Alex’s face soured. “Max, you sure you don’t wanna team up against Manny and Moe?” Alex asked.

“No way,” Max said, stretching and cracking his knuckles as if this game required any physical endurance whatsoever. “Me and Manny are the dream team when it comes to charades.”

Alex turned back to Romero, his face as sour as ever, but then smirked and rolled his eyes. “I guess I’m stuck with you.”

“Are you kidding me?” Romero said with a scoff. “I’m the king of charades. Stick with me, and we’ll be the new dream team of charades.”

“Yeah.” Alex laughed. “I’m sure that’ll make the girls go wild.”

Angel laughed, surprised Alex was even there. He would’ve thought with the two chicks Alex had left the restaurant with today he’d still be busy or at least have better things to do on a Saturday night than be here playing charades with Romero’s uncles.

The front door opened, and everyone turned to see Eric and Sof walk in. Behind them was Valerie and right behind her a dude. No way would she be stupid enough to bring another guy here, especially not if Romero’s reaction at the pizza place was any indication of what might happen if she did. She knew full well there was a good chance Alex would be here tonight. If anything she had to know Romero would not take too kindly to any guy she showed up with. Angel turned to Alex, who was already on his feet, the laughing expression completely wiped from his face. Angel handed Sarah the plate with the pizza he’d been holding and stood up cautiously.

He saw Alex and Valerie exchange glances even from way over at the far end of the long corridor to the front door where Valerie stood. Then Alex zeroed in on the guy who leaned into her ear and whispered something.

“Who the f**k is that?” Romero asked, picking up on Alex’s sudden agitation.

“Let’s find out.” Alex set his beer down on the counter and started toward them slowly.

Just then another two girls walked in. One went straight toward the guy, who wrapped his arm around the girl’s waist, and the other walked over to Valerie. “I brought some friends,” she said to Romero as she walked toward him. “You said it’d be okay, right?”

Romero peered at the guy who’d walked in behind her and was now smooching with the giggling girl who’d walked in after Valerie, and smirked. “Yeah,” he turned to Alex. “It’s cool, right?”

Alex nodded headed toward Valerie whose eyebrow lifted as he approached her. Angel walked back to Sarah. “That was close,” he said as he sat down.

“She knows about the two girls today,” Sarah informed him as she bit into one of the slices of pizza.

Angel turned to her surprised because they’d come straight here from the restaurant. When had she had time to tell her?

As if reading his mind, Sarah shrugged. “I’d already decided maybe it was better if I didn’t say anything. So I wasn’t going to unless she asked directly. As luck would have it, she texted me today to ask if I knew if he was going to be here tonight and if I’d talked to him lately or seen him.” She frowned and took a deep breath. “I wasn’t gonna lie.”

What wasn’t surprising was that Alex had barely gotten a few words in with Valerie when she stalked away to the other side of the room and sat with the couple and other girl she’d walked in with. His mood changed completely as he sat there, unable shake whatever it is she’d said to him and failing miserably at not looking her way. Suddenly why he was here and not somewhere else made sense. He’d come here to try and explain what he’d evidently been certain Sarah had already told her.

Romero quickly confirmed the couple with Valerie was a team as was Valerie with the other girl who’d walked in with them. The first painful round of charades started with the birthday boy and Manny going first. They were off to a bad start as the timer went off and Manny wasn’t able to figure out what Max was trying to describe. “What the hell was that?” Manny asked as Max pulled out a hanky to wipe off the sweat he’d worked up.

“J.F.K!” Max said. “Everyone knows his head went back like this, not forward like them conspiring bastards who murdered him want you to think. Okay, maybe it didn’t make much sense—”

“Much?” Manny practically yelled out. “His head went back once. He didn’t go into f**king convulsions like you was doin!”

“All right. All right.” Romero stepped up. “Big fat zero points for you two.” He held up his hand in a shape of a circle. “Now sit down and see how it’s done. We’re up, Alex. I’ll do this.” He picked up a card, read it, and smirked. “Too easy. All right, you ready?” Alex nodded. “It’s two words, but pay close attention ’cause what I’ll be doing has nothing to do with the title.”

He put the card down, placed both hands behind his head, and then did his famous violent pelvic thrust. Immediately everyone in the room was laughing. Everyone that is except Alex who looked more annoyed than amused. “What the hell is that?”

“Turn the music up, Max,” Romero said then spun around, bending over and placing one hand on the floor as his ass began to twerk.”

“Are you kidding me?” Alex asked. “I don’t wanna see that shit?”

Sarah could barely breathe she was laughing so much. So were Valerie, her friends, and everyone else for that matter. Manny and Max laughed too, though Manny was claiming he knew exactly what movie Romero was doing.