"I thought you said it was the happiest place on Earth?" he reminded her. "You're making it sound more like hell," he only half-joked, before finishing his drink. And being presented with another. "Ah, thank Fitz you're here, Gatsby," he chuckled.
"Sure, sure. Like Coney Island, I get it," he told her.
And then he laughed again, raising his eyebrows and giving her a sort of challenging look. "Yeah, with the right person, in a decent joint. Paris, especially in the 20s, demands that you dance," he told her. "I'm not always so melancholy, especially with a few absinthes down me," he added.
"I'll get back to you on that," he told her. When people challenged him to bets, it was usually for money, or something sexual. And money was useless around here, and he was going to need about ten more drinks before he crossed the other line.