he'd forget the conversation even happened. Liam had taken worse opportunities to come out of the closet. "Go to enough LGBTQ meetings, you figure stuff out."
" Of course you do," Ace groaned. "Frankie! Top me off!"
Liam had no idea how to take that.
"That's not a top off, that's a refill." She came back down the bar, clucking her tongue. "You better hope Liam here is stronger than he looks 'cause he's gonna be carrying your Napoleon-sized ass home."
" Actually, Napoleon was above average height," Liam offered, the cool stability of facts comforting in the moment. Ace didn't seem upset. He didn't seem to be anything, except thirsty. Even the Napoleon comment had left him unphased. "The short thing was a political campaign."
" Huh. Learn something new every day." Frankie poured Ace a third drink with the same heavy hand she'd done the last two with. "All I can tell you is that Ace here is heavier than he looks."
" All muscle." Ace gathered his third drink close as if Frankie might snatch it back. "I can hold my liquor."
" Sure you can." She rolled her eyes.
" It's okay. I think I can manage him."
" That," she reached out and patted Liam on the cheek, "is what they all say."
" Frankie!" Goose swanned in. "Tragedy! My glass is empty."
" It's okay, baby, I got you." She backed down the bar, mixing away.
" She's my angel, Professor." Goose draped himself over Liam's back, vodka and hot sauce breath tingeing the air.
" So you guys are an item then?"
" She keeps turning me down." Goose groaned, pressing down heavier. Liam braced himself against the bar. Apparently Ace wasn't the only one heavier than he looked. "I know she digs me man, but she won't take the leap. Burned before or some shit. I don't care about any of it, I keep telling her, but she won't listen."
" Maybe if you tried asking her with a straight face for once," Ace said. "She thinks you're all talk."
" I am only ninety-seven percent talk. Six percent awesome and five percent ink. How many percents is that, Professor?"
" Too many." Liam shrugged hard, dislodging Goose only a few inches to the right. "Maybe you should email her instead. Sometimes it's easier to say what you mean when you write it down."
" You're brilliant!" Goose laid a wet smacking kiss on Liam's cheek. "I require a pen! And paper!"
" How about your drink?" Frankie passed him a toxic-green-filled glass that fizzled as Goose buried his nose in it. "Figured you could use a little sweet to mellow out."
" Frankie, I need a pen and paper." He told her after the first swallow left his teeth green.
" Why? You gonna draw on my bar again?"
" Nuh uh." Goose stage whispered. "Gonna write you a love letter."
" That's sweet." Frankie laughed, digging into her pocket. She handed him a pen and a stack of cocktail napkins. "Have at it."
Once she was back down the bar again, Goose slipped into his own stool and clicked the pen open . "Okay, Professor, lay it on me."
" What?" Liam took a sip of his Coke. "It's your letter, man."
" You can't leave me high and dry!" Goose fluttered his eyelashes. "Come on, help a guy out!"
" Tip one," Ace said around another ice cube, "don't talk about her breasts."
" Like you would know." Goose snorted. "I'm not even talking to you about this. When was the last time you went home with the same person two times in a row?"
" Huh." Ace crunched down. "Two years ago? Yeah. Wow. That does not sound good out loud."
" I keep telling you, you're pathetic. A pathetic man ho." Goose poked Liam with the tip of a pen. "So let me have it."
" I haven't even had a one-night stand in three years. I don't think I'm your romance guru." Liam slid out of pen's reach. It had the uncomfortable side effect of bumping him against Ace, trading the smell of hot sauce for peppermint.
" How are you still walking around?" Goose shook his head. "That's like epic level blue balls, my friend."
" You should lead with why you like her," Liam offered. "Like her personality and then the way
" Of course you do," Ace groaned. "Frankie! Top me off!"
Liam had no idea how to take that.
"That's not a top off, that's a refill." She came back down the bar, clucking her tongue. "You better hope Liam here is stronger than he looks 'cause he's gonna be carrying your Napoleon-sized ass home."
" Actually, Napoleon was above average height," Liam offered, the cool stability of facts comforting in the moment. Ace didn't seem upset. He didn't seem to be anything, except thirsty. Even the Napoleon comment had left him unphased. "The short thing was a political campaign."
" Huh. Learn something new every day." Frankie poured Ace a third drink with the same heavy hand she'd done the last two with. "All I can tell you is that Ace here is heavier than he looks."
" All muscle." Ace gathered his third drink close as if Frankie might snatch it back. "I can hold my liquor."
" Sure you can." She rolled her eyes.
" It's okay. I think I can manage him."
" That," she reached out and patted Liam on the cheek, "is what they all say."
" Frankie!" Goose swanned in. "Tragedy! My glass is empty."
" It's okay, baby, I got you." She backed down the bar, mixing away.
" She's my angel, Professor." Goose draped himself over Liam's back, vodka and hot sauce breath tingeing the air.
" So you guys are an item then?"
" She keeps turning me down." Goose groaned, pressing down heavier. Liam braced himself against the bar. Apparently Ace wasn't the only one heavier than he looked. "I know she digs me man, but she won't take the leap. Burned before or some shit. I don't care about any of it, I keep telling her, but she won't listen."
" Maybe if you tried asking her with a straight face for once," Ace said. "She thinks you're all talk."
" I am only ninety-seven percent talk. Six percent awesome and five percent ink. How many percents is that, Professor?"
" Too many." Liam shrugged hard, dislodging Goose only a few inches to the right. "Maybe you should email her instead. Sometimes it's easier to say what you mean when you write it down."
" You're brilliant!" Goose laid a wet smacking kiss on Liam's cheek. "I require a pen! And paper!"
" How about your drink?" Frankie passed him a toxic-green-filled glass that fizzled as Goose buried his nose in it. "Figured you could use a little sweet to mellow out."
" Frankie, I need a pen and paper." He told her after the first swallow left his teeth green.
" Why? You gonna draw on my bar again?"
" Nuh uh." Goose stage whispered. "Gonna write you a love letter."
" That's sweet." Frankie laughed, digging into her pocket. She handed him a pen and a stack of cocktail napkins. "Have at it."
Once she was back down the bar again, Goose slipped into his own stool and clicked the pen open . "Okay, Professor, lay it on me."
" What?" Liam took a sip of his Coke. "It's your letter, man."
" You can't leave me high and dry!" Goose fluttered his eyelashes. "Come on, help a guy out!"
" Tip one," Ace said around another ice cube, "don't talk about her breasts."
" Like you would know." Goose snorted. "I'm not even talking to you about this. When was the last time you went home with the same person two times in a row?"
" Huh." Ace crunched down. "Two years ago? Yeah. Wow. That does not sound good out loud."
" I keep telling you, you're pathetic. A pathetic man ho." Goose poked Liam with the tip of a pen. "So let me have it."
" I haven't even had a one-night stand in three years. I don't think I'm your romance guru." Liam slid out of pen's reach. It had the uncomfortable side effect of bumping him against Ace, trading the smell of hot sauce for peppermint.
" How are you still walking around?" Goose shook his head. "That's like epic level blue balls, my friend."
" You should lead with why you like her," Liam offered. "Like her personality and then the way
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