Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 145402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 582(@250wpm)___ 485(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 582(@250wpm)___ 485(@300wpm)
Nicky sent him an odd look as he opened the back door. "You don't smoke."
"No," Neil agreed, and rubbed the cherry out on the bottom of his shoe. He pocketed the other half of the cigarette for later. He got in the passenger seat before Nicky could ask anything else and tugged his buckle into place. The others weren't long in piling into the car, and Andrew had them on the road as soon as the last door was shut.
Neil would have been happy to never step foot in Columbia again after what happened in November, but the others seemed unmoved. They pulled into the parking lot at Sweetie's like nothing bad had ever happened in this city and took the first booth available. Nicky rambled at length about his classes, but Neil couldn't focus on his words. He let them go in one ear and out the other and ate his ice cream in silence.
Eden's Twilight was as busy as usual. One bouncer sat on a stool checking IDs while the other guarded the doorway. The former actually hopped to his feet at the sight of Andrew's car at the curb. Neil hung back as Nicky and Aaron endured vigorous handshakes and back slaps. One of the bouncers said something to Aaron, voice low but expression intense. Neil assumed it was a promise of support in the upcoming trial, judging by Aaron's grateful nod. He looked back at Andrew, who was waiting in the driver's seat for a VIP parking pass, but Andrew was watching oncoming traffic instead of the spectacle at the door. Finally Nicky got a pass from one of the bouncers and brought it back.
Andrew drove off while the others headed inside. Neil followed Kevin through the crowd, pushing past overheated bodies and wincing a little at the bass crashing from the speakers. There weren't any tables open, so they ended up against the bar counter. It took no time at all for Roland to spot them and he almost dropped his cocktail shaker. As soon as he finished his orders he made a beeline for them.
"I'll be damned," he said. "I was starting to think I wouldn't see you again."
"As if we could stay away forever," Nicky said. "It just wouldn't have been the same without Andrew."
"Andrew's out, then?" Roland asked with obvious relief. "It killed us when we heard the news. I wish we could've done something, anything. You," he said, looking to Aaron, "are a hero. We've got your back here, understand? They try to make any of these bullshit charges stick and we'll march on the court. That guy got what he deserved and everyone knows it."
"Thank you," Aaron said.
Roland poured a round of shots. He'd seen Neil maybe a dozen times before and knew Neil didn't drink, but he put a shot halfway between himself and Neil in case Neil was feeling celebratory. Neil left it where it was and watched them drink. Roland had a second round ready to go by the time Andrew caught up with them. Andrew slid neatly into the narrow gap between Kevin and Neil.
"Welcome back to the land of the free," Roland said. "I'd say 'and the sober', but I know it won't last long. Cheers."
They downed their shots with ease. Roland started setting up their usual tray. He was half-done before a table finally opened up. Neil stayed behind with Andrew while the others went to claim it. Andrew drank Neil's shot when he saw it sitting there. Roland paused between drinks to refill it. This time he slid it a little closer to Neil.
"Let loose a bit. It's a special occasion," Roland said.
"It's the end of seven weeks' hard work," Neil said.
Andrew didn't waste his breath arguing. He drank Neil's second shot and Roland didn't try to pour Neil a third. When Roland was done mixing drinks, Neil cleared a path for Andrew to carry the tray. The others tore in, but Andrew went through his portion of the drinks slower than Neil had ever seen him. Neil assumed his tolerance was in the gutter after two months dry. He'd told Neil last year he always knew what his limits were. It made Neil wonder if Aaron and Nicky had ever seen Andrew drunk. Somehow he doubted it.
They knocked back cracker dust as a group, and Aaron and Nicky vanished. Kevin kept making inroads into the drinks. Andrew watched the crowd and sipped his drink at a snail's pace. Neil didn't know what to say to either of them, so he made himself busy. He traded the remaining full glasses on the tray for the empty ones littering the table and headed to the bar. Roland took it from him as soon as he was able. Neil folded his arms on the bar counter and watched Roland mix the next batch.
"So Andrew finally gave in, huh?" Roland said. "That looks pretty bad."
Neil almost reached for his face, but Roland was looking at his wrists. Neil's new shirt was long-sleeved, but it was made of a thin material meant to breathe easy in a packed club. The ends had slid up his forearms a bit when he folded his arms. He tugged the hems back down, knowing it was too late to hide the half-healed lacerations. As he did so he realized that rumble in Roland's words was all checked laughter.
Roland gave an apologetic grin when Neil frowned up at him. "I'd wondered if being clean would cure that hands-off rule of his. Makes sense it wouldn't, now that we know about..." Roland shook his head and visibly forced his anger back. "I don't know whether to say 'thanks' for easing my curiosity or 'sorry' that sobriety has obviously exacerbated the problem. Just so you know, they make padded cuffs. You should look into them."
"The problem," Neil echoed, lost. "What hands-off rule?"
Roland looked startled, then confused. "You don't know? But then..."
"I got these in a fight," Neil said. "Why would Andrew do this to me?"