We pulled up at Lila's an hour before the band was supposed to perform. There was a little crowd but nothing major. Mari said it gets packed around 9 p.m. which is precisely why our curtain call was 9:15. She also mentioned how Lila's social media has blown up with news of the band debuting with a new lead singer.
I hoped I didn't disappoint the band's supporters.
I held the door open for the girls and strolled in behind them.
"How have I never been here before?" Freya said, doing a spin, admiring the place. Lila's doesn't look like your typical bar. It was a mixture of edgy and hippie. There were dark simple, and clean colors but also had random crystals and flower pots and greenery hanging all over the place with a few string lights here and there. If anything, it was the perfect mix of the owners' personalities. Hippie being Mari's mom and edgy being her dad.
"Bars aren't usually my scene, but this place looks nice," Freya said.
"I'm glad you like it," Mr. Santiago said, coming out of the kitchen with a tray full of sparkling clean drinking glasses. He rested them on the counter and walked around the bar to greet us.
"Hi, Mr. Santiago." I waved.
He lifted his head. "It's Adrian." He's been trying to get us on a first-name basis since we met. He hasn't been successful.
Mia shook her head. "It took him years to call my dad by his first name, and up to this day, he switches back and forth from Mr. Harper to Wyatt. So don't even bother trying to stop him." Mia made it sound like it was a lost cause. She's right.
Santiago chuckled, shifting his attention to her. "Hi. You must, Mia." He stuck his hand out for a shake.
She smiled beautifully. "Yes. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Santiago." She shook his hand then placed them on Freya's shoulders. She politely introduced the two.
"Adrian." He corrected them when they began to refer to him as Mr. Santiago.
Mia scrunched up her face. "Yeah, That's weird."
"See?" I gestured to Mia as if to say, "my point exactly."
"How about we compromise? Call me Santiago. Everyone at the office does. And it doesn't make me feel as old. Actually," He scratched his beard. "It makes me feel like I still got somewhat of a cool factor going on." He shoved his hands in the pockets of his ripped black jeans and grinned.
"Dad, accept it! You're aging," Mari said, walking up behind us. Santiago's face grew serious as he considered Mari's words.
"Nope. I refuse. What do you guys think?" he asked the three of us.
We took a minute to take in his appearance. The only time you noticed a hint of aging on this man was when he smiled, and you spotted his laugh lines. Other than that, his olive complexion was unblemished and completely wrinkle-free. No doubt it was the strong Latin genes that made him appear immortal. He had on one of his typical everyday outfits, ripped jeans, combat boots, and loose-fitted sleeveless band t-shirts that looked like he's had it for ages now. It seemed Santiago's office attire was more suited for his age than his casual clothes. But to each their own.
"Honestly, I don't think I could guess your age right if I tried. I feel like you look younger than you are." Mia spoke up for all of us while Freya and I agreed.
He wagged his fingers at us. "I like them!" he announced. "Wings and fries are on me tonight, kids."
Freya whooped with excitement. He winked, walking back to the kitchen but not before he mussed up Mari's hair, causing her to squeal and rush to fix it blindly. She smoothed it down with both her hands until she felt satisfied.
"Do I look okay?" she asked us, her eyes frantically traveled from one to the other and then the next.
"Yes. You're gorgeous!" Freya exclaimed. "And your hair is so pretty." Freya's eyes went wide. "How do you get your curls to look so defined? I've had this mop..." She aggressively pointed to her head. "On top of my head since the day I was born, and no matter how much I nourish and love it, it still dares to frizz on me and or go, poof, when it's humid and rainy."
Light laughter flowed from Mari's lips. "It's not easy, that's for sure. And thank you for the compliment. It took me forever to get ready. After I swore, I was so confident with my outfit, on my way out the door. I took one look in the mirror, and I began to question every style choice I'd ever made in my life." She sighed with a pout. "Eventually, I gave up and just threw this on." She pointed at herself with two fingers.
"Oh no. This outfit is perfect. It complements your figure. This is something I would wear if I had your petite frame." Freya replied with a sigh of her own.
"Psh!" Mari flicked her wrist. "Trust me. Your body is something to behold too."
Freya lightened up again and smiled at her. "Thank you."
I cut in. "Mari, this is Freya." I introduced them. "And this Mia." I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
Mari stood staring speechlessly at her before she blurted out. "WOW! You're so stunning. I think you might have me questioning if I'm playing for the right team." Mari replied, looking her up and down.
"Um, thank you," Mia said bashfully, bowing her head and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"You're welcome. I've been excited to meet you both since Greyson." Mari nodded at me. "Can't stop talking about you two." As if on cue, Freya and Mia glance over at me with matching Cheshire cat grins.
"I don't remember saying much about them," I coolly denied it.
Mia playfully elbowed me, seeing right through the lie.
"EVERYONE! EVERYONE!" Dean shouted, entering the bar with his hands up like he was trying to calm a screaming crowd. A few onlookers were briefly amused while the rest of the people just looked confused. He took off his aviators and stuck them in his shirt pocket. "Please, no pictures and autographs. I know you are all dying to see me but try to contain yourselves. There's enough of me to go around." Dean strolled in with Tobias on the left and Tatum on his right.
Tobias was on his phone, not paying any attention to Dean's obnoxious entrance. Tatum, on the other hand, wanting to separate himself from Dean as smoothly as possible, simply sped up to walk around him, pretending they didn't know each other.
"Hey, hey! Where are you going? We're a unit. We walk together." Dean pretended to scold him. Or was he being serious? I couldn't tell. Maybe it was half and half.
Either way, Tatum dismissed him with a flick of his wrist, not bothering to look back. He joined our group of three, and a smile lit up his face when he saw Mari with us.
"How is it that I haven't seen you all day?" Mari asked him, bringing him into a hug.
"You missed me?" he asked playfully, securing his arm around her back. I knew her response would stir up something in him if she said exactly what he was hoping to hear. It was crazy how the tiniest thing people said and or did could have the most heartwarming effects.
Mari rested her head against his chest and shrugged her shoulders. His question remained up in the air. But her actions spoke volumes.
No one uttered a word, afraid to interrupt their moment. Mari gave him one final tight squeeze then released him, slowly easing out of his embrace. When the two noticed they had an audience, Tatum cleared his throat and shoved his hands into his pockets while dramatically taking a step back. On the other hand, Mari averted her gaze from the group as she rocked back and forth on her feet.
"So," Dean said loudly. He would be the first one to speak at a time like this.
Tobias slipped his phone into his front pocket, entirely focused on everything happening around him. He was also the first to introduce himself to the girls.
"Hi Mia," he instantly recognized her and gave her a friendly smile. "I'm Tobias."
"Nice to meet you," she replied.
His eyes shifted from Mia to Freya. "Hi..." he trailed off.
"Hey," Freya said as they continued staring intently at each other.
Dean cleared his throat, chuckling under his breath.
"I'm Freya. I'm their neighbor." she stuck out her hand but kept her eyes on his face. "And their...Um... f-f-friend," she stammered in a daze.
"Nice to meet you," Tobias said but didn't mention his name. Then again, she probably overheard him, so it was no big deal.
Dean eagerly interjected, swinging his arm over Tobias's shoulder. "This is Tobias. Please excuse his odd behavior. He's usually isn't rendered speechless around pretty girls," he said charmingly.
Tobias glared at him, but he was unbothered.
"Anyways, I'm Dean. Nice to meet you, sweetheart." He winked. Then moved on to Mia. "Hi, Mia." He waved. At this point, everybody should know everyone's name without introductions.
"Hey Dean," Mia replied sweetly.
"Random question," his face grew serious. "Do you have any sisters? Preferably older and single?" he smiled, waggling his eyebrows, but it didn't last long because Tobias flicked his ear. Hard.
"Dude, not cool," Dean grumbled. Tobias just smirked.
Mia and I exchanged looks, and I knew she was silently asking me if they were like this all the time, and I nodded.
"Are you guys like telepathically communicating to each other?" Dean asked, pointing his finger back and forth between the two of us.
"Um," Mia began but was at a loss for words.
Dean continued, "Awe, you guys are so cute. Drinks are on me tonight!" He moved around us to throw both arms around our shoulders. "Wait, you guys aren't old enough to drink yet?"
We shook our heads. Mia isn't even old enough to be in the bar yet, but Lila gave her a pass when I asked her for permission to bring her anyways.
"You aren't old enough to drink either!" Santiago snickered, reappearing behind the bar. "Going around trying to give alcohol to minors and prancing around like you own the place."
"I don't prance," Dean said with annoyance.
"Yeah, you're right. But what do you call this." Santiago imitated Dean's walk to the T.
"That's how you walk when you have...wait for it... swagger." He dusted off one of his shoulders.
"And you wonder why you're still single?" Santiago deadpanned, causing all of us to burst out with laughter.
Dean frowned. "Who said I was looking for a girl?" he lifted a single brow, daring him to provide facts.
"The existence of your tinder profile says it all." He fired back without missing a beat.
"OOHHH!" Tobias and Tatum said.
"Shots fired," Mari added.
Dean rolled his eyes. "You're such a hater. You wish you were my age again so you can go sow your wild oats or whatever it is that you old people used to call." He crossed his arms, looking unamused and uncaring.
"Did you just call me old?" Santiago put down the shot glass that he was drying.
"What? I would never do such a thing, old man," he goaded.
Santiago froze. Then in one quick fluid movement, he slammed his hands on the bar top swung his body over the counter, landing perfectly on his feet like some sort of feline.
Dean became a deer in headlights. "You wanna say that again?" Santiago asked, making slow, menacing strides towards Dean.
"Okay, okay, okay." Dean held his arms out, motioning for him to stop.
"I apolo- SIKE!" Dean made a run for it, and Mari's dad chased him.
This was a pretty normal day with these guys.