Avriel Kaplan: Well dressed, well groomed, beautifully handsome, quiet and brooding and exactly the kind of man Ariel Declan doesn't need to know. But, that is not for her to decide.
Alexander Kirk: wickedly handsome, well known and well liked, egot...
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Thankfully, another night, a very long night, was in the books. Looking back on the night, she found herself to be even more exhausted than she thought she could be. So much had happened in just a single night. It was nearly too much. Ariel was extremely tired. Between exams and Alex coming down to her bar every chance he got, the night had been quite a bit more exhausting than usual. That entire week Alex made it a point to come down to her bar to order his drinks rather than ordering them from Frank on the mezzanine. That was all fine and dandy but his endless attempts to touch her and his continued unwanted flirtations had become increasingly annoying and disruptive to her work flow. That night he had been extra with her. Whenever it was possible, either Darius or Sam would intercept him and force him to order his drink from them. On the occasion, multiple that night, Alex got to order his drink from her. His advances had become lewd and unacceptable. He always tried to touch her. She always managed to casually move away before he could. Ariel didn't find his senseless and relentless flirting to be in the least bit flattering or interesting. In fact, it was starting to scare her just a little. The incident at her car was weighing on her mind.
She saw him come down the stair and hoped like hell Darius or Sam would catch him while she was pouring shots for Sean and his pals. Not that she wanted to handle his advances either. He was getting quite close to tfgts (too far gone to serve). She figured that the shot would be his last. "Last shot okay Sean?"
"You remembered ma-name?"
"Of course." She smiled softly. "It's my job. Do you?"
"I don know your-issss." His speech was more than a little slurred. She considered watering his shot and not charging him for it.
"That's okay. You don't need to." She let her eyes roll over his friends until they landed on the sober one. "What's your name, sir?"
"Justin," the man quietly replied.
"Are you their driver?"
He started nodding, "Yes, can I just have a coke?"
"Yes, of course. It's on the house. Keep them safe." Her eyes were stern and strong. Drunk driving was a serious crime in her book and just being drunk on the streets was dangerous.
"Oh Baby, I didn't know you cared." Sean cried as he reached for her arm. He was successful in catching her. He grabbed her hard enough to hurt her. She winced at the pain. She didn't eye him the way she had Alex the one time he dared to put his hands on her, but her expression displayed her displeasure. His friends went to pull his hand free.
"I am not your babe, Sean. Please let me go." The bouncers were already closing in. Where was Avriel? He wasn't in his customary space at the end of the bar. She didn't know why she was looking for him.
"But...."
"No buts. Just let go. Please." Very reluctantly, Sean let go of her arm. He let his fingers run the length of her forearm to her fingertips. She didn't object though she wanted to jerk her arm away from his touch. She was unable to stop the angry look in her eyes or the way one side of her mouth pulled up in disgust as she glared at him.
"I'm sorry." Sean whimpered.
"It will be fine." She cleared her expression and nodded to Justin who took Sean's shoulders in his hands. She didn't take her eyes off him until he had been moved away from the bar.
"Want a minute? I got it." Darius smiled softly and put a gentle friendly and welcomed hand on her shoulder before stepping up to the bar to take the next order for her. "What can I get for you, Alex?" Alex opened his mouth to speak and shut it again as Ariel turned away and he was forced to acknowledge Darius. He knew his name too, but he wasn't happy to see that Ariel was walking away or who she was walking towards. She turned without argument and walked towards the end of the bar. She did not see Avriel as he stood waiting for her. She didn't see anyone. She was lost in the horrible feeling she got from Sean when he touched her arm. She nearly walked into Avriel as she walked from behind the bar.
"Excuse me. I'm sor-" her breath caught in her throat when his hands both landed on her arms and she hit his chest catching herself with her open palms. She wasn't moving very fast but running into him was like running into a brick wall. She was forced to look up into his eyes. She felt an immediate sense of calm wash over her. She wanted to comment, maybe finish apologizing for walking into him, but her mind blanked. The only thought that continued to flow through it was his name. "Avriel." She breathed rather than spoke. "I-uh. I."
"Shhh. S-okay." His voice was hushed, just on the plus side of audible, but she heard him clearly. He placed his hands over hers and gently took them off his chest. Her barriers had been up, they always were. Her mother had started teaching her how to protect herself before she could talk. He blasted through them like they were not even there. While he was standing in front of her, holding both her hands and staring down into her eyes, silently reassuring her that she was safe, he was also present in her mind offering the same quiet reassurances. He quietly took her hands off his chest and smiled warmly at the immediate connection. He felt her mind close and force him to its edges, but he was still touching her there too. They started to walk away together. Avriel turned and looked up at the balcony where Esther and Scott stood watching him. His eyes were dark and serious. He then looked at Alex pointedly. He held his eyes for long seconds before turning to Ariel, smiling before placing his hand tenderly on the small of her back and leading her away.
