AFTER THERE'S YOU // ZESSA

Chapter 29: Kam's

"Ah! I can't believe we are finally doing this!" Hanya squeals from the driver's seat while me and Zed hop in the back.

There is a very good-looking blond man sitting next to her, and I forget if she mentioned what his name was. He has long wavy hair down to his shoulders and gives off a bit of a surfer-bro vibe.

"This is Nikolas by the way. Nik, meet my friend Tessa and her... Zed," she giggles. I shoot her knowing a look while she smiles at me through the rear-view window.

"It's nice to meet you Nikolas. Do you go by Nikolas or Nik?" I ask, trying to be polite.

"Either is fine by me," he says, looking back at me and Zed. "Zed, huh, that's an interesting name. Can't say I've met any Zed's before."

"I know," Zed says grinning slightly, "I don't know what my parents were thinking. I can never find my name on any souvenirs because of it."

"Well Zed," Hanya says, perking up, "that's what Etsy is for. For the right amount of money, you can get your name on anything. You know, I saw you can even get monogrammed butt-plugs on that website."

Zed and I immediately go red at her comment, and I can't help but laugh seeing the shock on Zed's face. He is clearly not used to Hanya's antics yet.

"You are ridiculous, babe," Nik says putting a hand behind Hanya's headrest.

"And how would you know about monogrammed butt-plugs, Hanya?" I question sarcastically.

She merely looks back at me through the rearview mirror and winks.

"So, I figured we'd go to a campus bar tonight. My old favorite actually – it's called Kam's. They never check ID's there. Plus, the drinks are cheap and there's tons of booths to sit in for old farts like me who can't dance until 3am anymore," Hanya says, eyes on the road but excitement laced in her voice.

"Jeez, Kam's? I have not been there in years. I wonder if the same old bartender is working from back in the day. She used to hook me up with dollar drinks. One dollar! For a drink!" Nik says, almost in disbelief at the prices.

"Awesome," I say back, "So Hanya, are you not drinking tonight then?" I do not want to get in a car with a drunk, though I don't think Hanya would be irresponsible enough to do that.

"My neighbor Dave is a bouncer there. When his shift is over, he will drive us back. I dropped him off after work, so he will drive my car home. Got a DD just like thay, easy as pie," Hanya says with a grin.

Of course Hanya would have no problem getting a guy to drive her and her drunk friends home. With her looks and charisma, I bet most men would agree to anything she says.

"That's a sweet deal," Zed says.

"I know right?" Hanya responds.

Before long, we pull into a crowded parking lot next to a dingy building with an illuminated "Kam's" sign. Looking at the car radio, I see it's 10:15pm.

"Wait, when does uh, Dave's, shift end?" I ask, wondering how long we plan on staying out.

"Oh...just, like, 2am" Hanya says, turning off her car and slowly looking back at me.

"2am! Jesus that's late Hanya. I didn't know I was agreeing to be your hostage tonight," I say, only half kidding.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic Tessa. It will be fun! We will dance and drink and eat shitty bar food and all that other fun stuff young people are supposed to do. So, quit complaining and let's go get a drink," she says, wagging her finger at me.

I roll my eyes and glance over at Zed. He seems amused by mine and Hanya's banter.

We all climb out of Hanya's jeep and make our way towards Kam's. Before we go in, I grab Zed's hand, pulling him closer to me while Hanya and Nik head inside.

"Sorry, I didn't know how long we would be out," I says, watching my feet on the blacktop.

"Don't apologize, Tessa. I'd stay out all night with you any day," he says, squeezing my hand. He always knows just what to say.

We walk inside without being ID'd and quickly find a booth to sit in.

"Hey," Nik says, pointing excitedly at the bar, "It's Nancy. I can't believe she's still the bartender. I hope she remembers me, maybe she'll give me the $1 drink deal she did back in the day."

"Perfect," Hanya says clapping her hands, "why don't you and Zed go get us some drinks, while me and Tessa gossip about you two."

I turn and give her an incredulous look, but she just ignores me and continues to smile at Zed and Nik.

"No problem," Zed smiles, getting up from the booth, "we'll be back."

Before he leaves, he gives me one those dazzling smiles I love so much, and I'm certain Hanya caught it.

Looking at me with wide eyes, she says, "Well damn. You guys were practically eye-fucking each other just then. And did you see the way he smiled at you."

I blush again, not sure how to respond. "We were not...eye-fucking," I whisper.

"Well whatever it was, it was hot," she says, nudging me with her elbow.

"Oh, please," I say, "how about the way Nik talks about you. And he called you babe."

"I know right," Hanya answers, grinning from ear to ear. "He might be the real deal. We've been seeing each other on and off since we were college students here. I was always too busy to settle down with a boyfriend. But he always stuck around. Didn't seem to care how free spirited I was."

The twinkle in her eye catches me off guard. I've never seen Hanya so lovey before. She seems truly smitten by this man.

"And" she continues, "he as this awesome job and huge fancy apartment. Who knew he'd turn out so great? When I met him, he was only concerned about being a frat bro and seeing the world or whatever hippie shit he used to talk about."

Even when she criticizes him you can tell she cares about the guy.

"But even back then he said he had a special place in his heart for me. That I was different. Of course, I never believed him, but here he is, almost 7 years later still spouting the same shit. So, maybe it wasn't BS after all," she says. The whole time she has been talking, her eyes have not left Nikolas, watching him from afar as he laughs with Zed and the bartender.

Just then, a group of cackling college girls about my age enter the bar. They make so much noise, I can't help but turn to see them.

They all look very athletic and alluring in different variations of the same shirt and skirt. I'm about to continue my conversation with Hanya when one in particular catches my eye.

It only takes a second to realize who it is. Rachel. Zed's old fling. And she is staring right at me.