White Lie - Chenford

With You

"Are you guys sure this is how I should be spending my last night? I've got to get in extra early tomorrow." Lucy hesitated, moping in Charlotte's passenger seat. Erica and Elena sat in the back, both re-applying their lipgloss.

"Lucy, you need to loosen up a little! Trust me, you'll have fun, and if you don't, just blame Erica!" Erica scoffed, earning giggles from the girls.

Erica's blonde hair hit her back, long loose curls. Her brown eyes left any guy in a trance, and her full lips were hard to forget. And as for Elena, well, she was just as beautiful.  Brown, straight hair, and brown eyes. She had small freckles around her nose, and rosy cheeks complimenting her lips.

Arriving to the new bar, Lucy awed at the decorated building. The bar was welcoming, with string lights hanging from the double doors. The girls all cheered as they exited the now parked car, arms all hooked as they strolled to the bar.

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Entering the bar was just as hard as trying to find an open booth. The room was crowded, with women cheering at one corner and men chugging down beers at another. Lucy gave her friends a queasy look, a crinkle forming between her eyebrows.

"Don't knock it til you try it, plus you're the one who begged to come here!" Charlotte reminded Chen, who was eyeing the exit door.

"Fine, but.."

"No buts, come on! I see a booth over there," Erica shouted, and the girls followed behind her, the three giving each other a look before turning back to Lucy who stood confused.

They settled into the very cold leather seats, and finally decided on drinks. Erica and Elena were far too  busy gossiping, leaving Lucy and Charlotte to fetch drinks. At the bar's table, sat a man with short, dirty-blonde hair, and piercing blue eyes. Lucy might have fainted right then and there if it weren't for the two drink in her hands. The man, staring intently at his phone, finally drew his gaze and met eyes with Lucy's, offering a small smile. Lucy returned the gesture, and quickly turned on her heels to hurry back to her booth. Charlotte followed behind her, waving at Tim as she followed the flustered brunette. Tim rolled his eyes, bringing the bottle of beer to his lips.

"Woah, Lucy! Calm down, he wasn't going to bite you!" Charlotte chuckled, placing her drinks on the table. Lucy did the same, settling down beside Elena.

"He's cute, huh?" Charlotte smiled, bringing her straw to her lips. Lucy blushed; looking behind her booth. There sat the man, eyes still glued to his phone. Was he waiting for someone? Charlotte's phone pinged, so many times she had to turn it off.

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After Erica's many drinks, and Elena's poor attempt at bribing a bartender, Lucy decided to talk to the man she had been eyeing all night. The girls all cheered as she shuffled through the crowd of people, making way to the bar.

"Hey, you." The man began, then whistled over the bartender. "Tequila?" He brought his stool closer to hers. Lucy nodded, stunned he figured her go-to drink. "Whiskey?" And he nodded, crossing his arms.

"Can we skip that whole awkward part?" Lucy giggled, noticing the silence that had become. The bartender slid both their drinks, and she quickly thanked the man. "Okay, sure. I'm Tim Bradford" He smiled, eyes busy on hers. Lucy lost the sudden staring game when her eyes fell down to his lips, mesmerized by his features. Sure, he was easy on the eyes, but something else, different, about this man, was going to ruin her in the best way possible.

"I'm Lucy, Lucy Chen." She chuckled, snapped out of her daze.

"So, Tim, why are you here, at a bar, alone?" Lucy brought the pink straw to her lips.

"Who says I'm alone?" Tim furrowed his eyebrows, crossing his arms with a deeper tone now held in his voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't.." Lucy fumbled on her words, cheeks turning red.

"I'm with you, no?" Tim finished the sentence, grabbing his own glass.

"God! You had me worried some woman was going to come up from behind me and try tackling me!" She slapped his arm, her cheeks slowly loosing the deep red shade.

"But, to answer your question, your friends set me up. Said I needed to let loose and live a little. She's been bugging me since last week. Now I'm glad she did." Tim admitted, waiting patiently for Lucy's response.

"I'm glad I came." Lucy gave a warm smile.

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