promise of the best night ever.
10
JACE
“What do you want to do first?” Kieran asks, sliding his hand into mine as he looks around, taking everything in.
