This Love | ✓

Part 28

"We're here," Zach announced from the passenger seat, clapping his hands with excitement.

I turned to Jason, sitting beside me in the backseat of David's car, and squeezed his hand. He smiled, looking incredibly attractive in a fitted black t-shirt and jeans.

As we entered the open-air theatre, I found several parking spaces already occupied by cars of every possible kind. The late evening sky — painted in dark red and orange stripes — failed to illuminate the path in front of us. David cautiously manoeuvred his car into an open spot between a red convertible and a white hatchback before shutting off the engine.

We climbed out of the car and stretched. After an hour-long drive through excruciating traffic, it was a relief to stand on solid ground, no longer surrounded by honking vehicles manned by impatient drivers.

"We have fifteen minutes left until the movie starts," Zach said, studying his wristwatch. "So, let's sit!"

Grabbing blankets and bags of snacks from the trunk of David's car, we installed ourselves on the bed of grass between the movie screen and the parking lot.

David turned to me and asked, "Can we get something to drink?"

I reached into one of the white plastic bags, pulling out four small soda cans.

"Thanks," David, Jason, and Zach said in unison as they accepted their fizzy drinks.

I sipped my grape soda as Zach reached into the back pocket of his jeans and produced a silver flask. He grinned triumphantly as the container glinted in the dark.

"Here you go," he said, tipping a little bit of alcohol into David's soda.

When Zach reached towards Jason's soda can, I felt him stiffen in discomfort. I glanced at him, taken aback to find his eyes filled anxiety.

Averting his gaze to the grassy floor, Jason muttered, "N-no, thanks."

"We're eighteen, Zach," I protested in at attempt to ease Jason's perplexing discomfort. "We can't drink."

"Oops," he cried with a laugh. Tipping the flask into his own soda can, he said, "I forgot!"

"Zach, I didn't know they were underage," David chided his boyfriend. "Why are you offering them booze?"

"It's just a little vodka," he insisted. "It's harmless!"

While David and Zach squabbled about whether or not they should let us drink, I turned to Jason, concerned by the uncharacteristic nervousness he had displayed.

"Are you okay?" I asked, brushing my fingers against his.

He grabbed my hand, seemingly reassured by my touch.

"I'm sorry," he answered, the small smile on his lips failing to reach his eyes. "I'm fine."

There was something odd about Jason's reaction to Zach's offer. He seemed terrified of the alcohol sloshing inside the silver flask. I watched Jason carefully, making a mental note to ask him about his agitation later.

"I'm sorry, guys," David's voice brought me back to the moment. His tone turned playful when he said, "Zach is still overexcited about being able to drink, even though he turned twenty-one a year ago."

"Well, we aren't all mature, twenty-three-year-old college graduates with fancy hacker jobs," Zach teased back, kissing his boyfriend's lips lovingly.

I raised my eyebrows, surprised to discover that David was older than Zach.

"You can have some if you want, Leena," David spoke up a moment later, gesturing to the silver flask.