When yet another curveball puts Andy and Lex's relationship into serious jeopardy, the stakes become higher than they've ever been, forcing the couple to fight not only for their love but also for their lives.
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Life see...
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It was like I was refilling social batteries I hadn't even known I possessed. With every minute spent, I felt chirpier, more like myself, and stinkingly happy. Being surrounded by my friends like this was something I hadn't done in what seemed to be forever. It only solidified my desire to fight for my life in Seattle.
Tammy was here, so we got to catch up and talk for a few minutes. I was sorry to hear that she and Darius were in a rough patch after two months of living together. But she seemed confident they would work it out. It was just the average lovers' quarrel, nothing deal-breaking.
Because the evening was happening here instead of some bar, Dakota and Julia were joining the band despite not intending to originally. It was their first night out since the birth of their son, Elios. The six-week-old chubby chunk of adorableness was sleeping in the second guest room, and the proud moms kept the receptor end of their baby phone close by. There were three pouches of pumped breastmilk in the fridge, which allowed the mojito in Dakota's hand.
Meera was now part of the regular outings as well, so it was great to have her here, to get to know more about her, to see her interact with the others. There was no way anyone in this room could ever imagine that, behind her innocent and cute facade, she was a remarkable hacker.
Lex was proving to be a splendid host, giving tours and entertaining our impromptu guests. Thanks to his generosity, the drinks were on the house, and of course, no one was complaining about it. The bar guy had arrived with a gigantic rolling black case that had turned out to be a portable bar, which he had set up in a corner in a few minutes. From another large case, he'd taken out liquors and glasses, and he also had a refrigerated one with the ice, the soft drinks, and whatever alcohol needed to be consumed cold. It was quite impressive, and I wondered how much such a service could cost.
Mason had arrived last, nearly an hour late, with the excuse that it took time to look this fabulous. He'd insisted on a full tour of the place – which I'd given him – and had asked all sorts of intrusive but amusing questions. When I asked him if he truly didn't mind that the evening would unfold here, he insisted it was perfectly fine. He was the one in charge of the venture this time, which was why having his approval meant a lot. He argued there would be other occasions to try out that bar he'd had in mind, but he suspected this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The evening took an unexpected turn when the doorbell rang again, despite everyone being here, and Lex went to welcome in three women in black scrubs-like uniforms. They all carried large cases, and one of them even had a clothes rail with silky apparels dangling on hangers. A few of us had noticed, and we looked at the newcomers with confusion.
"Alright, listen up," Mason called out, gathering everyone's focus. "Like you may know, I was planning a surprise spa day for Andy's birthday, but this hoe got shot by some mugger, ruining my genius plan."
A little lost, I frowned at him. Had he really been planning this? It would have been amazing. "Sorry about that," I said with a wince.
"It's all good, Dee. All that matters is you made it out alive. Anyhow, since I was the one in charge of tonight, I brought the mountain to Muhammad. I was finna ask y'all to Venmo me some cash so I could make it happen, but when I called Lex to see if he was fine with it, he offered to cover whatever fees this would require. And I'm sorry, boo," he dramatically said, turning to Lex, "but I heard that as 'Spare no expenses, nothing is too much for my baby girl'."
