Page 46 of Electric Touch
“Wait, so you met before the gig?” Dylan asks, eyeing me as he tosses some chips into his mouth.
“Clearly,” I tell him.
“And then you ran into each other again?” Jenna asks after Adrestia tells her about our second meeting at the bar. “That is so cute.”
“Jen, calm down,” Elsa says with a smile as she stacks chips.
Ciro is shuffling the cards. He’s listening and looked at Adrestia speculatively a few times since she sat down.
“What? It’s cute.” Jenna says. “And now you’re… Friends?” she looks between us.
“Yes, friends,” Adrestia says. I keep my mouth shut. “Nash is teaching me how to play guitar.”
“Really?” Dylan says, dragging the word out.
I roll my eyes at him. “Yes, settle down.”
“You’re learning how to play guitar from this guy?” my brother laughs.
“He’s an excellent teacher,” Adrestia states. “We’ve only had two lessons, and I can already play a couple of songs.”
“Which ones?” Nick asks.
We spent a few minutes talking about her lessons as Jordan and Alessa reappear with more drinks. He has his red plastic visor cap on, which Adrestia eyes but doesn’t comment on. Jenna repeats some of the story for Jordan and Alessa’s benefit.
“Guitar,” Jordan shakes his head. “What you want to learn is the drums.”
“I’d love that,” she replies.
“Excellent!” he shouts. I don’t think for a second he will offer to give her lessons. She doesn’t ask, so the conversation moves on.
“What do you do, Tia?” Elsa asks after she’s dealt the cards.
Everyone picks theirs up to decide if they’re in or out. Adrestia is focused on her cards and doesn’t answer Elsa. When everyone is quiet, she realises she has been addressed and her cheeks blush.
“Sorry,” she holds her cards to her chest.
“That’s okay,” Elsa laughs. “I just asked what you do.”
“I’m a college professor.”
“Wow, that’s amazing,” Elsa replies. “What do you teach?”
“Math.”
The room goes silent for a moment, then Jordan fakes folding his cards and laughs. “You brought a mathematics professor to poker night, bro?”
“I don’t cheat,” she says, looking around at everyone.
“Trust me guys, she wouldn’t,” I tell them.
Jordan points two fingers at his eyes, then her, and grins. “The eye in the sky will watch you.”
“Do not make accusations,” Alessa shakes her head at Jordan. “Why you do not believe she can be good card player, that she have to cheat?”
“I didn’t say that, angel,” Jordan frowns and looks at Adrestia. “I wouldn’t accuse anyone of that. Besides, if anyone cheats, it’s that guy,” he points at Nick.
“What the hell?” Nick blurts. “I’ve never cheated at poker in my life.”