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Nathan
I had been hearing about the bachelor party since the day after. I got a call from the guys letting me know they moved the passed-out stripper to the regular elevator and cleaned up from the party. I appreciated their attempt to save face, but I was pretty sure the hotel would know exactly where the passed-out stripper had come from. I was glad to be done with it, though, and I couldn’t wait until the whole wedding thing was over. Just as I thought that, Jordan appeared in my doorway, smiling.
“Hey, man,” I said.
“Hey,” he replied.
I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Jordan at all since the bachelor party. I heard stories about a dance-off he did and the fact that he refused to let the strippers do anything other than dance on him, but I had been trying to avoid talking to him in person. The guys were great, but he was in love, and love made me sick to my stomach at this point. I just wanted to feel better, but I knew that would take a lot more booze.
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to you since Friday,” he said. “I wanted to stop by and thank you for throwing the party. My best man was bummed he couldn’t be here to do it. I really do appreciate it.”
“Where is your best man?”
“Oh, he plays ball for the Dodgers,” he said. “He couldn’t get out of the games to come up for the party. He was going to throw one when he got here, but Lindsey was adamant about not being hungover at the wedding.”
“Understandable.” I laughed.
“It was a blast, though,” he said. “I haven’t had that much fun ever in my life.”
“I’m so glad you had fun,” I said, laughing. “It really wasn’t that big of a deal. I wanted to make sure that you had one last outing. The strippers were thrown in at the last minute when John instructed me to do so. I was going to make it a boys’ night out kind of thing.”
“I have never been around strippers.” He laughed. “They were definitely interesting. It was a good thing that you had so much liquor there for us. I definitely needed to loosen up to get used to it.”
“Strippers always make people feel that way.” I laughed. “They were a bit over the top for my taste, but that strap-on, forehead dildo was definitely interesting. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to burn that image out of my brain.”
“Yeah,” he said, wincing. “That was probably the most terrifying part before you left. After you were gone, it got a little too weird for me. I was glad when they passed out.”
“Is that when the dance competition started?” I asked.
“Shit,” he said, rubbing his face. “Yes.”
“We can always throw another party if you had that much fun.” I laughed.
“No, no,” Jordan said, laughing. “I think I am good for the rest of my life. If John gets married ever, I’m sitting his bachelor party out.”
“Probably a good choice.” I laughed.
“Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Sure, man, what’s up?”
“I know there has been a lot going on in your life recently,” he said, lowering his voice. “I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. Lindsey told me about what happened, and I’m not injecting my personal opinion on this one, but I want you to know I’m here if you ever want to talk or just sit and drink.”
“Thanks, man,” I said, stretching. “It definitely has been a tough time. I appreciate the fact that you noticed. I will definitely take you up on the drinking thing, although I’m not really much of a talker.”
“But you’re sure that you’re okay?” he asked.
I wasn’t sure why he was pushing me so hard. I knew that I looked like shit, but I had started to become a functioning depressive, tricking people into thinking I was on the up and up. Maybe I wasn’t as slick as I thought I was.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m really okay. I promise.”
He stood there for a minute, looking like he was fighting with himself about something. I sat patiently, knowing he had the best intentions. I was really hoping he wasn’t about to talk to me about Amanda. The last thing I needed was to start that conversation all over again. When I thought that he was about to leave, he stopped and pointed over on my desk to a half-empty, open bottle of whiskey. I sighed and stared at it for a second, realizing that the thing had become a staple in my existence recently. I cleared my throat and stood up, capping the bottle and carrying it over to the bar. I stood there for a second, unsure of what to say. If I was honest and told him I was drinking my days away, he would push me further to have that talk with him. I didn’t want to talk. I just wanted everyone to leave me alone.
“I brought the rest of that bottle of whiskey I bought for the party in and filled up the container,” I said, trying to brush it off. “I didn’t want it to go to waste, and sometimes, the shareholders like to have a sip after our meetings.”
“Right,” he said, looking like he half-believed me. “I’m sure they will be happy to have it. It’s some good stuff.”
“You want a drink?” I asked.
