1on1 was a basement bar tucked away on a corner in the East Village, a part of New York I was growing to love for its relaxed, slightly grittier vibe, definitely very different from the quieter, neater neighborhood of Chelsea I was living and working in. The bar was dark and dingy despite the relentlessly sunny day outside, lined with red-leather booths and old gig posters plastering the walls. At the back of the room was a small stage with a red curtain as a backdrop and as we entered a visibly inebriated pair of student types were swaying on it, annihilating ‘Islands in the Stream.’
Riley, Noah, and Juno were occupying one of the booths near the stage with a pitcher of beer and they let out a huge cheer when they saw us walk in. I took a seat next to Riley, who squeezed my arm in delight.
“Today got even better!” she cried.
“You guys got out early too?” Elliot asked incredulously.
“Yeah!” Juno said. “RJ sent everyone home early.”
“Hmm.” Elliot looked mildly perturbed. “I wonder if I should call—”
“Don’t you dare,” Riley ordered. “Let’s enjoy this gift of a free afternoon.”
“She’s right,” Juno added. “I need this, you guys have no idea.”
“Don’t mind her,” Riley said, sloshing beer into a glass and handing it to me. “She’s being ghosted by some guy on theWoodstockcrew.”
“What happened to RJ’s rule of no workplace romances?” Noah demanded. Elliot’s eyes met mine, skittered away. My cheeks heated again, and I buried my face in my beer.
“This guy was hot though,” Juno wailed. “Imagine Captain Jack Sparrow but really, really stacked.”
“Why am I picturing a WWE wrestler in eyeliner?” I said darkly, and Elliot exploded into laughter.
“Ah shit, now so am I,” Juno said.
“El, beer?” Noah pushed a glass towards him.
Elliot shook his head. “Not for me.”
“Serious?” Noah asked.
Elliot nodded, his eyes flashing back to me again and I immediately understood why he didn’t drink and why he hadn’t shared that with his colleagues. “Everyone, his body is a temple. No booze.”
Noah withdrew the glass with a nod of respect. “Fair.”
“I’ll get a soda.” Elliot slid out of the booth and headed to the bar and I tried not to follow his progress with my eyes. Instead, I made do with knocking back more beer. Weak as it was, it was exactly what I needed in this heat.
“So what have you guys been doing?” Riley asked.
“Ferry. Statue of Liberty.GhostbustersHQ. Falafel. Karaoke.” I ticked off the activities on my fingers.
“That’s a lot for one afternoon,” Riley remarked.
“I didn’t know Elliot didn’t drink,” Juno said. “Is it really a health thing?”
As much as I liked Juno, I didn’t like her speculation. Elliot’s decision to abstain was no one’s business.
“Really,” I said abruptly. “Now, have you sung yet?”
“We have songs cued up,” Riley said. “But these two—” she pointed at the still singing students, who were now attemptingBohemian Rhapsodyand totally fucking up the Galileos “—have hogged the system for, like, the past hour.”
“More time to hydrate!” I said, lifting my glass to cheers loudly and we all gulped back more beer, with Riley quick to top me up.
“So what did you think to the firehouse?” Riley asked.
“Iconic,” I replied with a hiccup.
“Did you take pictures?”
