A Night in a Year: 37. Cheers!

[jacquelineb]

“Ta-dah!”

Orhan appears behind Xavier like a magician, magically holding the tray of drinks in one hand and managing little bow. Jeroen and Xavier pounce on their bottles of German greedily, while Diarmuid took his pint after waiting for her to get her and Orhan to get their Coronas.

“Cheers folks.” Diarmuid says it before anyone, not so much with enthusiasm, but the kind of masculine ‘here’s to us, fellas, now let’s keep it real’ tone she’s heard countless times.

They all raise their glasses.

“Old friends and new!” Jeroen says, looking at her on ‘new.’ They all sip or gulp at their drinks, and she winks at Jeroen, who does so back.

“Now, I hope we are not going to all sit here all night, because I need to dance!” Orhan declares, hands splaying on the table as much as the crowded space allows.

Xavier holds up his bottle. “Need a few more of these first.”

Jeroen rolled his eyes. “You never dance, Xavier.”

“Might be the first for tonight!” he says, feigning offence.

“I’ll get you up,” Diarmuid says, offering a cheeky grin, which Xavier doesn’t react to. Diarmuid sniffs, and looks to the dance floor. She notices the tightness in his body, and decides he doesn’t need enticing back unless he wants to.

Now Jeroen is talking with Orhan, and again she can’t hear. She tries to turn to Xavier, but before noticing a man with thick blond curls and square glasses shift behind their table, past Jeroen’s shoulder. She stares after his retreating figure, and in doing so, notices that Xavier does the same.

She smirks, and says to him, “Worried he’s stealing your style?”

“Ha!” He chuckles around the rim of his bottle. “Nothing unique about any style anymore. It’s all just marketing.”

-
Next: 38. Xavier

Image found on flickr, by BaileyRaeWeaver, used under the Creative Commons License.

Mirrored from jacquelinebrocker.esquinx.net.