joji shit

26. thirsty

in which you find yourself in a bit of a situation with a vampire.

this is gonna be a long one, hold on to your hats (or masks lol)

—

owning a bar had its perks, but owning a bar in a small town had more perks than you ever imagined.

you scanned the expanse of the room as you wiped a glass down, making sure all your customers were satisfied before setting it down and slipping outside for some fresh air.

big ben always got tipsy and danced about, earning disapproving looks from ruby before she caved and joined him in hysterics as the rest of the bar cheered and joined along. they're one of the many friendly elderly couples you couldn't imagine seeing yourself a part of in the future.

then there were the grumpier, more tired bar goers who sipped on beer and smoked like chimneys as they discussed how things get shittier with every new generation but also treat you like their very one grandkid.

not many residents your age hung out at the bar, usually opting for the more upbeat bars in town or elsewhere with their spouses and kids. but when they did, all they did was get too drunk and become a nuisance or they'd flirt with you till jerry threatened to "shoot their asses" with his bb-gun. it's a cute little town.

the bar never got wild; the loudest it had ever gotten in there was when big ben's grandson showed up on tv to sing the national anthem before some big football game.

you never really kept up with what was on the tv, the ladies followed a schedule which suited them and the guys perfectly. it was one less thing you needed to worry about.

see, moving between states most of your life because of your old man's job instilled this thing in you. once you'd moved out of home, you just kept moving and moving and moving. that was, until you got to this town here about 2 years ago.

it was pretty chill with really nice sunsets, nobody ever bothering anyone. you liked this life; you could do whatever you wanted without anyone interfering. you were your only responsibility.

which brings you to how owning a bar had it's perks. you could close whenever knowing your usuals generally called it a night around 11 pm. everyone knew everyone, so you could leave the bar unattended whenever you needed to head out for a quick 15 minutes. besides, who doesn't love living a floor above where they work?

but the biggest perk of all is how your bar is closest to the town border, meaning that sometimes road-trippers dropped by and changed things up around the bar. it was refreshing most times.

other times...

"you seem a little lost there, head in the clouds?"

your head immediately snapped up to meet a pair of dark eyes squinting with a playful smirk at the lips. the deep voice sounded so smooth yet so dangerous it unsettled you but drew you in nonetheless.

snapping out of it, you stood up from the makeshift bench you made out of a log by the bar door a few months ago.

"oh, can i help you?" you forced a smile and checked the man who was walking towards you. he was dressed in plain clothing; a dark top and bottoms with a beanie covering his black hair. he didn't look like he was from around there.

"just passing by for a quick drink." he smiled, shoving his hands into his pockets and not missing the chance to make it clear that he was checking you out. gross.

"alright well i'm closing up soon so—"

"you?" he asked, amused. "you work at this place?" his eyes trailed up to the small building behind you then right back to bore into your eyes.