Chapter 92
O’Connelly’s
pub on Jefferson was trimmed in green and teaming with a loud, rowdy,
inebriated crowd who were all claiming to be “Irish” on this particular
Friday. A short Asian man walked by with
a huge “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” pin blinking like a beacon on his chest, and,
noticing him, Claire couldn’t help but giggle.
She elbowed Jamie in the ribs to point him out and laughed harder as
Jamie stumbled uncoordinatedly, sloshing green-colored beer all down the front
of his kelly green t-shirt, which also read, “Kiss me, I’m Irish” in big bold
letters. The only difference was, he
really was. But hell, everyone was Irish
on St. Patrick’s Day.
“’Djou want
somethin’?” Jamie asked with a slight slur, tilting his head down to Claire’s
level about ten seconds too late. The
Asian guy was already long gone, having disappeared in the crowd.
“Never
mind,” she replied, struggling to make her voice heard above the clamor of the
boisterous crowd and the live Irish folk band playing in the corner.
“You havin’
fun?” he called, flashing a lopsided grin.
“Hell
yeah!” she shouted back, raising her pint glass. Jamie clinked his against hers in a toast,
sloshing more beer over the edge, and took a deep swallow. Claire tipped her glass back as well,
grimacing as the beer hit her throat.
She was reaching the bottom, and it had started to get warm. She swallowed, then took a few breaths to
clear her head before throwing the rest down.
Tapping Jamie on the shoulder, she pointed to her empty glass and said,
“I’m gonna get another one!”
He nodded,
and she walked by him, slowly carving a path to the crowded bar. The bartenders were all wearing green polo
shirts and shiny Mardi-Gras beads. Some
of the girls had springy shamrock antennas on their heads, and one of the guys
had dyed his spiky hair acid green. “You
been helped?” he asked quickly, pointing to her as she worked her way up to the
long, wooden bar counter.
“A pint of
Guinness, please,” she called out her order, and he nodded, grabbing a fresh
pint glass and moving to the tap.
Claire
bobbed her head in time to the festive music she waited. She was pleased to find that she was
having fun. It had been a long time
since she’d gone out drinking like this, and even longer since she’d gone with
Jamie. They hadn’t spent St. Patrick’s
Day together in years, though in high school, it had been their holiday,
whether that meant pinching Dianna for not wearing green, ditching school to
hang out downtown and watch the annual parade, or getting buzzed off of the
Bailey’s Irish Cream they’d smuggled out of his clueless parents’ fridge.
The last
time she remembered celebrating the St. Patty’s day with Jamie was in college,
their sophomore year. It had fallen on a
Friday, just like this year, and Jamie had come home for the weekend and
partied with her at UT. They hadn’t been
old enough to drink in the bars like this yet, but they’d had no trouble
finding booze and a wild crowd elsewhere.
It had been a fun night, despite the fact that it had ended with Claire
rubbing Jamie’s back as he knelt over a toilet on her dorm floor, puking his
guts out. The boy liked to drink, but
he’d always had a horrible tolerance for alcohol. She wondered if it had improved at all over
the years and realized she didn’t know.
She hadn’t seen Jamie as wasted as he had been that night since. In fact, that had probably been the last good
time she’d had with him before she got leukemia and everything changed. She’d spent the next two years just trying to
get her life back, as his went on without her.
Then he’d moved back north, and that was that.
She had to
admit, though he acted like an asshole some of the time, she was glad to have
him back.
The
neon-haired bartender slid her drink across the counter to her, and she handed
him a few bills in return. Inwardly, she
cringed at how rapidly her wallet was thinning, but she reminded herself that
this was a rarity, and besides, it was St. Patty’s Day. She was already pretty buzzed anyway; she’d
cut herself off after the next one.
Pocketing the change the bartender dropped into her hand, she held her
drink high and wove her way carefully through the crowd, trying not to spill
it.
“Ew, how
can you drink that swill?” asked Jamie the moment she found her way back to
him, turning up his nose at the black Irish beer.
“Cause I’m
not a little pansy-boy like you,” she shot back and took a rich swallow of the
thick brew, heavy with white foam. It
was nice and cold, and she enjoyed the feel of it sliding smoothly down her
throat. It briefly cooled her warm body
from the inside out, but as the alcohol hit her system, she felt hot all over
again. The bar was stuffy, and she could
feel herself starting to sweat. Still,
she felt good. Better than good, in
fact, great. The beers had worked their
magic on her, making her feel lose and relaxed and giddy. “We should dance,” she announced loudly to
Jamie and held up her drink, “when I’m done with this.”
“Okay,” he
replied, nodding as he watched her in amusement.
Catching his expression, she cocked her head at him and asked indignantly,
“What?? I’m not that drunk; I
just feel like dancing!”
“Okay,” he
said again, and this time she could hear the laughter in his voice. Rolling her eyes, she gave him a playful
thwack with her cast and took another drink.
By the time
she’d gotten down to the sediment at the bottom of her Guinness, she could feel
her coordination fading fast, but no matter.
Discarding the near-empty pint glass, she grabbed Jamie’s hand and
dragged him to the open area in front of the small stage where the band had
been set up. They’d left by now, and the
listening area had been turned into a makeshift dance floor, filled with even
less-coordinated people who were flailing around wildly to the rock music that
blared in the band’s absence.
“Ahh, I
love this song!” Claire squealed as Meatloaf’s “Paradise By the Dashboard
Lights” started playing. The song had
been around since before she was born, but she’d grown up listening to it and
all the other classic rock songs her parents liked. A general murmur of approval seemed to swell
through the crowd, most of whom were older than her, and the dancing grew even faster
and sillier.
Eager to
join in, she pulled Jamie in further and started boogieing in time to the
upbeat music, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she threw her body from side
to side. She held on to Jamie’s hand,
encouraging him to join her, and within a few seconds, he’d found her groove
and matched his body’s movements to hers.
Grinning at
him beneath the dim green lights, she started singing along. “Well I
remember every little thing as if it happened only yesterday… parking by the
lake and there was not another car in sight…”
Jamie
mouthed along, his deep voice drowned out by the volume of the music and the
other people chanting around them. “And
I never had a girl looking any better than you did… and all the kids at school,
they were wishing they were me that night…”
“And now our bodies are oh so close
and tight
It never felt so good, it never felt
so right
And we’re glowing like the metal on
the edge of a knife
Glowing like the metal on the edge of
a knife
C’mon, hold on tight… c’mon, hold on
tight!”
As the
music swelled and slowed, Claire moved closer to Jamie, throwing her head back
as she lip-synced melodramatically, “Though it’s cold and lonely in the deep
dark night… I can see paradise by the dashboard lights…” She eased back, then shimmied closer as the
music picked back up again, her eyes locked with Jamie’s as she sang the girl’s
part. “Ain’t no doubt about it, we
were doubly blessed… cause we were barely seventeen and we were barely
dressed…”
Jamie’s
eyes were fixed on hers as well, and they shone with intensity above the gentle
smirk on his lips.
“Baby, don’tcha hear my heart, you got
it drowning out the radio
I’ve been waiting so long for you to
come along and have some fun
And I gotta let you know, no you’re
never gonna regret it
So open up your eyes, I got a big
surprise, it’ll feel alright
Well I wanna make your motor run…”
The back
and forth lip-syncing continued as the song went on, and after awhile, Claire
forgot about all of the other people dancing around her. For her, there was only the blast of the
music, the race of her pulse, and the look on Jamie’s face. He never broke his gaze with her, nor she
him. In the back of her mind, she was
aware of this, but it wasn’t weird or intimidating at all. It all felt so comfortable, dancing with him
like a spaz, being silly and overly dramatic as they did their own improvised
karaoke routine in the middle of the dance floor, their voices heard by no
one. She had visions of them acting the
same way at their senior prom, doing the hand jive to the Grease
“Mega-Mix” that had been popular that year.
“We’re gonna go all the way tonight,
gonna go all the way tonight, tonight; We’re gonna go all the way tonight,
gonna go all the way tonight, tonight,” they chanted together, and Claire broke into giggles, her body sagging
against Jamie’s as she laughed. His
strong arm came around her, holding her up as she swayed slightly. She got her bearings, but didn’t back away,
grinding her body against his instead through the “baseball commentary”
interlude of the song.
Her hand
drifted from his shoulder down to his chest, and she trailed her fingers across
his pec suggestively. Then, at the right
moment, she gave him a theatrical shove, singing along with the girl on the
song, “Stop right there! I gotta know
right now… before we go any further…
“Do you love me, will you love me
forever?
Do you need me, will you never leave
me?
Will you make me so happy for the rest
of my life?
Will you take me away, will you make
me your wife?
I gotta know right now… before we go
any further
Do you love me, will you love me
forever?”
Jamie
pulled her back up against him, so close that she had to tilt her head back to
see his face. Rocking her back and forth
in time to the music, he gazed down at her as he sang the response. “Let me sleep on it… baby, baby, let me
sleep on it… let me sleep on it, I’ll give you an answer in the morning…”
Back and
forth they went, their bodies grinding close together as the intensity built.
“… So now I’m praying for the end of
time
To hurry up and arrive
Cause if I gotta spend another moment
with you
I don’t think that I can really
survive
I’ll never break my promise or forget
my vow
But God only knows what I can do right
now…”
“It was long ago, and it was far away,
and it was so much better than it is today,” Jamie chanted as the music
began to fade. The lyrics struck a chord
in Claire’s bleary mind, and for a few moments, she let Jamie guide her
movements distractedly, forgetting to come in with her own part.
The song
cut short as the intro to an eighties rock song began, and Claire stumbled
backwards, breathless. She glanced down
briefly as she found her center of balance, then looked back up, catching
Jamie’s eyes. They were bright against
his flushed skin, making them appear even more intense. She felt her breath catch in her throat as
she gazed back at him, spellbound. Her
head was spinning, and she wasn’t sure if it was all the beer catching up to
her, or… something else.
The skin on
her neck tingled as Jamie leaned close to her, his chin swooping near that
area, where goosebumps had risen. “Wanna
take a breather?” he asked, his low voice rumbling in her ear. She could feel his warm breath on her skin,
and the tingling sensation intensified.
“Sure,” she
replied shakily and let him take her hand and lead her back to the bar.
“Two Bud
Lights,” he placed his order with the bartender and then moved to stand behind
her, resting his hands on her shoulders as they waited for the drinks. When the bartender slid two open bottles
across the counter, Jamie stepped around Claire and paid him for both, then
handed her one of them.
In the back
of her mind, she knew she shouldn’t keep drinking, but she was overheated from
dancing, her throat dry from singing, and she couldn’t resist the cold beer in
her hands. “Thanks,” she told Jamie and
took a long, slow swallow, savoring the refreshingly cool liquid as it slid
effortlessly down her throat.
“Let’s go
sit down,” he suggested, and Claire nodded gratefully; her legs had started to
feel sort of rubbery. Putting his hand
on the small of her back, Jamie guided her through the crowds to the smattering
of tables against the walls. But,
looking around in dismay, they both saw that all of the tables were occupied,
every chair full. They moved to a spot
against the wall instead, where Claire leaned, taking another sip of beer.
“You still
havin’ a good time?” asked Jamie, drawing near her again to make his voice
heard above the background noise.
“Yeah,” she
smiled. Gesturing to the people still
dancing, she added, “That was fun.”
“Yeah,” he
agreed. “Reminded me of back in the good
old days… if only they’d played the Grease song.” Flashing a cheesy grin, he did the hand jive
with one hand, his beer bottle jostling precariously in the other.
Claire
beamed, amazed that he had remembered that too.
“You’re the one that I want,” she sang teasingly, off-key, “You-hoo-hoo,
honey!”
Jamie sang
the “Honey!” too, impishly jutting his face forward towards hers like
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the movie. Her giggle was smothered when he went a step
further, capturing her lips in an impulsive kiss.
Before
Claire fully comprehended what had just happened, it was already over, and Jamie
was pulling away, watching her cautiously.
The expression on his face was that of a little boy, caught with his
hand in the cookie jar, as if he were waiting for her to get angry at him. But she was too stunned to be mad, and by the
time that it occurred to her that perhaps she should get mad, she
couldn’t. Not with the way her lips were
suddenly tingling, sending pleasant little shivers through her entire body.
Oh my… she thought, staring at Jamie through
wide eyes. The opening lyrics of the song
they’d just been singing played through her head, eerily perfect. I got chills… they’re multiplying… and I’m
losin’ control…
Mistaking
her stunned look for one of indignation, Jamie gave her a sheepish smile and
said, in a small voice she could barely hear, “I’m sorry.” Trying to look sorry, he stuck out his bottom
lip, forming the pouty look he’d perfected.
Then, as if he felt the need to justify himself, he added, “I-I didn’t
mean to… I couldn’t help it. You looked
so kissable,” he offered, shrugging, and smiled hopefully.
Claire
finally found her voice, though it was noticeably higher pitched than
usual. “Can we go outside?” she asked
weakly, feeling a strong desire to get out of the stuffy club all of a sudden. She desperately needed to clear her head.
“Sure,”
said Jamie with a shrug. He took one
last swig of his beer before abandoning the bottle, and she did the same,
leading the way towards the open door of the bar. It took awhile to find ‘fresh’ air; the
sidewalk outside the pub was just as crowded as the space inside, with drunken
men and women in green, most of them smoking.
Coughing, Claire hurried Jamie through the ashy haze and away from the
crowds.
“There’s a
park up here,” Jamie said, gesturing up the street a ways. “Wanna go there and… talk?”
“Yeah,”
Claire answered breathily, concentrating on simply walking properly, without
weaving or stumbling. Those last few
shots of beer had gone straight to her head, which felt fuzzy from the alcohol
and fried from the spark of a kiss Jamie had zapped her with. Oh my God, he really did just kiss me,
didn’t he? her intoxicated mind marveled.
She let out a giggle.
Jamie
turned to look at her, his concerned expression morphing into one of
amusement. “What’s so funny?”
She just
shook her head; she’d wait until she was sitting down. When they reached the park, she let Jamie
take her hand and lead her carefully through the soft grass to the nearest
bench. She sank down upon it, grateful
to get off her wobbly legs, and Jamie sat down next to her, putting his hand on
her back. “Are you alright?” he asked,
with the same hint of amusement in his voice.
“Yes… no
thanks to you. I think you got me
drunk, James Thomas,” she accused, narrowing her eyes at him.
“Hey, I
drank more than you!” he laughed.
“Well,
you’re bigger than me,” she huffed. She
tried to cross her arms and was momentarily confused when her right hand
thwacked against something hard. Then
she remembered her left arm was already bent and would stay so until her cast
came off in a couple weeks. She scowled
down at the meddling purple cast.
“Are you
mad?” asked Jamie, peering over at her.
“No,” she
answered easily and started giggling again.
“No, I got myself drunk, didn’t I?”
It was the only thing that was clear to her at the moment, as she felt
herself growing steadily more and more trashed as her system absorbed the
alcohol. Swinging her legs back and
forth over the side of the bench, she decided she didn’t really care. She felt great! Better than great! Electrified!
“Just a
little, sweetie,” Jamie said, patting her on the head like she was a child.
She swatted
his hand away but forgot to get mad at him for patronizing her – there were
more pressing matters at hand. “Did you
kiss me?” she asked, blinking at him several times, until his face came into
focus. God, he looked good, she
realized. His face seemed to glow
beneath the soft light of the streetlamps in the park, and she could just make
out a few beads of sweat on his forehead, beneath a fringe of slightly damp,
dark curls. She remembered the days of
running her hands through those irresistible curls as he pleasured her with his
kisses.
“Yes,” he
answered softly. As her eyes dropped to
his moving lips, she licked hers unconsciously, suddenly aware of a fire
kindling deep within her, a fire that had hadn’t flickered in months.
Oh God, the realization hit her. Jamie… I want him.
Startled,
her eyes flitted back up to his, absorbing their blueness. She’d always loved his eyes. They were beautiful. He was beautiful. “Jamie…” she murmured his name, closing her
eyes briefly. When she opened them, he
was still looking at her.
“Yes?” he
asked with a smirk.
“Will you
kiss me again?”
She had
already started moving closer to him, moistening her lips, when she heard his
flat response.
“No.”
She froze
so suddenly, she nearly toppled over.
Blinking, she cocked her head at him.
“Why not??”
“Cause it’s
your turn. Kiss me… I’m Irish.” He pointed out the words on his shirt with a
cheeky grin, giggling. Claire started
giggling too, though she wasn’t sure why it was so funny. Would she have still laughed if she hadn’t
been drinking? Haha, she was drunk,
wasn’t she?
“Quit
laughin’, Clairie. You can’t kiss me if
you’re laughin’,” said Jamie, but he was laughing himself. Claire only giggled more hysterically,
eventually falling into him. He pried
her off of him long enough to free his arm, which he then slipped around her,
pulling her close.
“Mmm… you
smell good,” she said loudly, sniffing him as she snuggled up against him. “Is that cologne?”
“Yep. Calvin Klein, Truth.”
“Truth…”
“Uh-huh. You wanna know the truth?”
“Truth?”
Jamie put
his face close to hers, his lips brushing her earlobe as he whispered, “I
really want you to kiss me now.”
Claire
stopped giggling as her heart swelled, leaving her feeling sort of dizzy, but
in a good way. She sat up straighter and
turned to look at Jamie. He was gazing
back at her, one of his dark brows arched in anticipation, his lips curved into
that sexy little smirk of his. She
licked her lips again and slipped her good arm around his neck, gently guiding
his head down as she tipped her chin towards it.
When their
lips met, her body began to tingle with pleasure again. This time it was not like lightning, quick
and fleeting, but like the finale of a fireworks show… constant sparks that
exploded and streaked through her body, taking her breath away. In her mind, she was eighteen again, young
and carefree… happy and in love…
So in love…
Her soul
was in ecstasy, as if an eight-year craving was finally being fulfilled. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed
him, but now that she was in Jamie’s arms, her lips locked with his, she remembered
what she had forced herself to forget for all these years. How warm he felt… how good he tasted… how
amazing he made her feel, her heart fluttering, stomach somersaulting,
serotonin coursing, goosebumps rising.
It was as
if she were kissing him for the first time.
Again.
But this
time, they were both older, more experienced.
The kiss wasn’t too wet or too dry, too light or too forceful, too short
or too long. They ended it with breath
to spare, but once she’d had a chance to inhale, she found his lips on hers
again, kissing her hungrily.
She kissed
back, caught up in her lust, too tipsy to realize the can of worms she was
opening as she parted her lips against Jamie’s, letting his tongue slip into
her mouth… letting him slip back into her heart.
***
Lyrics: “Paradise By the Dashboard
Lights” by Meat Loaf, “You’re the One That I Want” performed by John Travolta
and Olivia Newton-John