Absinthe novel Chapter 27

Jiwoo was gone by the time Nico and I came out of the shower room. Being the overly dramatic person that he is, I think he had taken the test results to heart and was probably lashing out his anger at some poor guy somewhere in the city. Whew. Why hadn't he listened to my advice?

"Now that the tests are over, wanna hang out and drink?"

I turned and saw Nico towel drying his hair. He's a handsome fellow, too. His mixed heritage highlights his almond-shaped eyes and the well-defined ridge of his nose.

"We can invite Vivi, too," he added. "There's a bar nearby that I've always wanted to try. I think it's called The Schwa."

"It's a gay bar," I answered back as I finished applying some basic skincare products on my face. "A high-end gay bar."

"Really?" Nico sounded genuinely surprised. "But it's rumored to serve some of the best cocktails in the city."

"Well, they're not exclusively for gays, though."

"Problem solved then. I'll ask Vivi!"

"Are you sure you guys won't feel out of place or anything?"

Nico winked and smiled. "If people hit on me, I'll just tell them I'm already taken. By you."

Vivi agreed to go with us to the Schwa, but we decided to go back to our houses first to prepare. Apparently, we all lived in the same area. Nico was in the condominium complex as I was but in a different building. Vivi, on the other hand, lived in another premium condominium complex nearby.

Suddenly, I remembered that Derrick had invited me to hang out at Janus' bar. I quickly found my way to his room and invited him to join us that night. Luckily, he agreed when I told him that Nico was hot and possibly gay, too.

"Wear something slutty, okay? I'll go get changed."

Derrick laughed and nodded before shutting his door close.

After a few more minutes, we were driving to The Schwa. Derrick was wearing a pastel-colored dress shirt and a pair of white chinos. It was simple and preppy at the same time, allowing him to exude an aura of success and professionalism.

In contrast to Derrick's smart attire, I was wearing street fashion—torn and skinny black jeans; a gray shirt with an asymmetrical neckline; a pair of shiny, black Dr. Martens; and an oversized, pale brown overcoat. I should say I'd nailed my outfit. It wouldn't be a problem for me to charm some guys that night.

Once there, we were met with an unbelievable crowd. The entire place was packed. Derrick and I fought our way across tables and guys mingling around, toward the central bar where Janus was stationed. I saw Nico waving at us as we approached, with Vivi sitting comfortably beside him.

"Guys, this is one of my best friends, Dr. Derrick Evangelista."

Derrick greeted them and shook both their hands.

"Derrick, these are my classmates, Nico and Vivi."

"Where's Jiwoo?"

"You know Jiwoo?" Nico asked.

"We haven't met, but BJ and that guy over there are friends with Jiwoo," Derrick answered, pointing to Janus who was currently serving some drinks at the other side of the counter. "So I've heard a lot about him already."

Nico nodded. "I don't think he's coming."

"Not a problem," Derrick said, slyly tapping Nico's broad shoulders as he inserted himself into the seat next to the latter. His slut game was officially on.

Janus came over and greeted us warmly. I introduced Vivi and Nico to him as well, and we all ordered drinks.

"Today's the launch of our new gourmet cocktails!" Janus said excitedly. "I developed one of the drinks myself. Can I get it for any of you?"

I beamed. "Sure thing! What's it called?"

"Husband Material."

I snorted on instinct and so did Derrick. "Is it because you're getting married soon?"

Janus chuckled before answering, "Don't jinx it. But I made this drink for gay men like you who are perfect husband material."

"Interesting," Nico remarked. "So what's the thought process behind it?"

"Homophobes laugh at gay men and don't consider them good enough to be called men. But let's face it: gay men have grit, sometimes even more than straight men do. This drink is a tribute to that. I mixed the flavors to pack a punch yet be refined and artistic and colorful. Those are the qualities of the ideal husband, or at least the kind of husband I would like to be."

"I can't wait to taste it!" exclaimed Vivi. "And it's the first time I've heard someone describe gay men as husband material. But when you think about it, it's kinda true, isn't it?"

"4 Husband Materials coming right up." Janus smiled and disappeared to his station to prep our drinks.

"I agree with Vivi," Derrick said. "The media portrays us as sugar daddies to handsome, young guys, and it's disgusting and true at the same time. But when you look at it, it's really because we're providers, aren't we? Successful or not."

"Yeah," answered Vivi. "Even less successful gays find ways to provide for their families and their boyfriends. That is nothing short of amazing."

"I really like you," Derrick said to Vivi, who laughed at the statement.

"I'm an ally." she said. "Always and forever!"

"But you're straight, right?"

"So far I've only dated men, but men are trash, so I'm not closing my doors to anyone," Vivi explained, also making Derrick chuckle. "No offense to you guys," she added.

"Definitely none taken," Derrick replied.

"Definitely some offense taken!" Nico butted in.

Janus arrived and served our drinks. "So what's your story?" he asked, addressing Vivi.

She took a sip of her cocktail before describing her life working for the metro's only 6-star East Asian hotel, the Orient, as one of its Chinese cuisine kitchen staff.

Chinese cuisine is traditionally populated with male chefs arguably because of the strength-intensive techniques in cooking Chinese food. It typically involves heavy kitchen tools and equipment like the wok, the heavy rectangular knife designed for almost all cutting styles, big bamboo poles for noddle and dumpling making, and of course, their unique use of strong flames. Those are the reasons I often hear people mention when talking about the dominance of men in Chinese cuisine.