Duskwood After Story

Phil

"Hey you, may I join?" – I approached Phil, flashing a charming smile at him.

"Oh hey, little – ... hey, Bailey... Sure sure, have a seat wherever you want." – A grin appeared on Phil's lips as he turned to face me, but it vanished almost instantly. He shifted his gaze back to the wall. Then he took a big gulp out of his glass.

I cautiously sat down next to him. Phil was not the typical cheery guy I got to know over time, which made me a bit nervous. A part of me knew he was acting this way because of Jake.

"What're you drinking there?" – I pointed at his drink and asked, trying to strike up some small talk.

"Whiskey on the rocks." – Phil answered, eyes glued to the drink in his hand.

"Hmm. I wonder what I should drink then." – I perused the drink menu on the blackboard hung on the wall again – "The last time I came here, I had a lot of fun reading up on your inventions."

"Inventions?"

"Yeah, how you named these drinks. For example, what's in the Milk Punch?"

"White rum, homemade cranberry juice infused with orange blossom and homemade coconut syrup." – Phil answered, shaking the ice in his glass.

"Wow. That sounds amazing. Is it sweet?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll give it a try. I'm a sucker for rum and anything sweet." – I laughed shyly – "Let me go order." I said as I started to get up.

"No, sit. I'll make it for you." – Phil stopped me. He put his glass down on the coaster and got up.

"Oh, thank you. What an honor to have the creator make my own cocktail." – I grinned widely. Phil smirked.

He was a different person while he was working the bar. He was intent and serious. Each and every one of his actions was planned out meticulously. His arms and fingers move in perfect rhythm, as if he were performing a choreographed dance. Phil quickly poured the milky liquid from the shaker into a cocktail glass and set it on a coaster in front of me.

"Here you go. Milk Punch."

"Thank you." – I took a sip from the glass and exclaimed in amazement – "Oh wow, Phil, this is amazing!"

"Haha, I know." – He was returning to his seat from behind the bar while carrying another whiskey on the rock.

He sat down and extended his glass. We clinked glasses and exchanged cheers. I took another sip of the Milk Punch. It was, without a doubt, one of the greatest cocktails I had ever drank. It had a rich coconut flavor with a little tang from the orange blossom. And it was creamy and thick like a syrup. The alcohol left a pleasant taste on my tongue once it left my mouth.

"How did you come up with such a thing?" – I put my glass down and asked.

"Most of the stuff I learned from Michael... Oh, by the way, Michael was the previous owner of the Aurora. And then when I took over, it came down to trying a bunch of different things together. And if I'm lucky, some combinations will work, like the one in your hand."

"I remember Jessy did mention you inherited the bar from someone else... How long have you been the owner?"

"Someone is suddenly super interested in me, huh?" – Phil asked as he turned to look at me. His eyes squinted in a seductive glance – "It's been about 7 years now."

"I see. That's been a pretty long time already. Does Michael stay around to help you or does he just retire completely?" – I asked, chuckling slightly, trying to make my question sound light-hearted.