“Ppfft… I-” All at once, the words caught in his throat and Thomas, usually so sure of himself, hesitated.
“I…I’m no wet blanket! I guess I’ll tag along.” There was no room for thoughts of hesitation now as Eli jumped up from the recliner in triumph, a broad smile stretching across his lips.
“Great, see you then! Dress snazzy, my friend, you already know the password so no backing out now.”
Thomas managed to blurt out a small laugh. “Wasn’t planning to!”
Wherever the surge of rebellion had come from that afternoon’s conversation was now long gone. Thomas clenched and unclenched his fists, walking stiffly among the other insurgents undoubtedly longing to have the buzz of alcohol filling their veins.
Searching the surrounding area for a glimpse of his rule-defying friend, Thomas felt his body tense. What if Eli didn’t show up? What will I do without him? Letting his head fall back, he sighed, praying to whatever deity was out there that nothing bad had happened to his irritating companion. The bright colors of the fading sunset drew the nerves from his body for a brief calming moment.
The sky was painted a splendid orange with a few drab, purple clouds dotting the skyline. Lightbulbs clicked to life weakly, illuminating the worn signs of the sketchy-looking shops and bars. It was almost… picturesque.
Right as Thomas felt himself releasing the tension he had held for so long, a hand clapped down onto his shoulder. The stress returned to his rigid posture and spun around, ready to vehemently defend the unsavory position he appeared in.
“My friend! Dear Thomas, why so stiff?” Eli’s playful tone ricocheted off the looming buildings caging them and Thomas fought the urge to deck his ‘friend’ in the face.
“Not gonna lie to ya, Eli, this little ‘adventure’ of yours isn’t settling well with me.”
“Come on, Thomas. Let’s live a little! Don’t you think you deserve a break from the real world? Give us your best performance!”
Looking at Eli’s elegantly goofy gestures eased some of the tension in Thomas’ shoulders and he smiled, his long lost playfulness rising to the surface of his being. Adjusting his collar in the slightest, Thomas prepped his most dramatic, masculine sigh and knocked softly on the bar table.
“Ahhhh, it’s been too long since I remember…” Thomas gave another knock on the bar table and continued,“...the taste of some good panther’s piss… Oh well.”
One last knock, soft, but it got the person attention from behind the counter.
“Bartender, can you get my friend and I something a little special?”
The man quirked his eyebrows, suspicion in the gaze around the empty bar, but he gave a small smirk and tilted his head to the back. Thomas returned the smirk and Eli slapped him hard on the back with a huge grin.
“‘Atta boy!”
The two head to the back, following the still quiet bartender as a hallway slowly appeared. Music drowned by the walls of the building blurred with the blood rushing to Thomas’ ears and the bartender’s soft words somehow made it through the door blocking them from the party within. Eli’s grip on his shoulder tightened with excitement and the door swung open with a loud creak. Thomas didn’t remember stepping foot into the large hidden room, but the as soon as the door closed behind him, his senses overflowed with the nearly forgotten thrill of letting loose once again.
Compared to the music played during the slightly obscure news channel, the jazz that flowed in the room was intoxicating. The upbeat tune vibrated up his spine and down to the tips of his fingers and toes. Everything there was wrong, but it felt so right. Thomas could hear the roaring of his logical and emotional part of his mind fade but the fluttering in his stomach remained as Eli almost threw him to the heavily occupied bar, yelling over the music to order some well-deserved drinks. Suddenly, Thomas was silent. Was this a really good idea?