sandwiched me between him and Seth as he slid on the bar and picked up the beer Seth had bought for him. “And they’re all hot.”
I didn’t even bother glancing over. I wasn’t interested; I wasn’t here for that. And besides, Vince liked temporary things—I didn’t.
“Big surprise,” Vince muttered when I didn’t say anything. He jutted his chin outward and offered a quick wave to the group of women that were on the other end of the bar.
“Come on, Vince,” Seth said, leaning over the bar so he could better see Vince. “We’re not in town to pick up ladies.”
“No shit.” Vince drained his beer and waved for another. “Think I don’t know that?” His shoulders tensed, causing his elbow to bump into me. “Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a distraction. Fuck, we all could.”
“I’m engaged,” Seth reminded him. “And Chad’s married. And Liam—”
“Is still boring. I know.”
I let it roll off my back. Vince was the most abrasive of all of us. Having served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan only to lose one of his legs in a motorcycle accident on U.S. soil had made him angrier than he’d been when we were younger. Back in high school—and even the early years of college—the five of us had run around town wreaking all kinds of havoc. Will’s parents usually bailed us out—literally or figuratively—but ever since we all graduated and grew up, things were tenser between us than they’d ever been. Vince had gotten angrier. Chad had married and had kids—settling down. Seth had moved across the country, making him physically absent. Will had begun to take bigger risks—crazy, elaborate trips that most people wouldn’t dare to do. And I’d stopped spending time with all of them. Our twice-yearly guy vacations had turned into once a year, and still, I hadn’t joined for most of them.
I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with me. After my mom died, Will didn’t leave. He stepped up. And I’d stepped back. From all of them. It was clearly not just a defining moment in my life, but a defining moment for all of our friendships. Seth had moved away after graduation for a job. Vince had gone off to Afghanistan. Chad had married his longtime sweetheart. And I’d quietly and slowly distanced myself from them all—emotionally and physically. I felt like I didn’t even recognize Vince anymore—like I was holding onto him because of our shared memories with Will, but not because I particularly liked him anymore.
And just thinking that made me feel like fucking shit.
“Liam isn’t boring,” Seth said. I’d forgotten Vince had said that. “He’s got responsibilities.”
Vince set his beer down and leaned over the bar, talking to Seth like I wasn’t even here. “Yeah? More than us? Chad’s married and has twin baby Chads, and he’s here. You’re getting married in a month and you live in fucking Maine, but you’re here. Liam isn’t married. Doesn’t have any spawn. Lives the closest to the city. But we had to drag him out here.”
Always the peacemaker, Seth held up his hand, but it was too late. “You didn’t have to drag me anywhere,” I said, quietly. Vince was quick to anger, and his angry voice had led to many bouncers removing us from bars. “If I didn’t want to come out tonight, I wouldn’t.”
Vince scoffed. “Some company you are, peeling off the label of your beer bottle instead of actually talking. Jesus, do you have anything to say?”
I set my jaw. “You think this is easy for me? Will should be here. He should be convincing us to take tequila shots and go off roading in the desert. Am I supposed to act like his absence isn’t all the more obvious right now?”
Something about that made Vince soften. “I don’t know if it’s easy for you. You’ve been M.I.A. for months. You don’t reach out to see how we’re doing. He was our friend too. He was our brother too.”
“I know. That’s why this shit isn’t easy.”
Chad returned, settling down next to Seth. “What’d I miss?”
“Just me getting a number,” Vince said, waving it in front of my face like a flag. “How’s the wife?”
Chad ran a hand over his face and sighed. “Tired. Elijah is having some sleep regressions, he kept her up all night. She’s not thrilled to be caring for two four-month-olds by herself.”
The rest of us nodded like we understood, but we didn’t. None of us were parents, and for the moment, Chad was