At the End of the Dock

Met You in a Bar

"Hurry up!" I yell back through the garage as I jog in place out in the snow. Even my knee length puffer jacket is not keeping me warm in this weather and Serena is taking an annoying amount of time looking for her phone.

My brother and his friends were dead tired from their skiing adventure this afternoon but I'm in need of a shot, and a little bit of attention, so we're leaving them to sleep it off at the cabin and we're heading down to Rojo's. Karaoke Night always brings the most interesting of crowds.

The streets are blanketed with fresh snow and it's still coming down. A couple loud groups pass the house as I wait in the cold for Serena, undoubtedly in pursuit of the same warmth and energy that Rojo's Tavern has to offer.

Finally, Serena emerges from the garage door, a scarf piled high on her neck covering the entire bottom half of her face. I giggle at the sight of her. She hurries through the garage and out into the snow.

"Okay, okay, sorry," she says. And we're off down the street, the garage door closing slowly behind us. As we walk, we can see the lake shimmering down the street to the left. We pass another block and we can see it again. I grunt in frustration as I heave my boots in and out of the soft and deep snow, starting to sweat. Maybe the giant puffer was a little much after all.

A girl makes a slight breakaway from her group that seems to be heading home for the night. She grabs a hold of my wrist and says, "I love your outfit, you're gorgeous!" I thank her and they continue past us.

A group of guys heading in from a perpendicular avenue fall into sequence with us on the opposite side of the street. "Hey, green coat!" I hear and I turn my head toward the source. "You're sexy, are you going to Rojo's?"

"Oh, yeah. Getting my Dolly Parton on," I yell back at him. They start to laugh and turn their attention back towards each other.

A pair of guys pass us in the opposite direction. They look me up and down. "Hey, where are you going? Can I get your number?"

"No," and we keep walking.

Serena shakes her head. "I hate you."

The tavern is a furnace compared to the weather outside. As soon as the door is open I'm hit with a wave of screaming and cheers as the patrons gear up for Karaoke Night, but it's still early and I spot a booth open in the back. I tell Serena to grab it while I order some drinks.

"Don't get me a shot!" she yells at me over the buzz of the commotion as she makes her way for the booth. I head up to the bar.

"Hi, can I get two shots, please?" I say leaning in over the counter towards the bartender. "Whiskey. Whatever your well is."

"Bulleit alright with you?" he asks, slinging a towel over his shoulder. I confirm that it is and he busies himself with my order.

I turn my back to the bar leaning back on it and giving the place a scan. No guy in here seems worth my excitement at first glance which is a bummer but the night is still young, I suppose. I hear a light thud on the bar top behind me and turn back around. Three full shot glasses sit before me and I look up at the bartender, awaiting an explanation.

"Is the third one because I'm so very pretty?" I ask dryly. He turns his attention back towards me and makes a little sound of realization when he sees the three shots lined up in a row.

"Not this time, sweetheart," he says. Ouch. He removes one of the glasses from the formation in front of me and takes it about four people down the bar to a seat at the very end where a guy with curly brown hair in a blue overcoat sits by himself. I look at him like a thief, he looks at me like he's guilty. I must have stared for a second, caught off guard by his emerald eyes, before remembering myself but when I do, I smile, lifting one of my glasses in salutation. He laughs and does the same and we throw our shots back.

I turn my attention back to the grumpy bartender and order an Old Fashioned to take back to my seat. He grumbles something about muddling before getting to work.

I take the drinks back to the booth that Serena had saved and place the shot in front of her. She rolls her eyes and protests but I ignore her. She will do it eventually and she'll order three more for herself and another three for me before the night is over.

Serena starts in on the guy she currently shares a deeply toxic situationship with and I ready myself to take the verbally aggressive approach when needed. I half listen to her while I use my phone to sign us up for karaoke, one more drink and I'll be comfortable enough to head up so I throw back the rest of my Old Fashioned.

At that moment, a big group of guys walk into the place all dressed in a variety of snow and weather-resistant gear cheering as if they'd just won a big game, it was like a Homecoming flashback. The grumpy bartender throws his hands up and cheers back at them and they all take turns leaning over the bar top to greet him. The whole place has quieted down and turned their attention to the arrival of this group that walked in as if they owned the whole place. Then, they spot the shot thief sitting at the end of the bar and their cheers get even louder as they shuffle down to greet him.

A feeling rises up inside of me. "That one," I say to no one in particular. Serena notices my blatant change in subject off of her and pauses.

"What?" she asks.

"That one, I want that one," I say, pointing in the green-eyed thief's direction. He is too busy buying his friends a round of shots to notice anyone is talking about him and I'm enough alcohol in to care too much about being subtle.

All of a sudden the front door of Rojo's is once again visited by a big group of cheering guys soaking up all the attention from the room. It's my brother, Charlie, and all his friends. They scan the room and when they locate us in the back booth they cheer even louder than the first round. I smile and shake my head, my twin brother is one of my most favorite people.

"A shot for Ari!" he howls and brings a tray of Fernet to the table. I grimace at the thought but I take it in celebration of me and I slam the shot glass down on the table just in time to catch the eyes of the green-eyed thief. He smiles and suddenly I feel myself out of my seat.

"Move, Char," I say but he ignores me and Red and Gib slide into my seat.

The bar isn't too big so I have very little time to talk myself out of this as I walk across the floor, and even less time as he's noticed me up and moving long before I reach him. His friend is talking to him but he stops paying attention and his gaze is fixated on me. Which, admittedly, is exactly the kind of reaction I am hoping for. Then, suddenly, I'm right there in front his friend and him, those green eyes so close I'm lost in the grassy spring fields.

"So, what are you drinking?" I ask.

"Whatever you are," he says smirking, handing his empty glass to his friend.

"Maybe you'll let me buy you a drink instead of stealing mine."

"Deal," he said, turning to the bartender to order two more shots of whiskey and putting it on his tab. I roll my eyes.

"So are you going to tell me your name?" he says, leaning on his arms on the bar top, they flex in front of me and my breath catches in my throat.

"Arabella."

"Miles," and he extends his hand.