Buy Me a Drink - 2. Chapter 2

“Your boyfriend’s hot,” someone says as they nudge my shoulder. I look up from my notes.

“Cosmo!”

“No thanks, Hun, I already have one,” and he does.

“Uh, sorry,” I pause and glance back at my notes. “Dave”

“Were you calling me ‘Cosmo’?” Cosmo/Dave asks. There’s no irritation or accusation in his voice, only curiosity.

“Yeah,” I admit embarrassedly.

“Huh!” Cosmo exclaims as he takes a big gulp, finishing his namesake.

“I was jus-”

“Another one?” Jake interrupts eagerly. I told you Cosmo was a good tipper.

“Two please,” Cosmo responds with a smile in my direction.

“Thanks, but I don’t like Cosmos err, martini type drinks,” I correct myself.

“Well, then I’ll have one for later,” Cosmo says with a wink.

“He likes Coors,” Jake offers, AFTER setting down the two cosmos. Anything to run the tab up, huh Jake?

“A Coors then,” Cosmo responds decisively.

“I’m not done with this one,” I protest holding up my half finished bottle.

“Well then you’ll have one for later too,” Cosmo says with a laugh.

“Well thanks,” I say with amusement.

“Sorry about earlier, Dave,” I add with sincerity.

“No problem, Aaron. Cosmos are good. You can call me that if you want,” Cosmo offers as if it were the most logical, natural thing in the world.

“Anyway, I just wanted to give you a heads up about Jose. He’s pretty protective of Ben and he’s kinda pissed that you rejected him. I told him you had a boyfriend though, but I think he’s still mad that you were like leading him on.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” I say stupidly, deception never entering my mind. Cosmo seems so open and guileless. So easy to talk to.

“Really? John said you did.” Who’s John I wonder.

“Who’s John?” I figured Cosmo would be better able to answer than you. He just points to a familiar looking guy I’ve seen around several times. Obviously Mick and I must have done the boyfriend routine on ‘John’.

“Ohh”

“So, then stud man over there isn’t your boyfriend?” Cosmo asks, still without any hostility or irritation.

“No, he’s just my best friend and roommate. Actually he’s straight. We just tell people that when he gets hit on at the end of the night. Uhh, don’t tell John, okay?”

Cosmo laughs and takes another big sip, and then he raises his right hand and with his left makes a zipping motion in front of his mouth. “My lips are sealed.”

I laugh out loud and before I can stop myself ask, “Are you drunk?”

“I’m working on it,” he responds with another drink. “No worries though, Aaron. Jose’s driving.”

“So why did you reject my boy then? Isn’t he your type?” Cosmo continues with genuine confusion.

“Isn’t he everyone’s type?” I ask sarcastically.

“Yes, he is.”

“Then they can have him,” I counter, surprising myself once again.

Cosmo pauses for a few moments, clearly lost in thought. Then he glares at me and says, “He’s ‘clean’ if that’s what you were worried about.”

“Uhh what? No, I...I wasn’t. I mean to be honest with you, it hadn’t even crossed my mind,” I respond nervously, caught off-guard by the accusation and the sudden anger.

Moments later when I look back up and take note of the anguished expression on Cosmo’s usually open, carefree face I immediately feel guilty for upsetting him and put my arm around his shoulders.

“Sorry,” I offer, at a loss for anything better to say.

“No, no. It’s fine. It was me. It’s just a touchy subject for me,” Cosmo apologizes sincerely as he taps the hand that’s around his shoulders and smiles.

Now a sensible person would just shut up or change the subject at this point…but when has that ever stopped me before?

“So then, are you…?”

“Positive?” He offers when I trail off. “Yeah.”

“Oh,” I exclaim, still a bit surprised despite the now obviousness of it. “I’m sorry.”

At that he finishes his drink and starts in on the next one.

“I’m living,” he says with a shrug, his carefree, friendly persona returning.

Once again he drifts into thought and then suddenly understanding passes across his face and he looks at me with the most apologetic eyes I’ve seen on anyone. Well, except maybe Mick that is. This one time a few months ago Mick accidentally broke a mug that my mother had given me and I swear he was going to start crying if I hadn’t given him a quick hug and told him the mug didn’t really exist anyway. Besides, I really didn’t care. She’s gives me lots of mugs, and not just mugs either, glasses, plates, bowls. I swear it’s some kind of an obsession. Honestly if anything it was actually kinda nice to get a little more cabinet space back.

But I think I’ve gotten side tracked somehow. We’re going to blame the Coors. It must be the Coors. No worries though, Mick’s driving. Anyway, back to Cosmo. It looks like he’s realized something that’s upset him.

“I’m so sorry, Aaron. You just don’t sleep around huh? Wow, I can’t believe that didn’t occur to me of all people. I guess it’s just that Ben’s usually really good at picking up willing guys, and in my defense – and his – you looked like you were into him and aware of what was going on. But I’m really sorry, and actually I’m sure he will be too. I mean, if you don’t mind me explaining it to him that is. He’s actually a really nice guy. Like yeah, I mean he is kinda slutty, no denying that, but usually the other guys are into it too, and I promise he really doesn’t mean any harm. I think he jus-”

“Cosmo!” I finally cut off his apologetic rambling, “chill out, dude, its okay.”

Then in a softer voice I continue, “I thought I wanted to. I…I mean, I did want to. I don’t really know why I didn’t.”

With that Cosmo looks at me sympathetically, finishes his drink and gets up.

“You’re a good kid, Aaron,” he says, then he surprises me with a quick hug, before turning around, grabbing a very angry looking Giorgio – who oddly enough I hadn’t smelled approaching for once – and then off they went, back to their usual section of the club.

_____________________

Forty five minutes later, as I’m busily scribbling down notes about my conversation with Cosmo, I feel yet another tap on my shoulder. This time Jake’s trying to get my attention.

“Aar, I’ve got a problem,” he says using his nickname for me.

“I know Jake, but you were born that way. You can’t help it,” I say cheekily. Jake’s used to my straight jokes, but his response surprises me.

“Yep, that’s the problem.”

“Huh?” I ask with genuine confusion.

“I’m straight. Only Amanda is convinced I’m not.” Amanda is his girlfriend.

“Why would Amanda think you weren’t?”

“Well, you know her friend, Ronnie?”

“Um, no…should I?”

“Well yeah, he’s gay”

“Jake, contrary to popular belief there really isn’t this big, queer directory that we all have access to.”

“Whatever. Anyway, he was here last night and he saw me with my arms around Mick.”

Jake with his arms around Mick…nope, not making sense.

“Why were your arms around Mick?” I ask, confused.

“Because someone was too busy not fucking Bmad to care what happened to the guy,” he barks angrily.

“Ohh and you had to fill in,” I state as it suddenly dawns on me. Oops! Yeah, I really shoulda put that together…especially after my conversation with Mick last night.

“Welcome back to the conversation,” Jake says sarcastically.

“Yeah thanks. So what can we do to fix it?” I ask, already pretty much having decided to do whatever it takes to exonerate Jake’s straightness and get him back in Amanda’s girlish good graces.

“You need to go shopping with Amanda and then get a manicure,” He replies.

“What?! Dude, not all gay guys are into that,” I exclaim, too busy dreading the thought to wonder how that could possibly help.

“But Ronnie is,” Jake points out, as if that explained it all.

“Well good for Ronnie. Let him go with her.”

“He is going with her,” Jake states. Then he just glares at me with raised eyebrows waiting for it to click.

“And you want me to go with them and put in a good word for your heterosexuality?” I sigh, finally seeing where this is going.

“Exactly!”

“But…Ohh! I can’t. I’m broke!” I’ve never been so glad to say that before.

“That’s no problem at all. I’m sure Mick will give you the money. After all this is half his fault too, and he really racked up last night anyway.”

“I’m not asking Mick for money.”

“No you’re not. I’m going to do it for you, on his next break. Just call Amanda tomorrow morning around 10:00 and tell her I casually mentioned that she was going shopping and that you thought it would be fun to go with her.”

“Just invite myself along like that?”

“Yep, that’s right,” Jake says leaving no room for debate.

Exhaling with exasperation I finally give in, “Fine, okay”

“That’s the spirit! It’ll be fun,” Jake declares, knowing full well that I’ll hate every minute of it.

___________________________

“Go!”

Have I mentioned that Jake is pushy?

“Dude, I’ve embarrassed myself enough with him already. Or have you forgotten the whole ‘Aaron does cavemanese then refuses sex with hot boy’ thing?”

“Nope, I remember it well. I was present for the cavemanese and I heard all about the lack of sex,” Jake says smirking. Honestly, what straight man uses a word like ‘cavemanese’? I know I used it first, but I’m not straight!

“So um, then tell me again, why exactly are we doing ‘Aaron embarrasses himself version 2.0’?” Yep, from the cave to the computer, dontcha wish you could mix metaphors like me?

“Because the upgrade has better graphics. Now quit whining and take him this drink! You’ve been watching him all night.”

“I watch him every night! It’s what I do,” I protest defensively.

“No, you watch observe him every night. Tonight you’re just watching.” I know Jake thinks he has a point in there somewhere.

“But-”

“Just take him the damn drink and talk to him already!” Jake says as he shoves the cherry vodka sour – Ben’s chosen drink of the night – into my hand and then stalks off.

Now you’re probably thinking at this point that I’m a big wuss and that I’m going to chicken out. Well you’re right, I am a big wuss, but I’m NOT going to chicken out. See as amazing as it sounds, it turns out that Jake has a point. I have been kinda…well sorta…I mean maybe a little, like totally obsessed with Ben all night.

In fact I was so fixated that I barely noticed Mick’s olive green thong or the way the sweat glistened off his toned body…and don’t think I won’t be hearing about it on the way home. Anyway, point is I do want to talk to Ben. So steeling my courage for the task, I decide I’m going to do it right.

He’s watching a guy over by the bar, so I carefully sidle up behind him, gently grip his neck with my free hand and then slide around to the front – maintaining maximum body contact of course – and grin seductively as I say:

“Buy you a drink?”

He’s taken completely off-guard and he looks shocked. Unfortunately when he recovers he seems less than amused.

“Um, no,” he rejects the offer, and believe me the way he stretched out the m in ‘um’ and bobbed his head on ‘no’ even Daisy would be proud.

“Oh com’on,” I insist. “Since when have you ever turned down a free drink?”

Whoa! Who knew I had that in me?

“He’s already getting me one,” Ben answers with a slight sneer as he nods toward his LG4 for the night. I look over in the direction he’s indicating and sure enough I spot a normally very lonely looking guy excitedly – and impatiently – waiting by the bar. Naturally of course, Jake is carefully waiting on every other customer but him. You gotta love the guy.

Still, even with Jake’s valiant stalling efforts my resolve is starting to falter. Just as I’m about to give up and walk away, I suddenly notice Cosmo standing a couple of yards behind Ben. As he catches my eye and smiles he pointedly shifts his attention from the bar back over to the drink in my hand, and I realize what I need to say.

“Well, now you’ll have one for later,” I state confidently and with that I shove the drink into his hand, smile suggestively, and walk off.