“I love you too.” I stood up on my tiptoes to kiss him and would have if the sound of shattering glass hadn’t ricocheted through my ears.
“What the . . .” I turned, pushing through the crowd of people towards the noise. I popped out in front of the kitchen just in time to see red wine dripping down the white wall onto the beige porcelain tile and white grout. Oh my God, our security deposit! I was never going to get those lines clean. My eyes burned with anger as they darted from the floor up the wall until they settled on the culprit.
Evan “E-Rock” Rochler held the jagged neck of the wine bottle. A small group circled around and he was left in the middle like a carnival act. One guy cheered him on, a beer held high in the air. “Do it again.”
Did this guy want to survive the night? Because seriously, if he didn’t shut up, I would kill him. To keep myself from screaming, I took a deep breath and marched over, my fists clenched so tightly my nails dug into my skin.
“I’m so sorry, Liz,” Evan said. “Vicky told me that Zach opened the other bottle by banging it against the wall.” His black thick-framed glasses hung low on his nose. Behind him, Vicky drained her glass.
“She must have failed to tell you that he didn’t bang it against the wall. He banged it against the yellow pages.”
He pushed his glasses back into place. “Oh. She didn’t say that.”
I glanced in Vicky’s direction, and she looked down into her glass. Staring at it wasn’t going to make more wine appear, but she was so focused on the bottom of the glass I honestly thought she believed it would. Either that or she wanted to crawl inside and pretend she didn’t just initiate the biggest possible mess ever in my kitchen. Even my flour fights with Zach back in the day didn’t create such a freaking disaster.
“Whatever. Can everyone please get out so I can clean this?” Vicky was the first out.
“Liz, let me help.” Evan bent down to pick up a piece of glass.
“Stop!” I yelled. “I don’t need you cutting yourself. I got it. Please just go enjoy the party and do me a favor—don’t break anything else.” The last thing I needed was blood winding through the apartment like a crime scene.
“I think I can do that.” He flashed a smile, as if that would help ease the tension that trailed up my neck to my head.
“Good,” I said, watching until he was lost in the crowd. He bumped into some girl and I cringed as liquid splashed over the top of her red Solo cup.
A group of guys in the far corner stacked beer cans and a group formed to hand them more empties. Architects in the making.
Where was Josh when I needed him? Probably hitting on some girl. Seriously, he flirted with anything that walked.
And where was Joe? Probably downing another beer and discussing the pros and cons of adding a tambourine to the band.
I dragged the garbage over to the mess and bent down to pick up the glass. I heard screaming, which only meant one thing—the band was starting round two. God help us all.
“Look at the bright side.” A shadow appeared over me.
“And what would that be?”
Zach bent down beside me. “He could have put a hole through the wall.”
“But then he would have hurt his hand and wouldn’t be able to play.” I turned my attention to the living room for emphasis. “So technically that would have been the bright side.”
He applauded slowly and flashed his big Zach smile. “Welcome back.”
“Happy to be here.” His eyes met mine and I laughed at the absurdity of the situation.
“Go get the bleach before the stains set. I got this.” He pulled the garbage pail closer and began picking up pieces of glass.
I stared at him for a moment and debated asking where Tanya was, but then decided against it. He was being nice. There was no reason to go there.
I got to my feet and said, “Thanks.” I meant it. Since Zach had come back, he always seemed to be around when I needed him, and although I pretended like he was the last person I wanted there, secretly I was happy.
The music grew louder. I hoped that one of them would pass out soon, so I wouldn’t have to be subjected to the screaming atrocity they called music for much longer.
After fifteen minutes on my hands and knees scrubbing the white grout lines, they were finally clean. Zach had finished cleaning up the pieces of glass and returned to Tanya, who was making an impressive attempt at a keg stand. Wine and beer, the perfect combination for a hangover.
This morning, I couldn’t wait to have the party. I’d felt like it was something I had to experience, but I was over it. So over it. Now I secretly wished everyone would go home, so I could sit on my couch with a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream and veg. As the band introduced their next song, I knew that wouldn’t happen anytime soon.
Maybe I could hide out in my room for a few minutes. Just until I got myself together. No, I couldn’t do that. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t.
“We are Purge! Thanks for coming out tonight!” Scott screamed as if every person was there to see them, and not for the free beer. Sometimes he was completely delusional. But red Solo cups flew up in the air and the crowd matched him scream for scream.
“Great party.” I turned to find Josh standing beside me for the first time since I left him in the kitchen.
“And where have we been?” I asked, eyeing the Mardi Gras beads around his neck. I had no desire to find out where or how he got them.
“Checking out the new produce,” he said and scanned the girls in the room.
“You did not just refer to girls as produce.” He flashed a big-toothed grin in response.
The music had stopped momentarily and I glanced up to spot Joe, legs kicked up in the air, one hand on the keg as he chugged away. Thank God he wasn’t driving. The last thing I wanted at the end of the night was to play a game of give-me-your-keys.
“Is that . . . ?” He narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, it is. Catch you later,” and just like that my brother ran after the next girl. Some things never changed.
The band started up again. With nothing to clean up and everyone else lip-locked, I sat on the couch and played the groupie girlfriend, cheering Joe on. I was blowing his ego up, but hey, if that’s what made him happy, I was glad to oblige.
Scott screamed. Evan jumped. Charlie swayed. And Joe banged. It was the same constant rotation for another excruciating twenty-three minutes and fifty-two seconds. I would never get that time back.
I just had to get through this party, then on Monday I would finally be able to turn in my v-card and take my relationship with Joe to the next level. What that level actually was I had no idea, but I felt like I was ready for it. I was ready for anything other than this.
Maybe if I had sex with Joe I’d become his first priority and I wouldn’t have to compete with the band anymore. Maybe he was frustrated. I would be. I’m sure blue balls weren’t exactly the most pleasant feeling. It was time I followed through and showed him I was all in.
Monday could not come fast enough.
When Joe brought his arms down one final time and Evan planted his feet on the ground, I jumped from my spot on the couch, my hands smacking together. And not because they were amazing. It was over. Finally! My ears welcomed the obnoxious sounds of drunks. Anything but the agonizing racket of Purge.
“We freaking rock!” Joe said as he walked over triumphantly. I nodded, afraid if I opened my mouth, I would let him know how I really felt. I pressed my lips to his in hopes that if we kept the talking to a minimum, he wouldn’t ask me what my favorite song was, because honestly, I’d zoned out three minutes into their first set.
“Joe, you killed it!” Joe removed his lips from mine and we turned to see Chris from the beach clean-up committee. He was either deaf or really drunk. By the way he swayed, I’d bet my favorite pair of skinny jeans on the latter.
Joe turned to me with puppy-dog eyes, and I could tell he was drunkenly pleading with me to let him go hang out with his newfound groupies.
“Go ahead,” I said, a fake smile setting on my face.