That Wedding

Phillip doesn't come talk to me or come beat the boy's face in. He calmly sits next to Nick and eats a piece of pizza. I grab the tip out of the boy's hand and go back behind the bar.

"Bradley. Shit! Phillip just walked in, and that guy practically had his hand down my shirt."

"Yeah, I saw that," Bradley says.

"Who's Phillip?" Cutie One asks.

"Her fiancee," Bradley drawls.

"Oh, this is go

"You're waiting tables. Helping me out. Tell him you were go

"Philosophers are good liars, huh?"

"We just see all angles of the truth."

"We really should've done more talking."

He laughs, well, he and the cuties laugh, and they say, "Tell us another story."

I walk away and think that the way they're all huddled together, he does.

I go to Phillip.

I figure I'll stay in character, break the ice.

It's all just fun and games.

Plus, you can't get into trouble when it's just fun.

In theory.

"Hey, can I get you a drink?"

"Only if I get to tip you like that guy." He gets up, grabs me, and pulls me in close to his face. I thought he was go

"You think I look sexy?"

"I do. So you stopped texting me."

"Oh, I knew there was something I was forgetting! But I couldn't cuz my phone got in an accident."

"Oh, really? An accident?"

"Nicky, show him my phone!" Nick holds up the baggie full of rice and my phone. "See, it's in rehab. Drying out." I laugh. Ha ha ha. I'm verrrryyy fu

"How many shots have you had?"

I run my hand through my hair, thinking. "Uh, I'm not sure. Three, fourish, five, maybe?"

"What are you drinking?"

I give him a taste.

"It's water," he says.

"Oh no, it's water mixed with this special vodka. High quality, top shelf stuff. That's why it's so smooth. You want one?"

"Naw, I think I'll go talk to Bradley. Looks like your pool boys need more drinks."

And then I come up with a brilliant name.

"Kicky Nicky!! Get it? Cuz you're a kicker? And kicky can also mean like fun. And you're always very fun, especially when you take me to the bar. Aren't we having fun?"

"How 'bout we see if you remember it tomorrow?" Nicky says.

"Oh, okay." I go wait on the pool table group while Phillip walks up to the bar.

I realize that Phillip didn't kiss me. That's really not like him. And now, he's sitting at the bar chatting with Bradley, who was just discussing my past sex life with the cuties.

Shit.

I think this calls for an intervention. No wait, I mean, an interruption. I don't know, whatever. I need them to stop their talking!

I walk up to Phillip and wrap my arm around his shoulder. "This is my fiancee."

"We already know that," the cuties reply in unison and give me eat shit grins.

Shit, is right.

Uh, what to say? What to say? Uh.

"Hey, Bradley, let Phillip try that special vodka and maybe one of those special shots too. You know, the one you haven't named yet."

"I just decided on a name, actually," Bradley says. "It's called Sex on the Stairs."

Phillip says, "That's a good name. I will definitely have one of those and a couple more pitchers."

The cuties are snorting with laughter.

I shut my eyes.

I'm freaking dying inside.

Bradley winks at me. "The special vodka is just for you."

"You'll have to text me the name of it, so I can get some. I like drinking vodka that's soooo smoothy woothy."

"Why don't you take these to the pool table group while I make you another one."

I go, come back, and tell Bradley, "They want another pitcher and two more glasses. Oh, and more Jaeger shots. I'm good at up-selling."

Phillip says to the cuties, "Why are you all wet? Was it raining earlier?"

They tell him about my dropping the pitchers. About it raining beer all down their heads. They make it sound like I was just a clumsy klutzy klutz.

I stand up for myself. "I only dropped them cuz I was startled when he smacked my ass!"

Phillip narrow his eyes at the cuties and stands up.

All six-foot-three-inches of prime Nebraska beefcake.

My god, that boy is hot.

I'm feeling a little warm myself. Shots make me kinda horny if I'm completely honest.

He says, "Don't do it again."

The cuties cower slightly. "No problem."

Phillip takes his Sex on the Stairs shot and the pitchers over to the booth.

"Seriously, Bradley? Sex on the Stairs!?!?!?! "

"Yeah, I just decided it was the perfect name. It'll catch on, and baby, you'll be famous, or infamous, something like that."

"I don't wa

"I'm pretty sure you're already there."

"Already where? No, I'm not there yet. I was just saying, I'm going to go get drunk with my friends."

"Never mind, but you can't. You're not off work yet. My waitress isn't here."

"I'm just pretending to work. I think you know that."

"Well then, you need to go in back and change, and I better help you. Make sure you get it all off."

"Uh, maybe I'll just keep working."

"Thought so."

I go eat another piece of pizza and pretend wait on Phillip's table.

Phillip gets back up, grabs me, and kisses me deeply.

"You're drunk," he says.

"Not really. Like maybe, sorta."

"And what the hell was Bradley talking about? Your burning bush? Do I even want to know?"

Shit! Why did Bradley have to tell him that? I cover my face with my hand. "Uh, not my, um, uh, I had a dream. I became a burning bush. Literally burst into flames. God was punishing me."

Phillip peeks through my fingers and moves my hand off my face. "For what?"

I make a sad face. Well, I try to. "Um, you."

"Me? What did I do?"

And okay, so I might be a little drunkish. Cuz I usually don't gush over a boy like this unless I'm drunk. "Made me fall hopelessly and irreversibly in love with you," I tell him sweetly.

"So why were you burning?"

"Cuz God thought my being in love with you was against his wishes, I think, and so he burnt me. I was being blasphemousious. Is that a word? No, wait. I was blasphemic. No, that's not it either. Nicky, what is that word?"

"Blasphemous."

I snap my fingers and point at him. "Yeah, that's it. That's what I was. Good job, Nicky."

Nick says, "Yeah, she turned into a," BAHAHAHAHA, "burning bush."

They all start laughing again.

Well, all of them but Phillip. I'm thinking God burning me because I'm in love with him is probably not very reassuring in regard to and concerning our future.

Really, I'm sorta having a hard time thinking exactly, but whatever.

Phillip turns around, grabs his shot. "I think I'm go