“He just wanted to make sure I was doing alright with you leaving,” I lied.
“I’m sure he's really concerned about our relationship.” We turned to look at Trent who was in the process of taking a shot of some kind of brown liquor.
“He needs to back off. Promise me you'll tell me if he's too much for you to handle. I know you can take care of yourself, which is why I've been trying to hold my tongue. But I don’t trust him.”
I kissed him soundly. Him trusting me enough to take care of the situation made me fall more in love with him.
A shudder went through me when I imagined him discovering that Jason's dad had been the one who’d orchestrated their tour. Even though I’d done it for the boys, I was terrified what Kill would think if he ever found out. I felt the same fear about him finding the letters I’d stashed in my closet. Hopefully, his trust regarding my ability to handle myself extended beyond dealing with Trent.
“Are you okay with me leaving?” he asked after we watched Trent slam back two more shots.
Pain shot through my heart, distracting me from Trent's imminent alcohol poisoning. The thought of sleeping alone, and going through the days without seeing him made my body shrivel inside. I refused to say anything negative, afraid he would just give it all up for me, only to resent me for it later.
“I’ll be fine. It's only six months. Everyone has already told me they have plans to keep me busy. I'm going to be so busy; I won't realize you're gone.”
He scanned my face, a smile quirking the tip of his mouth. “I'm going to miss the fuck out of you and your smartass,” he said, squishing me to him.
My throat tightened from the emotions flooding my body, making it difficult to breathe. “I'm going to miss you too, Killer,” I responded, holding him tighter, wanting to fuse myself to him while I still had the chance.
“Come on, you two. No more sadness. This is a party,” Taze said, walking over with Stace.
I pulled away from Kill, wishing everyone would just disappear so I could have him all to myself.
“Trust me on this one, if you don’t start having fun, the last memories you’ll have of each other will be weepy ones. Come on, and let’s make some good memories you can hold onto during those lonely nights,” Taze said, ushering us to the kitchen.
“I plan to make some good memories, but I'm telling you now you won’t be anywhere near my woman when we’re making those,” Kill replied, sadness clouding his eyes.
I blushed brightly, shaking my head and trying to stay positive. Thinking of naked Kill was definitely helping my attitude.
“I wouldn’t dream of it. I have all the woman I need right here. You perverted bastard, you know I wasn't talking about naked sexy-time. Now, drink this.” Taze handed us each a bright-red shot before he made two more for him and Stace.
“Here’s to relationships that make life worth living,” Taze saluted. He kissed Stace on the mouth before we downed our shots, which were surprisingly sweet and tasted just like a red apple.
“Yum, that was good,” I said, licking my lips to get the last of it.
“It’s my favorite shot. It's called a Washington apple,” Stace said.
“Okay, next shot needs to be something manly,” Kill insisted before grabbing my chin and kissing me. His tongue tasted like the alcohol we’d just gulped down, and I couldn’t stop myself from sucking on it.
“Alright, you two, none of that until later. You're with friends still,” Taze said breaking us apart, before turning back to the counter to make us another round.
“Taze, not too many more. I'm sure they don’t want to spend their last night together too drunk to...Uhm well, you know.” Stace turned the same color as the shot we just took. Kill and I both laughed as she stared down at her shoes. Taze handed us our next round.
“Buttery nipples,” I yelled excitedly
“Dude, you're going to ruin my reputation,” Kill whined when he grabbed his glass.
“Sorry, man, my woman loves these. I don’t care how girly they are, I'll drink anything to make her happy. I mean, look at her. She's always taking care of everyone and keeping me in line. So perfect.”
I smiled at the adoration on Taze's face. He was so in love with Stace. Hope settled in my heart, seeing how they seemed to thrive, despite their differences.
“Okay, you win. I get that,” Kill surrendered to him. He brushed his lips across the top of my head and squeezed my waist.
After we downed our next shot, Stace asked Kill if he would play for her. She winked at me as she interfered with Taze's shot-a-thon. I mouthed a thank you to her as Kill grabbed his guitar and perched on the kitchen table.
Ryan wandered over and put her arm around me while she sang off key to Kill’s strumming. The alcohol made me feel lighter than I had in days. Laughter bubbled up inside me as Ryan attempted to hit a high note. My big bad bartender was wasted. Everyone squished into the kitchen, firing off requests and singing along.
D, Jet, and a slightly-inebriated Van all sat on the table, as they played an acoustic set for the house. When midnight approached, we turned on the TV. The whole house counted down as the ball descended to officially bring in the new year.
