“Yup.” Xander gave me a strange look, like that was a dumbass question, as he shut the door behind me. Maybe he was trying to make sense of the overly excited/anxious vibe I was giving off. His eyes landed on the shiny red bag. “Shit, were we supposed to bring gifts?”
Courteney got to her feet. “I didn’t think we were doing gifts tonight.”
“Oh. Whatever.” I dropped the bag on the kitchen island like it wasn’t all that important. “Just figured I’d bring it.” I’d actually spent months searching for this super rare, out-of-print biography of Black Flag that Ash had casually mentioned he wanted to read, finally found it online, and paid way too much money to have some used books store in San Francisco courier it to me in time for Christmas. I’d gotten Danica a gold bracelet because I figured her gift should be as special as his, and I knew she liked jewelry; she even designed her own. But I didn’t get a gift for anyone else in the band—and somehow, that didn’t even occur to me until now. “Uh, maybe we can exchange the rest on Christmas or Boxing Day or whatever,” I added, shrugging off my leather jacket.
“Sure. Sounds good.” Courteney gave me a quick hug, as I wondered what the fuck I was supposed to get for everyone on short notice. Whatever it was, had to be at least half as special as Ash and Danica’s gifts, or I was gonna look like an ass.
An ass with a crush. Times two.
“Beer?” Xander offered, circling behind me to the fridge.
“I made eggnog,” Courteney countered. “I promise, it’s loaded with rum.”
“Cool. I brought whiskey and weed.” I pulled the bottle of Wiser’s 18 Year Old out of the bag from the liquor store. “But I’ll take some eggnog.”
Courteney dipped a ladle into the big punch bowl and spooned the creamy liquid into a glass mug for me. We cheered, and while she took a sip of hers I downed my whole mug; tasted like nutmeg with a nice spicy, boozy burn at the back end.
Then I busied myself looking for shot glasses, lining up a bunch of them on the island as Courteney cocked her head, studying me. I winked at her, trying to cover my disappointment by focusing on something else; booze would do.
“You look very… festive,” she noted.
“I hit a few early parties on the way.” I poured out shots for whoever might want one as she refilled my mug. “Shot?”
“I’ll partake,” Xander said.
Courteney wrinkled her nose. “Straight whiskey? No, thanks.”
“C’mon,” I teased her. “It’ll put hair on your chest.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Xander and I tossed back a shot. “Cheers.” He grimaced and gave Courteney a look. “And fuck, turn off the Snoop Dogg.”
“Aww. But Ash likes Snoop.”
“At least it’s not the Christmas album,” I offered, as Xander stalked into the living room; “Drop It Like It’s Hot” had just come on.
“Put it back to G N’ R,” he grumbled.
“I can’t. It’s on Ashley’s phone.” Courteney glanced at me. “Snoop has a Christmas album?”
“Don’t even think about it,” Xander muttered as they both descended on the coffee table, presumably to try to break into Ash’s phone.
“Uh, maybe I’ll go see where Ash is at…”
Clearly, Courteney and Xan had more important things to deal with, so I took my eggnog and disappeared up the short hall. The door to the bedroom at the end of the hall was open, but I didn’t hear anything from there.
Through the closed door to the guest bathroom right beside me, I heard a woman’s voice.
“Whydid I have to see another chick’s vagina, Danica?!”
I stopped in my tracks to listen, obviously.
“I’m not supposed to come home to that!” she went on. “I was singing Christmas carols, for fuck’s sake!”
“Please, stop tearing at your face. It’s a good face.” That was Danica; I had to lean in to hear her soft voice, but I’d know it anywhere. I’d already heard it plenty of times in my dreams.
“Why do I keep picking these guys?” the other girl lamented. “I always think they’re so solid and down-to-earth, and then they end up pulling this shit.”
