Love Again

4. The Museum

Early October in Boston was something Lane found herself enjoying more and more every day. Having spent her last four falls in Virginia, she had found herself yearning for that perfect fall weather. The leaves changing color, the cooler air that gave her the perfect excuse to wear her favorite cardigans, and the mild weather that left ample opportunity to see the sites in that Massachusetts town made her feel more whole. In her undergraduate days, her autumns were spent with fans at full blast, trying to catch a break from the humid air that would suffocate anyone in it for more than a few minutes at most. Now, she found herself wanting to spend as much time outdoors as possible, walking to all the different museums and shops within a few miles of her apartment in her spare time. With the weekend fast approaching, Lane decided to invite her friends out to a museum about a block from her apartment she had not gotten the chance to visit. As she arrived at the bar for her Friday night shift, she was quick to strike up conversation with Brandy.

"Hey, girlie! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever," Brandy greeted her friend as she wiped down the bar, preparing for the customers that were sure to flood in when they opened in 30 minutes.

Lane laughed, "well, I am off on Wednesdays and you were off yesterday."

"True, but still. I wish we had more shifts together. You and Theo are the only two I can stand around here. And I can barely deal with Mr. Moody Pants half the time," Brandy chuckled as she eyed the man at the back of the bar carrying in a case of beer from the back room.

Lane glanced over at him before returning her gaze to the brunette in front of her, "speaking of which, apparently he and I are friends now."

"What?! What do you mean you're "friends" now?" Brandy gasped loudly, quieting down as she asked her friend the second question.

As though he knew they were talking about him, Theo turned in the direction of the two women, quirking an eyebrow at the embarrassed redhead that was trying to hide behind her hand. He made his way over to them, stopping a few inches from Lane before addressing them, "what's got you being so loud, Brandy?"

Brandy laughed, "Oh, Lane was just telling me about how y-"

"My cat tried to escape from my apartment through the fire escape yesterday. He was following a bird. Anyways, I was thinking about going to the art museum down the street tomorrow morning. You're both more than welcome to join me," Lane was quick to interrupt her friend, not wanting to admit they were talking about him.

"That sounds like so much fun! What time? I finally convinced my boyfriend to perform at this open mic thing downtown at the park, but that's not until noon," Brandy beamed.

"I was thinking around 10 AM. Would that work for you?" Lane smiled back at the woman across from her.

"Definitely. What about you, Theo? Maybe become a little more cultured?" Brandy teased the man that had his gaze set on the redhead next to him.

He quickly turned his attention to the brunette who seemed to love to mess with him and away from Lane, who had turned towards him to listen to his answer. He cleared his throat, "mhmm, yeah. I'll think about it."

Lane lightly blushed, giving him a quick smile before speaking, "cool. Anyways, maybe we should go ahead and prep for this shift. Summer would have our heads if we weren't ready at opening time."

They quickly got to work, readying both the bar and themselves for the crazy night ahead. As customers started rolling in, the three served drink after drink, fending off rude customers along the way. Lane managed to sneak in a few breaks along the way, heading out to the back alley every few hours just to catch her breath. There was no doubt that things were much more fast paced at The Abbey than the little bar she worked at only a few months prior. She had, however, built up her stamina over the last few weeks and was no longer utterly exhausted by the end of her shift. As they served the last few drinks of the night, all three bartenders were more than ready for it to end. By the time the last patron had made his way out of the bar, Lane was more than ready to finish clean up and go home. They cleaned quickly and quietly, each of the three coworkers taking on a specific task in order to get out of there as early as possible. As Theo locked the door once they were out in the cool fall air, Lane sent him a brief smile as he gazed at her before giving Brandy a hug and making her way down the street and to her apartment.
———
Lane was up bright and early the next morning, ready to meet Brandy, and possibly Theo, at the museum. She was quick to get cleaned up and dressed, choosing a white cropped top, light wash mom jeans, and a pink cardigan to keep her warm. She went into the kitchen to feed Mooch, pouring herself a glass of juice before making her way through her apartment to grab her belongings. As she finished her glass, she pulled on a pair of Doc Martens before placing the glass in the sink and making her way out the door. While closing the front door and locking it, her phone started buzzing, indicating someone was calling her.