A Tall Glass of You

Chapter 4 : Round one

Driving was not something Shake particularly enjoyed doing. He'd much rather be in the passenger seat than behind the wheel, because he was certain he shouldn't be the one driving anyone places. 
This time was a little different though. It was still a bit of a pain, but if it meant he could have a hot girl sitting next to him more often, he'd gladly play taxi for the rest of his life.
And boy, was this one smokin'. In a casual, effortless kind of way. She'd apologized for not wearing something more "appropriate for a date" than her post-work clothes, whatever that meant, but Shake still struggled to keep his eyes on the road and not on her. Black ripped jeans, light sweater and jean jacket... How did she manage to rock a jean jacket??

He had made damn sure to compliment her, telling her that she was really hot anyway. She had laughed at that and told him he looked nice too. To be honest he'd made an effort for once and had traded his usual old hoodie for a white button up shirt, washed his hair so it was nice and fluffy, and even ditched the gloves. Kept the hat though. And he still couldn't help but add a (fake) gold chain to that, despite Frylock's assertion that it would absolutely make him look like a tool. What did that nerd know about fashion anyway?

"So..." He cleared his throat, silently cursing at the slight voice crack. "Since when are you in South Jersey? Pretty sure I would have noticed a cutie like you way earlier, so you must be new around here."
Cassandra let out a little snort at that, leaning against the window.

Fuck. She was so damn cute.

"Can't hide anything from you, huh? Yeah, I moved here about a month ago. Not that I really wanted to but it kind of just happened..." She sighed, curling a strand of brown hair around her finger absentmindedly.

"Yeah, I don't think anyone lives here of their own free will. But hey, It's cheap, am I right?" Shake chuckled, having set his mind on a bar that was only slightly trashy.
"It better fucking be! The walls of my apartment are so thin I swear I can hear the guy next door breathing." She groaned.

"Come live with me, we'll throw Meatwad out. Frylock too while we're at it." Shake thought, refraining from saying it out loud. As callous as he could often be, he felt it was a little too early to say stuff like that.
The last few minutes on the way to the bar were spent in surprisingly comfortable silence. There was something about Cassie's presence that was just...comforting? Peaceful? He wasn't sure, but it was like taking a hit of weed while sitting in a beanbag chair.

The bar wasn't too crowded. Perfect. The last thing Shake wanted was to be bothered by strangers while he tried to woo a girl. Now he just had to focus on being smooth and staying that way. For a few hours.
Good lord...

They sat next to each other at one end of the bar, both ordered a beer, and he got to watch her for a short moment. Like, really watch her. Maybe a little too intensely, since she ended up noticing.
"...What? Do I have something on my face?" She asked half jokingly. This guy was everything but subtle and honestly she liked that a lot. God knows he was trying, but the mix of him failing miserably and her being good at reading people, well... Let's say it was an amusing change of pace for her. Shake seemed to snap out of a trance and sat a bit straighter, his eyes hurrying away from her. She'd noticed him staring; might as well own it.
"Heh, sorry. You're just super hard to look away from."
The girl's smile was suddenly accentuated by a very light blush, not intense enough for Shake to notice, but present nonetheless.
"You're cheesy..." She cooed before taking a sip of beer. It tasted just a little better than expired milk. She had to hold back a grimace. "But thank you. It's the sweetest thing I've been told in a while..."
"You're kidding, right?" Shake asked, half of his glass already gone. Sure it tasted gross but when you pay for something you kinda have to gulp it down anyway. "I'm sure you get hit on all the time at work."
He wasn't a fan of the idea.
Cassie didn't hide her disgust this time. "Oh, yes. I just don't exactly find it pleasant when it comes from greasy truckers who are never younger than 50 and smell like beer and old cigarettes..." She leaned back in her seat. "You know how I got my job? The owner just looked at me, said that "my tits were nice enough", and I started like the day after."

Shake almost choked on his drink. Not to seem like a jerk but that was kind of hilarious. He coughed silently and pushed back a laugh.
"I mean... He's not wrong."
The girl narrowed her eyes at him, not losing her smile.
"I am aware, thank you. Don't push your luck~" She feigned offense for a second, then rested her elbow on the bar. "Anyway, what's your deal? Got a job going?"

Oh no. That really wasn't a question he'd been looking forward to.

"Oh totally! I'm uh..." He had to think of something, and fast. "I'm a detective! With the two others. We...investigate...stuff..."

That wasn't entirely a lie, just way less significant than it sounded. Cassie lifted an eyebrow, half-interested and half-skeptical.
"No shit? You guys must be very busy."
"Eeeeh, you know... Nothing interesting ever happens around here, so I'm mostly free. I like to live by my own rules, know what I mean?"
She chuckled. "I'm sure you do."

She hadn't really touched her drink in a while, so she gently slid it towards her date with a small sigh.
"I really can't drink that, sorry. You can finish it if you want. I'm gonna get myself a gin & tonic or something."
For some reason, Shake's mind immediately went "Her lips touched that glass". That was... kind of like a kiss, right? 
Yeah, close enough!
"No sweat. I know it's disgusting, I'm just used to it."
He felt himself blush as soon as he took a sip because holy shit he was basically kissing her.
No, that wasn't a stretch! Shut up.

The rest of the night was...pleasant. Normal. He found himself really liking that. And this girl just witnessed him being his usual self the whole time without breaking a sweat. He also learned she liked music, especially rock, so her already perfect score was still rising. He'd definitely play some sick riffs for her someday.
She also didn't shy away from being a bit crass, which he absolutely appreciated.

Point is, the bar closed a little too early for his taste. But hey, maybe if he played his cards right... He gave her a look once they had exited the building. The night was rather cold.
"So, how do we do this? My place? Yours? It really should be yours honestly, because-"
"Wooow. Slow down there, buddy." She interrupted and softly pressed her pointer finger against his chest. "I don't know who you take me to be, but I'm not done sizing you up yet. I appreciate the enthusiasm though."

Well. An attempt was made.

"Dang... Could I get, like, an estimate of how long you're gonna need?"
"Nope."
"Fair. Can I drive you home though?"
"That, you can~"