Tequila & Birdcages

Initiation |x.t|

I've been working at this little bar in downtown Vegas for a few months now. Ever since I first walked in, I just felt like this would be a turning point in my life. I moved to the city in hopes of finding freedom and I certainly found a lot more than that. One of those things being Xandra.

Her long legs caught my eye first, smooth skin with spotted freckles. She always wore incredibly revealing clothes and yet she seemed so... refined? From the moment I laid eyes on her, she just felt untouchable—both literally and figuratively. Her long blonde hair is usually pulled back into a low ponytail but tonight she lets it hang loose.

As she walks over to the table with a small smirk on her face, I remember what led us here. It took me weeks to work up the courage and ask her out. I'd had my eyes on her since we first met but tried to be respectful as I assumed she was taken. I mean, when you look like that, how could she not be in a relationship?

Eventually, I asked and she laughed in my face a little until she realized I was serious. She almost looked surprised but agreed to go to dinner with me. I stand up as she gets closer to the table and watch as her eyes scan my body. When our gazes meet again, I notice her smirk has widened. She wears a black dress, tight and no longer than mid-thigh.

As usual, she has on her ridiculously high heels that make her tower over me. I decided to wear some heels of my own tonight, however, so I don't look like a child standing next to her. "Well hello there" I say, she chuckles softly as she sits and I take a seat across from her. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting long" she mumbles, "you're right on time" I state as I admire her.

"That's not what I asked" she counters, "well, you didn't really ask a question" I tease and she rolls her eyes playfully. The waiter comes over and takes our drink orders before leaving. "So... how was your day?" I ask her, "good. What about you?" she replies softly. "Same here" I sigh awkwardly and a silence falls over us.

I can tell she's challenging me, seeing how long I'll go without saying anything. "Why do you always insist on teasing me?" I inquire, "you just make it so easy" she chuckles. We take the drinks and order our food, the discussion slowly building. Soon the food is gone and we're still sitting there, completely engaged.

"I'm incredibly fast as math" I answer after she'd asked for random fact about me, "oh yeah?" she smirks and I nod. "Alright, what's 30•17?" she asks, "47" I state and she furrows her eyebrows. "That's not even close" she scoffs, "but it was fast" I point out and she stares at me for a while before bursting into a fit of giggles.

I watch her, a huge grin on my face knowing it was me who caused her to laugh like that. We decided it was probably time to go so we split the bill and headed out front. "Such a gentlewoman" she says as I hold the door open for her and I take a little bow in response. I let her lead the way to her car and she stops. "I had a really nice time tonight" she sighs, glancing down at her shoes.

"You don't sound so happy about that" I joke as I rock on my feet and she chuckles shortly. "Why did you ask me out?" she questions and before I can answer, she continues, "we've barely even talked" and I nod in agreement. "I think you're cool" I shrug, "that's it?" she asks softly and I take a few steps to be closer to her.

"And... I think you're really pretty" I mumble and she looks up at me and scoffs which confuses me. "Look... I really like you" she whispers, "I like you too" I echo with a cautious smile in my face. She nods slowly and I get the feeling that she's nervous about something. I raise my hand, placing it tentatively on her cheek and she quickly meets my eyes.

"Would it be alright if I kissed you?" I ask quietly and she hesitates before nodding, "yes" she answers. I gently press my lips against her own, slow and steady as I step closer to her. I pull away, noticing that she seems a bit distracted. I open my mouth to apologize, thinking that I had to have done something wrong, but she stops me.

"You're not—you don't think I'm—well, I'm sure you hear what they say about me" she mutters and I furrow my eyebrows until I realize what she means. "You mean at the bar" I clarify, "everywhere pretty much" she scoffs bitterly. "Sure... I've heard a few things" I shrug but quickly come to understand where this is going.

"That doesn't mean anything to me" I assure her and she chuckles humorlessly. "It doesn't. You think that's why I asked you out—to sleep with you?" I question and she shrugs, her gaze on the ground. I tilt her chin up and see tears slightly brimming her eyes and I pout. "I didn't sleep with them. They just... I just like wearing these clothes, they make me feel good. That's it" she sighs and I nod in understanding.

"I believe you" I promise her and she smiles softly as a tear spills onto her cheek that I wipe away. "No need to cry" I whisper, "thank you" she sighs in relief and I shrug funnily. She giggles softly and places a kiss on my cheek before stepping away. "Sorry for... that" she laughs nervously, "you have nothing to apologize for" I reassures her and her smile widens.

"Could we maybe... do this again sometime?" she asks hopefully and I nod without hesitation. "Absolutely" I confirm and she glances away for a moment as a blush coats her cheeks. "For the record..." she mumbles as she opens her car door, "this was the best date I've ever been on" she grins widely as she slips into the car.