I stick out my lower lip and pout. What is his deal? He could have just poured me a drink and been done with the whole thing—I wouldn’t have stuck around for more than half an hour without my friends here anyway.

But now that he picked this fight, I’m going to win.

“You always make my drinks for me at home or at the cabin,” I retort, my voice louder than necessary considering his face is just inches from mine.

He whips his head from left to right, his eyes frantically scanning the patrons sitting on either side of us. Once he’s satisfied no one is listening to our exchange, he looks back at me and scowls.

I bite down on one side of my lower lip and give him the biggest doe eyes I can manage, feigning an innocence we both know I don’t possess. Fury erupts in his gaze when he realizes I’m intentionally goading him, and I swear his jaw ticks just like my brother’s does when he’s trying to keep his cool.

Good. If he wants to ruin my night, I can dish it right back and return the favor.

We stare at each other in a silent standoff, and seconds drag on as I try not to buckle under the weight of his glare. Jake is usually up for anything and doesn’t give two shits about letting me drink. I’m not a kid. I’m twenty years old. Who is he trying to fool with this concerned big brother act?

Finally, someone calls his name from the other end of the bar, and he blinks, breaking our connection.

“You can sit there and pout all night. No one will serve you—I’ll make sure of it.” He raps his knuckles twice on the bar, then turns away, but not before I have the last word.

“That’s okay, Jakey,” I taunt.

His curiosity must get the best of him then, because he turns back to me and cocks one eyebrow.

I smirk before I bring the flask to my lips and suck down a mouthful of vodka.

“I brought my own, just in case.”

I lift the pink bejeweled flask in mock salute. The thing is tacky as hell, but I wasn’t about to meet up with my friends completely unprepared. I’ve only been back in town for a week, and my sad excuse for a social life has come to this: putzing around my tiny hometown and meeting up with people I only sort of liked in high school.

Pathetic.