Drew stepped into the Floating Rib and scanned the room for his friend. Not seeing Curtis immediately, he is stopped in his tracks when he has a flash of a memory. He recalls him and Sam dancing in the middle of the room, smiling and happy. He could see himself twirling her around and firmly supporting her back when he dipped her. His mind also wanders to seeing Oscar laying on the cold concrete floor, he was covered with dust and dirt. Drew can see there is rubble all around them.
"Drew my man!" Curtis interrupts Drews thoughts with his booming voice from behind and a pat on the back. "It's about time you made time for your old buddy Curtis."
Drew turns around and smiles at Curtis. He pulls him into a strong hug. Although Drew had remembered the few days before the procedure and how Curtis had helped him retrieve the flash drive, he had still watched the video he had made about Curtis, just to try and jog his memory more. Drew had actually remembered quite a few memories of him and Curtis and now standing here in front of his friend even more were coming to mind.
"Curtis, it's really good to see you." Drew slaps him on the back and pulls him into a handshake. The two make their way over to the bar and sit down.
"Ah come on man, you can be honest, you don't remember me, do you?" Curtis flashes a quick smile and a wink at his friend.
"That is not true, I do remember, you. In fact, I was just remembering some stuff right now. And I can prove it to you." Drew motioned for the bar tender to come over to him. "Hey there buddy, can I get two beers, whatever you've got on tap?" Drew turns to Curtis with a huge smile on his face raising his eyebrows and holding his arm out with a shrug. "See?"
"See what?" Curtis retorts bluntly. "Just because you ordered us two beers? Man, that don't mean nothing." Curtis waves his hands across his face to dismiss Drew's claim.
"Yes, you are right, that doesn't necessarily mean anything, but I happen to know that the first rounds on you because you owe me a drink!" Drew snickers with a grin, pushing Curtis.
Curtis turns to look at Drew with surprise in his eyes. He starts to laugh and grabs Drew by the back of the neck, twisting it slightly.
"Of course, you would remember that." Curtis mumbles under his breath. "Ah, you know I'm just kidding you. I wouldn't care if you didn't remember me, I'm just glad you are back and okay."
"Thanks, I appreciate that, I am too." Drew grabs the beers that the bartender had just brought over and hands one to Curtis. "Here's to friendship," Drew exclaims as he clinks his bottle against Curtis'.
"To friendship." Curtis raises his bottle slightly and then takes a drink. "So, tell me, how have you been, really?"
Drew looks over at him and his eyes widen and he lets out a loud sigh.
"It's been pretty crazy, actually, the last couple of days. Coming back here after the procedure and not really knowing any one, that was surreal. Things are coming back slowly though, I mean, I remembered you, didn't I?" Drew chuckled and pushed into Curtis with his shoulder. "No, but really, I can't thank you enough for helping to retrieve the flash drive. I wouldn't have been able to go through with the procedure without it."
Curtis gets a shy smile across his face and hangs his head, a bit embarrassed.
"C'mon man, it wasn't nothing. It's not like I wasn't about to help you, you're my boy, I've always got you covered." Curtis could tell something was going on with Drew, he seemed to have something on his mind. He was eager to help his friend with whatever was troubling him. "So, how are things with you and Sam? I hope you ain't to mad at me for letting that information, 'accidentally,' slip about the flash drive."
Drew glances over at Curtis and a smile comes across his face. "Oh man, don't even worry about it, I knew you'd let that information slip, on 'accident." Drew holds his fingers up into air quotes and says the word accident in a mocking tone, teasing Curtis. "Things with me and Sam they're, intense. Yeah they are really intense and I think they are about to get complicated." Drew theorizes as he pulls at the label on his beer bottle.
Curtis, always the matchmaker, lets out a low holler, thinking, 'complicated,' meant something different.
"Well, alright, intense and complicated, you don't waste any time, that's what I'm talking about." Curtis raises his beer bottle and tilts it over to clink it with Drew's again, but quickly realizes that Drew is not reciprocating the gesture. He sees that Drew has his head hung down with glum look, fidgeting with this napkin. He definitely knew something was up now, if Drew was refusing to make eye contact. "Drew, what's going on? Obviously something is up with you."
"Oh Curtis, I don't know what I am going to do. Sam and I we have had a few interactions and each time I can feel the connection with her and it's so strong. I mean, hell, we actually almost slept together."
Curtis jolts his head back, almost spitting out his beer. "What? Well, why didn't you?"
"Because, right before we really got intimate, I remembered the night of our breakup. Specifically, how she told me she still loved Jason and well, it kind of killed the mood, if you get what I'm saying. But, I just saw her again today at Kelly's and we almost started making out in the middle of the place."
"Drew! My man, I don't understand you, if this is what is going on, then why the long face? I figured you'd be, you know, more excited." Curtis motions with his hands and leans over into Drew trying to pry him out of his slump.
"I feel guilty, for almost kissing Sam, when only a couple hours before that, I was in my office about to kiss another woman."
Curtis quickly turns his head towards Drew and stares at him with wide eyes.
"Say what? Who is this other woman? It ain't Kim is it?"
Drew wrinkles up his face and cocks his head back sharply. "God no! She's the last person I would be trying to kiss."
"Okay, then who, I didn't know there was any one else in town you were even attracted to."
"She's new in town, in fact she just got here last night." Drew replies gloomily.
"Damn, you do work fast!"
"No, it's not like that, she's, a, a, friend, from before I came to Port Charles. In fact, we have known each other for many years. We served together in the Navy." Drew recounts to Curtis who was listening intently.
"So, you two were romantic in the past?"
"We've had a strong bond for a long time and we have a deep connection through a lot of stuff that has happened. And, yes we have definitely had some romantic times and I have had very strong feelings about her, but the timing was just never right for us to pursue it. Jo and I we just have this ease about us."
"So, this, Jo, do you know how she feels?" Curtis inquires.
"No, we haven't talked about it since we re-connected. After all these years, I kind of assumed she would have moved on, but today in my office I could tell, she still has the same feelings." Drew had continued to tug and pull at the label of his beer. He had ripped up a small corner of it and was pulling at it as he talked. He tapped his fingers on the top of the bar and turned around to face Curtis. "So yeah, man I don't know what I am going to do about this. You know, when Sam told me that she still had feelings for Jason, I couldn't understand how she could say she loved us both, but today for the first time, I am starting to understand that it could be possible." Drew lets out a frustrated sigh and rests his head in his hands.
Curtis got up from the barstool and took out his wallet. He laid several bills on the bar and then reached over and slapped Drew on the back. "Brother, you do have a problem and I have no idea what your going to do. One thing I will say, I think you need to be honest, with both women and with yourself. You need to figure out what you want and remember lying is what caused you and Sam to bust up in the first place. I'm always here for you, you know that. Except for, right now, cause I gotta go home and see Jordan before she puts out an APB on me." Curtis smiles and chuckles a bit as he walks towards the door. "Oh yeah and next time the beers are on you!" Curtis calls out as he exits the bar.
Drew snickers a bit and holds up the peace sign to Curtis as he leaves. He lets out a big groan and rubs his hands over his face trying to figure out what he was going to do. Placing both hands on the bar he goes to get up from his stool when a piercing pain shoots across his head. "Aaaggghh!" Drew cries out as he pushes the palm of his hand against his forehead. "What the hell," he whispers to himself, "I wasn't even trying to remember anything."
"Hey buddy, are you okay?" The bartender questions Drew, hearing his anguish.
"Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Could I just get a glass of water, please?"
The bartender walks off and comes back a few seconds later with a glass of water and sets it down in front of Drew.
"Are you sure you're okay?" He asks again.
"Yeah, yeah I'll be fine, I just have to wait her a minute. It will pass." Drew closed his eyes tightly and took a few deep breaths. He didn't feel like he was stressed or upset, but he tried to get as calm as possible anyway. He felt the pain subsiding a bit so he decided to stand up. When he stood to his feet, the room began to spin and he stumbled a bit on his feet. "Whoa," he muttered quietly to himself, "That's a new development." He grabbed onto the side of the bar to steady himself and took a few deep breaths. He closed his eyes waiting for the dizziness to subside and rubbed his fingers into his temples. The calming breaths and the gentle massaging were working and the pain and dizziness had been relieved. Drew reminded himself of the thought of calling Dr. Maddox he had had earlier in the day and wondered if he should try and reach out to him about the headaches and now dizziness. Drew cringed at the thought of more medical prodding and decided to just wait and see if the symptoms continued.
One thing he couldn't just wait and see about was this situation with Jo. The two of them really needed to talk after this afternoon. Drew had been happy for the distraction Curtis provided, asking him to come out for a drink, but now it was time to go home and 'face the music,' as it were. Jo and him would be able to work it out. They had never let anything come between them and he wasn't about to start now.