Page 16 of The Embrace of Evergreen
Chapter 7
Ethan
Pure panic.
Why, oh why, oh why didn’t I say no when Gabriel asked me to join him and Blue and apparently a plethora of other friends at a club?A club! I don’t go to clubs. I mean, aside from the one time a month I force myself to go on a date, I don’t even go to restaurants with other people. I could have told him I have a deadline at work that’s quickly closing in, and I need to hole up in my apartment, hunched over my keyboard with snacks all weekend. I could have told him I’m Jewish, and I don’t go out on Friday nights, but in truth, I may have been to the coffee shop already on a Saturday or two, and he’d likely have called me out instantly. Hell, I could have told him I had a date lined up. He doesn’t know that I don’t have a date! I’ve spent the entire week trying to come up with an excuse to cancel that won’t lead to too many questions, and I haven’t been able to come up with anything viable. Icould still text them and tell them that I’m sick, but a large part of me is afraid that Blue and Gabriel are too nice for that to work. I’m willing to bet that one or, God forbid, both of them would find a way to check up on me. They’d probably call Max and convince her to give them my address and then show up with soup and tissues and knit socks and blankets. They’d probably carry me to bed and curl up against me like two giant puppies. Maybe that would still be preferable to standing here with my heart trying to jump out of my chest.
I jolt when an arm slips over my shoulders, and I’m pulled tightly against a body that smells like coconut. I don’t know anyone who smells like coconut.Do murderers smell like coconut?
“You made it!” Gabriel’s face is close enough to my ear that his voice cuts easily through the throb of the bass that’s seeping out into the street in front of the club where I’ve been standing in a daze for who knows how long.
The fact that I recognize his voice only lowers my anxiety by a few degrees. It’s maybe only an eighty-five out of one hundred now, so I guess that’s a win, although that does make it less likely that I’ll spontaneously have a heart attack that will get me out of this adventure, so maybe not a win.
“Yep…I made it.” My voice breaks, and it’s pathetically obvious how nervous I sound.
Gabriel spins me just a bit, his face still close, expressive brown eyes searching mine. “You sound like you’re standing in front of a firing squad, sugar. What’s up?”
Of course he notices I’m nervous. I’m practically vibrating out of my skin.
“I’ve never…I’ve never been to a club like this before.”
His gorgeous smile softens just a bit as he squeezes my shoulder gently. “Then it’s a bleeping good thing that Blue and I found you, isn’t it? I promise we’ll take good care of you, and by the end of the night, you’ll have had such a spectacular time that you’ll be jumping at the chance to come out with us every weekend.”
The fact that I don’t believe him even a tiny bit must show on my face because he sticks his bottom lip out in the same pout that got me into this mess in the first place.
A warm hand settles on my lower back as Gabriel steps away, and without even looking, I know that the hand is tan and strong, and thin black tattoos drift down its slender fingers.
“You’d think he’s drunk already, but he’s completely sober; crazy drunk guy is just his natural personality.”
Blue’s strong, quiet voice at my side settles me just a bit as Gabriel sticks his tongue out at the two of us and spins around to prance toward the club’s entrance as if he’s some tall, perfectly built Grecian Adonis who’s been cursed to remain a toddler for all eternity.
“Is he always like this…and did he say the word bleeping out loud, or did I hallucinate for a second?”
Blue’s chuckle is deep and gentle. “He’s not always like this. He’s actually one of the best people I know. He’s just a tad energetic, and our weekly night out is the place he burns off his stress from the week. And you didn’t hallucinate; Gabriel’s version of swearing definitely takes some getting used to.”
I just nod. It’s all I can manage in my current stressed and overstimulated state.
Blue shifts to stand in front of me, and while I normally hate to be touched and I’m already far past my touch limit even though I’ve only been here five minutes, I find myself mourning the loss of his hand on my back.
“You sure you’re okay? Don’t feel pressured into coming with us or anything.”
“No, it’s…I’m good. Let’s do this.” I paint on a smile that hopefully looks much braver than I feel, and after a single nod, Blue takes my hand and leads me into the club.
It’s loud and sticky and overwhelming, and I’m not sure where to look or how to feel as we make our way to one of the booths near the back. Just inside the entrance, there is a bar backed by shelves of liquor that reach to the ceiling. It’s a sight that would likely be the focal point of the long rectangular room even without folks lined up three deep waiting for orders. A karaoke platform where a handful of women are drunkenly attempting to hold both their microphones and drinks while barely managing something that roughly approximates singing sits at one end, and a small but tightly packed dance floor takes up the opposite side.
The booth is packed tightly with eight people crammed into a space meant for six, and a handful of others linger close by, leaning against the table and nearly spilling drinks on those unlucky enough to sit near the edges as they laugh and gesture. No one seems to mind, so I guess the fact that I want to run away fast enough to leave a burst of visible air in the shape of my outline like a cartoon character means that I’m the odd man out…again. While Blue introduces me to each of the people in the booth’s vicinity, I know that I’m too keyed up to have any chance at remembering their names should I run into them outside of this terrifying place tomorrow.
When three people slip out of their seats to make their way toward the dance floor, Blue presses me down onto the sticky pleather and slides in next to me. Before I even have time to adjust to my new location squished inbetween Blue and a woman he introduced as Eve, or Eva, or maybe Evie, Gabriel arrives with a tray of drinks.
“Since you drink the same disgusting coffee as Blue, I figured I’d take a chance on this one as well. I think you need something as soon as possible to deal with our chaos, yeah?”
He settles a tumbler filled with something amber in front of me with a wink.
“Thank you,” I mumble, hoping my voice is loud enough for Gabriel to hear me over the overwhelming turmoil of music and voices.
I’m not expecting much, but at this point, it doesn’t really matter. Gabriel is right. Even though I’m not a big drinker, I’m hopeful that downing a couple quickly might help take the edge off of the borderline panic that I’m fighting over the fact I’m actually sitting in a loud, packed club with a bunch of strangers.
Movement at my side as Blue raises his glass draws my attention away from trying to figure out what mine might contain. I know it’s unlikely anything I’ll enjoy, but the fact that it’s not clear is a good sign.
