Island Vibes

32. minty-fresh

Noah looked so peaceful. The rest of the bar was busy, hectic. I was weaving my way through the crowds, aiming for the calm of our one-third occupied table up ahead. The glow of his phone suddenly dimmed, and Noah blinked up from the device, spotting me.

His usual big, bright grin took over his expression, and he raised his right hand – though not to wave, but rather to mime lassoing me, throwing an invisible rope in my direction. I laughed as he kept the charade up, pulling the rope ever closer to the table, until I was sat beside him.

"What'd you order?" Noah asked.

"Gin. Just a-- a whole pint of gin," I laughed, feeling a familiar pull in my chest when Noah laughed along with me. It was so good to see him brighten.

"Wow, hardcore. Just gin?" Noah chuckled.

"Yep. I drink it like it's water," I teased, before shaking my head. "Melissa's picking something out for me," I said, admitting the truth. "I hope she has good taste."

Noah grinned, before pointing a finger back at himself. "I mean..." he trailed off, frowning smugly as if to say, well, look at me.

I rolled my eyes, wishing I didn't find him so endearing. Like-- why was that funny? I wanted to laugh, but I also wanted to push him off a super-scenic cliff. It was maddening, and he seemed to have no idea.

"Alright," I said, growing a little bit of a backbone. I raised my eyebrows, ready to challenge. "Then I guess I have good taste too, don't I?" It fell somewhere between just teasing! and vicious comeback.

Noah's smirk dimmed, and I felt somewhat vindicated. He seemed to think he could joke about this stuff and have it not bother me – and yet the reverse clearly wasn't true. Maybe he'd learn. I was hoping it'd keep him in line.

"Cal--" Noah began, before clearing his throat and sitting up straighter. A split second later, we were both turning to look up at his girlfriend, who came bearing drinks.

Melissa had the three glasses cupped tightly together, and she slid them all onto our little table with all the caution in the world, pulling a grimace as she did so.

"God, I was so sure I was gonna spill all three of these bad boys," she laughed, once the glasses sat safe and secure on the surface.

"You should've let me help!" I said, tutting.

Melissa just shook her head, brushing my comment away. "The pink one's yours," she said, nudging that glass towards me. It was a beautiful pale pink, full of tiny bubbles. The strawberry on the rim seemed unnecessary, but when I plucked it off first and popped it into my mouth, I realized it'd been soaked in alcohol – and it was delicious.

I mmed at the same time as Noah, and glancing across at him revealed that he was taking the first sip of something that was bright yellow at the top and faded to a deep, potent-looking orange at the bottom.

"Good?" Melissa asked, cracking a grin at the sight of the two of us indulging ourselves.

"So good," I said, as Noah nodded enthusiastically, sucking down a second big sip through an electric-blue paper straw.

Those drinks were the first of many. Once I was halfway through my pink gin-based drink, Melissa offered me a sip of hers – just as good, honestly – and then I wound up stealing some of Noah's, too. The second round, I came back with a different trio of cocktails – these ones mostly vodkas and juices. I'd watched the bartender make them, and knew they were going to be strong before I even took the first sip.

When Melissa went to the bathroom but then somehow came back with a double round of vodka shots, the karaoke really started to fade into the background, and everything seemed to get a little warmer, a little fuzzier, and a little gigglier.

We were decidedly tipsy – I was borderline drunk, even – by the time we'd finished them off.

The third round, we tried to mix it up, asking for something less sugary than the cocktails... but Melissa and I made the mistake of sending Noah to the bar.

He came back with vodka-soda doubles, and six novelty flavored shots on the side.

"Birthday cake," Melissa winced, sticking her tongue out as Noah and I cackled merrily. "So much for less sugar," she slurred.

Noah held a finger up. "Close. Funfetti," he corrected her.

"That is birthday cake!" Melissa protested. "You're lucky I don't still have it in my mouth, or it'd be all over your face right now," she fired back, wrinkling her nose up at her boyfriend.

Noah responded with only a dumb mocking grin as he wrinkled his nose back at her, and he slung an arm over her shoulders protectively. Melissa rolled her eyes but smirked, and slumped against his side adorably.

I was starting to feel like the third wheel I was, but luckily there was so much alcohol in my system it was hard to truly care.

Melissa pressed a sloppy kiss to his cheek before catching herself and shooting her attention back my way. She slammed a hand on the table decisively, and just a little too loudly. Luckily, no one but the next table over seemed to hear it over the warbling of the woman currently murdering a Mariah Carey song on stage.

"Alright! You're up," Melissa said, looking at me.

I picked a clear shot, trying not to smell it before I knocked it back. It didn't burn my throat – it was surprisingly smooth. Nicer than any shot I'd had before. But then... ach, ew.

"Oh, jeez--" I spluttered, the taste overpowering and sickly and artificial. "Candy cane? Dinner mint?"

Noah raised his eyebrows, then he remembered. "Oh, mint! That one's just mint," he grinned, clearly relishing in this dumb game he'd made us play.

"Minty-fresh!" Melissa chirped. "Who're you kissing, huh?" Melissa teased, waggling her eyebrows at me.

"Not Noah anymore," I laughed, the words spilling out of my mouth carelessly.

Then something in my stomach curdled. And weirdly, it wasn't the alcohol.

I realized Noah and Melissa were staring at me. Melissa's smile was frozen in place on her face, and Noah looked like he was in physical pain. His hand was still over her shoulders, and she was still nestled against his side.

"Wait, what?"

I shot a panicked look between her and Noah, but when I opened my big dumb idiot mouth, words failed me. Great. Where had that instinct been about ten seconds ago?

Melissa kind of laughed, but there wasn't any real humor in it. "Noah?" she asked, turning to look up at him, pulling herself away from him to see.

"Well, yeah--" Noah said, bristling, chuckling, clamming up, smiling, conflicted. "I mean, we, it wasn't like, a whole thing--" he tried. "Callie just, uh, caught feelings for me. Right, Cal?"

I'd been staring agape at the two of them, but now I was suddenly mad. I really liked Noah, I did. And maybe I had caught feelings for him – I could admit that to myself, now. But to blame this on me?

"Try again," I said, almost breathless, staring him out.

"Cal, c'mon," he said, as if I was the one who'd done something wrong.

Melissa gave another, more stern, "Noah," but he was staring back at me.

It was the quickest my heart had ever beaten in my life.

"You need to talk to your boyfriend," I said to Melissa. "I'll-- um, I'll..." I gestured vaguely behind me, glancing once at the table of empty glasses and still-filled shots. Maybe Noah and Melissa could finish them off without me. I didn't care what they did, so long as it was without me.

All I knew was that I needed some air. That was all. I needed to get outside, I needed to be away from Noah, from Melissa. Something in the back of my mind was telling me to really get away: to call a cab – and pay through the nose, again, no doubt – and get the first plane off the island tomorrow morning. But first... just away. Just outside. For now.