We arrived to the bar around 7:25 p.m. I could tell even from the outside that there was a full house. I sighed quietly to myself and gave myself a mini pep talk in my head. It will be fine. You'll have a good time. Make the most out of the night. Let loose for once. You have it in you somewhere. I looked over at Aspyn and smiled.
"You ready?" She asked excitedly. I nodded. She opened her door and I opened mine and we hopped out, thanking our driver. She walked around to my side and squeezed my hand. "You'll have a blast. I promise." I nodded again. She pulled out her phone and called Julian, informing him that we were outside so he could come and get us. I looked around, noticing that there was a line to actually get into the place! It already looked super full, which made my anxiety sky rocket. But I was trying to keep it cool. I was suddenly brought out of my thoughts as Aspyn pulled on my arm and I followed her lead. We followed Julian into the bar and weaved our way through the crowd. Once we got to a designated "VIP" area, Julian threw his arms around me and started singing "happy birthday."
"Haaaappppy Biiiiirthday toooooooo Rooooowaaaaaan!" He sang. I laughed and patted him on the back.
"Thanks, Julian. Thanks for this, by the way." I laughed, motioning to the small area we were closed off in.
"No big deal, Aspy told me beforehand you weren't a fan of crowds, so I made sure this was open for you two. But hey, I've got to get back to the bar. I'll be sending some drinks you guys' way. Enjoy the show." He said, pulling Aspyn in for a quick kiss and leaving us. I looked around the bar, tons of drunk men and women laughing and smiling. I looked towards the stage where I saw a few guys setting up some equipment.
"What's this band called?" I asked, looking over at Aspyn. She shrugged and furrowed her brows, looking at her phone and scrolling quickly.
"Uhhh.....oh, here it is. They're called catfish and the bottlemen. What a weird ass name. Then again, all of your british band dudes have weird ass names." She laughed and I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help to laugh with her. A man came by and handed us drinks that Julian had arranged for us. I wasn't really a drinker, but tonight I wanted to let loose and live a little. It was my fucking birthday! My 21st birthday! I was finally able to drink legally anyways, I might as well.
"Cheers!" I said, raising my glass and clinking it with Aspyn's.
The lights in the bar soon dimmed and the crowd clapped and yelled. I turned my attention to the stage and through the dark I saw four silhouettes make their way on to the small platform. Once they were settled, a red light came on and I could make out the faces. The lead singer stepped up to the mic, looking out into the crowd and smiling.
"Hello, and thank you all for coming out tonight. We're called Catfish and the Battlemen, and we're going to play a few songs for yous." He spoke into the mic, and the crowd clapped and hollered again. The lead singer strummed on his guitar once and the rest of the band followed his lead.
"Darling I'm done for once, and as soon as I get out of here
I plan on coming back for nothing, but then again there's you..."
He had such a lovely voice, and I found myself tapping my fingers on my leg and bopping my head to the song. They weren't bad at all, really. I quite enjoyed their sound, it reminded me a lot of the music I usually listened to. Suddenly I was glad I came out tonight. They finished up the song and I clapped, looking over at Aspyn, who was scrolling away on her phone. She wasn't into it like I was, but I was glad she was there with me.
"They're really good!" I exclaimed, taking another swig of my alcoholic beverage. I was feeling great, the night was going well, and I was having a good time. I continued to enjoy the bands set and down more drinks. Who kept bringing these drinks to us anyways?
——
Before I knew it, it was almost 11 p.m. The bar was slowly clearing out, most likely people headed to another bar or club since the night was young, and after all, the city never sleeps. Unfortunately this bar does. They closed around midnight, and I was ready to call it a night. Aspyn was going to leave with Julian, so I needed to catch a cab home. I gathered my jacket and my bag and said my goodbyes to everyone and headed out. Once outside, I walked around the corner towards the back of the bar to have a smoke. I'd been trying to quit, but I was currently drunk and feeling a little frazzled. I took a cigarette out of my bag along with my lighter, lighting up and taking a drag.
"That isn't very good for you, you know."
I was startled as a tall man with a thick accent popped up next to me. How long had he been there? Was he there this whole time?
I shrugged, not paying much attention to him. "Yeah. Well. Bad habits can be hard to break." I took another drag, finally looking up at the man. He also had a cigarette between his lips, and I narrowed my eyes at him. "Hypocrite."
He laughed and nodded. "You got me there."
I suddenly realized how familiar he looked. He was the lead singer of the band that just tonight played inside of the bar. My eyes widened in realization and I felt silly for not catching it sooner. He spoke again.
"You're too pretty of a girl to be smoking, anyways. Me? Eh, I've got nothing to lose. I travel with my band for a living playing gigs all around. And I'm quite the ugly lad if I do say so myself." He threw his cigarette down and stepped it out. "Anyways. What's your name, pretty girl who's having a bad fag behind a sketchy building?"
I laughed, tossing my cigarette down and stepping it out as well. I turned to face him, tilting my head to the side and holding my hand out. "I'm Rowan."
"Rowan. Rowan, rowan, rowan. That's a nice name. Y'don't hear that often. Easy to remember. I'm Van." He shook my hand. I smiled. I noticed his bright blue eyes under the dim streetlights, and his wavy brown locks complimented his face well. He had a crooked smile, which also fit him well. He was attractive and I'm glad he couldn't hear my thoughts because he seemed like the cocky type.
"Is there something in my teeth?" He asked, bringing me back to reality. I shook my head, laughing quietly and feeling slightly embarrassed that he caught me staring.
"No, sorry. I'm a bit drunk and forgot what was happening for a second." He nodded and smiled at me, raising his eyebrows as if he didn't believe me anyways. "Well, I should probably get home. It's getting late."
"Right then, it was nice meeting you Rowan. Also, happy birthday."
"What?" I asked, puzzled. "How'd you know it was my birthday?"
He pointed at my head, and I suddenly remembered. Somewhere between their performance, Aspyn put a crown on my head that said "IT'S MY BIRTHDAY" in big sparkly letters.
"Oh, right. I forgot about that." I laughed, feeling a blush cover my cheeks. Could I embarrass myself any more than I already have in front of this guy? "Well, it was nice talking with you."
"You as well." He smiled and stepped back into the bar.
I felt ridiculous, like I'd made a fool of myself. That was normal for me with attractive guys, though. I wasn't too torn up about it, given the fact that I'd probably never see the guy again. Van. That was his name. I shook my head and walked back to the main sidewalk and quickly catching myself a cab. Soon enough I was home and happy to be in my own bed. I couldn't help falling asleep thinking about how great my night had been, thankful that I'd decided to actually go out in the first place.
