r

cause that's how we drink it, Eric and I. That's how

e my head and laugh. "Oh, fu

hat are you t

denly feeling angry. "Fucking down it

" She

t know why, or where this is coming from, I'm

s to her lips and swallows it all. She ha

the goddamned emotions I'm feeling. But I walk into the kitchen, grab the bottle, and come back out i

she makes a face. "

et it. Because no, Trent, that'

g a seat on the couch and patting the c

se so I'm obvious. I've wanted to kiss her my entire life and I fi

first. I pour it into her glass as she holds

staring at the level in her glass. "We should b

lass to hers, "tonight we drink

you? So you can kiss me again?" She smiles as she lifts her

erious again. "Yeah," I say. "So I can kiss you again and

and placed it on

know what?"

mm

u, Eric. Fuck you for not being here. How do you like that, brother? Feels good, right? To be left out, and l

ceiling, and say, "Yeah, fuck

the span of two minutes and yeah, I can hold my fucking whis

part is?" Julia asks, ha

ind of a mess right now. A little bit in her face, not smooth and sleek like it no

heir own, and brush some of it away from her ch

d, it's been years sin

le to believe I have permission to do this, another part of me wonde

irst," s

k, and set the glass d

downs it and slams hers on the table next to

ng droplets of alcohol off her lips

dy drunk," I

. I'm just... feeling better. Funny how e

joke. "We need two more befo

," sh

ttle extra this t

ass anyway, then says, "Chall

ime, then both of us come up

es. "I'm drunk. I've

rect her with

tes and I'm

nly half shit-faced. Because mo

she says. Then b

-six years of pent-up desire. But I reach over, place my hand on her cheek, and turn he

se when I kiss her,

not sad. Open-mouthed, not closed. And our tongues are

e bit, and says, "You still

say, "Mmmm," as

rt is... I think... maybe... I have always wa

ask, too

king. "Fourteen, I think. Yeah. I was fourtee

picture in there." I laugh, thinking back on that memory. "And

eek before Christmas. About how we could make them like us and get ourselves some girlfriends. And he came up with this stupid locke

s teenage boy move i

itely got hi

she can't believe she's gonna say this, "do you know that I took it

r doing this

n and poked around in all the trash until I found it, and then I cleaned it up and took it upstairs and h

say. "I n

to clear that memory. "The best part of all this

stares at me. Her e

not to make a move, either. Just to comfort her. Becaus

he day I die.'" And then she laughs. "But

n. "He lost, Kal. We're the only o

ven more than halfway. Because her lips

p my thigh, and resting on my cock. I've been getting hard, a little bit at a time, eve

rtain that we're

not. Maybe Eric is looking at us yelling

nd died on us, so fuck him and his rules. F

n gonna feel ba