The Nightingale || John Egan

VII

The dim organge lights of the bar and the soft jazz playing in the background, laughter covering it, welcomed Iris as she stepped inside. The smell of liquor and beer filling the air, along with strong cologne.
There were mostly men, some standing with drinks in their hands, some talking to woman, who leaned on the walls as they towered over them, the woman's eyes reflecting the dim light that shone.
Some were playing cards, two women were dancing around.

Alissa grabbed William's hand and pointed over to where the group was, "There they are!" she dragged William with her, almost stumbling as he followed her all over to where the group sat with the British, leaving Ronald and Iris standing side by side.
Iris smiled kindly and looked up to where Ronald was looking "Shall we have some drinks?" Iris asked and saw a small smile form on his face, he placed on hand on his hip and nodded "Yeah, we'll join the others later" he agreed with Iris as both approached the counter and waited for the bartend to come over as he was occupied with filling drinks for others.

Iris sat on the stool, Ronald preferred to stay on his feet with his elbow leaned on the counter as Iris faced him. The man seemed to be looking behind her but Iris decided against looking behind her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her pearl earing showing.
"So, anything new?" she asked him, then, his eyes immediately found hers, he took a deep breath in from his mouth as he shook his head not knowing where to start.
"Well, many things are changing, aren't they? And I believe we have a new mission coming up- oh- I haven't asked you yet, how did it go?" he took a step closer, although there was much space in between them, she opened her mouth to answer him but the bartender showed up and asked them what they wanted.

Before ordering Ronald turned to Iris and asked her, she looked at the man behind the counter and spoke "A ginger beer, please".
"A whiskey".
"Coming right up" he said and walked away.
"What were you saying?" asked Ronald.
"Well, it wasn't something new, of course the flaks were many and strong, I just wish for us to complete one mission and return back full".
He narrowed his eyebrows and pursed his lips "Full meaning?"
"Everyone and no limbs missing".

"The pilots weren't that bad," she began, the bartender than came with their drinks, they thanked him before he walked away once again, Ronald drank his whiskey before he suggested "Would you do a better job?"
"I might,"
He winced at her two words, she brought a hand up to her mouth and smiled widely.
"Well, since I trust that you are one of the best, you shall teach me how to perfectionate my piloting?"
She hummed at his words and pressed the bottle of ginger beer on her lips before taking a sip, her left leg on her right one.

They both spoke and laughed, she had felt joy, he was funny and charming, he was a good friend.
From behind, the group sat with the British.
Alissa and William sat side by side, his hand sliding up her thigh until she widened her eyes at him and slapped his hand away, most of them couldn't understand what the British men said, and had begun to despise their words.
Alissa leaned in on the table and noticed the major looking elsewhere, she scrunched up her nose, confused as to why he was distracted when he was talking and maybe even arguing with the British.
She slowly followed his gaze, and was firmly on the girl she thought of as her closest friend. She observed how Iris' head was tiled to her left and she figured she was laughing and smiling, giving the slight shakes her body would have, before her was Ronald, who was standing close, but not close enough to indicate any attraction, his hand was rubbing his chin while his arm was on the counter looking at the girl.

Alissa suppressed a smile and looked away, and her theories were right about the major.
But then she recalled how he had asked Iris to join and how now she was here, unaware of his presence and yet there she was, laughing.
Alissa was took by surprise when William snaked his hands around her waist and pulled her in.

She leaned in and pressed her hand on his cheek, whispering "Look, do you recall what I've told you? Do you think the major is..." the girl trailed off when William leaned away and stole a look from the major, who went from looking at the girl to looking away.
William raised his eyebrows and looked at Alissa amused "My girl is always right" he muttered and kissed her hard before pulling away, resulting in a giggle from her part.

Iris drank the last of her beer and when she, once again, saw her friend looking behind her she placed the bottle down and turned around slowly and her gaze locked with Bucky's, and not a second later he looked away, his lips moved as he spoke with those sat in front of him, Iris turned back quickly and saw Ronald with his eyebrows raised and he gave her a look, with a slight told of his head, creating a small double chin.
"Do I have something in my face?" she asked looking around but at him.
"Might I say something?" he asked politely, she gave him one slow nod and he took a sharp breath in before making himself clear "Major had been staring over here this whole time".
"Oh, really?" she asked.
"Really, Grey".
A moment of silence passed between them and she asked "So?"

Ronald shrugged and took a shot of his whiskey before he spoke, his voice raspy from the bitterness of the liquid "I bet he's got an eye on you".
"Because he's been looking over here?" she said innocently, fully understanding his point.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked, a laugh following.
"He asked me to join earlier, I told him no, but then-"
"Oh".
"Alissa dragged me here".

Iris sighed and jumped off her stool and stood besides him, now both of their backs against the counter.
He couldn't have been jealous, Ronald had a wife, and Iris knew that and never would she ever disgrace the woman and herself like that.

"They're leaving already?" Ronald asked, maybe himself, Iris looked over and saw everyone standing up and making their way outside, with the British.
"With the British?" Iris asked and revived an unrealistic answer "One night stand with the British, maybe" she snorted and covered her mouth, before he laughed.
Ronald told her he'd go see what was going on, Iris stayed back for a bit before she decided to go see herself, Bucky approached her, stopping her in her tracks.
"I see you came, in the end" he said, stepping closer to her, a strand of hair falling over his eyes.
"I did".
"Do you know he has a wife?" he said leaning in, his voice low and his eyes not leaving hers.

She smiled and nodded as she spoke "Yes and she's quite beautiful, I'm not that type of woman John, and he's a nice friend" and as she kept her eyes on his, she saw a change in them as if he had misjudged, and he did, indeed.
Iris kept a good posture and took a step forward and asked him "Well, what happened with the britts?"
"Makin a bit of sport themselves" he said, "come on" he added and grabbed her gently from her arms and pulled her with his outside.
"Riffraff!" she heard someone say as she and Bucky stepped outside, the man almost stumbling.
She spotted at the end Alissa who looked perplexed, Bucky's grip loosened around Iris' arms but he did not let go, so Iris slowly removed her arms from his hand and walked away, towards Alissa.
"Are they going to fight? Really?" the brunette asked, and the blonde nodded firmly as she looked at William dead in the eye.

"Oh! The ladies! I guess we'll have to prove the existence of our muscles!" one of the British said, his accent strong as he yelled, gazing at the two who stood side by side although both looked at the man seriously, disgusted.
"The only thing they will be proving is their lack of brains" Iris muttered pushing her hair back, Alissa sighed and elbowed her in the waist.
The men didn't seem to get to the point, so Alissa leaned to her left and whispered "Had a good night?".
"Yes, thankfully. What about you?"
"Oh, I definitely had a good one. And my theories were proven right" Alissa answered happily, her tone high pitched at the end.
"What theories?" Iris asked her her question wasn't answered like she had wanted to.

Curtis stood in front of one of the British man, both with their arms in front of them, as the two woman watched unfazed.
"Now, seeing as you like to do your fighting at night, Bryan" Curt said as they walked in a circle.
Curt dodged the first punch, the others made some noise, some winced. And with one, small punch, the man named Bryan fell on the ground, leaving the win for the Americans and the Irish.
The man lay on the ground, Curtis yelled somethings above him until he was shoved away.
"That was too much of that. That's what that was" Iris heard Bucky say, looking at the man who was taken away, mankind the sign of talking with his hands bringing her to smile and roll her eyes.

Bucky lifted Curtis up and all walked away, "Never mess with the Irish" he said raising his arms up.

Iris and Alissa, arm in arm, followed the group as they celebrated their small victory, that to their eyes was massive.