Of moonshine and memories | BoyXBoy

Slip of the tongue

It was late, and the office was finally quiet. I leaned back in my chair, feeling the exhaustion hit me full force. The project was done.
The first big assignment since my promotion, the planning of a massive office building we'd been working on for weeks. Countless nights of staying late, stress, and pushing myself past the point of exhaustion. But now, it was finally over.

I glanced at the clock. 9 p.m.
I sighed, shutting off my computer and grabbing my coat. All I wanted was to head home, crawl into bed, and sleep. Maybe I'd catch Lucian before he headed out to the bar, but by the time I would get home, he would probably already be there, working until late. At least I wouldn't have to explain why I was coming home so late again.

I moved toward the elevator, keeping my head down. It'd been a long day, and I didn't feel like making small talk with anyone. Just a quiet ride home, and nothing else.

But before the elevator doors could close, I heard a voice call out from behind.

"Vincent! Wait up!"

I hesitated but reluctantly hit the 'open' button. Three of my colleagues, Matthew, Thomas and Brian, squeezed into the elevator with me. They'd all been part of the project team, but somehow, they weren't as exhausted as I was. Their faces were lit up with excitement like they were just getting started.

"Vincent, my man!" Matthew said, slapping me on the back with a grin. "We did it! We've gotta celebrate."

I forced a smile, already thinking of an excuse. "I was just heading home."

"Home?" Matthew laughed, shaking his head. "Nah, man, not tonight. You can't ditch us. One drink. We deserve it."

I sighed inwardly, staring at the descending numbers above the elevator door. "I'm exhausted. You guys go ahead without me."

Thomas gave me a knowing smirk. "Don't be like that. One drink won't kill you."

I opened my mouth to protest again, but Brian cut in. "Come on, Vincent. We already picked the place."

"Yeah, it's a good spot. Trust us." Matthew added, a little too excited for my liking.

I raised an eyebrow, starting to get suspicious. "Where exactly are we going?"

They exchanged glances but didn't answer me right away. I should've known something was up.

"Relax, you'll see. You'll love it." Thomas said with a mischievous grin.

I narrowed my eyes but kept quiet as the elevator finally reached the ground floor. I didn't feel like arguing, and at this point, I just wanted to get it over with. One drink, then I'd find a way to slip out.

As we stepped outside, the cold Seattle air hit me, waking me up a little. We made our way down the block, and I realized we were heading toward the all too familiar neighborhood. My neighborhood.

A bad feeling started creeping in, but before I could say anything, Matthew casually dropped the bomb.

"We're heading to your husband's bar, by the way. Figured it'd be a good spot to celebrate."

I stopped dead in my tracks. "Lucian's bar? Are you serious?"

"Of course!" He grinned. "It's perfect. Low-key, and your husband's already there. What's not to like?"

I let out a frustrated groan. They'd already made up their minds, and now that we were halfway there, there wasn't much I could do to change the plan.

Great. Just what I needed. A surprise appearance at Lucian's work, with no warning, and me trying to avoid getting roped into something messy. I just hoped Lucian wouldn't kill me when we got there.