A server brings our wings, and I have to admit that this Trick fellow clearly knows what he’s doing in the kitchen. This place is pretty dark, save for the twinkle lights and the glow of the trivia monitors. It’s fairly crowded tonight, probably because we’re closing in on the year’s end.
We both dive into our food, and I think I could sit here and stare at my boyfriend—gah! My boyfriend!—all night. I want to know all about the things that he loves. EvenStar Wars. I spent half an hour on Wookiepedia (no, for real, that’s what it’s called) this afternoon. The Galaxy Far Far Away is a little overwhelming, to say the least. I might need to make flashcards. Best to start with trivia night. “So tell me how all of this works.”
Simon licks buttery goodness from his fingers, and I flashback to earlier sexy times. Oblivious to my musings, he carries on with his explanation. “Trivia is pretty serious business here at Trick’s. Cell phones are banned. No joke. Tina, the bartender, keeps them in a box on top of the bar, and you can only get your phone back when you pay your tab. I’m telling you, they don’t mess around when it comes to trivia. And there’s no multiple choice, either. A question pops up on the screen, and you’ve got thirty seconds to type in the correct answer.”
“Wow. Do you play all year long? I’m pretty sure I’d be here every week just for the wings alone.”
“Right? Trick’s cousin is the cook. Everything on the menu is great, but the wings are my favorite. And, yea, we’re here a lot. There are two seasons each year: spring and fall. The fall session ends with a championship match on New Year’s Eve. There’s money to be won, but more than that, there’s a title. Nick and I placed first in the spring league, so we’ve got a title to defend. Pete and Paula are new to our league and only have to defend the fact that they always wear matching sweaters.”
“There’s an unexpected intensity to this trivia business.”
“I guess. I mean, it’s kind of similar to sports for some people. Yea, you’re playing for bragging rights, but you really want those bragging rights.”
Our conversation is interrupted by a trio of men who head straight for our table. There’s a tall, muscled guy with brown hair and a beard, a heavily tattooed guy with pitch black hair and multiple piercings, and a blonde guy who looks like he enjoys the drive-thru slightly more than the gym. He’s my people, and I instantly like him...until he puts my boyfriend in a headlock.
“Dude!” Blondie grips Simon around the neck and proceeds to give him a noogie. Where the hell am I? A middle school cafeteria?
Simon slips out of Blondie’s reach just as Tatts slaps the guy upside the head. Yep. Clearly, this is a brigade of the world’s largest seventh graders. “Jesus, Dunc! Leave the kid alone. Can’t you see he’s on a fuckin date?”
As if he’s just now noticing my presence and the fact that we’re in a restaurant, the blonde guy, (Dunc, I think), sputters, “Oh, shit.Tell me you’re Eileen.The girl from his work, right?”
“You better hope she is, Dunc, or you’ve just made our boy look like an ass.” This comes from Tatts, and he can’t hide his laughter.
The bearded guy speaks, “No, Dunc made himself look like an ass, and her name is Elaine, not Eileen.You suck at names, the both of you.”
Simon slides off his barstool and gestures toward his friends. “Guys, this is Elaine, my girlfriend. Elaine, these are my best friends.” He shakes his head and rolls his eyes, as though he’s realizing he’s hitched himself to some crazy characters, but there’s true affection in his tone. It reminds me of the way I feel about Molly. She’s nuts, but she’s the best friend I’ve ever had. The puzzle pieces start to fall into place as I try to recall what he’s told me about them.
“It’s nice to meet you.” I say, and I mean it. “So who’s who? I need to match names with faces, and I feel like there might be a quiz later.” I joke, and they laugh kindly. The bar starts to fill up, and the guys crowd around our table and the tattooed one, who has to be Nick, waves a server over.
The blonde goes first. “I’m Duncan Ames, and in addition to being Simon’s favorite, I’m also married to his sister, Betsy.” He shrugs, “No Walker can resist me.” The blonde now identified as Dunc takes a seat across from me and steals a wing from Simon’s basket.
Nick looks offended. “You fucker. I’m Simon’s favorite. And his parents like me better. And, let’s face it, Bets probably prefers me, too.”
“Ha! Bets tolerates you because she’s the nicest person on the planet,” Dunc replies.
Nick flips him off and grabs a stool from a nearby table. The muscles in his arms bulge, and the sorority girls at said table damn near swoon. I can’t really blame them for appreciating a nice set of arms, but I’ll take Simon’s lean, strong ones over this beefed-up, colored-in version.
I turn to the bearded guy. “So, that means you’re Gavin, right?”
“Yep. Nice to meet you, Elaine.” He smiles, and I can’t help but think this guy only has to flash a smile and women probably lineup around the block.
The server swings by our table and drops off three heaping baskets of wings and three different beers. Nick clutches his heart with his hand and winks in her direction.“Tina, I think I love you.”
“Nicholas Fuller, stop your flirting. I graduated high school with your mother, and I have no time to listen to your bullshit. I got a bar to run, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“You wound me, Tina.” She laughs and heads back through the swinging kitchen door, no doubt to pick up more orders.
We all eat and drink and laugh. The guys rib each other goodnaturedly, and I can see their affection for Simon. Sure, they call him “kid,” and I inwardly cringe at the reminder of our age difference, but it’s clearly a term of endearment amongst the group. All too soon, a bell rings out, and a man, I can only guess is Trick, hops up on the bar. “You know what times it is!” The crowd hollers, and I marvel again at how seriously these people take their trivia. “It’s week ten of Trivia at Trick’s and last week, Pair of Ps took the lead, leaving our reigning champs, Tattooine, in second place, with the Taco Belles rounding out the top three.” At this announcement, the sorority girls cheer, and I notice that they’re all wearing yellow shirts and tiaras. And one of them is holding a rose. I spare a glance at Simon, but he’s completely engrossed in what Trick is saying and misses my questioning look.
Gavin catches my look and leans in close. “No disrespect, but these people are weird as shit.”
I laugh. “Did you see the rose? Who brings props to a bar?”
“Did you see the three grown-ass men dressed as bumblebees?” He jerks his head to the left, and I spot them. Sure enough, there are three giant, bearded, beer-bellied bumblebees crouched around a small table, antennas waving proudly.
“Wow.”
“I know. And even though your boyfriend never dons a costume, he’s just as into it as these guys. Nick, too. Hell, even Dunc and Bets are hardcore, but they never make the top 5.”
