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“Consider it done,” I say, amused. “What kind of wager are you thinking?”
“Shit, I don’t know. Just make it good.”
“How about I get your money back?”
“I was kind of hoping for a little more than that.”
“Like what? Should I have him try to lick his own dick?” I ask, totally kidding.
Foster chuckles.
“That could work.” Peter nods his head while rubbing his chin, seriously contemplating the wager.
I laugh. “I’ll think about it.”
Graham joins us with a plastic cup in hand. “You two help yourself to whatever you like. Beer’s in the fridge, and liquor is on the counter next to whatever food Lilliana and her friends brought.”
“Thanks.” Foster turns to me. “Do you want anything?”
“A beer would be great.”
We all disperse. Graham joins the group of girls and hooks an arm around the average-height strawberry-blonde with curly hair, Peter takes a seat at the table next to James, and Foster and I step toward the fridge to get a beer. Once we both have our drinks, I follow his lead and gather around the ongoing card game.
It’s a little after ten in the evening, less than two hours until the New Year, and it’s easy to ascertain that this will likely be a low-key evening of friends, libations, and fun.
“Thanks again,” I utter at Foster’s shoulder.
James deals the cards to everyone at the table.
“For what?” Foster asks.
“The invite.”
“Don’t thank me yet. There’s no guarantee it will be anything memorable.”
I scan the tame playing of cards, observing the content faces of all the guests. “The night is young.”
Over the next hour and a half, I become acquainted with mostly everyone, learning that Graham, Lance, and Peter live in the house together. All of the men, including Foster and James, are chemical engineering majors and have known each other since freshman year. Apparently, it’s a tight-knit class since they spend so much time in labs and doing group projects.
As promised to Peter, I attempt to finagle the fifty dollars back from Lance. I add a bet for him to dip his balls in his own beer and drink it. The latter is not my idea. It’s Peter’s, but I go with it. Thankfully, James, Foster, and Graham silently play their part well, knowing all along that I have the upper hand. The table goes wild when I reveal my knowledge of Newton’s law once again, and it instantly befriends me to everyone. This also helps to open conversation with the group of girls—Lilliana, Graham’s girlfriend of the past three years, and her two friends, who are pleasant, sweet, and getting drunker by the hour.
At fifteen minutes until midnight, Lilliana suggests we all go outside to ring in the New Year. We arm ourselves in our coats, and with drinks in hand, we huddle onto the back porch overshadowed by the faint stars and moon above.
“So, how long have you and Foster been an item?” Lilliana questions me.
Foster is chatting with his friends on the other side of the wooden deck.
“Oh, we aren’t a couple.” I take a sip of my drink. “Just friends. He and I work together.”
“Really? Sorry, I just assumed. He hasn’t brought a girl around in a while. I just figured…”
“Well, there’s nothing to figure.” I gaze up at the stars, dull and almost unnoticeable. This is clearly not the night Van Gogh envisioned when he looked at the sky. I lean in closer to Lilliana and say, “But if you are worried that he might be gay, I assure you that he isn’t.”
“No, I knew he wasn’t gay.” Her focus shifts away from me and toward James and Fiona, who is obviously his girlfriend based on the way they haven’t left one another’s side all evening. “We all know that.” She checks the time on her watch. “Less than five minutes left until we get to start again. I’m going to go and find Graham. It was nice taking with you, EJ.”
“You, too.”
She leaves me, so I’m alone on one side of the porch while everyone congregates at the other end. I take the moment of solitude to gaze above, imagining the painted sky ofThe Starry Nightwith myself swimming among its brushstrokes.
