The table went silent for a moment, and awkwardly too. In a snap decision I raised my glass high, holding it up over the middle of the table.
“Fuck that part,” I toasted.
The guys laughed out loud. Mason laughed harder. He nodded appreciatively my way, his smile so charming it melted my heart as they raised their own glasses and toasted with me.
“So what are you guys all doing tomorrow,” I asked, after we’d set our drinks down.
The three of them stared at me, and I real
ized how it must’ve come out.
“I mean… you said something about coming out a day early,” I said awkwardly. “So I just figured you—”
“We’re heading out to the desert,” Corey said, rescuing me. “Every year we rent a house out there for a week to decompose.”
“Decompress,” Brody corrected him with a laugh. “But yeah. We get the hell out of the city to unwind. The three of us shoot the shit, and run amok for a while.”
“Amok?” I smiled.
“He means we ride a bunch of fancy quads and buggies over really steep dunes,” said Corey. “Then celebrate by drinking beer.”
“We also wear war-paint and talk through grunting,” said Mason. “We fire machine guns and throw grenades. At night we run naked through the desert and howl at the moon,” he finished by winking at me.
“That part sounds like it could be interesting,” I admitted, trying my best not to picture Mason naked. It wasn’t working though.
“Been doing it what… three years now?” asked Corey.
“Four.”
“The machine gun rounds are expensive,” Mason teased. “But it’s always worth it.”
The picture forming in my head was crystal clear; the three of them out in the desert, laughing and drinking and doing their thing. Enjoying their one week away together — as I was supposed be doing with my own friends. Only the guys were going away from Vegas, and my friends had all flown toward it.
Mason looked back at me with his big blue eyes. He considered his friends for a moment, shot his gaze back to me, then smiled and nodded firmly.
“Anyway, let me leave you to your fun,” he said, emphasizing that last word a little too knowingly. “I’ll head out early, stock the fridge with beer. Grab a couple of things for the house, and meet you there tomorrow night.”
“You’re going tonight?” asked Brody.
The handsome actor drained the rest of his glass and stood up. “Yeah,” he said. “Just as soon as I hit the head.”
He looked around helplessly for a moment, and all three of us pointed simultaneously in the direction of the bathroom. Corey and Brody laughed. I blushed.
“What?”
“Nevermind,” said Corey. “Just go.”
Mason disappeared in the direction of the men’s room. The second he was gone, I turned on the others.
“Listen,” I said sincerely, “you guys should go with him.”
Their expressions were the same. They even spoke the same word together. “What?”
“Really, it’s totally cool. Start your little vacation tonight, a day early. No need to stay in town because of little old me.”
“Fuck that,” said Corey. “No possible way we’re ditching out on—”
“I’m serious,” I countered. “Your friend is here now. It’s okay. We’ve had tons of fun together already, and made some great memories.” At that part I couldn’t help but smile. “Besides, you’ve told me a second date is rare anyway. And I know it’s because the two of you try to maintain some level of… well, separation with—”