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“Even better!” Seb opens the fridge and pulls out a bottle with a blue label that I recognize immediately.
“You have Granville Island winter ale? What a good brother.”
“Your favorite,” he says with a grin.
“You’re drinking beer?” Fiona asks, her eyebrows rising in surprise.
I shrug. “I don’t drink it much, but this one tops my list,” I say, opening it eagerly with a loud crack.
“What about you, Fiona? I’m guessing you’re more of a liquor girl.”
“Bingo,” she says with a flirty wink. I roll my eyes. “Bathroom?” Fi asks.
“Right down the hall, first door on your left,” Seb replies as he walks over to the bar and pulls out a bottle of gin and some lime juice. He opens a tonic water and mixes it with the gin.When he’s done, he places the drink on the counter next to my beer.
“So, I’m a twelve, huh?” Seb says, smothering a smile with his hand.
“Ugh, you heard that?”
“Yeah, turns out I’m not deaf,” he says with a laugh.
“Don’t let it go to your head,” I say. “But I hope that didn’t make you uncomfortable.”
“Nah. She’s actually pretty cute.” His eyes wander toward the hallway where Fiona disappeared.
I pause with my beer halfway to my lips and stare at him, deadpan. “Don’t even think about seducing my friend. I mean it, Seb.”
Seb throws up his hands. “Relax, kid. I’m just playing,” he says with a wink.
We both stop talking when we hear the bathroom door open. Seb picks up the glass and hands it to Fi when she reenters the kitchen.
“I hope you like gin and tonic,” he says with a smile.
“Love it.” Fiona returns the smile, and I sigh, as I realize I’ll be spending the entire night trying to prevent a hook up.
It’s wellpast sunset when Seb, Fiona, and I walk to the pub to meet up with Marcus for dinner and drinks. Downtown Vancouver is lit with warm twinkling lights and bustling with people. Car horns, revving engines, and the odd siren make a cacophony that’s music to my ears. I love the life of the city—it’s one of the reasons why I’m considering a move to New York permanently.
We approach the pub, and I look up at the red fluorescent sign reading “Brothers’ Beer & Bourbon”; we affectionately call it the “BB&B” for short. Marcus named the place with the forethought that he and Sebastian would run it together, and I suppose I should feel excluded. But they’ve been talking about this place since they were boys playing restaurant in our parents’ basement. I never wanted to step on that dream, and I was so proud when they made it a reality.
The rich smell of burgers and french fries assails my nostrils as we enter. The pub has a classic Pacific Northwest feel with its mismatched wood panel walls and a large stone fireplace. Booths edge out the restaurant, and the main floor is dotted with two- and four-top tables. A classic bar backed by shelves of liquor bottles is packed with chatting and laughing patrons. Like a lot of businesses in Vancouver, the walls double as a local art gallery, adorned with paintings of Vancouver Island, photos of the Capilano Suspension Bridge, and various Native American pieces.
Seb waves at the hostess as we enter. She smiles and winks at him. I glance at Fi, and we roll our eyes.
Guys and their stupid charm.
The three of us weave through the crowd toward a secluded room at the back of the pub.
“Wow,” Fiona says as we sit at the empty table. “This place is so cool.”
Sebastian closes the sliding door, shutting out the pub’s naturally chaotic atmosphere.
“And you bothownit?” she asks for the third time, as if not convinced by the conversation we just had on the way over.
Seb smiles widely. “Yes, though Marcus’s business smarts really got it up and running,” he says. “If he hadn’t given it a good foundation, it wouldn’t have been this successful.”
We settle in and order drinks, and I let myself enjoy my whisky as Sebastian and Fiona chat away. I stare at my phone, suddenly wishing that one of the guys would text me. I haven’t heard anything since I left last night, and the memory of the hurt on their faces makes my heart ache. Not to mention that I just miss them. I always miss them. When I lived alone after Martin left, I started craving people, even if they were just in my general proximity, and that need has never fully gone away. But with Trey and Link? It’s a hundred times stronger, and that scares me.
“About time you visited,” a deep familiar voice says from behind me.
