Y is for Yuengling

Rating: Mature (language, implied situations, and drinking – basically PG)

“I was wondering,” Jax said while finishing off his honey-drenched sopaipillas, “if you would like to go to the bar with me tonight.”

With a fork halfway to her mouth, Cynthia looked at him. “You’re kidding right? The bar?”

“I go to the bar every night when at a convention.” He shifted in the rolling chair. The hotel room only had two chairs, one a rolling business chair which normally was in front of the desk across from the sink, and a chair beside a small table with lamp, the table they converted to their very intimate dining table.

Cindy got the more stable chair. She finished taking the bite, raising her eyebrows.

“Don’t give me that look.” He leaned back rubbing his full belly. “I text you every time.”

“And they are really amusing.” Cindy waved the fork in time with her words. “But me, not in a bar, not ever.”

“I could still text you. Maybe it will distract you.”

“Nope.”

“It’s not like a normal bar, I promise.”

She smirked. “So no alcohol? No dark lighting? No loud music? No people talking just to talk?”

“Um.”

“Exactly. No. I think we all learned our lesson today.” Cynthia sat back satisfied she won her argument.

Jax reached across the table and laid his hand on hers. He wasn’t going to let her win an argument based on fear making her world smaller. “We could sit outside. The hotel has these little fire pits. We can people watch and text each other.” He turned his hand over, slipping it under hers so they were holding hands. “I want you there, please. If you get uncomfortable, just let me know and we can leave. But try it, for me?”

“Jax…”

“Pretty please. I’ll get you the dragonball you saw in the vendor room.”

Cynthia sighed. “I’m going to regret this,” she said twisting her engagement ring.

“Every single moment,” Jax hopped up and offered her his hand to help her stand.

She put her hand in his, standing gracefully. “You are not going to get me drunk.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he stated. “At least, I hadn’t before now.”

Cynthia closed the door to their hotel room after they both showed the other they had their room card key as well as their cell phones.“I throw up when I’m drunk.”

“Then let’s not get you drunk.” He reached for her hand automatically as they walked side-by-side down the long hall to the stairwell instead of the elevators.

At the second floor landing, they stopped. “You know, I am kind-of liking taking the stairs.” Cynthia gave Jax a quick hug before continuing down.

“They have machines in the gym for this sort of thing!”

Cynthia gave him the finger without looking back and continued down the steps.

Jax kept trying to convince Cynthia to join him at the fitness center. Her response was if the gods wanted women to exercise, they wouldn’t have made all the curves based on fat. At which point, if they were home alone, she would flash Jax one of his two favorite fatty areas depending if she was in a skirt or low-cut blouse. He never won that particular argument, though he really liked how that conversation usually ended.

Once on the first floor, they made it to the bar-restaurant area, and Cindy balked at the crowd gathered in the area. Not a single seat was empty. Jax steered her to the glass doors leading to an outside area. Once they were outside, they heard steady drums and could see some mid-eastern dancers gyrating in the open area away from the main building seemingly unaffected by the cool late spring night.

“I see the SCA are out in force.” Jax said, taking a seat in the fire pit area closest to the bar’s door. The oversized chair held them both snugly, just the way Jax liked it.

A woman and man were already seated in the conversation area, and two more seats were still open.

The woman answered. “Well, Achbar is here, what do you expect?”

“How are you doing Jax?” the man asked.

“Same old, same old.”

Cynthia elbowed him.

“What?” Jax looked down. “Oh, shit. Right! So Cynthia, let me introduce you to Otero and Denise. Otero and Denise, this is Cynthia, my fiancee.”

Denise, who rocked short bleached curls against her black skin, leaned forward to offer her hand since she was in the seat closest to them. “This is your text buddy, right?”

“Yes.” Jax settled in deeper, pulling Cindy tight against him after the women shook hands. He kissed her forehead since it was right there and needing it. “And my world.”

“Don’t you forget it, doofus.” She leaned her head back so his lips now hovered over hers. Jax took advantage of the invitation.

“Didn’t see you much today,” Otero said, his white hair a product of age rather than hair salons, “Did you get in late?”

“No,” Jax turned Cynthia’s face toward him so he could watch her eyes for guilt at having a panic attack and then losing three hours sleeping to recover from it. “I was busy asking this wonderful woman to marry me.” The pain creases at the sides of her eyes smoothed as a sigh of happiness escaped her mouth.

“That’s a great excuse,” Denise turned to Otero, “why don’t you do that with me?”

“Well, if I wasn’t married, and gay, and you weren’t an Ace, I would be all over it.” Otero turned to Denise, leaning forward on the rattan chair’s arm, and looked longingly at her, “I guess you’ll just remain my con wife.”

“I’ll accept that, if you get me a ginger ale.”

“I’ll buy you a ginger ale, if you get me a beer.” Otero handed Denise a credit card. “How about you two, to celebrate the happy day?”

“They got Yuengling, pick me up one.” Jax never turned down free booze.

Cynthia shifted uncomfortably. “Nothing for me.”

“You sure?” Denise asked. “Otero’s buying. How about a cranberry juice or water with lemon?”

“Oh, cranberry juice actually sounds nice.” Cindy perked up, surprised alcohol wasn’t being pushed as the be-all-end-all like it had been in college.

As Denise slipped into the building, two more people came out and tried to stop her. “Can’t stop, beer run.”

 

A to Z Short Story List Breakdown

Rainbow Spectrum (A to F)
Marathon Party (G to M)
Trigger: Cutting (N to Q)
Bookstore Sort (R to T)

Panic at the Convention (U to Z)
4/24/2019 – U is for Uniform
4/25/2019 – V is for Volunteer
4/26/2019 – W is for Weasels
4/27/2019 – X is for Xander
4/28/2019 – Y is for Yuengling
4/29/2019 – Z is for Zillion