"Rick, I didn't know you drank beer," Ashley said over the table, as I cracked the top of the bottle and took a swallow. I tried to think of something cool to say, but I was a little surprised that Ashley even bothered to notice, so the best I could come up with was, "I don't mind one now and again," as I took another swig. I drank the beer and sat at the table, feeling kind of grown up because I was hanging out with my sister and her friends, drinking beer with them.
Before long, the boys were mixing bourbon and cokes for themselves and the girls, and the voices were getting louder, and the laughter more raucous. I could see Lisa and Craig seriously making out on a single seater couch in the corner, and Gail was kissing Pet in the other corner, over near the bench where they were mixing the drinks.
I went to the stereo to change the CD, and as I was flicking through the CD's in the rack next to it, I picked up one by Nirvana, and started to look at the playlist. Ashley came over a moment or two later, and also started to look through the CD's, and then she looked at the one in my hands.
"I love them," she said, looking at the CD in my hand.
"Yeah, they're brilliant," I answered, turning to look at her.
She stepped a little closer, looking at the CD cover in my hand, and said, "They started out so long ago, but their music is just as good as ever, and some of their later stuff just reaches out to you."
Ashley and I stood there, talking animatedly about Nirvana and Pearl Jam for few minutes, and Pete came over with a bottle of beer from one of his six packs. He handed it to me with the cap off, and said, a little louder than necessary, "Here, Rick, get another beer into ya!" I didn't drink much then, and I could already feel the effects of the first one, but I took the bottle, and he put a hand on my shoulder, then he winked, nodded at Ashley, and said, just as loudly, "Be gentle with her Ricky Boy, it's her first time, this week anyway!" and he turned and strutted back to Gail, on the other side of the room. I could feel myself blushing red, and I saw Ashley turn and poke out her tongue, and wrinkle her nose at Pete's back, as he walked across the room. She saw me looking at her, and said, "Don't worry, he can be a prick sometimes, when he's had a few beers."
I took a mouthful of beer, and then Ashley reached out and took the bottle from me, and took a mouthful from it herself, making eye contact the whole time, and then handed it back, saying, "Not bad, but I think I'll stick to bourbon."
I took a breath, and I was trying to think of something cool to say, but Gail called out from the other side of the room, and Ashley excused herself, and walked over to her. I didn't really feel like drinking any more beer, but the sexiest girl I knew had just had her lips on the bottle, so for that reason alone, I took one more mouthful, and looked round the room. Ashley had her back to me, laughing and speaking to Gail and Pete, and in the other corner, Lisa and Craig were in an amorous huddle, and suddenly I felt out of place. I had felt a little excited over what I saw as a shared moment with Ashley, and it was a bit of a letdown after the boost my ego had just had, from talking to her about rock bands, and finding she was interested in my opinions, to seeing her seemingly lose interest so quickly, so I walked from the room to the kitchen, where I tipped the beer down the sink.
As I stood there, at the sink, I thought about the way Ashley had sipped from my beer bottle like that. It was almost flirtatious, I thought for a moment, but then the rational side of my mind told me I was a dickhead for even thinking that a beautiful girl her age was the least bit interested in a guy like me, especially her best friend's little brother.
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