The Boy From the Bar (h.s.)

Chapter 3

As I walk out the door, I look around for a quiet spot. I went out the side door, which leads to a small fenced in area with scattered tables and chairs, dimly lit by colorful Christmas lights. Music plays softly in the background. It’s pretty cute out here, and a bit more private. It seems to be a spot for people to come out to have a cigarette or a few minutes alone with their date. For me, it was a few minutes to breathe and mentally curse Becky for convincing me to wear heels, to actually come out for once. I walk towards the fence on the quietest side of the area and look out at the mountains I can see in the distance.

“Hey,” says a deep voice. No, a raspy voice. I jump a little and turn my head to see the man who was just on stage smiling at me from a few feet away.

“Uh, hi,” I respond, with a subtle wave. I can feel my face heating up. Why is he talking to me? Oh god, why is he walking over to me?

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. At the speed you chugged that drink, I would’ve thought your buzz would prevent you from having such a quick reaction,” he says, with a slight chuckle. He saw me down my drink? How embarrassing!

“Wait, why were you watching me?” I accidentally ask out loud.

He smiles and looks toward the ground, shaking his head a bit. In the process his curly brown locks fall into his face. He pushes them back as he looks up and stops a few feet away from me. “I’m caught, I guess,” he laughs. I can’t help but smile back. “I swear I’m not a creep. You just caught my eye when you walked into the bar.” I look down, spotting the bright red heels attached to my feet and blush. “I’m Harry,” he says, reaching a hand out to me.

“I’m Lisa,” I respond, shaking his hand. “You can sing great. I thought my friend was wrong about it being karaoke night when I heard you singing.”

He blushed a bit, which took me by surprise. His confidence on stage didn’t seem to shine through when he wasn’t singing. “Thanks. I usually have a play here a few nights a week with my band, but karaoke night gives me a chance to have more fun and goof off, you know?” he said, looking from me to the mountains in the distance.

“Yeah,” I responded, even though I couldn’t relate. I loved singing, but I wasn’t any good at it. I turned back to face the view, as well. There was a moment of awkward silence as we stood there, side by side. Up close, he was even more attractive than I had first though when I saw him on stage. His body was toned, not too muscular, but it was obvious that he visited the gym. He was much taller than me, as I barely came up to his shoulders. And I can’t help but admit that his butt looked great in those skinny jeans, though I wasn’t usually a fan of them on men. His messy hair seemed to counteract the darkness of his clothes and the defined features of his face, as did his friendly smile. The longer I stood here next to him, the more infatuated I became with his scent: a mixture of soft cologne and what I believe to just be his smell. Wow, I’m weird, I thought. He’s way out of your league, Lisa.

“So, how come I’ve never seen you here before tonight?” the raspy voice asked, as his piercing green eyes glanced towards me. I swear I went slightly weak in the knees. I was going to need more to drink if I was going to be around him any longer.

“I don’t really-,” I started, but was interrupted by someone yelling my name. I turned to find Becky walking towards me, with two drinks in her hands.