Love and Its Lies

Eighteen - Over Drinks

Eighteen

“What,” Danny began to say through gritted teeth, putting emphasis on every word, “the hell were you thinking?”

John had left the room to find a cooler for the beer that he had brought, and to get a serving of pie for Danny, leaving Aly alone to face the journalist's rightful anger.

“No, you weren’t thinking, were you?” Danny continued, pacing and pointing an accusing finger at her, who was starting to feel guilty. She looked up at him like a child, as if being scolded by her own mother. “I already told you it’s dangerous. I told you to leave it to me—no, you said you’d leave it to me!”

Thinking about her analogy, she did what used to work for her mother when she was angry at her—she gave her best pity eyes and adoringly tugged on Danny’s wrist with both her hands. For once, she thought, there was no use trying to fight fire with fire—admittedly, she only thought this because she was in the wrong. Danny raised an eyebrow as he looked down at where her hands touched him.

“Danny, come here, sit down for a sec, will you?” Aly calmly pleaded.. She tugged on his wrist one more time before he begrudgingly sat beside her. It was the angriest she’d seen him so far. Usually, he was just annoyed at her, but this time his head was almost red with rage. If it weren’t for John being two rooms away, Danny's voice would certainly be louder.

“I can’t believe you, Aly!” he hissed, the disappointment clear in his voice. “How can you be so thoughtless? Do you know how dangerous this is?”

“I’m sorry I came here without telling you, but I just really wanted to find more answers,” Aly said.

Danny narrowed his eyes, suddenly looking doubtful. “Answers or are you just trying to cozy up with Mr. Perfect over there?” he spat.

Aly raised her hands and vehemently shook her head. “I swear, I’m here for the file,” she promised. Danny still looked untrusting of her actions, but at least he seemed to be calmer.

“Look,” she whispered, “I didn’t exactly have a plan, but now that you’re here, we can work together. That’ll make it easier for the both of us, right?”

Danny only rolled his eyes in answer, so she continued, “I can distract him while you pretend you need to go to the toilet upstairs. Unless, of course, you want to be the one to distract him and talk about sports.” She specifically put emphasis on the last word, knowing it would strike a reaction from Danny.

The mention of sports was enough to change his expression into that of horror, and Aly saw right through it. Seizing the opportunity, she said thoughtfully, “You’d probably have to talk to him for another hour about it or something… So, what do you say to this partnership? Isn’t it better than having had come here for nothing? It’s two against one.”

Danny looked at her intently, and she could almost hear his thoughts as he weighed his options. Finally, he spat, “Fine, but you do the distracting.” He made a face at her and added, “Also, stop saying that this is a partnership. I work alone.”

Aly smiled at him, contented. Then, just for the heck of it, since the fire had just been doused, she teasingly pressed a finger in the middle of his frowned eyebrows and said, “You sound like my mom when you’re angry, you know?” then proceeded to imitate his frown and voice, her hands on her hips, “Aly, stop and think, will you? Young woman, you never listen!”

Just as Danny was about to say something in rebuttal, his temper risen again, John walked back into the room with an ice cooler and a plate of pie for Danny.

“Sorry for making you wait. I couldn’t find the cooler,” he sheepishly said as he made his way towards them, seemingly unaware of the fight and plotting that had just happened. Aly nudged at Danny discretely until he moved to the other end of the couch, making way for John to sit in between them.

“I heard some shouting,” John said with concern, opening a can of beer. “Is everything alright between you two?”

Aly and Danny exchanged knowing glances.

“Oh, it was nothing. Danny here was just a bit pissed that I went here instead of finishing coursework,” Aly lied without blinking. She shot an adoring glance at Danny and said, “He’s such a worry-wart when it comes to my postgraduate studies.”

“I just don’t want auntie to blame me if you don’t start on your thesis next year,” Danny said, easily jumping in on the excuse. How he knew about Aly’s thesis, she didn’t know. Aly made a mental note to ask him about it later.

John pursed his lips and nodded understandingly, buying what they were spewing. “I’m sure Aly won’t have trouble catching up,” he said, to Aly’s delight. “She is very smart after all. If it weren’t for her, I probably would have failed a class or two in college.”

Aly rolled her eyes, but she was clearly blushing. “Oh, come on, now. I helped in one measly project is all.”

Danny wanted to scoff, having had heard of the story behind it. Instead, he only opened a can of beer for himself and drank a sip.

“It’s so nice that you two seem so close,” John said. After taking in a few gulps, he asked, “How are you cousins again?”

“My dad—” Aly began to say.

“Our moms,” Danny immediately corrected, glaring at her for not listening well to the backstory he had made up, “are cousins.”

“Hmm, neat,” was all John said, opening the floor for Aly to show him their yearbook. John was so delighted that he didn’t even notice when Danny caught Aly’s attention and nodded towards the beer. Just like that, she understood what Danny planned to do.

“Let's have a toast first,” Aly said, grabbing a beer for herself and raising it. John was surprised, but went along.

“Sure,” he said, “what should we toast to?”

“To friendships, old and new,” Aly proposed. The three clunk their drinks together.

“Bottoms up!” Danny cheered, and so, that’s what John did. In just a few seconds, he downed one can and slammed it on the coffee table with an energized “Whoo!” while the two beside him only pretended to drink.

“You sure can drink, John!” Danny said in awe as John crushed the can with a hand.

“There were a lot of parties in college,” John explained. “We used to do drinking competitions in the dorms,” he reminisced with a smile.

“And John won quite a lot. He was unmatched back then,” Aly said with pride. “Danny, weren’t you the same back in college?” she discretely winked at Danny behind the other man.

“Oh,” Danny said with a knowing smile, “I was. I could finish five tall beers in five minutes.” That was, in fact, a big fat lie. Danny only drank once in college, but he drank one too many and woke up in a parking lot the next noon, and never touched alcohol again until he had to for work meetings.

“I bet John could take you on,” Aly teased. “What do you say, John?”

“Well, it’s not like we have morning classes tomorrow,” John said with a smile, “Five in five minutes, bring it on!”

As the two lined up five cans each, Aly took it upon herself to set a timer on her phone. John, now all pumped up, stretched his neck sideways as he wriggled in the couch to find a comfortable position. Danny, on the other hand, simply glanced at him with a smirk.

“Alright, ready, get set, go!” Aly said, starting the timer.

John did not disappoint. As soon as he was given the go signal, he began to empty one can after the other. Danny pretended to do the same, but drank only half of three cans. Just in time for the time to run out, John crushed the last can in his hands and raised both arms up.

“Time!” Aly called out, her eyes wide at what she had just witnessed.

“Oh, darn,” Danny exclaimed with his eyebrows raised—not because he lost, but because he didn’t really think that John would fall so easily for such a bait.

John cheered, looking so proud of himself. A second later, his expression changed sour and he immediately excused himself to the bathroom—which, as Danny correctly assumed, was on the second floor. As soon as he was gone, Aly leaned towards Danny and asked with concern, “Are you okay? You finished three.”

“I’m good, but wait here a second,” Danny said, taking the three cans of beer he supposedly drank and ran to the kitchen to pour their remaining contents into the sink. He returned just in time as John—who now had a small wobble in his step—walked back downstairs.

“Danny, you fought a good fight,” he said as he plopped himself on the couch.

Danny shrugged, feigning embarrassment. “I guess I lost my thunder in college,” he simply said.

Aly took the opening and scooched towards John. “Speaking of college,” she said, opening up the yearbook. “Do you remember Brandon from the football team?”

Of course, John remembered. Now more casual and lightheaded, he goofily smiled at her and exclaimed, “Bren—Brandon! Ah, that dude was the best! I bet he looked way kinder back then. Which one is he?”

As the two huddled over the book, Danny said, “John, can you point me to the toilet? I think the beer's trying to burst through my bladder.” He shook the now empty cans he pretended to finish.

“Upstairs, end of the hall, man,” John simply replied, thinking nothing of it.

Aly glanced up at Danny, as if to ask if he’d be okay. He gave her a light nod and a small reassuring smile before saying to John, “Gotcha,” then went on his way to finally do the job he was there for.