The Game Changer (27 page)

“Come with us. What’s the big deal?” I reply as Mikey steps out of the room.

“No, JJ. I’m not going to be the fifth wheel. This is a special night. I’m not going to be the only one without a date.”

Luke adds, “De, you’re not the fifth wheel. It’ll be fun. JJ wants you to be there; ya gotta come.”

Deanna is about to protest when Mikey re-enters. “Now you have to go De. I’m not going to be the
third
wheel. Megan can’t make it either and I’ve been waiting all week to go to this place.”

“Mikey, what did you do? You can’t do that to her!” Deanna protests.

“Do what? She has to work late. She can’t make it, she just called. That’s why I stepped out, to take the call,” he says calmly as him and Luke exchange glances.

It takes him awhile, but Mikey is finally able to convince her that Megan really does have to work late.

***

By the time we reach the casino we still have a few minutes to kill. Although we’re unable to enter the casino gaming area without I.D., we are able to walk along the perimeter. Sounds of coins dropping into slot machines, levers being pulled, and the ringing of jackpots, fill the air. De and I are taking in all of the excitement while Luke and Mikey talk about the Poker tournament. As we walk closer to the restaurant we can see the hostess standing at the podium. We all recognize her as the blonde friend of my dad’s, who was at my house over the holidays. She has an assistant who is seating customers. As we approach, she informs the assistant that she will be seating us tonight.

“Hey, guys, I’ll be seating you, follow me. Your dad had me reserve the best table in the house. It’s private, away from the other diners, with a perfect view of the ocean. Aren’t we expecting two more?” Obviously, she’s been given the run down by my dad.

We answer,”Just us,” simultaneously.

The dining room is beautiful and the view is fantastic. Soft music is piped through the speaker system. The room is dim, with candles on the linen covered tables and a fireplace burning on the wall adjacent to our table. You can almost hear the sounds of the angry waves crashing against the boardwalk. My dad’s hostess friend wishes Luke and Deanna a Happy Birthday. My dad must have informed her of the occasion. “I’ll leave you alone to celebrate. If there is anything you need, please let me know. I’ll let David know that you are here.”

We thank her as she leaves our table and, once again, I have to listen to them bust on me about her. We are quite impressed with the restaurant. It is my first time here as well. I didn’t realize how nice of a restaurant it actually is.  My dad joins us a few minutes later, wearing his white chef jacket. I have never seen him in his chef jacket, either, since he leaves them at the casino to be dry cleaned.

“David, thanks for letting us come here tonight; this is awesome,” Luke says while Mikey and Deanna nod their heads in agreement.

“No problem; I told you guys before, anytime. Saturdays are sometimes tough, because we’re booked up. So, give me an idea of what you’re in the mood for... steak, seafood...”

“Are you kidding? We like everything!” the boys answer excitedly.

“Good, that’s what I like to hear. I was thinking about bringing you an assortment of dishes served family style...That way you can try a few different things from the menu.”

He asks if we are in any rush and we all reply that we’re not. He shows us the doors leading to the outside balcony, which is heated and enclosed in the winter. Again, the balcony is only lit by the flickering candles, giving the setting a romantic feel. It’s decorated with big, cushy, high back chairs around small bistro tables and there is a small bar in the corner. The view of the ocean and the sounds of the waves crashing against the boards, add to the romantic setting. As we sit around the small bistro table and talk, our appetizers are brought to us. The server identifies each of the items to us: lump crabmeat with fresh spinach spring rolls served with a Thai dipping sauce, beef and chicken satay, served with a peanut dipping sauce and a chilled platter of cocktail shrimp and crab fingers. When we are finished, Luke and I get up to get a better view of the ocean.

“JJ, this is awesome. Thank you so much. I’m having a great time. This is one of my favorite nights ever.” He leans down to kiss me.

“Me, too. If I would have known it was this nice, I would have been here more often,” I reply.

“Yeah, but this is too nice. This is for special occasions.”

“Then, we’ll have to have more special occasions,” I say as I kiss him again. “So what do you think of the two of them?” I ask, nodding my head in the direction of Mikey and De, who are sitting at the table laughing as he has his hand resting on her leg.

“Don’t get any ideas. There is no,
them two
. Mikey’s family. That’s it. Nothing more. They’ve been friends for a long time,” Luke answers quickly. A little too quickly.

“I know... but, what if? I’m just asking.”

“I can’t even think about that. Besides, De is really into Timmy, isn’t she?”

“Yes, she is... But, what about Mikey? What really happened with Megan tonight?”

He gets a grin on his face as he answers, “Mikey’s, Mikey. He has lots of girls. Granted, Megan is the longest I’ve ever seen him with, but, c’mon...
Do you really think she had to work late tonight?
” he asks, knowingly.

“I don’t think so, but that’s what I mean. He’s always there for De when she needs him.”

“Like I said, they’re friends. He’s family. Drop it.” He leans down to kiss me again. This time I get the feeling it is to shut me up.

We go back inside the restaurant to our original table. My dad, along with the server, delivers the next few dishes to our table. Grilled steak fillets, Chilean Sea Bass, grilled and served on wooden planks, a pasta dish and grilled asparagus, along with rosemary potatoes. There is so much food, De and I can only try small portions of each. Luke and Mikey, on the other hand, have no problem finishing off what is left. When we finish our
dinner, we go out to the balcony again to talk and try to digest some of our food. I’ve taken a few pictures with my phone throughout the night and as Luke and I are scrolling through the pictures, Mikey and De are standing by the edge of the balcony overlooking the water in what looks to be a serious conversation.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him brush a piece of hair out of her face as he tenderly moves his hand along her cheek. Their eyes are locked on one another as if they’re about to kiss when Luke calls out Mikey’s name. Mikey’s hand quickly goes to his side. Startled, they both turn to face Luke. Luke missed their interaction. He was looking at an app on my phone and wanted to show Mikey. Why am I the only one that notices something between them?

A small chocolate mousse cake is delivered with candles. As we quietly sing to Luke and De, they both blow out the candles. My dad comes to sit with us for a few moments before he has to head back to the kitchen. We tell him how much we enjoyed the night. Luke, Mikey and Deanna can’t stop thanking him for the wonderful evening. Of course, a check never arrives, but Mikey leaves an overly generous tip for the waiter. I try to give him money towards it, but he gives me the evil eye and tells me to put my money away. Luke laughs. As we are walking out of the restaurant, Mikey takes me aside, away from Luke and De.

“JJ, thanks for tonight. It was a great. I had a really good time. Even though I bust on you all the time, I hope you know I think you’re great. You’re the best and I’m happy Luke found you; you’re good for him.”

“Oh, my goodness! Is that you being nice?” I ask teasingly.

“Yep, that’s all I got for the night, though,” he teases back, putting his arm around me and pulling me into a hug.

“Well, thank you, anyway. It was a great time. I’m glad it was just the four of us,” I say as I give him a nudge.

“Yeah, me, too,” he says as he winks at me.

We get to CJ’s a little before midnight and there is a small line waiting to get in. Mikey calls over to the bouncer they know. As he waves us along, Mikey and De walk in, but, of course, he has to stop me by putting his leg across the railing to block my path.

“How old is she?” he asks Luke, who is standing behind me.

“C’mon, Lou, she’s eighteen. She’s my girlfriend,” Luke pleads.

“Luke, how old are you? You’ve been eighteen for like two years now, haven’t you?” he replies sarcastically.

“I’ve been twenty one for like two years now,” Luke answers as him and Mikey burst out laughing. The huge bouncer shakes his head and lowers his leg to let us pass. The funny thing is, technically, Luke’s not eighteen till next week.

(Luke)

As JJ and I push through the crowd, I’m suddenly aware of the guys checking her out. Funny, Alexa always attracts attention no matter where we go, but with JJ, it’s different. Alexa knows she is hot and flaunts it; JJ’s hot, but doesn’t realize it, which, in my opinion, makes her even hotter. Guys go for that, the innocent ones. Suddenly feeling overprotective, I take a firm grip of her hand. She turns to look at me with a puzzled look on her face. I must have been squeezing her hand too tight.

“You okay?” I ask, giving her a halfhearted smile.

“Yeah sure. Are you?” She gives me that,
you’re crazy
, look. 

“Just checking. If it’s too crowded, we can leave,” I say calmly, loosening my grip.

She assures me she’s fine. As we find our usual spot at the back bar, we catch up with a couple of our friends that are hanging out. Nights when this particular band is playing, the place is more crowded than usual. There’s not much space to move around. As the night goes on, JJ and I are enjoying the music and just being with each other,

Suddenly, someone bumps into me, hard, causing me to bang into JJ. Before I turn to see who it is, I notice Alexa’s best friend standing near me, out of the corner of my eye. I figure it must be Alexa, once again, trying to cause trouble. I act as if I don’t feel a thing and use it as an opportunity to hold JJ close. I refuse to take my eyes off her for a second. I will not give Alexa the satisfaction of thinking she can distract me from JJ. Thankfully, she catches on and doesn’t break her gaze from mine. I’m guessing Alexa has to get the hint sooner or later and back off. As we hold each other close, swaying to the music, it occurs to me, how much I love her. She has to be the coolest girl I’ve ever met. I can’t imagine not being with her. Feeling the mood of the night, starting with our awesome dinner, I’m ready to head home and spend some alone time with my girl.

“I want to be alone with you so bad right now. Are you ready to head out?” I whisper into her ear, pulling her close.

“I am so ready. Let’s go,” she whispers sensually, tugging delicately on the lobe of my ear, sending fire through my body. I put my hand under her chin, guiding her mouth to mine. I can’t help but kiss her deeply right then and there, not caring who’s around.

I grab her hand as we make our way towards Mikey and Deanna, who are sitting at the bar having a drink, to let them know we’re leaving. Then, we spot Megan heading in Mikey’s direction, looking as if she is breathing fire. Mikey, unaware, has his back to her. Before he has any warning whatsoever, she calls out his name. The second he turns in her direction, she throws her drink in his face!

“Holy Shit! I can’t believe she just did that!” I say to JJ with a huge smile across my face as she elbows me in the stomach.

“What the Fuck!” Mikey shouts before realizing it’s Megan. It happens so fast.

“You don’t look sick to me, you asshole!” she yells.

Deanna nervously brushes pass her and comes to stand with me and JJ, afraid to get caught in the middle. Mikey tries to scurry for an answer and starts to dry off his face with a napkin while Megan continues to blast him. Her friend quickly ushers her out when she begins to cry.

Mikey follows her...
and
, we follow him.

“Did you see where she went?” he asks frantically, looking around the parking lot.

“I think she’s over there, sitting in that car,” De points out sheepishly.

He hurries to the car where she is sitting. The three of us head to our car to wait. Not to be selfish, but I was hoping this wouldn’t take too long. I can’t wait to be alone with JJ.

“So, I guess she didn’t have to work late, huh?” De asks.

“I guess not,” I answer from the driver’s seat. I can see in the rear view mirror that JJ is comforting De, telling her it isn’t her fault.

We all sit quietly, waiting for Mikey. Finally, he angrily slides in the passenger seat and slams the door shut. I can’t help but glance over. He shoots me a look, giving me the hint that it’s not a good time for questions. I think it may have been the quietest the four of us have ever been together.

As we pull into my driveway, I have to break the ice. “So, did everyone like their dinner tonight?” We all break into laughter, including Mikey.

“Luke, you comin’ home tonight, or stayin’ at JJ’s?” he asks, already sounding like he’s in a much better mood as he jumps out of the car and heads towards the house.

“Stayin’ at JJ’s. David’s hangin’ out at the casino after work. She should be pushin’ me out the window by like five or six,” I say sarcastically as she gives me a shove.