Circles - Post Malone

Seven

The customer she lands up serving is an arrogant ass, with thick gold chains and way too much cologne. Dahlia should refuse to serve him based solely on the fact that he is wearing sunglasses. It's almost midnight and he is in a fucking bar. Dooshbag. He asks for a whisky on the rocks and then battles to keep a straight face when he sips it. Dahlia knows he only ordered it to impress her. "So...when do you get off?" whisky boy asks reaching over and tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "In five minutes," Dahlia answers.

"Well...I am leaving in five minutes. How about I take you home?"

"No."

"Do you understand what I am suggesting?"

This idiot. Dahlia leans forward, making sure her tits are on display, and flashes him a flirty smile. "I understand what you are suggesting," she says then giggles and grabs his tie. He smiles like he thinks he has her, "Ok then. So shall we go?" he asks trying to hide the excitement in his voice. Dahlia opens her mouth to answer him but her name being called from across the bar catches her attention. She turns her head to see Gina and a very angry-looking Austin looking at her. Gina is busy waving her hand excitably beckoning her over. "Your friends can join if they like," whisky boy says. Delilah tightens her grip on his tie and pulls down hard causing his face to slam into the bar counter. He comes back up with a bloody nose and a painful groan.

"Oh no! You should be more careful with how much you drink. Look at you slipping all over my bar like a drunk asshole," Dahlia says with mock concern. "You bitch," whisky boy says and lunges forward but Austin suddenly appears behind him. One of his huge hands lands on whisky boy's shoulder, yanking him back. "Handle your boy," he says pushing whisky boy into a group of men. They take him and slink away.

Gina appears next to Austin jumping and clapping. "Yay, Austin! That was so hot. You are like our personal bodyguard," she says and kisses him on the cheek. Then turns to Dahlia and wriggles her eyebrows, "Oooooh, two guys in one night, Dahlia. You are on a roll," she giggles. Austin continues to look at Dahlia with an unimpressed glare. Is he still mad about Gina flirting with the table she was serving? He should not take his annoyance out on her.

"Well seeing as you are on a roll and we have just finished our shift those people at the table I was serving want me to party with them," Gina says. Oh, that's why Austin is still so mad. "No," Dahlia says taking her bag from behind the bar. "Oh, please! Please, please, please," Gina begs clinging to Dahlia's elbow. "Take Austin, Gina. I am all peopled out," Delilah hopes Gina will accept her reply but she knows she has not by the way she shakes her head, still holding Dahlia's elbow.

"Austin said no too and I don't want to go on my own. Please Dahlia," Gina explains. Dahlia sighs. Of course Austin does not want to go. She hates the idea but she feels obligated so she rolls her eyes and agrees. Gina squeals and claps her hands then darts off to the table to tell her new friends she will be joining them. Dahlia steps outside the pub and inhales deeply. The fresh, well the city fresh air feels good in her lungs.

"You should be more careful about the men you flirt with. New York has some real assholes," Austin says from behind her. "And you should be more careful about who you fall in love with," Dahlia says turning around to face him. Austin's face drops and then he looks down at his fiddling fingers. Dahlia feels bad, it's just late and she is tired so she is snappy. Austin can't help that he is in love with Gina just as she can't help that she is in love with him.

The bar door suddenly swings open and Gina steps out with four people. "There you guys are!" she says excitability, "this is Joe, Andy, Ilsa, and Eve. Everyone these are my two best friends in the whole world. Austin and Dahlia," Gina says. Everyone mumbles their hellos. "Austin, please, please come with," Gina asks Austin. Like an idiot, he nods. How stupid is he? He is going to sit and watch Gina get shmoozed by Joe who has already slung his arm around her shoulders.

They go to a nightclub a few blocks down. Unlike the pub, the night clubs music is so loud no one can really talk to each other. Dahlia figures that she has not let loose since she has gotten to New York and after the day she has had she needs to loosen up a bit. So she heads to the bar and orders a line of shots. Gina squeals and does the same then grabs Dahlia's hand and drags her onto the dance floor. Dahlia dances as Joe and Gina dance next to her, grinding up against each other so she is not surprised when she looks across to the bar and sees Austin sitting there sucking on a beer and looking in their direction like a love-sick puppy. For just a second it looked like Austin was looking at her. How stupid.

Eventually, the sexual chemistry between Gina and Joe is too much for Dahlia so she leaves them and makes her way to Austin at the bar. He sees her coming and by the time she gets to him he has a cold beer waiting for her. It feels nice as she holds it to her burning skin. "I am sorry for snapping at you earlier. Sometimes I can't control the bitchyness," Dahlia says. Austin shrugs and takes a sip of his beer. "I wish I can control the way I feel," Austin says. Dahlia snorts and nods. "I know exactly how you feel," she says. Austin frowns and cocks his head, "you do?" he asks.

"Yes. I have been in love with the same guy for years."

"Years?"

"Yup. I am an idiot," Dahlia says and takes another sip of her beer. "Hey, you will get no judgment from me...I am in the same boat," he says. Dahlia holds up her beer and Austin copies her. "To idiots all over the world who are in love with someone too stupid to love them back," Dahlia says.

"Oh, mine is not stupid."

"Ok, dumb then."

"She is not dumb."

"Fine. Um...pathetic?"

"No. She is not pathetic either."

"Fucking hell," Dahlia lowers her beer, "you got it pretty bad for her, uh." Austin sighs and waves the bartender over. "Yeah. I have had it bad all through high school. I had hoped it would fade after I moved to New York but it only grew," he turns to the bartender, "two more beers and four shots please," he says.

"Why did you never tell her?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

"She scares the living shit out of me."

Well, that makes no sense. Gina is the sweetest person in the world. She has never heard Gina even raise her voice and Dahlia is sure that if Austin confessed his love to her she would not be nasty to him. She would encourage Austin to grow a set of balls and tell Gina but she is a bit preoccupied on the dance floor and if Dahlia is being honest she is not ready for that ship to sail.