Bonus story : More than just colleagues : Part 29 : One Last Drink

The workday ended without incident. The last client had signed the paperwork, the truck had returned to the depot on schedule, and after a few minutes of tidying up, all the equipment was back where it belonged. Patrick gave the inside of the truck one final check while Karim closed the rear doors and Aldric folded the last of the moving blankets. Lucas, meanwhile, leaned against a crate and watched the others finish up.

Patrick put the keys away in the office, Karim picked up his bag, and Aldric slung his own over his shoulder.

“Want to grab a drink?” Lucas asked.

“Now?” Patrick asked.

Lucas shrugged.

“Why not?”

Karim checked the time.

“I can stay for a little while.”

“All right.”

Lucas turned to Aldric.

“You?”

“Yes.”

Lucas pulled out his phone.

“I’ll ask Emma.”

He sent a message directly to the group chat.

Lucas: Anyone up for a drink?

Emma: Where?

Lucas: Terrace near the depot.

Emma: On my way.

Patrick glanced at his screen.

“That was quick.”

They left the depot. The bar was less than a ten-minute walk away, on the corner of a small tree-lined square. They had been there several times before, and the waiter recognized them as they approached.

“The usual table?”

Lucas smiled.

“We have a usual table now?”

The waiter pointed to a table off to one side of the terrace.

“You almost always sit there.”

“Apparently we do,” Patrick said with a smile.

They sat down. Patrick took the chair facing the street, Karim sat to his right, Lucas across from him, and Aldric chose the seat beside the one Emma usually took.

The waiter set the menus on the table, but Lucas raised a hand.

“The usual for me.”

“Beer?”

“Yes.”

Patrick ordered the same, as did Karim, while Aldric ordered a lemonade.

The waiter was about to leave when Aldric added,

“And a non-alcoholic cocktail, please.”

“Since when do you drink cocktails?” Lucas asked.

“It isn’t for me.”

“Emma?” Karim asked.

“She should be here soon.”

“We’re getting really predictable…”

“Habits make certain decisions easier.”

“That is an incredibly Aldric way of justifying the fact that we always order the same thing,” Patrick said.

They did not have to wait long before Emma appeared at the far end of the street. She crossed the square toward the café, and Lucas raised a hand to show her where they were sitting.

“Over here!”

“You started without me…”

“You were two minutes late. And Aldric already ordered your drink…”

Emma stopped as she took off her jacket.

“What did he order?”

“A non-alcoholic cocktail,” Aldric replied.

“How did you know I wanted that?”

“That’s what you usually order when we come here.”

“Okay… You even know my order now.”

“It hasn’t changed much.”

“Personally, I find that a little concerning…”

“No one asked for your opinion,” Emma replied.

“As usual…”

Aldric pulled out the empty chair beside him.

“You can sit here.”

“Thanks.”

The waiter returned with their drinks. He handed out the three beers, set the lemonade in front of Aldric, then placed the non-alcoholic cocktail in front of Emma.

The sun was already beginning to sink between the buildings. Warm light still covered the façades, but the shadows across the square were growing longer. Several tables were occupied by groups having drinks after work, couples, and a few tourists looking at their phones.

Lucas took a sip.

“So, interesting day?”

“Not really. Two viewings, three calls, and one file that’s still missing a document.”

“A normal day,” Patrick said.

“Exactly. What about you?”

“Two moves. Nothing particularly difficult.”

Lucas put a hand over his heart.

“When you put it like that, it sounds like we barely did anything.”

“We moved several tons of furniture and boxes.”

“There we go. Much better…”

Lucas told them that his usual soccer team had lost again, though he spent most of the story explaining why one of his teammates had missed a chance that he considered “impossible to miss.”

“How many minutes did you play?” Patrick asked.

“Almost the entire game.”

“And did you score?” Karim asked.

“That’s not the point…”

Aldric looked at Lucas.

“So, no.”

Emma burst out laughing, and Lucas sighed.

“I’m going to stop telling you about my games…”

“You say that every week,” Patrick said, taking a sip.

“And yet I keep doing it…”

The waiter passed their table again, collected several empty glasses, and asked whether they wanted anything else. Patrick looked around the table before Lucas spoke up.

“Another round?”

Karim nodded, and Emma raised a hand.

“Same for me.”

Aldric glanced at his nearly empty glass.

“Another lemonade, please.”

The waiter took their orders and walked away. The conversation shifted when Emma spotted a couple walking past with a small dog wearing a jacket.

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“Look at that.”

Aldric followed her gaze.

“Why is it wearing clothes?”

“To keep warm…”

“The temperature doesn’t seem low enough to require that.”

“Maybe its owners just think it looks cute.”

“It restricts the movement of its front legs.”

“He’s analyzing a dog’s outfit now…”

“Wait until he starts assessing the safety of the leashes.”

Aldric watched the small dog walk away.

“That one appears adequate.”

Emma burst out laughing.

The second round arrived. Lucas grabbed his glass before the waiter had even finished setting down the others.

“Thanks.”

The waiter smiled.

The sun continued to sink. A family sat down a few tables away, a man walked his dog around the square, and two teenagers stopped in front of a shop window, laughing.

“Have you noticed that guy over there?” Lucas asked.

“Which one?” Patrick asked.

Lucas pointed to a man walking while staring at his phone.

“That’s the third time he’s walked past us.”

“Maybe he’s looking for an address,” Emma said.

“He does appear to be disoriented,” Aldric added.

“Are you going to help him?” Karim asked.

“He doesn’t appear to be in any immediate difficulty.”

“Good…”

A few minutes later, the man walked past them for a fourth time. This time, even Patrick laughed.

Lucas raised his glass.

“I knew I was right.”

“He really is lost,” Emma said.

“He just stopped in front of a map.”

Patrick nodded.

“Problem solved.”

The conversation soon moved on to another topic. Emma mentioned a new restaurant she had seen near her agency, and Lucas immediately suggested going there the following week.

Patrick raised an eyebrow.

“We’ve barely started this drink.”

“So?”

“You’re already planning the next outing.”

Lucas shrugged.

“You have to plan ahead.”

“That sounds unusually organized coming from you.”

Lucas pointed at Aldric.

“This is why I avoid complicated words now.”

The second round came to an end as well. The waiter returned to their table.

“Can I get you anything else?”

Lucas eventually raised a hand.

“One last round?”

“One last round,” Patrick agreed.

The daylight was fading now. The terrace lights came on, and the illuminated shop windows began to reflect off the pavement.

The third round arrived. Lucas clinked glasses with Patrick, Karim picked up his drink, and Emma thanked the waiter.

Aldric turned toward Emma. She was listening to Lucas tell another story and was already smiling before he had even reached the end. Aldric knew the way she laughed when she initially tried to hold it back, the way she narrowed her eyes when she wasn’t convinced, and the way she asked certain questions when she already almost certainly knew the answer.

Lucas finished his story.

“And obviously, no one believed me.”

“Because it wasn’t true,” Patrick said.

Lucas placed a hand over his chest.

“Exaggerated.”

“Very exaggerated,” Karim added.

Lucas turned to Aldric.

“Whose side are you on?”

“Theirs.”

“Betrayal…”

They moved on to a movie, a restaurant, Yanis’s upcoming return to school, and one of Emma’s clients who had called three times to ask the same question. The square in front of them remained busy. Cars passed by, a waiter cleared a nearby table, and a woman walked two dogs along the pavement.

Aldric smiled, and Lucas noticed.

“Why are you smiling?”

“No reason.”

“That’s new.”

Emma smiled.

“Leave him alone.”

Lucas raised his hands.

“All right.”

Lucas kept talking to Patrick, completely unaware of what had appeared.

Aldric raised his hand again. The notification disappeared and stayed gone for a few seconds, but a small light soon reappeared at the edge of his vision.

“Persistent…” Aldric murmured.

“What?” Emma asked.

“I was thinking.”

“Okay.”

She turned her attention back to Karim.

He tried a third time to close the window. It shrank, but did not disappear. Aldric frowned. The System had never behaved like this before. Whenever he ignored a notification, it eventually disappeared or waited for him to check it later. This time, it seemed determined to get his attention.

Lucas finally checked the time.

“Oh. It’s almost eleven.”

Emma’s eyes widened.

“Already?”

Karim picked up his phone.

“Samira’s going to start wondering if I got lost.”

“Tell her you’re with us…”

Karim typed out a message.

“We should probably get going,” Patrick said.

Lucas finished his drink, Patrick waited a few more minutes before asking for the check, Emma told them one last short story, and Karim replied to a message from Samira. Aldric remained seated with them while the small notification continued to glow.

When the check arrived, Patrick took it and pulled out his wallet.

“You’re really paying for all three rounds?”

“I invited you.”

“I should’ve ordered something more expensive…”

“And that is exactly why I didn’t let you choose the bar.”

“He’s already figuring out how to get more out of the next invitation,” Karim said.

“I prefer to call it planning ahead,” Lucas replied.

Patrick put his card away after paying.

“Either way, you’re paying next time.”

“Excuse me?…”

Karim nodded.

“Seems fair to me.”

Emma smiled.

“Me too.”

Lucas looked from one to the next.

“When did you decide that?”

“Just now,” Patrick replied.

“Without a vote?…”

“We can vote,” Karim suggested. “All in favor of Lucas paying next time?”

Patrick raised his hand. Karim immediately followed, then Emma did the same.

Lucas looked at Aldric.

“Think very carefully before you do something you might regret.”

Aldric raised his hand.

“I support the proposal.”

“Passed unanimously.”

Lucas stared at the four raised hands.

“I thought friendship was supposed to be about solidarity…”

“Exactly,” Karim replied. “We’re helping you become more generous.”

“I never asked for that kind of help.”

Patrick stood up.

“Next Wednesday, Lucas is buying.”

“Wait, we already picked a date?”

“You have to plan ahead,” Aldric said.

A brief silence fell around the table before Emma burst out laughing.

Lucas pointed at Aldric.

“Okay. You’ve been waiting to use that one on me.”

“Indeed.”

Emma stood as well.

“Now that I think about it, there’s a Michelin-starred restaurant not far from here.”

“Why do you even know that place?…”

“I work in the neighborhood.”

“That wasn’t my question. Why are you suggesting it specifically when I’m the one paying?”

“I think it’s an excellent idea,” Karim said.

“Of course you do…”

Patrick picked up his jacket.

“I’ve never eaten at a Michelin-starred restaurant.”

“You just paid for three rounds, and suddenly you’ve developed expensive tastes?…”

“I’m curious.”

Emma pulled out her phone.

“I can check if they have a table on Wednesday.”

Lucas immediately held out a hand.

“Do not do that.”

“Why?” Emma asked.

“Because I know what happens next. You’ll check availability, Karim will look at the menu, and Patrick will pretend the prices are reasonable.”

Karim had already taken out his phone.

“Too late.”

“Karim…”

“I’m looking at the menu.”

Lucas closed his eyes.

“How much?”

Karim scrolled for a few seconds.

“You don’t want to know.”

Lucas’s eyes immediately opened again.

“That sentence is even worse than hearing the actual price.”

Emma burst out laughing.

“We can pick somewhere else.”

“Thank you.”

“There’s another Michelin-starred place a little farther away.”

“I take back my thank you…”

Aldric put on his jacket.

“Either restaurant would be fine with me.”

“Of course. You can carry a wardrobe by yourself, and apparently now you can carry the financial burden of this evening too…”

“I was referring only to the choice of restaurant.”

“He’s abandoned you,” Karim said.

“I’m surrounded by traitors…”

Patrick patted him on the shoulder.

“Wednesday, seven o’clock.”

“At a normal restaurant.”

Emma smiled.

“We’ll see.”

Lucas froze.

“No. When someone says ‘we’ll see’ with that smile, it means I’m already broke…”

Lucas shook his head as he picked up his jacket.

“I refuse to make financial decisions under threat.”

“No one is threatening you,” Emma replied.

“You just said ‘Michelin-starred’ when I’m the one paying. I consider that a threat.”

Patrick checked one last time that they had not left anything on the table. They left the terrace and headed toward the metro. After walking a few steps with the others, Lucas spoke again.

“I’m setting one rule for Wednesday: no one gets to choose a restaurant with a star.”

“Not even one?” Emma asked.

“Especially not one. I’ve learned those are expensive.”

“You learn quickly when your wallet is involved,” Karim said.

Lucas immediately pointed at him.

“You’re banned from choosing too.”

Patrick headed toward the metro.

“So who gets to choose?”

Lucas pointed at Aldric.

“Aldric.”

“Why me?”

“Because you’re the only one who isn’t actively trying to bankrupt me.”

“For now,” Emma said.

Lucas sighed.

“Why do you always have to add ‘for now’?”

“I can look for somewhere suitable.”

Lucas immediately moved closer to him.

“Excellent. I knew I could count on you.”

“I haven’t chosen anything yet.”

“Exactly. I just wanted to remind you how much I like you.”

“Why is that clarification necessary?”

“No reason. I just think it’s important to tell people how much you appreciate them.”

Karim smiled.

“Especially when they’re choosing the restaurant where you’ll be paying.”

“That has absolutely nothing to do with it.”

“You’re trying to influence him,” Emma said.

“Not at all…”

Lucas placed a hand on Aldric’s shoulder.

“Aldric, you know I’ve always considered you a very good friend.”

“Yes.”

“A reasonable friend.”

“I suppose.”

“A friend who understands the value of money.”

“I mostly understand its function.”

“That’s more than enough.”

Patrick burst out laughing.

“You’re actually negotiating with him before he’s even started looking.”

“I’m protecting my future.”

Aldric pulled out his phone.

“I can look into it tonight.”

Lucas moved even closer.

“Perfect. And while you’re looking, just remember that a good restaurant doesn’t have to be expensive.”

“That’s true,” Emma agreed. “But an excellent restaurant can be.”

“Do not listen to Emma…”

“Why?”

“She poses a direct threat to my finances.”

Aldric put his phone away.

“I’ll find several options.”

“No need for several. Find the cheapest one and stop there.”

“That is not how a selection process works.”

“I’m starting to regret giving you this responsibility…”

“Too late,” Karim said.

When they reached the entrance to the metro, Patrick was the first to split off from the group.

“See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,” Lucas replied.

Karim headed toward his platform next. Emma and Aldric were about to go their own way when Lucas called out one last time.

“Aldric!”

Aldric turned around.

“Yes?”

Lucas placed a hand over his heart.

“I really like you.”

“You already mentioned that.”

“I just want to make sure you remember it when you’re looking at the prices.”

“I’ll take that information into consideration.”

“There. I knew I could count on you.”

“He didn’t say it would affect his choice,” Emma pointed out.

“Aldric?”

Aldric kept walking.

“Good evening, Lucas.”

“Aldric?!"