Crushed

Chapter 4

“There,” she said, pointing across the room, well away from the DJ. Nathan strained to see over the crowd but to no avail. “Oh, I’ve told him all about you.”

“I wish you wouldn’t do this,” he muttered, his voice lost in the noise.

Cindy bumped her way through people gathered around the coffee table, the sofa, the TV, Nathan right behind her. “Where’s Tom?” he asked. “I just came to see him, really. I have to get going.”

Cindy squealed and waved. “Hey!” she called out. Then she pointed at Nathan, a big grin on her face, as if showing off a prize catch. “Look who I found!”

I wasn’t lost. Nathan peered through the people to see two men against the far wall, draped in shadow. One was tall and lanky, all skin and bones, his haggard face reminiscent of a grinning skull. He had a day’s worth of stubble on his cheeks, wore dark sunglasses and a stupid wool hat pulled down over his eyebrows, and when he grinned their way, Nathan froze like a rabbit caught in headlights. You’re joking. “Are you crazy?” he hissed, tugging on her arm. “Has he had his shots?”

“Not him, silly,” she admonished. “The other one.”

As they approached, the other man turned and smiled at them. He had long brown hair that fell straight to frame the dusky skin on his face, and soft eyes that reminded Nathan of cows. And cows aren’t sexy. “Great,” he said. “You’ve set me up with a guy that looks like Jesus Christ.”

Can I leave now? Because I believe I am quite through here, thank you very much. Looking around for someone, anyone, to rescue him, he raised a hand and called out, “Check, please.”

“Oh, stop it,” Cindy told him. “Herb, Roger, this is Nathan. Remember I mentioned him? Herbert?”

The second man nodded as he held a hand out to him. Nathan shook it, struggling not to grimace at the weak touch. In a high, feminine voice that Nathan didn’t care for at all, he said, “Cindy mentioned you’d be coming by.”

“She has a tendency to run off at the mouth sometimes.” Shaking his hand free from Herbert’s, Nathan resisted the urge to wipe his palm down the side of his jeans. “I like your hair. Who’s your barber, the Pope?”

Herbert frowned, unsure of what Nathan meant, but his friend bared his teeth in a wicked grin and Nathan found himself wishing the guy would take off the damn shades already, just so he could make sure the eyes behind them weren’t tiny red coals. Seeing Roger’s smile, Cindy laughed too loud, hoping to cover Nathan’s words. “He’s got such a sense of humor,” she explained as she gave his arm a vicious pinch. Through clenched teeth, she growled, “Be nice.” The smile never slipped from her face.

Nathan knew her too well not to see what was coming next. Letting go of his arm, she took Roger’s hand. “The tap’s run dry. I need some help getting a new keg in here—”

“I’ll help,” Nathan and Herbert said in unison.

Cindy glared at Nathan. “Roger will help me,” she said, tugging Roger along behind her. “Won’t you? Come on, be a dear. I don’t know where Tom has gotten to…”

She disappeared into the crowd, Roger in tow. Thank you, Cindy. Nathan shoved his hands into his back pockets, where he felt his wallet. Thinking of the condom hidden inside, he frowned at the short guy beside him, with the long hair and the girlish voice. Looks like I’m going to be tossing out that damn box after all.

When Herbert turned to him and smiled, Nathan groaned. “Look,” he said, forcing a tight grin. “I need a drink.”

Herbert nodded and Nathan backed away, wondering how many steps he should take before just running for it. Would that look bad? He didn’t much care at this point. “Nice meeting you. Really.”

Another step. Herbert spoke up, raising his voice to be heard over the crowd. “Cindy’s told me a lot about you,” he said as he leaned closer. Nathan took an involuntary step back. “I’m glad we finally got to say hi.”

And this is me saying goodbye. “That’s cool,” he said, backing up. Another step—he was almost free. “I’ll see you around, okay?”

“I’ll be here,” Herbert told him.

Nathan turned and bolted, pushing his way through the crowd in his haste to get away, get the hell out of there. So much for the party. He navigated to the kitchen and the promise of something strong enough to put those muddy calf eyes out of his mind.

Chapter 3

In the hallway, Nathan stopped. There was nowhere to run to anyway, too many people hemmed him in on all sides, pushing and bumping and gyrating with the rhythms of the music. He felt as if he were in the belly of a giant beast, slowly being digested. Get me out of here, he pleaded silently, trying to work his way through the crowd and back to the kitchen. Once free, he’d hightail it to his car and just peel away. And the next party Tom invites me too, I’m saying no. A line of girls snaked past him, holding hands to stay together in the crowd. I said no this time, but I’m not going to let you talk me into this again. Not until you manage to keep Cindy on a short leash.

“Coming through!”

Nathan looked up at Tom’s bellow and saw his friend carrying a tray full of cut vegetables and dip high above his head, out of reach of the crowd. Sidestepping into the hallway, Nathan stopped in Tom’s path. “Hey, watch—Nathan!” His friend laughed, an infectious sound that cut through the din of the party. “s**t, when did you show up?”