✔️The Greaser and the Skirtchaser [18+]

43. Those Mugs Like Soup Bowls

TW: Cheating, implied pedophilia/child sexual abuse

Another two months spun by, and Blake was only getting worse. Christmas passed, and Rita had moved into town. Danny set her up at zietta's house until she got back on her feet, and he had his uncles hire her on as an extra mechanic, and Vance took advantage of all this by letting Rita have his room to stay over at Blake's. This didn't stop Vance from taking Blake back to his house for dinner anyway. Blake came over so often that his family started to poke fun at Blake for always taking off his shoes, so he just left his dress shoes on and tried to stay away from their carpets.

Tonight, the Romanos were leaning, drunk and merry, leaning over the top of the old piano that zietta used to play as Blake played "Italiano Mambo" for them. They just went nuts for Dean Martin, and they went crazier when he said he could play it for them.

They kept swapping off verses, and they got to know that zietta had an excellent voice. Jenny, too. But for some reason, Danny was the best at it, and he made Rita start singing along even though she was tipsy and barely knew the lyrics. When they ran out of Italiano Mambo, Blake just kept going on in the same key. Just played any color ivory in C sharp minor, and the bunch of them hardly noticed. Zietta went on and danced with Vance, and Danny was going with Rita who was snorting at whatever he was saying to her.

He just kept playing until zietta came and chased him off the piano. She put down the glass of wine from the farmer's market on top of the piano and started ripping down the ivory. She was really fritzing it down, and the family just loved it.

Blake took the opportunity to find another cannoli in the kitchen. He leaned next to the landline watching everything, and Vance was dancing with Bianca now. He was pink from two glasses of wine, and he was just glowing from every direction even though just this morning, he was drowning in the shop's books.

Blake got to thinking. He picked up the landline.

"Yello?"

"Hello, Dick. You still got that cousin—the one that works for US Auto? Mind giving me his number?"

"Blake? Ha! Never thought I'd get a call from you."

Dick made him dance around on the phone some more before he finally gave him that number. Dick was poking at him for more gossip, and Blake was in the mood to entertain him for a while until Vance walked up and put a hand on the wall next to Blake.

"Who're you talking to?" He was smiling. He smelled like Jenny's perfume. That got everywhere.

"Dick." Blake was trying not to smile like an idiot. He hung up the phone.

Vance giggled. "Sit outside and wait for me."

Blake didn't get to ask further, so he wandered out to the backyard where they had a little loveseat bench hanging from an oak. The yard was sprinkled with the last bits of melting snow, so everything was kinda soggy as he was walking over, but the bench was dry because they covered it with a tarp. He sat down, and he had a perfect view of the amber-lit, warm living room where zietta must've broken out a waltz or something because Danny and Rita were swaying side-to-side with each other. Blake tipped his head back, and he was watching the stars.

"Fell asleep?" Vance was squelching toward him holding two big steaming mugs.

"What the hell kinda mugs...." Blake got one, and the thing could've held a bowl of soup. He had to laugh at it before he could even try some. There was very good hot chocolate in it.

Vance brought a blanket under his arm, too. Except he just tossed it next to Blake, so Vance could put his jacket around Blake's shoulders. Vance took the blanket for himself.