Ever Since New York

FIVE | too little

     HIS GLASS HAD BEEN EMPTY most of the night. To others, it must have seemed as though he had been drinking until he couldn't walk anymore. Instead, he had been holding it just to be doing something. It was a wedding. He should be celebrating. But he wanted to do anything but.

     Eugene and Hani had disappeared to the dance floor a little over an hour ago, and Diaz had slipped off to say goodbye to the groom before he left for home. He had promised the girls he would tuck them in tonight. Jacob had seemed to have found himself with the grandparents. Nate wasn't sure whether or not he should be worried when he overheard him saying he liked an older woman. The question of how much older still ran through the blond's mind.

     Even the crazy woman from the airport had been having fun. Last he checked, she was on her fourth round of tequila with Marie. She was different; more adult. He hadn't seen Marie since last summer. He'd been away almost that long.

     For the seventh time tonight, Nate flipped his phone over on the table. His phone indicating multiple missed calls from the same number. With a flick of his finger, her cleared his notifications; his wallpaper of Arielle, Levi and himself making him subconsciously smile.

     "They're getting ready to leave, you comin'?" Warren made his way over to snatch his jacket from his chair. Nate could see out of the corner of his eye that the mass of people were now moving out the doors to the lane.

     "Yeah," he said to his friend, "you head on out, I'm about to call a taxi." He held up his phone for emphasis.

     Warren nodded, but didn't leave without saying: "you're now the last man standing."

     "I don't see a ring on your finger."

     "Two divorces make one marriage."

     "I don't think that's how it works," Nate smirked.

     "Well, it works for me." Warren shouted as the door closed behind him.

     He had managed to finish his phone call and still make it out in time to wave the couple off. The tins on the back of the car making a loud clanging sound as the vintage, yellow beetle managed its way along the rocky lane. Nate silently wished Ano a happy two weeks. Two weeks until they would be back on plane to who knows where.

     Hani clapped him on his back, a harsh slap that would have made him jump if he had not been used to it. "You heading back home? We're leaving for the motel now if you want a lift?"

     "Nah, man. I'm good. Taxi's coming soon." He thanked the older man and watched them as the rest of his group left, leaving him there in the harsh, crisp air. And almost as if on cue, the taxi drove up the lane and parked just a few feet away from him. 

     Gravel crunched under his shoes as he made his way to the car. If no one was looking, he would have ran; all he was thinking about was getting back home to his apartment and getting warm. Coffee. He could kill for that right now.

     He opened the cab door and slid into the back seat, the leather making a soft squeaking noise as he did. And then, beside him, just as it did for him, the leather squeaked again. Nate whipped his head around to see that a woman had gotten in beside him. Correction. Eli had gotten in beside him.

     He didn't know if she looked better or worse than the start of the night. Her hair, now loose from any clips or styling, was grazing over her shoulders and her side bangs were framing her face differently than before. Now, after what Nate had seen of her escapades, she was exuding a lot more confidence than the girl who was sitting at his table a mere few hours before.