It Was Always You (Discontinued)

Chapter 06

Chapter Six

Need You Now
By Lady A

Another shot of whiskey
Can't stop lookin' at the door

IN MY twenty-two years, I'd never thought I would be entering a bar. Let alone a local dive bar called Hair of the Dog. I didn't have anything against drinking. I just never had a desire to get drunk and end up with a killer hangover. But, a drink or two might help me forget all about the Heather-and-Matt-ruining-my-birthday fiasco.

The old-styled bar contained neon beer signs hanging next to various posters on the wall. Long strings of dim light bulbs decorated the front bar. A jukebox was placed next to the near end of the bar. My eyes diverted to the back of the bar where a pool table and a dart board was set. The bar wasn't a complete ghost town but it only held a small handful of people. Their faces were full of misery and pain only a drink could cure. In the wee hours, people seemed to come to drown their sorrows with liquor in Hair of the Dog.

And I was no different than these group of lonely, drinking strangers.

I saunter my way to the front bar and take a seat at a tall bar stool. Resting my hands on the bar top, I leaned forward and squinted my eyes to get a better look at the cocktail menu. There was a large collection of cocktails I didn't recognize nor even heard of. Lost in Translation? La La Land? And here goes the big finish: Almost Famous. I've seen each of those movies before and they're all pretty great. Despite the fact the cocktails were named after movies, I knew I needed to put my judgement aside and just order a damn drink.

Isn't that the reason I came here? I wondered. To drink like a fish until I couldn't remember Matt's and Heather's faces. Or better yet both of their betrayal.

A tall, young woman with long raven hair and artistic tattoos caught my attention.  She was busy washing out glassware with a rag in the back bar. "Um, excuse miss could I have the Almost Famous cocktail?" I politely ask. Her tattoos look amazing, I wonder who done them.

"Sure thing, honey." She tore her hooded eyes away from the glasses and nod at me with a small smile. Her name badge on her black T-shirt read: MAI in bold letters. "That will be 30 bucks for Almost Famous."

"Okay. That's fine." I dip my head low and began to search for my small pocket purse. It wasn't even a small pocket purse; it was a mini ID case. But, I use it to store my credit cards anyway. I took out ID first and showed it to her. Pulling it out of my jeans, I unzipped it and took out my credit card.

"We only take cash service here." Mai stated. She pointed her finger across the shabby bar. I followed the direction of her finger and saw a huge neon sign with CASH ONLY marked in letters.

"Shit. This is all I have with me." I sighed. My lips twist into a sad frown. Looks like I won't be drinking my feelings tonight. Maybe there's a burger joint around Brooklyn.

"Don't worry about it, Mai. I'll pay for it just put it on my tab." An alluring, deep voice spoke behind me.

I spun my head around to come face to face with an intimidating tall man casting a shadow over me. My curious eyes travelled up his lanky body until I reached his unfamiliar face. The beautiful stranger's hazel eyes met mine as his lips folded into a sweet smile. He wore a dark green turtleneck and a pair of dark blue jeans with suede ankle boots. It wasn't hard to see his muscles flexing through the wool material of the turtleneck. My anxiety heightened to a high point and I looked away with a redden hue look. Blood flow through my forehead, rushing all at once in a hurry.

And here I go flushing like a complete idiot.

I gave a once-over in time to catch him taking a seat at the bar stool beside me. He pulled a leather wallet out of his pocket and handed Mai a large sum of cash. Mai nods at him and turns her back as she began to work with drink mixers.