Pub

“Eddus!”

Mo climbed atop his barstool, raising a half-empty beer glass, as Eddus made his way through the pub to the table his friends sat at, his arm still firmly in Abbi’s grasp.

“I won’t blame you if you run away.” Eddus sighed, looking down at the young lady beside him, who watched, fascinated, as Mo jumped from atop the stool to the floor. Setting his beer glass on the table, he walked toward them. “There is no excuse for him.”

Abbi shook her head.

“I thought you said that everybody calls you Ed.”

“I’m not everybody,” Mo said, approaching them, “am I, Ed?”

He smiled at Eddus and then shifted his gaze to the petite young lady beside him.

“Wow,” he said, a momentary look of genuine surprise on his face, “are you old enough to be in here?”

“This is Mo.” Eddus looked sternly at his friend. “Feel free to ignore him. At the end of the table, there is Jay, and the young lady chugging her beer is Stiles.”

Stiles raised a hand, still drinking from her beer glass, and extended her middle finger at him.

“Ma’am, I do not mean to alarm you, but you seem to have something on your arm.” Mo winked at Eddus and then smiled at the girl beside him.

“Guys, this is Abbi.” Eddus sighed. Feeling almost as uncomfortable as he had outside minutes before, he shook his head.

“Hi,” Abbi smiled, looking at each of them in turn.

“Seriously, though,” Mo said, still grinning at her. He tilted his head toward Eddus. “You should have that seen to.”

“Go sit down, Mo.” Jay rolled his eyes as he stood up. “And stop being an ass. You’re going to scare her away. I’ll get another stool.”

He nodded to Abbi as he walked past them.

“The missus has spoken...” Mo gave a look of mock sheepishness and trotted back to his seat.

A moment later, Jay reappeared with a bar stool, which he placed beside his own, between he and Stiles. He then stepped to Abbi, gesturing to the table.

“It’s nice to meet you, Abbi,” he said. “Will you join us?”

“I’d love to.” Abbi glanced from Jay up at Eddus with a smile and slid her arm out of his.

Following a smile and nod from Stiles, she climbed onto the stool Jay had placed between himself and the actress. She was taller sitting on the stool than she had been standing on the ground.

Eddus took the seat beside Mo, opposite his guest.

“Abbi, right?” Stiles stood on the crossbar of her stool and waved to the waitress, indicating two more drinks, and then sat down again. “Is that short for Abigail?”

“It is,” Abbi said, glancing again at Eddus. She gave him a playful wink, her eyes bright.

“You’ve got to tell me something, Abbi. What the hell are you doing with this guy?” She inclined her head toward Eddus.

“Stiles, don’t.” Shaking his head, Eddus shot her a scowl, hoping she’d get the hint.

“Is that what you think?” Abbi narrowed her eyes, looking across the table with a teasing smile. “I’m not with Eddie. He’s with me.”

“Well, that clears things right up,” Stiles rolled her eyes with a laugh. She took glasses of beer from a waitress who’d come to the table, placing one in front of Abbi, then slid the other across the table to Eddus. “I take it those were your shoes Ed ran out of here with?”

“They were!” Abbi laughed. “I can’t believe he found me so far from the theatre.”

“I can’t believe you walked four blocks with no shoes on,” Eddus said, looking to his right at Mo, who quickly raised his glass to his mouth, glancing toward Jay.

“I took them off as soon as I got into the theatre.” Abbi shrugged her shoulders, poking at the froth at the top of the beer in front of her with her fingertip. “Truth is, I never wear shoes if I don’t have to.”

“What the hell, Ed,” Stiles said sarcastically, as she sat down, shaking her head. She gave him an annoyed look. “You are unbelievable.”

“What did I do?”

“You walk out of here carrying a pair of shoes, and come back with a woman,” Stiles said, nudging Abbi with her elbow and giving her a wink. Abbi glanced from Stiles to Eddus, biting her bottom lip.

“A trick you’ll have to teach us,” Mo laughed.

“Excuse you.” Jay shot Mo a look, who attempted to duck as Jay grabbed a handful of peanuts from a bowl on the table and threw them at his boyfriend.

“I take it Eddie doesn’t do this often?” Abbi raised her eyebrows, looking around the table. Eddus gave an exasperated sigh, tapping the side of his forefinger against his forehead.

“If you’re referring to returning lost shoes to their owners, I don’t think so, but I couldn’t really say,” Stiles snorted, “but you are the first girl I’ve ever seen “Eddie” with, well, period. He’s not exactly the outgoing type. Which again brings up my previous question of how you came to be here with him?”

“I’m sitting right here.” Eddus was beginning to tire of being spoken about as though he were not.

“I did notice he’s a little shy, but I think it’s cute,” Abbi said to Stiles, giving Eddus a sly look, like she could sense his annoyance. “And I asked him here, didn’t I, Eddie?”

“Please, don’t call me Eddie.”

Stiles tilted her half-empty beer glass, pointing a finger of the hand she held it with at him. “Ed, I don’t know how you convinced this girl to come back here with you, but I swear to Christ, if you let her go, I’ll kill you myself.”