In My Veins

One Less Problem Without You

“I’m sorry. I really am. Should be another few minutes…”

Danielle smiles while Dom putters around behind the bar, cleaning glasses he’s already cleaned and telling the bar back to get more of what he already has stocked up in the fridge. He checks the clock again and sighs.

“I told my boss Jack’s an unreliable twat,” Dom mutters to himself. He stares at Danielle sympathetically while she sips her drink. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Danielle says reassuringly. She reaches her arm across the bar and gives Dom’s forearm a light squeeze. “We can reschedule.”

“I know how much you love tacos,” Dom sighs in disappointment. When Danielle looks at him oddly, he laughs nervously. “Google told me.”

Danielle arches her eyebrows. “You googled me?”

“Maybe?” Dom continues to laugh. “How else am I supposed to know what your favorite food was?”

“I’m impressed,” Danielle says. “And not at all freaked out.”

Dom shakes his head and wipes down the bar, cursing under his breath when the drunk old man on the opposite side calls for him. “Be right back.”

Danielle twirls the skinny straw around in her drink and watches Dom contently. She can’t help but stare when he bends over to retrieve a beer and pulls the bottle opener out of the back of his tight jeans. When he catches her eye, she fixes her gaze to the right to the wall filled with a hideous photograph of dogs playing poker. It’s very eighties.

Another hour passes and Danielle’s on her fourth drink. Dom’s making them pretty strong and she feels the stars in her eyes start to twinkle when Dom leaves over the bar and ruffles her hair.

“Do you mind staying here for the night?” he asks softly, his eyes resembling a puppy dog. “Please?”

Danielle takes another sip and sighs contently. “Only if I keep getting free drinks.”

“You drive a hard bargain,” Dom laughs, rubbing Danielle’s arm. “Deal.”

She texts her sisters the date’s going “really great” because they don’t need to know she’s only downstairs in the bar. They’ll no doubt crash it and Alana will get her back for telling Owen embarrassing childhood stories. Dom doesn’t need to hear anything too incriminating. It’s far too early for that.

Then she frowns and realizes a relationship will probably never blossom. They’re only in London for eleven more days and she knows Alana’s counting down the minutes until they go back home.

“You okay?” Dom asks when he notices Danielle’s eyes are glued to her drink.

Danielle shakes the hair out of her eyes and smiles. “How about another drink?”

“You got it.”

It’s barely eight but the bar starts filling up pretty quickly. Pretty soon there’s tons of sketchy guys vying for Dom’s attention. They all look pretty rough and their dilated pupils and bloodshot eyes are a tell tale sign of what they’ve been up to prior to coming to the bar.   

“I’m going to kill Jack,” Dom mutters once he’s got a spare moment. “Will you be my alibi?”

“Sure.” Danielle polishes off the rest of her drink and slides the glass carefully towards the edge of the bar. Dom looks rather flustered as everyone shouts their order at him simultaneously.  Danielle frowns and wishes she could do something to help but the extent to her bartending knowledge is limited and she doesn’t want to risk Dom getting fired because of her inability to make a drink.