On the count of three, everyone turned to me and Alec. Alec’s bandmates and Stella were pointing fingers at him, while Boomer and Asha were pointing at me. There was another chorus of laugher. JJ, who was seated closest to us, leaned over the back of the couch and held out his cup to Alec.
“That’s four for you, and two for Felicity,” he said, grinning at us both.
Stoic as usual, Alec accepted the drink and took four gulps. With a grimace, he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and passed the glass to me. Before drinking, I made the mistake of sniffing the contents. My nose burned at the smell. It was vodka, which I hated, but everyone was watching me, so I took a deep breath and two small sips.
“Ugh.” My mouth puckered, and I shoved the drink back into JJ’s hand. “That’s awful. Is there anything in there besides alcohol?”
“Does ice count?” he asked, swallowing back his laughter.
I shook my head at him. “That’s disgusting.”
Across the room, the jukebox flipped records, and another eighties song started playing. The tune was familiar, something my mom would put on when she cleaned the house, but I couldn’t think of the title.
“Should we sit down?” Alec asked, loud enough for only me to hear.
His hand found the small of my back, and he guided me over to the last place left to sit, a small loveseat. He plopped down first, and as I shuffled by him toward the other cushion, he took my wrist and tugged me down beside him, nearly in his lap. Boomer’s eyes went round while Stella nudged Asha in excitement, but no one was more shocked than me. My cheeks suddenly felt flush, and I wasn’t sure if it was an effect of the vodka I’d drunk or Alec’s not-so-subtle move.
It was quiet as everybody stared at us, but then Oliver said, “So, you two get lost or something?”
JJ’s lips curled in hilarity.
“I was showing Felicity the library,” Alec explained.
Among other things…
I could feel Asha’s gaze fixed on me, but if I looked at her, my eyes would give away everything that had happened between Alec and me.
Not now, I wanted to tell her.Not with an audience.
“You sure, man?” JJ asked. “Your hair’s a little messy.”
This wasn’t true—Alec had smoothed back the stray strands before leaving the library—but he fell for the ruse, his hand flying to his bangs to make sure they were in place, and his friends all roared with laughter.
“You need to be careful with that one,” JJ said to Alec, nodding his head at me. “You don’t want her to suck your soul out.”
“Oh great. A redhead joke,” I said, letting out a long sigh. I wasn’t as much annoyed with him as surprised it had taken him this long to crack one.
“Don’t worry. I have plenty more in the works up here,” he said, tapping a finger to his temple. “I’ve been waiting for the opportune moment. Is it true that you earn a freckle for every soul you steal?”
With an eye roll, I turned to Oliver. “Hey, I found a constellation book on the window seat in the library. There were song lyrics written inside. Is that yours?”
“Oh,” he answered, his eyes getting big. “Um, yeah. It is. Totally forgot about that.”
“A constellation book?” Stella asked, suddenly curious. “What song?”
Reaching an arm over his shoulder, Oliver rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s your song,” he told her. “I stayed here for a while after we… After everything went down…” His voice trailed off.
I must have brought up something personal or quite possibly painful. I never intended to make him feel uncomfortable. It hadn’t even crossed my mind that I could make someone like Oliver Perry feel that way. But I was relieved that everyone’s attention was diverted from my prolonged absence with Alec.
Stella smiled at him and snuggled against his side. “I’d love to see it.”
“Yeah, sure.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “I’ll show you later, okay?”
“Asadorableas you two are,” JJ said, reaching for the vodka bottle set out on the table, “I’d rather not watch any more of this lovefest. Let’s move this game along.” He looked straight at me. “If you two are going to play, it’s time to pick your poison. I make outstanding vodka shots, but the bar is fully stocked as well.”
I played with my watch around my wrist and didn’t answer. It wasn’t like I was a prude. I knew that lots of people my age drank, and I took no issue with them doing so. Sometimes, if Asha dragged me to a party one her cross-country friends was throwing, I’d have a beer. But that didn’t happen often.
In the year before she ran away, Rose made a habit of stumbling into our room during the early hours of the morning, wasted from partying. If Mom caught her drunk, it led to screaming matches, so that left thirteen-year-old me to hold back my sister’s hair while she puked, change her clothes, and help her intobed. After taking care of her all those times, I didn’t find drinking appealing.
