He’s a few drinks behind everyone on purpose; the alcohol always hits him harder and faster than it hits the others, even with the tolerance his history of unhealthy drinking binges lent him. Having just finished his first drink--when the most of the others have downed at least two--he’s already feeling quite warm, his voice has gotten a little louder, and his personality has become a bit more open.
It’s nice, gathering outside in one of the gardens for drinks like this. It reminds him of all the evenings he and his friends had driven out to one of the nearby park campgrounds to split a case of beer and let loose.
As the sun sets, however, the warmth from his two-drink buzz and nostalgia for the Arizona heat is less than enough to keep him comfortable, and subconsciously, he finds himself gravitating toward Alex. He hovers near him, enjoying the companionship of this grab-bag group, his new family, in a way he sometimes finds difficult when completely sober.
In the middle of one of Sean’s jokes, Josh slings a bare arm over Alex’s back and shoulders, drawing in more heat from the direct contact.
“Sorry.” Wanting to be heard over the laughter and the handful of other boisterous conversations taking place around them, he’d leaned in a little too close, his lips an inch or so away from the shell of Alex’s ear. “--just getting chilly.”