You were so excited tonight, It was the night you were headed to Josh's new bar Noir Dark Spirits. He had invited you personally as you're one of the exes he's on good terms with. So when you pull up and see a line around the block for dark spirit night it feels kinda crazy.
Passing several people as Josh spots you, you wince and notice he's dragging you in ahead of all these people.
"Josh, maybe I should wait?"
"Nah don't be silly You've got VIP status people are lining up to meet you. It has been like that all night since we opened thirty minutes ago."
"Oh god, you did this just cos you're trying to play matchmaker again aren't you?"
"NO! Okay so maybe you're lacking in the love department and I just wanted to help?"
As you walk in people are smiling and having fun all around you but as per what josh said there are a few who look over with recognition in their eyes and wave at you. Being Josh's ex had its ups and downs, ups people knew you, downs people knew you and wondered why their favorite ship was broken up.
When you approach the bar the bartender smiles and asks you quietly.
"What would you like?"
"Whiskey please, and can I have some nuts with my drink?"
He chuckles and says flirting slightly with you. "Only if you're not gonna drink the whiskey. Then maybe beautiful, but yeah sure."
"Okay slow your roll there Sir, I'm here cos of Josh."
"You must be Y/n then, Josh said to keep an eye on how drunk you're going to get, as a precaution. He also said you like pumpkin spice whiskey, which will be coming right up."
He busies himself with making your drink and the nuts bowl slightly focused on a show just for you and passes them to you via the counter and goes about his job. Josh on the other hand brings up a random dude he knows who introduces himself as Tony. He's your age with a similar job and educational background, as you've come to find after briefly introducing yourself.
"It's really hard to find a girl like you in our field," he comments, "especially in a position like the one you just got. How'd you do it?"
You roll your glass in your palms and shrug. "Sometimes, I don't know either. I worked hard and made sure everything got done properly. I also made sure to be nice to everyone at work. Kindness gets you pretty far, you know."
"Sure, but so does having a pretty face like yours."
You sour. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Tony leans towards you with his head propped up on his fist.
"Come on, sweetheart. Don't act like you got the job just because you 'worked hard.' I've been working my ass off for three years straight without vacations and I don't even get a birthday card."
Josh is busy having separate conversations with other customers. You could interrupt him right now and get some help getting this guy away from you. Tony's not doing anything necessarily wrong, but he's not someone to bring home, or anywhere else for that matter.
He winks. "You wanna show me what you did to get your promotion?"
"Ew," you exclaim way too loudly. "No."
"Come on, I'm sure you're very talented."
"I said no," you say again, voice elevated.
Tony scoffs and reaches forward in an attempt to touch your thigh. "Now, listen here--"
At the same time you turn your body away from him, someone else who isn't Josh swoops in and knocks Tony's hand out of the way. His voice is deep, and his words cut like a knife. "Hey. What part of 'no' do you not understand, creep?"
Tony immediately throws his hands back. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about."
Josh takes notice and watches with you in awe. The stranger's eyes narrow. "We don't need any customers like you here. Get out or I'll make you get out."
Tony may be a few centimeters taller than him, but the stranger means absolute business given how he flexes his impressive arms, ready to throw a punch, first. The intimidation works. He throws some money on the table, flips off the stranger, and leaves without giving you another look. You exhale deeply while Josh gently rubs your back.
The stranger turns to you and you find that he's not completely a stranger; he dons an apron, a towel over his shoulder, and a name tag that reads "TJ."
Relaxing, he speaks to you in a much more subdued manner, "Sorry about that. I can grab you another drink, on the house."
You look down and your drink is still mostly full. It doesn't take you much longer to nod. "That would be nice, thank you."
He smiles and you don't notice how it's much warmer and more genuine than someone who just inappropriately hit on you. Once Tj takes his leave and makes your drink, Josh comes over and brings you back to the positive things that happened today, back to the other parts of your life that make you proud of who you are. Tj returns shortly before you finish your first drink. As he's about to leave your table again, you shake your head and motion for him to stay.
"Wait," you say as you begin to dig through your purse to pull out your wallet and a generous tip. "Please take this."
Tj's eyes widen. "Ma'am, that's not necessary."
"Please, Tj," you say, waving the money in front of him. "It's the least I can do for defending me from that man earlier."
He sighs, then concedes by taking your tip. "Thank you very much."
You smile and turn back around to take your freshly-made drink in your hands. Josh glances at you and snickers.
"He's cute,"
"Don't." You take a sip of your drink. It tastes much better than your first. "That's enough for tonight."
"But he saved you!" Josh continues.
"So? He was doing his job of getting rid of a nuisance in the bar. I don't owe him anything."
Josh groans although he knows you're right, though, and the tension eventually subsides with talk of the latest movies coming out soon and a restaurant you'd love to visit during its soft opening. You leave close to closing, getting one last look at Tj pouring a drink at the bar by chance.
"Later Tj, see you again, man!" Josh calls out as Tj waves out in response and nods, finishing up the last round of drinks. You wonder if Josh will drag you out to see Tj again sometime soon. Considering he's your knight in a three-piece vest top, He also seems like he can be a total lifesaver when a chick or dude needs it.
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for my friend Jet
