Page 24 of Swim Crush

Hayden: Honestly?

Mike: Yeah…

Hayden: I like those colorful wine coolers.

Oh. That's kind of cute.

I had them maybe once but it had been a while.

Mike: I can swing that. See you in a bit.

Mike: The white colonial on Carpenter, right?

Hayden: That's the one.

I grabbed my wallet and made for the door, but realized that I hadn't showered all day. Quickly, I stripped, grabbed a towel and my body wash, and headed down the hall.

Soaping up, I thought back to Hayden's Fleshlight joke and as one does, started to harden. I laughed out loud. It never turned off. I should be appreciative of its stamina, but sometimes you just wanted to shower quickly so you could go buy a bunch of fluorescent colored beverages for a friend.

For the booze, I had two options: the big chain store where I might get lost in the crowd, or the small liquor store where the cashier might be the one that flirts with me. I went for option one since it was on the way.

A variety pack of Seagram's Escapes would do for Hayden, and a handful of nips was all I needed, though I'd try Hayden's choice if he let me. I looked for the busiest line as I approached the front, but my eye caught on some familiar wavy brown hair. It was my starry-eyed high schooler from the fall. Tom.

He noticed me before it was my turn and immediately smiled. Every five seconds, he'd glance my way as if to make sure I hadn't run off. And soon enough, it was my turn.

"Hey, Tom."

"You remembered my name?" he said, ringing my items up without looking twice.

I nodded. "Have a good Christmas?"

"It was alright. You?"

"Same."

"Big plans tonight?" he asked before saying the total.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "More like little plans. Hope you don't have to stay too late." I grabbed my purchases before he could answer and rushed out the door.

It only took a few minutes to cross town and find the Sawyer house. Hayden was all smiles when he greeted me at the door. He was wearing gray sweatpants and a faded blue hoodie. I had never seen him so casual.

“Ari!”

“Whoa!” I jumped back, struggling to hold onto the bags.

“Ari, down!” Hayden commanded.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “I guess he’s feeling better, huh?” Then inwardly cursed myself for not asking sooner.

“Completely recovered,” Hayden answered with a smile. “Come inside.”

Drunk Hayden was fun.

"I want a blue one."

"We drank all the blue ones," I said. "Pink or green."

"You should have the green. Gimme the pink one."