Like Chalk and Cheese | ✏️

Chapter 3 - Rith

Present time.

I nod good-naturedly, but half-smirk and roll my eyes as I grab two menus, a pen, and my notebook paper. "Right. Such a good gay-dar, Greta. I'll go speak to them."

Greta smacks Danique's arm playfully, squealing in delight as they watch me leave the bar to go serve the new customers. Out on the balcony, a pair of guys are sitting across from each other, one dressed in a white button-up with jeans, and the other in a short sleeve Hawaiian-style button-up with cargo shorts. They both eye me up as I approach, the former with a small smile and the latter with a frown that makes me lose a little bravado. 

Unsettling face expression aside, he's fine as hell. His jawline is sharper than the butcherknife in the kitchen, and his hair and eyes alone could make me drunker than all the beers on tap. The white shirt clings to his bulging arms, and-- 

I refocus. I can't perve on my customers. Quickly breathing in and out, I look to the Hawaiian-shirted man and start my robotic waiter sequence.

"Welcome to the Golden Palace, where every hour is happy hour. Here are your menus--" I hand either of them a folded card, "---on one side is drinks, and the other has food. I'll come back in about five minutes to take your order."

Routinely, I smile, the Hawaiian-shirted man nodding before busying himself with the menu. The white-shirted guy simply nods. "Thanks," he says, his voice slightly nasally, but deeper than the ocean right outside our door. 

I feel something shudder down my back. Horniness? Anticipation? Lust? Ugh. Not again.

The feeling quickly fades as I turn on my heel to get back to the bar. Danique and Greta are both on their phones, the pair looking up as I reach them. 

"So, are they cute or what?" Greta says, her voice chipper as she glances at them. Danique rolls her eyes.

"You know, you have got to stop saying every random guy you see is cute. It was adorable and quirky at first, but now it's just annoying."

Greta dismisses her with a wave of her hand, making Danique smile and roll her eyes. "Don't say I didn't tell you so, then."

Pou reappears out of the kitchen, greeting me and the girls with a grin. "Thanks, Rith, for covering me. I got the bar. Can you go and glass? Thanks."

I nod, giving the girls a quick apologetic smile before setting off with my tray. Almost everyone's left now; the old ladies that were chatting up Pou had long gone, and most of the couples that were loitering with their half drinks had left. Only two couples were left; Hawaiian-shirt & White-Shirt and an old straight couple just a few tables down from them. 

White-Shirt's looking down at the beach again, ignoring what Hawaiian-shirt is saying. Then, almost imperceptibly, he turns his gaze towards the rest of the bar, his eyes meeting mine for a few fleeting moments before resettling on Hawaiian-shirt. I feel something spring down-under, and I quickly focus on glassing before something embarrassing happens.  

In a matter of moments, the boner fades, and I sigh in relief. God, I can't wait till I get home. I need to work off this sexual energy; maybe I'll write another chapter in my book. 

As I peel a few half-drunk wine glasses from an alcohol-soaked table, I overhear Hawaiian-shirt and white-shirt talking. Pretending to clear up a nearby table, I listen in, making sure it doesn't look like I'm eavesdropping. What? Glassing is boring as fuck. Half of bartender work is talking and listening to the customers; I swear I'm not being creepy. Just doin' my job.

"Look, we're gonna get a few drinks and then some nice curry to share, okay?" Hawaiian-shirt says. "You'll forget about Alyssa in no time, and soon you'll be back on track and in the right headspace."