Date with Disaster

Flashback: Spring, 5 years after Halloween

It was the night of my 19th birthday, Sterling had planned a get-together at the little bar in this dingy strip mall downtown that didn't check your ID at the door so some of the younger crew could still get in. They had live music on Fridays and Sterling knew the band playing too, he said I'd like the music.

The car shifted a little as Sterling put the two-four of James Ready in the trunk of the car and slammed it shut. The car door opens and he slides into the driver's seat next to me. He looks over and smiles, and I can't help but smile back. We weren't a couple, but by this point it was a comfortable situationship. We'd mostly been friends. We hooked up sometimes, but sometimes we'd hook up with other people. We had been seeing other people for a couple months and it seemed like my birthday was how he planned to "win" me back. So far, it was working. We drove over to the bar and, even though I was finally legal we still grabbed two beers from the trunk and went behind the strip mall before anyone else showed up. This was our spot from before I was allowed to drink at the bars, he'd buy a case of beer and we'd have a few out here before going in. Sterling used his opener on them, handed me a bottle and clinked his against it.
"Happy birthday stargazer, cheers!" He said, and took a big swig from his bottle. I followed suit and we stood back there talking and drinking for a few minutes. After we finished the beers, we headed back to the car to drop off the bottles and head into the bar. A few of our friends are already there, Henry and April, Courtney, and a few others. The band is getting set up but there seems to still be a few members missing, notably a drummer. I go over to the bar and am greeted by Cheryl the regular bartender.
"Flash it girly, I gotta see it for real before I can give you anything even if you've been talking 'bout it for months," she says cheerily, grinning at me while I pull out my driver's license and she checks that I'm 19.
"Alright," Cheryl says handing the card back, "what do ya want?"
"Two tequila shots please," I ask and she nods.
Sterling ends up beside me, and winks.
"Cheryl, she doesn't pay for her drinks tonight. They're on me." Sterling says. He'd recently got back from training for his Air Force job. He's been home for a few months and I know he's going to be gone again soon so I've been trying to make the best of it.
"You got it," she says setting the shot glasses down in front of us. Sterling hands her a 20 dollar bill and she goes to get change. I grab one of the shots and he grabs the other, clink, and they're gone. It's been our thing to do a tequila shot together to start the night since the Halloween party. I head to the tables occupied by our group, and sit down next to April. We start chatting, and before we know it the lead singer of the band is doing an introduction. I didn't catch the name but I see a few horn instruments and gather it's a ska band. Sterling was right, I probably was going to like them. I didn't recognize their first song, must have been an original, but I clapped anyways. Then I heard the opening to one of my favourite Goldfinger songs, Here In Your Bedroom. Sterling wins again, lucky him I was already staying at his tonight.

We sat around talking while the band played, more people showing up every so often to wish me well on my birthday and join our table. Sterling and a few of his buddies were headed out to smoke and he caught my eye. He tilted his head towards the door and I nodded, knowing he was asking if I was coming for a beer. I get up and head out with the guys, behind the building. We're outside about 10 minutes when I let them know I'm going to head back in. I hand Sterling my empty bottle and head back around to the front. I walk past the locked thrift store down to the corner unit of the L shaped strip mall containing the bar. Pushing the door open, I head back in feeling a little tipsy. The band seems to have taken a break in the few minutes since we went outside, and I head towards the bathroom. Turning the corner to the little alcove where the bathrooms are I run into someone coming out.
"Oops sorry," I say trying to step out of his way, but stepping on my own pant leg in the process and almost falling. His arm steadies me, and his touch sends a jolt of electricity down my arm.
"No problem, I wasn't looking." He says, looking down at me. I make the mistake of looking up at this mystery man and his eyes are a piercing light blue. This is in contrast to his tanned skin and shorter black hair. He's wearing a Big D and The Kids Table t-shirt and black pair of pants, with drumsticks sticking out the front right pocket. I notice a hoop in his nostril, and another on his lip. I grab the sticks from his pocket.
"Drummer? Cool," I use the drum sticks on him a little and laugh before he cautiously takes them back, looking at me like I was some sort of alien creature. I raise my eyebrow at him and smirk.
"I'll take those, thank you," he says, exasperated but then he bites his lip and chuckles a little as he steps around me and heads towards the bar. I continue on to the bathroom, thinking if the strange interaction I just had and what compelled me to even grab his drum sticks in the first place. I know drummers are weird about that stuff. I shake my head and push it from my mind, probably the tequila making me act up. I wash my hands and head back out, right towards the bar for another shot.
Drummer boy is standing there talking to the lead singer of the band when I pop up next to them.
"Tequila shot, please," I say and Cheryl pours me one. I look around to see if Sterling's come back in yet, and don't see him so I grab one of the twenties from my pocket and put it down on the bar.
"Your moneys no good here tonight," she reminds me, "birthday girl doesn't pay for her drinks were my orders." Cheryl smiles, knowing she can get it from Sterling when he gets back inside and she winks at me. I reach for the shot and just as I'm about to pick it up, the lead singer next to me turns his head to Cheryl.
"Add two more shots and put it on our tab tonight," he turns towards me smiling. "Happy Birthday! I hope you like the music tonight." Cheryl sets the other two shoot glasses filled with tequila down in front of the band guys, we clink shot glasses and down the shots. I grab a lime and shove it in my mouth, sucking the juice out. The lead singer coughs a little and the drummer makes a disgusted face and sticks his tongue out after. I giggle.
"Thanks, yeah I've been loving the music. I love ska, I'm actually hoping to go to an Aquabats concert this summer out of town."
"No way. Us too." He continued and elbowed the drummer who shrugged. "I'm Josh, that's Dorian." He pointed back once again at the drummer, Dorian.
"Cassia," Sterling interrupts, putting his hand on my shoulder. "I told you no paying for your own drinks, naughty girl." He chided me. Sterling's voice seemed to pique Dorian's interest, and Josh slaps his hand on Sterling's back.
"Hey man, we put it on our tab, no worries. We gotta get back up there though. Talk after." Josh says enthusiastically and grabs his beer off the counter, Dorian already a few steps ahead of him towards the stage.
"What they said," I trail off, watching as the guys walk away. Something about Dorian was making me want to ask him the most intense, personal questions and I decide I need some air. I turn and head towards the door again, out into the warm late-April air. Maybe it was the last tequila shot, or the citrus in the lime. I took a few deep breaths and reminded myself that everything was going to be fine before heading back in.