Your fingers play gently with the straw, twirling it in the empty glass as you sigh. Any noise seems to be swallowed up by the pounding rhythm of the music pulsating through the air around you. Bodies jerked and grinded in sync behind you, but you couldn't care less. The music was giving you a headache, and the atmosphere was toxic. The room smelled like cheap perfume and sweat, and frankly, it was disgusting. You scowled and rubbed your temples, shaking your head to try and clear your mind. What a place to meet. Why not a coffee shop or something? Why a nightclub? The faint sound of a glass sliding across the countertop pulls you from your thoughts, and a glass comes to rest at your hand. You stare at it, transfixed for a moment, and confusion washes over you, until you see the hand from which it came from. You follow up the arm, the nice dress shirt and see him, a bartender, of course. He was smiling at you, warm eyes creased at the sides with the grin, and you feel warm under his gaze.
"I, uh, didn't ask for another drink."You say shyly, and he just shrugs. You're surprised he could hear you over the noise, but then he talks back, clear as day.
"You look like you need it. You look pretty down, what's up?" He busies himself cleaning a glass with the rag thrown over his shoulder, and you can feel your body tense up on the uncomfortable bar stool.
"None of your business." You say, a little more hostile than you meant, and he holds his hands up, smiling wordlessly. At this, you soften, "Uh, sorry. I'm a little pissed off, I was supposed to be meeting this guy..." Your words dry in your mouth, and you take a sip of the drink, anxiously.
"I'm sure he's just late." The bartender replies, sympathetically. You just nod in reply, and he goes about his job at the other end of the bar. You check your phone, no texts, no missed calls. Damn. It was only 10:25, maybe he'd gotten stuck in traffic? You bite your lip, taking another sip of your drink, and damn was it good. You raise your brows, the flavours mixing on your tongue like a dance, fruit and just the right amount of alcohol to make it effective, but not overpowering. This was different to the simple Lemon and Gin you had ordered when you first arrived, but it was a welcome change. Minutes pass as you are once again lost in your thoughts, and before you know it, your glass is once again empty. You snap out of it when you see those hands cleaning at your glass, and he chuckles at you. "Hey, want another one?"He asks, and you nod enthusiastically.
"They're amazing." You reply, smiling into the conversation, and at your comment, he grins.
"Why thank you, five years in this place does that to you." You find yourself laughing with him, and he continues, "It's surprisingly good money, put me through college. What about yourself?" You tell him about your job, and he nods along, still sporting that playful smirk that makes you unable to meet his eyes entirely. He finally sets down a new drink, and you thank him.
"What's in this? Seriously, it's incredible!" You exclaim, and he does a small, mock bow in your direction.
"Thank you, I'm here all night! Well, until eleven anyways." He chuckles, "But seriously, there's mostly lemonade, pineapple juice, vodka, and a few other choice things. Can't be giving away all my secrets." He winks, and you find your face heating up. You stare down at the bar, but notice the tattoo curled around his forearm, and your face is heated. "Any news from your guy?" You stop, shooting him a partially confused look until you remember. Damn, you'd completely forgotten. You fumble about in your purse for your phone, and check the notifications. Still nothing, and it was 10:40. You sigh, frustration laced in your breath, and the man in front of you just shoots you a sympathetic look, walking back to a couple who called for more drinks. You stand, and feel it go to your head. What was there to expect when you hadn't been out drinking in months? You rarely went out anymore, what with work and all. That's where your friends came in, setting you up with a guy you barely knew. He seemed nice enough, well that was before he decided to ditch you with no notice.
