I’m angry.”
“So, takeout then?”
“Ha ha.”
“I’ll get the menus.”
“Anything but pizza,” I call out as he walks off to round up our options for dinner.
“You got it.”
“C HRIST, THAT’S my cue to leave,” Kick says, as the opening credits for The Notebook begin to roll.
I gasp, and stare at him in mock horror. “What’s wrong with The Notebook ?”
“Nothing if you’re a pansy-arse lady-boy.” He laughs as he pours me another shot. “Or a woman.”
“I’ll have you know, Cade and I watched this film a number of times, and I’m pretty sure even he got glassy-eyed.”
“As I said, pansy-arsed lady-boy.”
“No. Uh-uh. I’m not buying it. I dare you to watch this film and not tear up.”
“What’s the bet, then?”
“A hundred bucks,” I shout, and line up our shot glasses for another drink. I’m still furious with Elijah, and we’re a quarter of the way into his precious scotch. He’s gonna be pissed, but I don’t care. Maybe I’ll let him tie me down and spank me.
And now I know I’m well on my way to Tipsytown.
“See, now I just feel bad, because this is gonna be the easiest hundred bucks I ever made.”
“We’ll see. The last man to wager with me lost everything.”
“Yeah, but I’m guessing he’s okay with the hot piece of arse he won in return.”
“Sometimes I wonder.” I let out a heavy breath that blows a wayward piece of hair out of my face. “Okay, how about we play a little game to make this interesting?”
He pauses with his drink halfway to his lips, and eyes me speculatively. “What kinda game?”
“A drinking game. I played this with Holly once and we were paralytic within minutes—”
“Did she get naked?”
“Come to think of it, yes, yes she did,” I say, as I point my finger and tilt my glass towards him in salutation. “Drinking almost always ends with Hols taking her clothes off.”
“Well, shit, we should invite her over more often.”
I roll my eyes. “She does not need any more encouragement.”
Kick leans forward, resting his elbows over his knees, and rubs his palms together. “Well, if we’re gonna do this you had better hit me with the rules.”
“Okay, you must skull every time the following things happen: One: The Notebook is shown or read from; two: Noah takes his shirt off, has his shirt open, or is in some form of undress. Three: every time they argue, scream at one another, or just generally piss one another off. Four: anytime Noah’s dream house is shown or mentioned. Five: anytime someone rows a boat.”
Kick laughs. “What?”
“You’ll understand later. Now, because we’re already five minutes in, I think we should take two shots just to get started.”
“You realise you’re kinda a lightweight, and you’ll likely pass out way before me, so you should probably just hand over that hundred bucks now.”
“Nice try, K—” I frown and stop. “You know, I have no idea what your real name is.”
“That’s because I haven’t given it to you.”
“Are you going to?” I challenge.
“Nope.”
“Well, alright then. Let’s do this, Mr Mysterious.”
“For someone who’s about to be a hundred bucks short, you sure are keen.”
“And you sure are cocky.”
Kick gives me a crooked smile, and shoots back his drinks.
Twenty minutes later I’m sobbing as Noah and Allie are breaking up for the first time. Kick looks at me with curious, bone-dry eyes. “You don’t think that’s sad?” I wail.
He shrugs. “I don’t know. I mean it’s not like they’re not going to wind up together in the end anyway. It’s kinda obvious that the old lady and the old coot are that younger couple.”
“Well yeah, that’s kinda a given, but the point is they don’t know that—at least, not when they’re young. Haven’t you ever been in love, Kick?”
“Nah, I never met a girl I love more than my bike.”
“That’s what Elijah used to say.”
His mouth turns up in a half-smile.
“So, takeout then?”
“Ha ha.”
“I’ll get the menus.”
“Anything but pizza,” I call out as he walks off to round up our options for dinner.
“You got it.”
“C HRIST, THAT’S my cue to leave,” Kick says, as the opening credits for The Notebook begin to roll.
I gasp, and stare at him in mock horror. “What’s wrong with The Notebook ?”
“Nothing if you’re a pansy-arse lady-boy.” He laughs as he pours me another shot. “Or a woman.”
“I’ll have you know, Cade and I watched this film a number of times, and I’m pretty sure even he got glassy-eyed.”
“As I said, pansy-arsed lady-boy.”
“No. Uh-uh. I’m not buying it. I dare you to watch this film and not tear up.”
“What’s the bet, then?”
“A hundred bucks,” I shout, and line up our shot glasses for another drink. I’m still furious with Elijah, and we’re a quarter of the way into his precious scotch. He’s gonna be pissed, but I don’t care. Maybe I’ll let him tie me down and spank me.
And now I know I’m well on my way to Tipsytown.
“See, now I just feel bad, because this is gonna be the easiest hundred bucks I ever made.”
“We’ll see. The last man to wager with me lost everything.”
“Yeah, but I’m guessing he’s okay with the hot piece of arse he won in return.”
“Sometimes I wonder.” I let out a heavy breath that blows a wayward piece of hair out of my face. “Okay, how about we play a little game to make this interesting?”
He pauses with his drink halfway to his lips, and eyes me speculatively. “What kinda game?”
“A drinking game. I played this with Holly once and we were paralytic within minutes—”
“Did she get naked?”
“Come to think of it, yes, yes she did,” I say, as I point my finger and tilt my glass towards him in salutation. “Drinking almost always ends with Hols taking her clothes off.”
“Well, shit, we should invite her over more often.”
I roll my eyes. “She does not need any more encouragement.”
Kick leans forward, resting his elbows over his knees, and rubs his palms together. “Well, if we’re gonna do this you had better hit me with the rules.”
“Okay, you must skull every time the following things happen: One: The Notebook is shown or read from; two: Noah takes his shirt off, has his shirt open, or is in some form of undress. Three: every time they argue, scream at one another, or just generally piss one another off. Four: anytime Noah’s dream house is shown or mentioned. Five: anytime someone rows a boat.”
Kick laughs. “What?”
“You’ll understand later. Now, because we’re already five minutes in, I think we should take two shots just to get started.”
“You realise you’re kinda a lightweight, and you’ll likely pass out way before me, so you should probably just hand over that hundred bucks now.”
“Nice try, K—” I frown and stop. “You know, I have no idea what your real name is.”
“That’s because I haven’t given it to you.”
“Are you going to?” I challenge.
“Nope.”
“Well, alright then. Let’s do this, Mr Mysterious.”
“For someone who’s about to be a hundred bucks short, you sure are keen.”
“And you sure are cocky.”
Kick gives me a crooked smile, and shoots back his drinks.
Twenty minutes later I’m sobbing as Noah and Allie are breaking up for the first time. Kick looks at me with curious, bone-dry eyes. “You don’t think that’s sad?” I wail.
He shrugs. “I don’t know. I mean it’s not like they’re not going to wind up together in the end anyway. It’s kinda obvious that the old lady and the old coot are that younger couple.”
“Well yeah, that’s kinda a given, but the point is they don’t know that—at least, not when they’re young. Haven’t you ever been in love, Kick?”
“Nah, I never met a girl I love more than my bike.”
“That’s what Elijah used to say.”
His mouth turns up in a half-smile.
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