Billiards and Boundaries

one: the pub

They climbed onto two bar stools, Blair appreciating the moody setting with dim lighting and mix of acoustic renditions of pop songs. Char waved Niall over to the end of the bar where they were sat. He was a handsome man with a friendly smile, the tips of his spiky hair bleached blonde.

"Alright, Char?" Niall approached, Blair noticing his Irish accent.

"Great!" Char exclaimed. "This is my friend Blair I was telling you about."

Niall extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Blair replied with a polite grin, shaking his hand.

"Something to drink?" Niall asked before looking down at his watch. "I'll be off in five minutes and then we can talk more about the job."

"Sounds good." Charlene responded. "I'll have a vodka seltzer and she'll do a tequila highball." She motioned to Blair with her thumb.

"Tequila drinker, eh?" Niall mused as he wiggled his eyebrows. "Okay, I'll be right back."

The five minutes flew by and Niall came traipsing around the bar to meet the girls at their seats, a draft beer in hand as he began talking animatedly to Char and eventually turning to her friend.

"So Blair, do you want to meet some of the staff and we can go over the job details?"

"Sure," she replied as she stepped down from the bar stool and took a sip of her drink.

They walked around for a few minutes and both Niall and Char showed her the different areas of the pub. She was introduced to the kitchen staff along with the hosts and servers. Niall mentioned that the bouncer only came on Friday and Saturday nights and that she would most likely meet him at her first shift. He also told her he didn't really care what she wore as long as she looked presentable, but that she would probably make more money if she wore skirts or dresses.

"Don't be gross, Niall." Char elbowed him in the side.

"I'm not trying to be!" He jerked away and held his hands up in defense. "I'm just being honest. Besides, that's all you wear when you work, genius."

"Whatever, you like it," Charlotte teased and Niall chuckled.

"Let's go refill our drinks and then we'll head over to the pool hall," Niall suggested.

The pool hall was on the opposite side of the pub, in its own room that extended out from the dining area. There were several pool tables along with a couple of arcade games and a corner where you could play darts. High top tables lined the walls on either side of the pool area.

A group of people surrounded one of the pool tables, Char and Niall explaining to Blair that it was a combination of some regular patrons and a few employees who liked to play after their shifts.

They advanced toward the group and Niall whistled loudly to get everyone's attention.

"Guys, this is Blair!" Niall announced. "She's gonna be working here soon."

They all glanced up to greet her, smiling and saying their hellos. All but two people.

The first one she noticed was a tall man crouched over the pool table, concentrating on his next move. He had long hair that was pulled into a bun; normally Blair didn't like the whole 'man bun' thing but, somehow, he pulled it off. His green eyes were burning a hole through the cue ball he was so focused on. He had a smattering of tattoos on his left arm, and only a couple on his right. He looked mean, to say the least, but maybe he was just wildly competitive.

The girl that was practically glued to his hip also didn't say hello to Blair, instead she placed her hand between the man's broad shoulders and rolled her eyes as if she was irritated that the match had been interrupted. Her long red hair was pin straight and shiny, and she had a thick layer of makeup coating her face. She was wearing a red crop top with a black leather miniskirt. Blair couldn't tell what type of shoes she had on, but she guessed stilettos or something of the sort.