Things We Don't Normally Do

THIRTEEN

Some people live just waiting for the other shoe to drop. And the thing is, it wasn't that Alex was beyond that. She too, knew the other shoe would drop at any moment. She just stopped waiting for it.

She is disillusioned. There was no doubt about that. But she has since resolved to let go of anything that wasn't in her control and enjoy the chaos; maybe even sprinkle in a few bad decisions here and there to make things even more exciting.

And that, she believed was all this was. A small blip of passing chaos that she will enjoy while she was right in the middle of it. And when it passes, she hoped that it would at least make for pretty interesting story.

Of course the chaos that she had begun to embrace was Harry. At the back of her head, still knew and trusted that this thing that was unfolding in front of her wasn't exactly real. It's just a bit of holiday fun. And when he leaves to go back to his real life, and she's left to continue the monotony that was hers, she knew it would be over.

She was okay with that. She was resigned to that fact as soon as she decided to let go and give in to the attraction.

It's just a bit of fun, isn't it?

After dinner and drinks at a nearby pub, Alex took everyone to a club--she was sincerely debating between a strip club and a gay club. While the boys were completely oblivious, Stella knew exactly what she had chosen as soon as they walked din. Although of course, back when the two best friends were still both living in Texas, their weekly ritual involved going to a gay strip club

"You're such a dick." Stella laughed, "I even made them all dress up."

Of course dress up is a very loose term here. While Ethan put in the effort wearing some proper trousers and a dress shirt; and Cal looked like a pimp in a plain white shirt, a jacket thrown over it and a pair of khaki trousers; well Harry wore a black hoodie and black bottoms. They weren't even jeans—instead he wore some chino joggers that could almost look like trousers if you didn't look too hard. She supposed that that was a massive effort coming from a guy who wore nothing but shorts and sweatpants.

"You made me dress up!" Alex retorted then added, "And you owe me. Last birthday in Texas. Remember?"

She was referencing the great birthday incident. It's the card Alex always playfully uses on her best friend when she felt like going on a guilt trip. With less than a month before leaving for Canada, Alex wanted the best birthday ever--which wasn't that difficult because she hadn't celebrated a single birthday as an adult.

"Lads, where are we?" It was Cal's voice, "Because that lady serving drinks just said hi to me, and their voice is much much much lower than I can ever make mine."

Ethan cleared his throat, masking a chuckle, "Cal, mate, I don't think that was a lady."

"Oh how dare you! She is so a lady." Alex said--the boys weren't sure if she was seriously appalled or if she was still playing--her humour can be so dry that it crumbles away into dust, "That was such an 1860s thing to say, sir."

"She's being a dick." Stella saved the boy from Alex's shit-housery, "She's taken us to a gay bar, yes. Because I owe her."

"Owe her?" Ethan repeated.

"Yeah because I kinda ditched her on her birthday before she moved here." Stella grinned, a bit uncomfortable because some parts of the story you don't really want to tell someone you're still trying to impress.

Like how they spent all morning shopping, then playing makeover, and Alex actually did not complain once about whatever her best friend made her wear or how much makeup was caked on her face, or how much she just wanted to rip the hair extensions off. Only for Stella to leave right before it was time to go to the club with the rest of their friends. So Alex was left to celebrate with a couple of male friends and a few girls she didn't know well (as they were mostly Stella's friends, and one other girl who was one of the boys' cousin or something).