Title: One More for the Road
Chapter Completed: October 7, 2003
The gang was seated around their usual Warsaw table – complete with extra wives. Well, would be wives. Soon to be wives. It was the last hurrah before the final leap. One last beer for the road, so to speak.
Kellie hated being there. Having to sit there with two soon to be married couples…and Oswald. Sitting with Oswald was never really one of her favourite things to do anyway… But she hated having to seen Drew with Lily. Even if she had to get used to it, and fast. Like twenty-four hours fast. She was drinking the flowing alcohol like a drowning fish to assist her in being all right with it. Putting the glass to her lips, catching a glance of Drew and giggling Lily, the barmaid vowed to let it drop. She would be happy for him. She would put on that god-awful taffeta dress and keep her mouth shut…as long as she wasn’t drinking with it.
Drew was book-ended between Kellie and Lily. The portly beer drinker was torn between which one his attention should go to: his best female friend or his bride to be. It was worse then Kate and Niki. Well, not worse, but still tense and uncomfortable. Just like home really.
He slouched down in his chair, nursing the beer in front of him. He was getting what he wanted, but still felt like he wanted something else, more.
From her side of Drew, Lily felt completely isolated. She just didn’t fit in, in Cleveland. Not with them. The Southern Belle just wasn’t a marathon beer drinker, and didn’t understand all their little quirks. She adored Drew, but the idea of marrying all his friends didn’t appeal to her. Drew was one thing, adorable really, but Lewis and Oswald? Not to mention Kellie and the new girl. And marrying one, meant marrying them all.
She patted Drew’s arm, needing to be reassured about tomorrow. Reassured about her future with him. Reassured about everything. She needed to make sure she was doing the right thing. All she got was a returned pat on the hand and sweet smile.
On the other side of the table Arianna was trying to clue Lewis in on how she felt. Sort of like beating a man upside the head with a baseball bat really. She’d reach for his hand under the table, but with each attempt he scooted away from her. After all it was pointless for him to get attached to the girl if she was only thankful for his help. Right?
It was frustrating the bride. Every time she let her hand rest on his thigh he’d almost jump away from her.
Talk about crossed wires.
Lewis was misreading the affection for pity. Because, for his entire life, that’s how it worked. More or less. Women weren’t just falling in love with him, or touching him, unless there was some strange, new DrugCo drug involved…or the pity play. And he had used that, both actually, before.
Arianna was afraid that he wasn’t interested. That’s why she had enlisted Drew’s help, that didn’t seem to be coming. She didn’t know how to convince a man like Lewis that she was interested in him…outside of jumping him right there at the table. But he would still probably link it to some paranoid idea about a conspiracy on how to kill him. But that was what she found so cute about him…how weird he was. She would have to do something drastic to get him to understand.
It was a mess. He was careful not to touch her as he downed the beer in front of him. Any beer in front of him actually.
She, on the other hand, was careful to try and touch him – her beer, that had brought them all together actually, was not receiving her attention. So he drank it.
Oswald, as usual, was blissfully in his typical ignorance. He was sandwiched between the two soap opera’s, and none the wiser of it. “One more day!” he proposed the toast, a wide, open smile on his face.
