Chapter 307

After getting the address of the pub, you ended up deciding to walk again instead of driving since Sabrina and Gemma weren’t going to wear heels and the place was only a few blocks away. Suburban blocks, so it was still a good ten minutes, but closer than the dance club had been.

Sabrina had decided to keep wearing your shirt tied up like a crop top but had swapped out the yoga pants for khaki capris and running shoes, while Gemma had changed into jeans and boots that highlighted her legs and paired it with a shimmery white tank top that covered most of her cleavage and focused your attention up to her smile. The girls had also quickly braided each other’s hair, giving them almost matching looks.

Paul, Brent and Edgar walked with you, while Ollie decided to drive with Corey and Victoria. The walk itself was fun, with the guys bantering and making sure to include you and the girls as bets were laid on whether Edgar’s local girl would show up or not. Walking up to the pub building it was about a block away from the main shops and was at the end of a string of three storefronts that were kind of small-town picturesque. It had fancy-looking pot lights out front clearly illuminating the space, and tall stained glass windows with an oak double door at the leading corner of the building.

Inside, the pub had one main bar along one wall currently manned by a trio of bartenders, one big guy with lots of silver in his hair and two college-age female bartenders, and a couple of waitresses walking around as well. There were tall tables over in an area that was clearly focused on sports viewing with a big projector screen hanging from the ceiling, though instead of sports at the moment the small stage in front of it was occupied by what looked like a couple setting up a drum kit and speakers. There were also normal-height tables and booths throughout the rest of the room. The place was maybe two-thirds full, but not in the crowded way that everything else had been in the town for the holiday weekend. There was room to walk between the tables and the noise of the conversations going on wasn’t deafening in the enclosed space.

You all headed for the back area and found that the empty booths would fit five, so you and the girls split from the guys so that you could claim two booths.

A waitress came over and you ordered a pitcher of water and a pitcher of a local craft beer to share, and she nodded and bounced away to fetch it. Soon the three of you were drinking and talking over the edge of the booths with the guys, and not long after that Corey, Victoria and Ollie walked in, with Ollie joining the boys and the couple joining you.

The band, with the female playing the drums and singing and the male playing guitar and crooning harmonies, kicked off a little too loud but soon got themselves dialled in and they were pretty good. Some more people filtered in as well, and soon the place was hopping. Corey and Victoria went to find seats closer to the music, and Ollie and the boys went with them since that was where it looked like the largest concentration of ladies around your age were.

“OK,” Gemma said once the three of you were alone in your booth and the guys’ booth had been taken over by another group. “So. Boundary talk?”

Sabrina nodded, leaning forward after putting down her beer, and you agreed.

“Who wants to go first?” you asked.

“You should, baby,” Sabrina said, rubbing your forearm. “We set the terms for all this early on, I think it’s fair that you set the baseline in this conversation.”