A Beautiful Life

Beautiful Stranger [Madonna]

The can of Surge slid across the bar top and arrived to Teresa almost like a commercial. Tall, glowing a neon green in the muted lighting and glistening with cool dewy droplets. Even the way she opened it was sensuous, cracking the top carefully and pouring it into a wide glass of vodka.

As she mixed the drink with a few quick swishes, she grinned proudly to herself, bringing the thin black straw to the side of her mouth.

"Babe, aren't I good at this? I could be a bartender, too."

And Matthew smiled at her enthusiasm behind the bar, grabbing several more glasses and placing them before him strategically. He pushed the sleeves of his white button-up shirt to his elbows as he began maneuvering different bottles of liquor to create the mixed drinks.

"The best, babe," he replied, shooting her a quick wink. "You might steal me out of a job."

Her giggle was loud, her fingers finding the stitches of her black choker as she fumbled with the yin yang charm hanging off the center. "Babe, I would never take your job! No matter how good I am at making Vodka Surges."

Sakura, who had had enough of their flirting for the last twenty minutes, placed her drink on the counter firmly, a sigh heaving from her mouth. Teresa turned to look at her, raising a thinly plucked brow.

"Vodka Surge isn't a thing, Teresa. Stop trying to make it a thing."

Teresa only giggled further, holding her misty drink up cheerfully, the glass beaming a gross looking shade of lime green. "It is a thing, actually, Sakura. Isn't it, babe?"

Her attention turned to Matthew, expertly crafting drinks, and he nodded without looking their way.

"It's true. Teresa isn't the first person to order vodka and Surge."

Sakura looked down at her own drink then, a tall glass of vodka and orange juice half gone, stirring the liquid and watching the ice cubes clash. She kept the glass on the table as she dipped her head, slanting her neck to sip silently but quickly. The rest of the drink was gone within a few seconds.

And there it was, finally. The warm belly and the relaxation that came with it. The bar's soft music became comforting, a Madonna song playing in the background. She could hear the conversations around her, and she appreciated how cozy this place was, especially on a weekend. She could drink with her friends and be dressed like a complete fucking bum.

Sakura leaned back contentedly, her gaze drifting to Andrew on her right as he sipped from his bottle of beer, a subtle smirk gracing her lips.

"Hey, Andrew, what's your take?" Sakura asked, nudging his shoulder to catch his attention. "Vodka and Surge?"

She watched him chuckle slightly, scratching the top of his head as if he was pondering a philosophical question. His hair parted neatly in the middle and fell in front of his eyes, his smile enhancing the heart shape of his jawline. "I don't know, I guess I could see the appeal of it. It's kind of like mixing vodka with Sprite."

"Thank you, Andrew!" Teresa beamed, folding her arms over her chest. The movement was stiff from the tight jean jacket hugging her torso. "A man with some class."

Sakura wasn't about to let this slide. She turned towards Andrew, giving him her most dissatisfied look—eyes squinted, nose wrinkled, brows pressed together.

"That's whack—that shit is nothing like Sprite, Andrew. It's fucking gross."

While Andrew shrugged casually with as much interest as he could feign, Teresa took her words personally, throwing back her freshly re-crimped hair with a flick of her neck. "Surge is the best soda ever made, and it's gonna be around for a very long time!"