Tristan fumbled the microphone back into its holder before the song had completely faded out and hurried back to the table.  He’d decided after only a few lines that he hadn’t had nearly enough to drink to be singing not just karaoke, but karaoke to Billy Idol.  He’d been a fool to think he was beyond James’s powers of persuasion after all these decades.

James: “I always said you could out-growl Billy any day.  Too bad you were always too polite to show him what a pansy he really is.”

Tristan: “Flattery won’t work; I’m not going back up there.  I can’t believe you talked me into it in the first place.”

James: “Aw Tristan, what fun is it to just sit here all night?  We could have done that for a lot cheaper at home.”

Tristan: “Maybe, but home doesn’t have sushi.”

James: “True.  How about we do a duet later?”

Tristan: “Only if you sing something by Bon Jovi in the interim.”

James: “It can be arranged.  By the way, Mary called while you were singing.”

Tristan: “Why on earth did she call you?  Is everything OK?”

James: “I have no idea what she wanted, but it didn’t seem overly important.”

Tristan: “Maybe she wanted to talk about her new job.”

James: “Could be.  She said it could wait until tomorrow, whatever it is.  I told her she should come up here, but she didn’t seem interested in joining our festivities.”

Tristan fidgeted with a chopstick as James delicately plucked a piece of sushi from his plate.

Tristan: “So.”
James: “So?”

Tristan: “What exactly is going on between you and Deanna?”

James: “What do you mean?”

Tristan: “You didn’t mention you two were seeing each other.  Not that I expected anything like a gilded announcement.”

James: “It just sort of happened.  You know how things are.”

Tristan: “Right.  Don’t forget that she’s not just another floozy, OK?”

James: “I’m well aware.  Look, we’re both just having a good time.  We get along and we know where we stand. I imagine it’s quite refreshing for her.”

Tristan: “That was a bit harsh, don’t you think?”

James: “I meant that in a purely general sense, nothing personal.”

Tristan tried and failed to keep from being irritated by his friend.  It was ridiculous, of course; it was his own guilty conscious he was projecting onto James’s words.  Knowing this didn’t do anything to lessen the sting, however, and he was about to let his irritation get the better of him when James’s phone started to ring again.

James: “Hello?  Oh hi, Markus!  What’s up?”

Tristan’s irritation was replaced by growing unease as James’s smile faded.

James: “Why are you there?  …No, that’s fine.  We can be there in about fifteen minutes, sure.  See you soon.”

James hung up and sat staring down at it with a look of concern for a moment, as if not quite sure how to proceed.

Tristan: “Well?  What was that all about?”

James: “It was Markus.  He’s at the girls’ place and says he needs us to get over there as soon as possible.”

Tristan’s unease quickly became dread as James flagged down their waitress to pay the bill.

Tristan: “What happened?  Is everything OK?”

James: “He didn’t say, but he sounded calm enough so I’m sure everything’s fine.”

Tristan: “James, Markus is an EMT; he’s trained to be calm in a crisis.  Just because he didn’t sound panicked doesn’t mean nothing’s wrong, especially if he said we needed to get over there ‘as soon as possible.’”

James: “Which is why we’re leaving now.  Try to stay calm.”

Tristan: “I am calm, I just happen to be worried as well.”

James quickly counted out enough cash and tossed it unceremoniously on the table.

James: “I’m worried, too, Tristan.”