by Alisa Mullen
I shrugged. I didn’t really care about Teagan at that moment. I felt offended by him. Why didn’t he ask me to go to dinner? Was he just going to leave me behind?
I waved it off and said, “Oh, he’s fine. If he has that dinner thing tonight, I’m sure he’ll be really happy about me hanging out with you guys. No biggie. Just tell him I needed to go get a gift, okay?” I asked.
“Umm…yeah sure,” he said hesitantly.
Thirteen
Presents
I was normally very good at picking out presents for friends. Always very in tune with other people’s desires, I tried to find gifts that were solely for the person’s enjoyment. However, shopping for an Irishmen, especially one that I wasn’t intimate with, turned out to be a little difficult. Knowing that Conner was away on a tour with The O’Malley Band and my parents were up in Maine on Peak’s Island for the weekend, I set out to my house in Wellesley to quickly compose a funny birthday jingle on my guitar.
While I ate a California sandwich, I silently thanked my parents for always keeping the house stocked with good food, because damned if I wasn’t sick of bar food and take out. As I sat at the table, writing and laughing to myself, I was startled by the loud ringing of the telephone. Normally it wasn’t that loud, but for some reason, it seemed to shrill. Before I answered, I lowered the volume of the ringer.
“O’Malley residence,” I said quickly.
“Lizzie! You’re home? I didn’t know what happened to you!” Teagan said, franticly.
“Teagan? Aren’t you supposed to still be playing?”
“Well, yes, I was. But during the break, I noticed you were gone and when I asked around, no one had seen you leave. Why are you at your parents?”
“Oh, so you didn’t go back to your place yet?” I asked while taking the phone from my ear to double check the caller ID. Yes, he was home.
“Yes, I’m here but you aren’t,” he replied stiffly.
“Didn’t Freddie tell you I went off to go shopping?” I asked, confused.
“No. Freddie isn’t at hurling or here. What’s going on, Lizzie?” he asked impatiently. “I thought we were going to spend the rest of the afternoon together.”
“Well… I ran into Freddie on the sidelines at the hurling game and he told me today is his birthday.” I said with a cheer. “So, after he explained you had plans tonight with your work or coworkers or whatever, he asked me to join him for his birthday dinner with some of his other friends in town. I came home to grab my guitar and I’m writing a funny jingle for him. Hey, what do you think I should buy him? I only want to spend about fifty bucks but I have absolutely no clue what he is into.”
Teagan sighed heavily. What the fuck? Why was he sighing at me? The phone went silent and I brought the phone back from my ear to see if we were still on the line. We were.
“Teagan? What’s up?” I asked, frustrated with his silence.
“Lizzie, I told you about the dinner last weekend. Remember? I only have to go for two hours then I was planning on spending the night with you alone. Why are you going to hang out with Freddie?” he asked.
“I dunno. I just thought it would be fun. I didn’t realize you wanted to see me after the dinner. In fact, you never told me about the dinner at all or I would have called up one of my girlfriends to hang out with. Was I drunk when you told me about it? No one is home here and I’m actually eating something nutritious for the first time in weeks,” I said, laughing.
Teagan didn’t laugh back. He was silent. I could literally feel him brooding through the receiver. Moments passed and I couldn’t take it anymore.
“So,” I said, “why don’t you go to your dinner then come join us at Freddie’s party? I don’t think anyone would mind.”
“I wasn’t invited. None of us were, Lizzie. It’s a little weird that he invited you out of all of us,” he said.
“Oh, well, maybe he felt bad for me or something,” I said, popping a fresh green grape in my mouth.
“So when am I going to see you?” he asked.
“I’m just about finished up here and it’s what, two thirty? So I should be there about four,” I said. He exhaled loudly and murmured something under his breath that I couldn’t comprehend. Were we having our first argument? This shouldn’t be a big deal. Teagan wasn’t my keeper and, Jesus, he had plans anyway. I mentally told him to calm the fuck down.
“Teagan, I’m not doing anything on purpose. I came home to grab the guitar then I’m heading to get Freddie a present, and then I’ll be there,” I said.
“Okay. I have to leave by four thirty to get downtown on time, so hopefully I’ll see you before I leave.”
“Yes. I’ll put a move on it. Hey, don’t worry about it. We have tomorrow to hang out and I’ll be in your bed tonight, making sweet sexy noises in your ears,” I said with a grin.
He laughed, seeming to relax a little bit, and told me I better be prepared for our wicked night ahead.
Half an hour later, I was standing in Ben’s Liquor Store in Waltham, ringing up the biggest bottle of Crown Royal they had. I would make it to that apartment before Teagan headed out so he wouldn’t be worried during his work dinner.
When I arrived at the apartment at three forty-five, I headed towards Teagan’s room to put my guitar and present for Freddie in the walk in closet. Hell, we weren’t going to be demonstrative. Teagan was standing in the closet, looking perplexed while he held out two ties. When he looked up at me, he smiled wide. God, I would never get enough of that smile. He was simply perfect for me.
“Hey there.” He held up the two ties, silently asking for my opinion, and I pointed at the blue pin striped one.
“It goes with those beautiful Irish eyes,” I said.
He came up close to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I leaned my forehead on his. I breathed him in and felt that sense of comfort once again. I would never get enough of his touch either.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yes. I’m just a little nervous about this dinner, and I didn’t know Freddie was going to invite you out. I just talked to him and it’s fine. You’ll have a good time with him and his friends. They’re good people,” he said stiffly.
We kissed sweetly and he patted my butt as I started out of the closet to get ready. I hadn’t had time to get changed at my house. I closed Teagan’s door and locked it. When he came out and saw me topless, he froze.
I laughed at him while I threw on my strapless bra and new blue satin tank. Then I shimmied out of my jeans and threw on a khaki skirt with buttons up the front. When I bent over to put my heeled sandals on, Teagan was right behind me.
“Jesus. You’re getting really dressed up for the party. You’re so sexy,” he said while kissing my neck.
“Well, you don’t look so bad yourself.” I smiled. We sat on the bed and talked about how to meet up later and he assured me that he’d see me in the next few hours. I hugged him, inhaling him in. God, couldn’t we just skip the night and spend it in the sleep pad? Ugh, the thoughts I had from just his scent. I squeezed his ass. He jumped then turned into me, sliding his hands up my thighs.
“Oh no,” I said. “We are already dressed.”
“Dressed? You look naked.” He laughed while nibbling at my ear. He coaxed me into an intense make out session, like we wouldn’t see each other for weeks.
Teagan kissed me sweetly and I started out of his bedroom, guitar in hand to go to the living room to play until it was time to go.
Freddie walked in and I went still. He was dazzling. No, he was downright delectable. He wore a black polo shirt that looked brand new and jeans that hugged his long toned legs. His inky black hair was styled in some gel and his eyes were brilliant as he looked at me. He gave me a knowing look like he understood that I was happily drinking him in.
“Hey,” I said, sounding a bit squeaky.
“Hey. What are you playing? I didn’t know you’re a musician,” he said with his thick Irish accent.
I
laughed. “I’m not really. My brother, Conner, is in a band and I kind of got hooked on his music. He taught me some chords and I play around. I don’t know much more than a little Pink Floyd, and don’t laugh, Happy Birthday.”
He smiled me and nodded, as if to tell me to go on.
“Okay, see if you can name this tune. You really have to listen because I’m not that good,” I said hesitantly.
I propped up the guitar over my bare thigh, since my khaki skirt was kind of hitched up a little too high, and started to strum.
“Ah, Tom Petty. American Girl,” he said with a wicked smile.
“Yes, I am. I mean, I’m an American girl. Not Tom Petty,” I looked at him pointedly.
“No, Lizzie, you’re not. You sound pretty good,” he said as he sat down next to me. He took the guitar out of my hands and looked down at my leg before quickly darting his eyes away from me. As he started to pluck strings like he knew how to play, which he obviously didn’t, I laughed and stood up.
“Hey, where are you going? I’m not that bad, am I?” he asked.
“No. Not at all. You’re a natural,” I said with a wry smile. “I’m going to get your birthday present. We might as well get it out of the way now,” I said.
A few minutes later, I came out with the purple and blue Crown Royal box and handed him a card. His eyes looked up to the box then he gaped at me. Something wild was in his eyes. I shrugged it off like it wasn’t a big deal.
“We have to take a few shots of this then you can have the real present. I need some liquid courage,” I said.
“Lizzie,” he said, astounded. “This must have cost you a fortune.”
“Nah,” I said, waving my hand. “Plus, you’re going to share so it’s really a present for the both of us.”
He went into the kitchen and grabbed some shot glasses. When I looked around the apartment, I scanned in on Freddie and asked, “Where are the rest of the guys?”
“There were some college girls they wanted to party with tonight,” he said with a laugh.
I giggled at the thought of Kellan pulling off his pants and standing on tables. Those college girls were in for a show from the wild Irish boy. I wondered if any of the girls would run for their lives.
Freddie sat down next to me and poured us both shots. I raised my glass to his and said, “To getting older!” He laughed and we downed them. I darted off the couch, the burn almost scorching my throat to shreds, and he darted the other way, gasping and cursing.
“Well, maybe I should have gotten something smoother,” I said with a scowl.
Freddie looked at me as my face flushed from the shot and said, “No, this is perfect. This is the best birthday present I’ve ever received.”
I laughed at him while he poured our next shots. We linked our forearms around each other and took the shot. Not too bad the second time around. I nodded my head with an appreciative face and picked up the guitar that was leaning up against the couch.
While he poured the next two shots, I played songs for him to guess then I started singing along. Eventually, Freddie got into it too and we sang until our voices were strained. It was official. We were on our way to drunk.
Before our next shot, Teagan walked out and came straight to me. With his eyes glued to mine, he took the glass out of my hand and threw it back, barely flinching at the burn. He leaned forward and gave me a deep kiss, filling my mouth with the taste of his shot.
“I’ll be back soon.” Teagan said.
I nodded, unable to speak.
He walked out the door without looking at Freddie once.
“Hey,” I said as I cleared my throat. I turned to Freddie and slapped him on the chest. He mocked hurt and I gave him a look that clearly said, “Bullshit.” He laughed at me then put his hand on my thigh. I looked down to it and then up to him. He looked happy, probably the happiest I’d ever seen him. But suddenly, I was uncomfortable with his subtle touch.
“When do we leave for your birthday dinner?” I asked.
He glanced down at his watch and his eyes widened. “Oh shit, we were supposed to be at Downtown Crossing ten minutes ago,” he exclaimed, jumping off the couch.
I ran down the hall and stashed the bottle of Crown and my guitar in the walk in then ran out with my purse slung over my head. I was definitely wobbling already. Okay, Lizzie, sober up. There’s a whole night ahead of us. Shit, getting drunk early was not the best recipe for a night out on the town.
Luckily, we hit the next green line train downtown quickly, and as we sat, we laughed and hummed all the songs we had just been playing. Freddie was so easy to talk to. He was like hanging out with Conner back when we were shitfaced together and had no cares in the world. People stared at us but we didn’t care. When we got off at the downtown station, he grabbed my hand and headed over to two guys waiting by a cart outside of a CVS pharmacy.
Freddie quickly introduced us then apologized about our tardiness. I couldn’t remember their names if I tried, however, both eyed me and Freddie with knowing looks. Obviously, they could see we were drunk. They were amused more than anything. Our arms were linked and we kept the secret of the Crown Royal to ourselves. His touch was nice. It was friendly and his cologne was almost as intoxicating as the whiskey. I thought about Teagan and what he was doing at that moment. Was he thinking about me? I hoped to see him soon. In the meantime, it was Freddie’s birthday and we were having a blast.
Joe’s Crab Shack was crazy with people. Waitresses with tight shirts and big boobs carried our steaks, shrimp, and burgers. The four of us grabbed a booth seat after waiting for what seemed like forever and immediately ordered drinks and appetizers. Freddie and I sat on one side and the two other guys, names still not remembered, sat on the other side. They hardly gave much notice to us as they stared at the four girls sitting opposite us. Freddie talked about his job for a while, and after I started to mentally yawn, I excused myself to powder my nose.
Instead of heading to the restrooms, I went straight to the waitress station, swaying the whole way and apologizing to everyone that I bumped into. I asked if they could deliver a piece of cake for the special birthday boy. They said they would send one over after we finished our dinner. When I got back to the table, the guys that we were with were standing at the girls’ table, and Freddie was sitting there, smiling at me with his cheek on his hand.
“Lizzie! Let’s dance!” he exclaimed.
I looked around the restaurant then looked back at him, perplexed. Dance? Dance where? I shrugged my shoulders and peeked up to him.
“It’s the next level down,” he said. “They started the music at eight. I can hear it already.”
I stopped to listen. It had gotten quite noisy in the restaurant. I held out my hand to Freddie and smiled at him. As we headed down the ramp to the next level, I swear I heard my name from behind my back. When I looked around, no one was there. Freddie was pulling me along so hard that I was literally tripping over my feet.
We hit the dance floor with excitement. Techno pop radiated over the vinyl floor and we started to dance with each other. We bumped and grinded with each other. It was so fun and Freddie was a great dancer. When one song went into another, he leaned over to my ear and I moved in to hear him.
“You should have picked me that night at Mary Ann’s, Lizzie,” he said. His face was so intense. He wasn’t yelling at me, but his voice was fierce.
I stopped dancing and just stood there in total shock, staring at him. After a long pause, I mouthed, “What?” to him and he just shook his head while taking me back into his grasp to dance to the groove of the music. I felt warm hands come around my side and pull me back. My vision was a little blurry from all those shots and the dancing. I twirled around and found Teagan standing there, looking stern and pissed off.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked.
I stepped back from Teagan and at the same time, Freddie brushed past me towards the table. I looked over Teagan’s shoulder to see that Freddie was pis
sed, too. What the hell? In my drunken state, I could only comprehend two things. Number one, Freddie may have just told me that he thought of me as more than a friend, and number two, Teagan was turning into an obsessive, jealous boyfriend. I stood there feeling perplexed. Teagan could see the alarm on my face, too. His face softened and he took my hand. He led me back to the table where our full appetizers, dinner, and Freddie’s cake were sitting untouched. No one was at the table. I turned all the way around and couldn’t see any of the guys I had actually come there with. Whatever. This was awkward. I sat down on the bench and Teagan squeezed in tighter and put one arm on the back of the booth and one on the table, blocking me from not only getting out but any visuals on where Freddie had gone to.
“Look at me, Lizzie,” Teagan ordered.
“Teagan, you’re kind of scaring me. Why are you being so mean? I was dancing with Freddie. I was celebrating his birthday—”
Teagan cut me off. “He was about to kiss you, Lizzie. What the mother loving hell is Freddie doing trying to kiss you?” he asked firmly.
I blanched. I was at a loss for words. My mind ran through the last twenty minutes of events. I didn’t see Freddie try to kiss me, and I certainly wasn’t going to kiss him back. That was ridiculous. I examined the hard lines of Teagan’s beautiful face. Where was my sweet and fun loving Teagan, and who the hell was this guy in front of me? Why was he taking my going out with Freddie so badly? Did he know that Freddie had a thing for me before tonight? A million thoughts of what to say back to Teagan ran through my head. Like, “please fuck off” or “honey, you are being silly” or “Teagan, get a grip...” None of those answers seemed adequate because I was dancing with Freddie really close and I had essentially blown off Teagan to be with Freddie. My whole day was consumed with it being Freddie’s birthday and, shit, I had forgotten to sing his funny jingle to him. Good God. Was I being a shitty American summer fling? For fuck’s sake, no one knows the rules about these sorts of things. Teagan and I hung out every day. Yes, we basically had sex every night and it was always good. It was fun and intense, but this dark, jealous side wasn’t something I ever anticipated from him.