It was a late gloomy night, and the rain had finally died down. As she walked down the wet streets of New York, she felt the determination to banish awful thoughts from her mind swell up. Those thoughts that consumed her daily since the case had begun. A case that was finally over.
It was overwhelming, yet disheartening at the same time. Anger and sadness had rushed through her. Children cases were always the toughest. She could never wrap her head around how these grown men could do such harm to young children.
Some even thought that they were doing the right thing. That love is love. It was an absolute joke and a lame excuse for their repulsive behavior. And it took all her power to not hurdle over the interrogation table and do something that she knew would cost her job.
Amanda turned and stepped into a warm bar, noting it's age and thankful that there is little to no people. A few older gentlemen playing pool and an older couple having a few drinks on the other side of the bar, engaging in what seems a flirty conversation; judging offhand by their body language.
She removed her damp leather jacket and hanged it on the coat rack by the door before making her way to the bar stool at the end of the bar, right next to the wood slated wall.
An gentleman with gray hair and bright green eyes greets with her with a warm smile. 'Hey Amanda! Beer and a shot of whiskey?"
She pushed the lock of her loose blonde hair behind her right ear as she returns the smile,"Yeah thanks, Vince."
Amanda pulls her phone out from her back pocket and sets it on the bar top, just in case she gets a call. Vince places a cold bottle of Miller Lite in front of her along with the shot glass of Jim Beam.
"Do you want the game on, Detective?" he asks, nodding towards the worn in television above the bar.
"Not tonight, Vince. Thanks." She replied with a smile.
Amanda holds the shot glass in front of her, observing the golden liquid in the tiny glass. She brings the glass close to her lips, inhaling the strong scent before taking the shot, allowing the bitter taste to cover each taste bud. She winces as the bitterness of the alcohol costs her mouth, the aftertaste displeasing and burning all the way down her throat.
She's mentally and physically tired. Her body begging for her to go home and just relax for the rest of her weekend off, mandatory from her Capitan. She'd needed the comfort of alcohol though, something to get her relaxed enough to go home to her empty apartment.
Holding the empty shot glass up, she shakes it lightly- motioning that she wanted a refill. Her blues eyes never left the older man as he walked backed to her with a bottle of Jim Beam in hand.
Mesmerized by how slow the liquid fell into the tiny glass, wrapping around claiming every inch of the clear glass as it filled. It filled the void of the glass. Oh, how she wished she had someone to fill her empty void.
After taking the bitter shot, she finds herself staring at the older couple on the other side of the bar. How they sat so closely to each other, how their hands entwined as if the thought of letting go seemed like pure lunacy.
Their foreheads touching, their smiles so wide and bright. The way they looked at each other, how the dimmed light shone on them so brightly, making them stand out more than the others. You can see and almost feel the love between them.
Amanda could only stare, yet she couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She missed coming home to someone, someone to have adventures with. She misses the cuddles, the hugs, the late night home cooked dinners, kisses and touches from a significant other.
