Pheromones: A Darren Criss Fanfic

CHAPTER ELEVEN

I placed my drink down on the bar. "I just don't understand how-er, why he just didn't tell me that he had a girlfriend from the very beginning."

The bartender looked up at me as he wiped down the top of the bar with a white towel that had obviously seen better days. It was the most cliche moment I had ever witnessed in my entire life. "Why do you think he didn't tell you?"

My shoulders moved up to my ears in a shrug, my voice becoming high. "I don't know!"

He looked down. "There must be a reason. Really try to think about it."

The bartender was a young man with dark hair slightly longer than mine tied back into a low man-bun. He had stubble and ice blue eyes that were simply captivating. I didn't want to think about Darren when I looked at him, but the more I allowed my mind to wander the more every guy I saw turned into some incarnation of Darren.

I took another sip of my drink, unsure if I wanted to dwell on the day or forget it altogether. "Why do you think he waited to tell me?"

A smile crept to his face. "Oh, no. I'm not here to tell you what I think. I'm just here to listen."

I rested my cheek on the heel of my hand to prop my head up. "But psychologists are paid to have an opinion and give advice. I thought that bartenders were supposed to be like that, too."

"Ha. Well, I'm not a shrink." He leaned a little towards me. "And you're not paying me." I could tell that he was finding this conversation humorous.

Pulling out a one dollar bill, I decided to have a little fun of my own. I rested my elbow once more on the bar and allowed the bill to fall gracefully out from my fingers and down onto the bar top. "I am now."

The bartender let out a laugh. I had no doubt that his voice would have rang off the walls were it not for the other people occupying the room. "Sorry, sweetheart."

I sighed vocally and pressed my forehead to the smooth surface. I didn't know why Darren would wait so long to tell me, and I knew that this guy had at least some small indication of what it could be. It was frustrating.

"Look, honey. I get a lot of people in and out of here with a lot of problems. Problems, I hate to say it, worse than yours. By a long shot." I lifted my head enough to rest it on the back of my hand so I could look at him. "All you need to do is forget this guy. Obviously he's not worth it. Not if he is one, taken and two, isn't completely honest with you. I'm sure you deserve better than that."

His words hit me hard. He was right. It didn't matter how much I wanted to be with Darren if he didn't feel the same way about me. I couldn't say or do anything to change that. The realization was like a punch in the face or a ton of bricks being dropped onto my heart. I just nodded. "Thank you."

"Now." he rested his elbows on the bar top, leaning towards me again and looking intensely into my eyes. "Let me show you how a real man treats a lady."