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Bodhi swallowed thickly. He could do this. “Refill?” he spelled out. “I don’t know what it is.”
The guy laughed, his shoulder shaking as his eyes lit up. “You forgot already? You just ordered five minutes ago.”
Bodhi’s cheeks heated. “Twin brother.”
The guy’s eyes widened. “Sorry!” He grabbed the glass, sniffing the small pile of ice at the bottom. “Peach schnapps and Sprite,” he spelled out.
Bodhi shrugged. He didn’t really care what it was. He didn’t want to be drunk, but he also knew he couldn’t take much more of the bar. The vibrations seemed to get heavier the longer he sat, and the crowd only seemed to be getting thicker.
When the drink appeared in front of him, Bodhi realized his hands were shaking when he tried to reach for it. The bartender gave him a concerned frown.
“Are you okay?”
Bodhi nodded. It was a lie, but he wasn’t about to spill his guts to this total stranger, no matter how nice he seemed. He fumbled for his wallet, then set a twenty on the counter before snatching the drink and backing away. The fizzy alcohol burned the same way the first drink did, and by the time he found the dark hallway which led to the bathroom and the emergency exit, his head was starting to feel a little heavy.
It took more effort to put one foot in front of the other than it had ten minutes before. Was that normal? Was he having some bad reaction? His fingers slipped on the bathroom door, but eventually he managed to get it open, and he slipped inside.
The lights were too bright, but the buzzing vibrations weren’t nearly as bad, and he was far enough away from the music that he couldn’t hear it at all. There was one guy at the sink washing his hands, but he wasn’t even looking up at Bodhi.
It was a relief until he realized how absolutely pathetic he was.
God, he couldn’t even take a night out at the club?
He felt his throat get tight and the urge to start rocking was getting stronger. He wanted his bed. And his blanket. And a soft light. And maybe a cup of hot tea because the alcohol was starting to hurt his insides.
Then someone touched him.
He jumped half a foot in the air and turned to see a really tall guy with pale skin and hair almost as white blond as Jori’s, though his was clearly dyed from the look of the roots. The guy was smiling at him, but there was something off about his face, though Bodhi reminded himself that he was buzzed so he wasn’t in his right mind.
The guy began to sign quickly, and Bodhi lost the thread almost immediately.
He swallowed heavily and shook his head. “Don’t understand.”
“You hearing?” the guy signed, mouthing along.
Bodhi shook his head again, made an H with his right hand, and tapped it in the air twice side by side.HoH.
“Great.” The guy’s lips stretched into an even bigger grin and he started signing at Deaf speed again. Bodhi missed almost everything except that the guy had seen him at the bar and wanted… something. His number? To talk to him?
The guy had clearly followed him into the bathroom which made the panic sitting in his chest feel worse.
Then the guy stepped closer to him, and then even closer. Bodhi found himself backing up until he hit the wall, and the guy pressed one hand to the tiles beside Bodhi’s ear. ‘Hi,’ he mouthed.
Bodhi’s body reacted before he could. His stomach heaved and he bent over, unleashing a torrent of undigested alcohol and Sprite all over the guy’s shoes. He could hear the guy’s bellowing cry, and all hell broke loose under Bodhi’s skin. He didn’t even realize he was running until he was suddenly outside, in the alley behind the bar with his forehead pressed to the hard, cold brick.
He felt the urge to pull back and hit his head, but even as buzzed as he was, he managed to stop himself.
Not sure what the hell to do, he pulled out his phone and stared at the screen and noticed he was seeing double. His thumb hovered above it for a second, and while he knew he should probably text his brother, he found himself tapping on Caleb’s name instead.
Bodhi: Think ma in trubl
Caleb: What’s going on? Where are you?
Bodhi: Bar. Beads.
Caleb: Beads? Bodhi, that doesn’t make sense. Are you safe?
Bodhi: No.
