Page 21 of Anchored To You

One of them rolls their eyes, and I sink into my chair. Fuck, I need this class to hurry and end.

An hour later, I'm walking through the quad when King and Niko walk up beside me.

"Hey man," I tell him both, fist-bumping King and trying to fist bump Niko but failing. "Right, I forgot, you don't fist bump."

"Are you going to be at Zomb-Bar tonight?" Niko asks as he and King fall into step with me.

"Yeah, I'm working right after practice. Why? What's up?"

"A friend and I are going out for some drinks. Figured we would head over there." Niko shrugs, giving me a small smile. While we don’t talk much, he’s starting to warm up to me more and more with each interaction.

I nod my head, "Hell yeah! Come on over. You joining them, King?"

"Not tonight. Niko plans to hang out with his best friend, and I'm going to use that time to get an ice bath after practice.

Niko gives King a passionate kiss, probably way too dirty for me to witness, before he tells both of us goodbye. Once he's out of earshot, King stops walking.

"Keep an eye on him tonight. He's not a big drinker, but his best friend Matteo just got dumped by his boyfriend, and he's wanting to take him out to get his mind off everything. I just don't want either of them to drink too much."

"No worries, I'll watch him. Now let's go get our asses kicked in practice."

Walking into Zomb-Bar, I'm tired as hell. Coach had us running up and down the field a million times before we even got to start our practice. Then he worked us into the ground. I think I lost about one hundred pounds of sweat. And vomit. It was horrible. And now my body is weak and Jello, and every time I walk my legs shake wildly and want to fall off. King had the right idea by heading over to the trainers and getting an ice bath. If I didn't need to work this shift so badly, I would have called in and done the same thing.

The night starts off pretty easily; it's not too busy and I'm able to take a few seconds of a break here and there. Zomb-Bar is a pretty cool place, because not only does it have a bar full of liquor, but they also have a bar restaurant in the back so people can stuff their faces with food such as Frankenburgers, Monster-ella sticks and French-freights. When it's a slower rush, I'm behind the bar, trying to learn how to make some mixed drinks. The bartender is teaching me different tips and tricks in case I ever need to sub in for one of them. While servers make some money in tips, bartenders make way more money. If I can figure out the process for crafting drinks, then I'll be able to work whichever shift Seth needs me to.

I'm only working for an hour when Niko and his friend Matteo walk into the bar. They take a spot at the bar counter, both of them laughing loudly. I've never seen Niko this carefree with anyone except for King. I guess he's not as standoffish as I thought.

"What can I get you guys?" I ask, rounding the corner and standing in front of them.

"Let's see." Matteo takes the menu from the surface, studying each of the options on the paper. "I'll have a Mummy Melt with French-freights. Oh, and a shot of Vampire Vodka."

"I'll have buffalo bat wings with ogre rings, and also a shot of vodka," Niko adds on.

"Got it. Do either of you want water? Or soda?" I ask, remembering what King had said earlier. The fact that both of them are starting off with a shot of Vampire Vodka means both of them are here to drink.

"Nope," Matteo answers for both of them.

"Okay," I drag out, giving Niko a second to add on if he wants one. He doesn't. Well, this might get interesting.

After putting their order in, I go around the bar, checking in on other customers. Thankfully, it's still not too busy, so I'm able to monitor Niko and Matteo out of the corner of my eye. I see when they're given their second, then third shot, and I grimace knowing some people can't handle a lot of shots of alcohol.

Niko and Matteo are laughing loudly, but in their own little world. The bar slows down, and I wipe down the empty tables, putting the chairs up in place. Another loud laugh catches my attention, and I chuckle when I glance over. They intertwine their arms and take another shot before slamming the glass down onto the surface. Niko whispers something to Matteo, whose head whips in my direction.

Oh no, this can't be good.

Walking over to them, I breathe deeply, preparing myself for what they have to say.

"Are you guys okay?" I ask, taking their empty plates and stacking them. I grab the unfilled shot glasses and quickly place them down below, hoping they don't ask for another one.

"Will you fuck my best friend? He needs a good fuck, and you could probably do an okay job."

"An okay job?" I echo, placing my hands on the surface. "I can do significantly better than okay."

"So you'll do it?" Niko asks excitedly, squealing as he turns to face Matteo.

"No, it's okay," Matteo tells me, his face bright red. "Niko joked that the best way to get over someone is to get under someone, and then we saw you. That's why he asked you. It's not like I want to or anything. I mean, I don't not want to, but I don't want you to think I'm sitting here trying to get in your pants."

"Oh, um, okay, I have no idea what to say," I chuckle, shaking my head. I might have picked up a different guy in this bar before, but I'm not looking to do it again.