obviously doubted my sanity—or his own. I gave him a big, bold smile and watched myriad expressions flutter across his face, each for only fractions of a second. Then he slowly clued in to what I was up to, but apparently still couldn’t respond.
The brunette stiffened, and her eyes passed from me back to Elyas. We hadn’t quite reached the point of “click,” yet.
So the brunette was a bimbo, to boot. God, did I always have to do everything myself? I was going to have to get out the big guns. I sighed and summoned my inner strength. I took Elyas’s hand, placed it against my stomach, and started beaming. “Can you feel him?” I squeaked. “Little Elyas is kicking for the first time!”
The brunette stared at me for a couple of seconds, her eyes big, before she finally turned on her extremely high heels. Elyas’s mouth fell open as he stared after her until she disappeared into the crowd.
He slowly turned to me. “Yo u . . . you’r e . . . you are a total bitch!”
I put my hands on my hips. “What do you mean? Am I going to have to raise our child all by myself?”
Elyas had fully transformed into a fish: his mouth opened and closed, but no sound passed his lips.
I smiled. The sight was priceless, and a wonderful sensation of satisfaction filled me. “Fine,” I said. “Toodle-oo, sweetums!” I gave him a wave and left him standing there as I made my way back to the bar.
This had, without doubt, been one of the most successful stunts of my whole life. But as good a mood as it put me in, I couldn’t completely revel in my victory. The reason was my pounding temples. Rum had the downside of going straight to my head, where it left behind only hammering pain, and in a setting like this one, droning with noise, where you could hardly understand a word anyone said, the pain quickly became unbearable. But I didn’t want to spoil Alex’s night, now that she had finally had a chance to get to know Sebastian better.
“How’s your head?” Alex asked me as we were standing at the sink in the ladies’ room a couple of hours later.
“I’m pretty sure a guy is standing on my head breaking it open with a jackhammer. I bet your brother paid him off to do it.” She snorted and stroked my arm.
“That bad? If you’ve had enough, just say so. I’ll ask Elyas to drive us home.”
“No, I don’t want that. It’s only two, and I won’t be able to stand your whining tomorrow if I tear you away from Sebastian now.”
“Sebastian,” she said with a soulful look. “He is so great! Do you know what he used to—”
“Stop!” I said, interrupting her. “Can you please tell me tomorrow? I’m not accepting any more information today—about anything.”
“Oh, of course,” she said with a pitying smile. “Sorry. It’s fine, Emely. I’ll meet up with Sebastian again sometime soon. The way you’re looking, I think we’d better head home now.”
“No, you stay,” I said. “Domenic offered to take me home. He has to get up early tomorrow and wanted to get going soon, anyway.”
Alex wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about Domenic. “Do you like that guy?” she asked. “I don’t kno w . . . I think he’s weird.”
“Weird how?” I asked.
“Mmm, hard to say.” She turned to the mirror and touched up her lip gloss. “He doesn’t strike me as all that nice, somehow.”
“Really? He seems really nice to me.”
“Oh, they’re all nice ,” Alex added, returning her lip gloss to her purse. I didn’t disagree with her.
She looked at me and sighed. “I’m sorry about your head.”
“It’s my own fault. God, why do I ever drink rum?”
“Yeah, really,” she grumbled. “I don’t know, Emely. I don’t like the idea of you driving home with that guy.”
“He’s not like that. Plus, it’s the most practical solution, having him take me home.”
“If you think it’s all right,” she sighed. “But then you definitely have to text me the second you get home safe,
The brunette stiffened, and her eyes passed from me back to Elyas. We hadn’t quite reached the point of “click,” yet.
So the brunette was a bimbo, to boot. God, did I always have to do everything myself? I was going to have to get out the big guns. I sighed and summoned my inner strength. I took Elyas’s hand, placed it against my stomach, and started beaming. “Can you feel him?” I squeaked. “Little Elyas is kicking for the first time!”
The brunette stared at me for a couple of seconds, her eyes big, before she finally turned on her extremely high heels. Elyas’s mouth fell open as he stared after her until she disappeared into the crowd.
He slowly turned to me. “Yo u . . . you’r e . . . you are a total bitch!”
I put my hands on my hips. “What do you mean? Am I going to have to raise our child all by myself?”
Elyas had fully transformed into a fish: his mouth opened and closed, but no sound passed his lips.
I smiled. The sight was priceless, and a wonderful sensation of satisfaction filled me. “Fine,” I said. “Toodle-oo, sweetums!” I gave him a wave and left him standing there as I made my way back to the bar.
This had, without doubt, been one of the most successful stunts of my whole life. But as good a mood as it put me in, I couldn’t completely revel in my victory. The reason was my pounding temples. Rum had the downside of going straight to my head, where it left behind only hammering pain, and in a setting like this one, droning with noise, where you could hardly understand a word anyone said, the pain quickly became unbearable. But I didn’t want to spoil Alex’s night, now that she had finally had a chance to get to know Sebastian better.
“How’s your head?” Alex asked me as we were standing at the sink in the ladies’ room a couple of hours later.
“I’m pretty sure a guy is standing on my head breaking it open with a jackhammer. I bet your brother paid him off to do it.” She snorted and stroked my arm.
“That bad? If you’ve had enough, just say so. I’ll ask Elyas to drive us home.”
“No, I don’t want that. It’s only two, and I won’t be able to stand your whining tomorrow if I tear you away from Sebastian now.”
“Sebastian,” she said with a soulful look. “He is so great! Do you know what he used to—”
“Stop!” I said, interrupting her. “Can you please tell me tomorrow? I’m not accepting any more information today—about anything.”
“Oh, of course,” she said with a pitying smile. “Sorry. It’s fine, Emely. I’ll meet up with Sebastian again sometime soon. The way you’re looking, I think we’d better head home now.”
“No, you stay,” I said. “Domenic offered to take me home. He has to get up early tomorrow and wanted to get going soon, anyway.”
Alex wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about Domenic. “Do you like that guy?” she asked. “I don’t kno w . . . I think he’s weird.”
“Weird how?” I asked.
“Mmm, hard to say.” She turned to the mirror and touched up her lip gloss. “He doesn’t strike me as all that nice, somehow.”
“Really? He seems really nice to me.”
“Oh, they’re all nice ,” Alex added, returning her lip gloss to her purse. I didn’t disagree with her.
She looked at me and sighed. “I’m sorry about your head.”
“It’s my own fault. God, why do I ever drink rum?”
“Yeah, really,” she grumbled. “I don’t know, Emely. I don’t like the idea of you driving home with that guy.”
“He’s not like that. Plus, it’s the most practical solution, having him take me home.”
“If you think it’s all right,” she sighed. “But then you definitely have to text me the second you get home safe,
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