“Sorry he was an ass.”
"It wasn't your fault, but I appreciated you putting him in his place instead of piling on when he started tearing into me.”
“Would make me a shitty friend and bandmate if I did that shit to you.”
“True. But people do all kinds of things they shouldn’t when they’re trying to impress someone.”
“The only one I was interested in impressing last night was you,” I admitted.
“Well, it was pretty impressive that you were able to get that wasted and managed not to puke on me or grope me in my sleep.”
“I’ve had plenty of practice,” I replied. “Thanks for getting me back here last night.”
“As much as I’d like to take credit for that, it was all Sully. You passed out in the SUV, so he carried you up from the parking lot.”
“Oops.”
“Why do I not believe that oops?” He said.
A knock on the door cut off my response and I let Steel, and the bulging bag he carried, into the room.
“I hope there's room in the fridge,” Steel said as I closed and locked the door behind him. “I popped into the store in the lobby and grabbed some drinks to go with our food.”
“Thanks. I don’t think there’s much left in there,” I admitted. “Just a handful of iced teas.”
“Two,” Kit said. “I killed one this morning before I took off.”
“Yeah, refreshments were definitely needed,” I said as I took the bag and put everything away.
Fortunately, the assortment he’d brought was all non-alcoholic, because I wasn’t in the mood to drink so much as a beer today after everything I’d downed last night. It didn’t take long for us to decide what we wanted for lunch and call in our order.
“You know what we need,” I told Kit as I retrieved my guitar from its case.
Steel got comfortable in one chair, and Kit took the other, leaving the couch to me and my guitar.
“Enlighten me,” he replied.
“Some kind of beat and rhythm that mimics what it’s like to wobble unsteadily up a hallway,” I said. “Like that doodle you left me this morning.”
“Dude, all I could think about as you were trying to make it to the bathroom without crawling across the floor was that neither of us needs to be allowed near a bottle of tequila again.”
Steel snickered and eyed us skeptically. “And who the hell would be able to enforce that? Rebel already needs a warning label. The jury is still out on you.”
“If you ask me, it’s the tequila that needs the warning label,” Kit grumbled.
“It’s already got one,” Steel pointed out. “Right along with a warning to drink responsibly.”
“And round one goes to Steel,” I declared, snickering.
"Fine, but that’s the last one he’s winning today,” Kit declared.
Steel just raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh, you think so?”
“Wrong, I know so,” Kit shot back. “I’m on to your tricks now.”
“The only thing you left off there was ending that line withyou rascally wabbit!” Steel remarked in the worst Elmer Fudd impersonation I’d ever heard.
Even the hand I slapped over my mouth couldn’t hold back the errant snickers that slipped out. The moment I opened my mouth to proclaim that round two had also gone to Steel, Kit pointed a finger my way.