“So, a toast,” Gav said holding up a wine glass, tastefully half full. Standing in the middle of Samantha’s small apartment he looked at the assorted graduates. He had his suit open and tie around his neck. He wobbled for a moment and lost his train of thought. Taking a long sip he took a step back and laughed.
The apartment was modest. Half of it was this living room with a couch, a chair and a coffee table. Said coffee table had a tub of ice, two bottles of booze, three bottles of wine and appropriate pops and juices to mix with. The kitchen was attached to the far wall with a fridge and stove top. Another table and a swivel chair with her computer, school bags and just old notes. Across the room was the door to the bedroom which was presently closed.
“You can’t announce a toast and then not actually toast gay boy,” Lisa shook her head and reached for her own cup and smoothed the dress. Getting up she pushed Gav back and raised her cup. “Alright a real toast. To us. We kicked high school’s ass!”
“Aqui aqui!” Dick said raising a cup of his own and pushed himself off the couch. He stumbled but got to his feet and didn’t spill on himself. After checking his cup and his front he laughed turning to Samantha and Lily both sitting together and holding back their laughs. “Neither of you were gonna help me?”
“You totally had it Dick. Right Lily?”
Lily glanced at her, sipped her drink and then snorted into a giggle. “Not at all.”
Samantha fell into laughter and leaned against her, “I was hoping he’d fall over.”
“Eres pesimo. I’m going to hang out with my gay friends!”
Walking to the pair of them he wrapped his arm around Gav and Lisa toasted her cup against his own before they both drank and laughed. “And you guys said me getting drinks was a bad idea. You’re welcome for introducing such a good idea by the way.”
“How did you even get all of this?” Samantha asked.
“I have a cousin who encourages my deviancy,” she said wandering over to the table against the wall and picking up the square bottle of bourbon. “Plus, he wasn’t going to drink all of it.”
“And wine is easy to get a hold of if you know the right people,” Gav added pouring into his glass. “Plus I know none of you can respect good wine.”
“I shudder to think of someone who could drink all of this on their own,” Lily said sipping from her drink again and then leaning all the way back and finishing it. Setting it down on the coffee table she let out a long breath and tilted her head back on the couch. “So, when does everyone start college? Or at least move out.”
“You would ask about college on graduation night gringa,” he sat in front of the coffee table and thought. “I think move in day for me is in like August. Middle of the month.”
“Can’t I be curious Dick,” she kicked him lightly and then put her foot on the table. “I might be leaving in July. Some extra programs that I’m going to be involved with before the semester actually starts. I’m actually really excited.”
“Same here,” Gav plopped down in the chair throwing his leg over the arm. “The drive to get there is going to be horrendous. Five hours in a car with my parents alone.” He shuddered.
“Sucks to suck,” Lisa tussled his hair and leaned on the back of the chair and placed her cup just on the crown of his head. “I’ll be going to the community college two stops away. Get those gen eds taken care of before going to a local university most likely.”
“Didn’t you get a scholarship for track?” Samantha asked frowning.
“Sure did and I’ll be running track for Northern but not yet. Talked to them and the community college I’m going to is affiliated with them. So, I knock these out over the summer and then it’s off to greater things.”
“I still can’t believe you’re actually going to be doing summer classes,” Lily commented. “We could barely make you do classes during the actual school year.”
“Those classes sucked. Plus, I hate being locked inside all day. Murder for my young impressionable mind.”
“Pfft is that what you’re calling it?” Dick asked.
“Yeah it is. Don’t over pour your drink. You’ll get even more sloshed than you are light weight. Not all of us can have Samantha’s iron liver.”
Dick rolled his eyes as he topped off his drink and then scooted backwards until he slouched against the couch. Turning his head, he rested it against Samantha’s thigh and she reached down and dug her fingers through his frizzy hair. Leaning into her hand he glanced up until he was looking at her and she smiled back.
Raising his hand, she shook her head but moved her hand from his hair to his hand and squeezed it before lacing her fingers with his. He traced his thumb across each of her fingers individually and she just sipped her drink to hide that her smile was getting bigger.
“I can’t tell what’s worse,” Gav said. “The fact that we lost them or the fact that they’re so cute together.”
Lisa grumbled into her cup, “I’m pretty sure it’s the fact that they’re actually cute together. It’s sickening. Stop that. Both of you.”
They looked away from each other having the decency to be embarrassed about their moment. Lily watched them and chuckled shaking her head. “It took them long enough. They get to be cute for a little while. But what are you going to do for school Samantha. We haven’t really talked about it.”
Samantha thought about that but realized it was true. Talking about the future just didn’t come up when patrolling and fighting wraiths. “I’m not doing college. I’m working with my aunt starting this summer and that’s probably going to mean some more traveling.”
“Like when you were gone last year?” Lisa asked and Samantha nodded. “Well sounds fun. At least your aunt is cool.”
“Yeah she is. Are you guys doing anything over the summer then?”
“I know my parents want to take a trip out of the city,” Lisa said. “Go to the country, spend time as a family away from technology. I’d pass but here we go.” She made a face and finished her drink.
“We’re going to be remodeling the house at some point over the summer. Probably before moving day,” Gav mentioned and then cradled his glass like the connoisseur that he was inside. “So, we’re gonna be in a hotel and busy.”
Samantha looked over at Lily who nodded. “And we’re going overseas to visit relatives. It’s been a long time and they couldn’t be here for graduation.”
“I’ll just be sitting around the city being bored then,” Dick pouted as he looked at each of them individually.
“Wow,” Gav said staring into his glass. “We’re not gonna be seeing each other like this for a while then.”
Him saying that made them all realize that he was right. They were going to have busy summers on top of packing and preparing for college. They’re chances of coming together were going to be limited. Dick sat up, pulling himself onto the couch and then stood shaking his head.
“Ni hablar. Not gonna let the mood go down. We’re smart, we managed to slack our way through high school.”
“Speak for yourself,” Lilly interjected.
“Bien,” Dick rolled his eyes. “We can find time to be together again. It’ll take some doing but we can make it work. All we need is one day. Maybe even two.”
Lisa smiled and brushed her fingers through her freshly curled hair. She started laughing and glanced down at Gav. “Look at this guy. Trying to keep the band together in face of adversity.”
“I’m so proud of him,” Gav said rubbing his face and then finishing his wine. “And who would have thought he’s actually right. Probably. We can work this one out. It’s not rocket science.”
“We should go to the beach,” Lily said. “Go to the beach and pop fireworks.”
“Fireworks are illegal here Lily,” Gav wagged his finger and Lisa tsked behind him. “What have we done to our moral center.”
“Fireworks are illegal to buy here but popping them is a different story,” she smirked and pushed to her feet. “It’s getting late. Really late. And as the moral center I say that we should head back to our respective homes.”
“Boo, there’s still more wine to drink,” Gav said and picked up the very empty bottle. “Huh. Maybe not.”
“Exactly,” Lily set her cup on the coffee table and fluffed her hair slightly. She felt strangely on the ball despite what she drank. “Thanks for letting us party here Samantha.”
She smiled getting to her feet and stretching her arms above her head. “Who can say no to free drinks and friends right?”
“No one that’s who,” Lisa came over and hugged both the girls squeezing tightly. “Get in on this boys”
Gav stumbled over and Dick took his few steps and they hugged on the outside. Slowly they stepped away one by one and laughed. Lily led the way grabbing her jacket from the closet as well as the others. Dressed and making sure they had what they entered with Lily helped them make their way out of the apartment. Everyone but Dick and Samantha.
Dick was stacking the cups together and dropping them off in the sink. He came back looking at the very little bourbon left in the bottle and the empty one of vodka. Setting the bottle on the counter he tossed away the other. The pop and juice Samantha put in the fridge. Coming back to the couch he sat down beside Samantha.
Wrapping his arm around her shoulder he sighed and said, “Hola.”
She lay her head on his shoulder and glanced up at him. “Hey”
“Why don’t I feel like crap?” Looking at his hand he waved it above him without even a hint of dizziness. Just mild additional swaying.
“One of the benefits of having a Geist. It sees alcohol as something bad so it tries to sober you up fast.”
“Is that why you’ve got the an ‘iron liver’”
She laughed and nodded. “Yes. And before you ask you’ve never drunk before so it was going to hit you a certain way.”
“And you have?”
“I’ve done lots of things traveling around for the legion.”
Dick frowned thinking back to their conversation, “So, think you’re going to be traveling again?”
She frowned and got closer to him, “I don’t know. Maybe. I am a captain. The legion might direct me somewhere else.”
“Thought you were stationed as a permanent protector of the city.”
“I was but then you and Lily awakened. With Betty around too there’s four here. All of us don’t need to be here. Maybe even you could get asked to move somewhere else.”
“That would be weird.”
“The traveling, you get used to it after a little while. I’ve seen a lot of the country.”
“If I could travel with you I might like it.”
She looked at him and raised her eyebrow. “That so? Not tired of me yet?”
“Not even close capitan.”
She moved and climbed on top of him, legs on either side of his waist and stroked his face. She stared down at him and then kissed him holding him down. His arms wrapped around her tightly and he felt her gasp but it just made her that much more eager to taste her boyfriend’s alcohol stained lips.
They eventually slid sideways on the couch and Samantha maintained her spot on top of him. Whatever had possessed Samantha to start this was something Dick was eager to continue it. One hand against her back and the other at her hips keeping the softness of her lips against his own.
She pulled back, just an inch, enough to breathe but she was grinning all the same. “You’ve gotten better at that.”
“What can I say? I’m a natural.”
“You really can’t help yourself,” she shook her head and sat up straddling his waist then gasped and looked down at him. He just stared at her grinning like an idiot, “Jeez in more than one way it seems.”
“You caused this,” he said squeezing her hips and staring at her with a look
“Oh I’ll finish this,” sliding off him she grabbed his hand and pulled him off the couch slowly. He looked over his shoulder at her room and she just nodded and pulled him along. She opened the door and Dick closed the door behind them.
The Harlequin Library 