To Nick's relief, he was able to divert the conversation with a round of Sambucca shots, which turned into two and three rounds by the time Sal and Ruth had offered to buy drinks as well. On Fay's third Sambucca, she waited until everyone had finished their shots, concealing her drink under the bar before emptying it into Adam's glass when he turned to talk to Nick. Seconds later however, Adam sensed that she was up to something and swung his head back to her, picking up his shot glass and looking at her suspiciously.
"Silly you," she said quickly, "you didn't finish it all."
"Hmm, really? You wouldn't be lying to me would you Fay?"
She shook her head innocently.
"Look me straight in the eyes then and tell me that this is my Sambucca shot," he said with a grin.
She looked sheepish and her eyes avoided his guiltily. "Sorry, can't look you in the eyes."
"Oh no, and why not?" he asked.
"Err," she began, trying to think of an excuse, "because...erm... I'm too dizzy from drinking all the Sambucca shots."
He laughed loudly with the others, handing her the glass. "Drink it madam because if I have to drink it, the consequences for you will be much worse!"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"Hey, I have to get up early tomorrow too you know," he exclaimed, leaning towards her to add in a whisper, "besides, if you drink a few of those it'll make it easier for me to have my wicked way with you tonight."
She laughed and whispered back, "You're no gentleman."
"You're right there, I've told you that before," he said, winking at her.
Sal absentmindedly played with her empty shot glass and giggled to herself as she watched Fay and Adam.
Nick's eyes darted sideways in her direction. "What's so funny?" he asked.
Sal addressed the group. "Have you ever just been sitting there and you were suddenly transported back to a specific time and place?"
Everyone frowned and turned to Sal, trying to figure out what she was talking about.
"You've been watching too much Dr Who recently haven't you." Nick laughed. "Remember, in the real world the Tardis is only a police box, the Daleks are just remote controlled, and David Tennant isn't really a time lord," he reminded her, as if she were a small child.
She pulled a face at him, "I don't mean literally stupid, I'm talking about suddenly remembering a certain set of events vividly."
"Oh okay, I'm sort of with you now," Fay nodded. "So what are you remembering then Sal?"
She grinned. "That time when Adam threatened to throw you in the sea... come to think of it, he did throw you in."
"Which particular time? He's done it that many times now that it's all a bit hazy in my memory," Fay chuckled.
"You must remember. We were having a meze outside Thea last summer. You were there," she said to Ruth, "and so was Ann and Pat. We secretly sent a message to Adam from your phone and for some reason I can't remember, he threw you in the sea, fully clothed too!"
Realisation dawned on Fay's face then and she laughed. "Yes, and there was seaweed in the water; and I literally tried to climb back up you to get away from it," she said to Adam.
"And you tried to kiss me," he added with a grin.
Fay frowned and shook her head. "No way, you tried to kiss me!"
"You did," Adam mouthed back before their bantering was interrupted by loud laughter from Ruth.
"I know what you're talking about now Sal. I just had a vivid picture of Fay sitting underneath the table, talking to herself with a glass of wine in her hand."
"Why was she sitting under the table?" Nick asked, wondering if this conversation could possibly get any more bizarre.
"Because we were playing truth or dare; and Fay wouldn't tell us if Adam had tried to kiss her or not, so we dared her to sit under the table," Sal explained.
"You should have seen the look on her face when Adam turned up and caught her sitting under there," Ruth said to Nick, causing an outburst of hilarity.
"She was so snooty and uptight back then," Adam teased. "Of course, I've had a good influence on her since she's been with me."
Fay slapped Adam on the arm. "Watch what you say Mr Arrogant or you'll be spending this evening alone."
Adam glanced across at Nick who was watching them and shook his head, speaking under his breath. "That'll never happen; she can't resist me really."
"What did you just say?" Fay asked Adam with a warning tone in her voice.
He turned to her with a Cheshire cat grin. "Nothing darling. Oh yes," he said, changing his mind, "I said that you are not at all snobby or uptight and that is why we are going to have one last Sambucca before we go home."
She sighed, trapped between admitting that she was snobbish and uptight and accepting another shot.
"One last shot," she said firmly, "and then we go."
Adam gave a look of triumph, turning back to Nick again. "See, told you. She can't wait to get me home!"
Fay suddenly growled at Adam with frustration and annoyance, launching herself off her stool and making an attempted attack. He chuckled and held her wrists in his hands rendering her helpless.
"Look, she can't keep her hands off me either," he laughed, ducking as she managed to free one arm to take a play swing at him. "Now calm down sweetheart, let's leave this sort of fun and games for at home when we are in private eh," he teased with great amusement.
"Yes we had better be in private," she said through gritted teeth, "so that nobody will see when I beat you to within an inch of your life!"
"Ooh, sounds interesting. Will you tell me that I'm a very bad boy?" he grinned.
She finally gave up the battle and sat back on her stool, trying to adopt a serious expression as they all chuckled at the entertaining display.
"You're chauvinistic, big headed and arrogant in the extreme Adam Ford and I'm not talking to you anymore," she concluded, turning her face away from him.
"Who was it that said that she was snobbish and uptight? As you can see they got that very wrong," he said with sarcasm.
His face fell however when she continued to sulk and he tickled her ribs in an attempt to make her smile. She squirmed away from him, trying not to smile but laughing out loud when he eventually tickled a sensitive spot.
"Okay, okay! Let's have this last shot so that we can get out of here before you embarrass me any further!" she said, pushing his hands away and reaching for the shot glass Ruth eventually placed on the bar for her.
"No cheating this time baby," he grinned, waiting for her to finish the drink before he tipped the contents of his glass back into his mouth.
"Right, now it's home time. I also have to be up early tomorrow and I'm not doing a welcome meeting with a Sambucca hangover," Fay said with conviction, jumping off her stool and wobbling slightly.
Ruth laughed, watching Fay's lack of balance. "It may be a little too late to worry about that!"
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she gets to bed," Adam grinned, paying Ruth for the drinks.
"I bet you will!" Ruth called after them as they headed for the door with Adam's arm around Fay's shoulder.
"You don't really think that I'm arrogant and bigheaded do you?" Adam asked Fay at the door.
She nodded. "Definitely. You don't really think that I'm snobbish and uptight do you?" Fay asked Adam.
He nodded. "Definitely," and then whispered to her, "shall we get to bed?"
She nodded and they both giggled, opening the door and making their escape down the street.
Ruth, Nick and Sal watched them leave and sighed, each of them wishing that they had someone to go home early with.
"Another Sambucca?" they said in unison, bursting into laughter.
"I really don't think I should have any more shots tonight," Sal said, placing yet another empty shot glass down on the bar. "I'm feeling a little dizzy."
Nick chuckled. "Nothing new there then Sal, you're always a little dizzy!"
"Not any more mister, I've turned over a new leaf," she announced.
"Really, and what kind of tree are you then?" he asked, feeling a little lightheaded himself.
Sal and Ruth frowned at each other.
Ah hell, he was beginning to make as much sense as Sal!
"What I mean is that, if you were a tree, which one would you be?" he said, attempting to explain himself.
What was he saying? He was talking a total load of rubbish. He hoped they wouldn't pick up on that.
Ruth and Sal giggled.
"He's losing the plot," Sal said, patting him sympathetically on the arm.
"I bet you'd be a real ditzy, flouncy tree," Nick continued, cursing himself for opening his mouth and wondering what on earth he was going to come out with next.
"What do you mean?" Sal laughed.
"You know," he began, with no control over what he was saying anymore, "you'd be all flirty with all the other trees. You'd probably grow blossom in the springtime and then shed it all bit by bit, day by day, driving all the oak trees insane!"
Ruth and Sal fell into fits of hysterics and when Sal got her breath back she just about managed to ask a question without bursting into laughter again.
"So," she began, stifling a laugh, "what tree would you be then Nick?"
He thought for a moment and then announced with a grin, "I'd be a Giant Redwood, the biggest tree in the world!"
Sal giggled and rested her head on the bar, looking up at him.
"Oh yes, and why is that then Nick?" she grinned.
He lifted an eyebrow. "Because I have very long legs and those trees have very long..." he paused, "trunks."
Ruth and Sal both failed to hold back the laughter any more.
"I bet you say that to all the trees!" Sal said, with tears running down her cheeks.
"I think that you were right in the first place Sal, I think we should slow down on the Sambucca," he chuckled, "that is if we are ever going to make it into town."
"Hey that's a good idea, let's go down town now," Sal said with enthusiasm. "Want to come?" she asked Ruth.
Ruth looked undecided. "I may come down later, I have to tidy up in here first and I'll have to wait for that couple to finish their drinks," she said, gesturing towards a couple of tourists at the other end of the bar.
"We can wait for you," Sal replied.
"No, you two go ahead," Ruth insisted, "I'll see you down there if I'm not too tired later."
"You sure?" Sal asked.
"Positive," Ruth confirmed.
Nick stood up and reached into his back pocket. "How much do we owe you Ruth?"
"Nothing. Adam paid for all the drinks," she informed them.
"Oh," Nick said with surprise, "that was good of him."
"Yes it was, he's okay is Adam," Sal agreed, grabbing her bag ready to leave.
"Well, give me a ring on my mobile if you decide to come and we will let you know where we are," Sal said.
Ruth collected the glasses from off the bar and proceeded to tidy up.
"I will," she called out to them as they headed for the exit, "have fun."
When the fresh evening air hit her, Sal began to feel the effects of the Sambucca even more and she grabbed onto Nick's arm to steady herself as they walked down the cobbled pavement towards the town.
"Don't let me have any more Sambuccas," Sal said to Nick, stumbling on a cobblestone. "Difficult to walk on here with these shoes," she mumbled to herself.
"Oh so it has nothing to do with the wine and five Sambucca shots you had then," he said sarcastically.
"Maybe just a little bit," she said, indicating a little of something between her finger and thumb and stumbling again when she let go of his arm to do so.
She twisted her ankle and slipped down towards the pavement, however he caught her just in time by both arms and hauled her up towards him. There was a moment of silence then when she caught her breath and regained her balance while he studied her face intently.
He wondered how she would react if he just kissed her then. No, he couldn't do that, she'd be shocked. Or would she?
She wore a relaxed, contented smile on her face as her eyes gazed back into his, but his body was nothing like relaxed. It was like a tightly coiled spring, and he wondered how much longer he could go on like that, pretending to be just friends with her.
"You rescued me! You're my hero," she exclaimed, holding on tightly to one of his arms and stooping to pick up her fallen handbag from off the floor. "Hey, you've been working out at the gym," she said as she stood back up and felt his arm muscle flex underneath her hand.
"I've always worked out in the gym," he stated.
"Oh," she said with surprise, "didn't realise that. Anyway," she went on, "how about giving me a piggy back into town and saving me from falling flat on my face?"
She sidled behind him and pressed her body against his, ready to jump up when he caught hold of her.
Bloody hell Sal, show some mercy will you!
"Come on Nick," she said impatiently when he hesitated.
He reached behind her and she jumped onto his back, forcing him to catch her around her thighs.
"You're my best friend in the whole world," she said, resting her head on his shoulder.
He wished she would stop going on about being best friends and seduce him senseless!
prev chapter
![[send message]](https://www.writerscafe.org/images/mail.png){kind=small}
![[befriend]](https://www.writerscafe.org/images/friend.png){kind=small}
Share This
Email
Facebook
Twitter
Read Request
My Library
Flag Writing
