Cacophony

6: a d a m

 

My hands are rough, my fingers cold, and your heart's so young and so naive.

"You're not driving like this. Give me your keys."
"I said I'm fine-"
  Chris didn't waste anymore breath as he plucked Syd's keys from her hand and put them in his pocket.
"Let me and Susan take you home." He pleaded.
"I'll walk." Sydney spat.
"You're not walking home Sydney Lee."
"Leave me alone, Chris."
  She turned on her heel, plunging back into the tavern. It had been a little over an hour since she'd helped onstage, and Sydney knew she'd had too much to drink. She could tell by the way she couldn't seem to stop bumping into things, and people. No matter how hard she willed her feet to walk in a straight line, they just wouldn't cooperate. Chris was upset with her and she knew it, yet she refused to let it effect her as images of him and Susan floated through her mind.
  As she stumbled toward the restroom, she tripped. Falling fast to the floor, she sat there for a moment reevaluating her life choices. She knew she would hate herself tomorrow when she woke up with a hangover. It was just then that a hand entered her line of sight. Looking up, she recognized the face of the bartender that she had talked with during the show. Grabbing hold of his outstretched palm, she made her way to her feet. It wasn't a graceful movement... she stumbled, falling in to his chest.
"Hey... easy. Do you need some help?" He asked kindly.
"I'm-I'm fine. I just have to pee so bad." She slurred.
"Come on, over here. Use the men's restroom."
"No, I can't go in there."
"It's alright. I'll be your body guard. I won't let anyone bother you."
  Sydney thought for a moment, considering her options. She really had to go, and she wasn't having much luck on her own. Now that Liz was gone and Chris had her keys, she wasn't even sure how she was going to get home.
"Okay." She agreed, letting him lead her in to the men's restroom.
  It was much less crowded than the women's and it had a few stalls that lined the back wall. As they headed for the nearest one, the bartender stood between her and the two other men using urinals.
"Nothing to see here gentlemen." He told them, causing Sydney to giggle.
  He stood dutifully on the outside of the stall, happy when the other two men quickly left. When Sydney emerged from the stall, she smiled at him.
"Thank you."
"Any time." He chuckled.
  As she reached the sink to wash her hands, she caught sight of her reflection. She had totally forgotten about her mustache, which had now smeared on one side. She looked ridiculous, and remembering the way she had seriously tried to get Chris to believe that she was capable to drive earlier sent her into a fit of laughter. The bartender laughed too, and Sydney clutched the sink to keep herself steady.
"Oh- oh my god." She gasped, trying to calm herself. "I forgot all about the 'stache! You let me walk around like this?"
"Here, let me help you." He said, wetting down a paper towel and bringing it to her face.
  Their laughter died down when he got close, Sydney feeling strange at his proximity. He smelled faintly like expensive cologne.
"The last time I saw you, your fake facial hair was nicely in place around your pretty lips."
  Her breath caught in her throat as he cleaned the makeup from her mouth, knowing that he was going to kiss her. If she wanted to bail, now was the time. However, she didn't move. In her mind flashed a vision of Chris's arm around Susan, his perfect lips kissing the woman's cheek. She hated that it bothered her. It shouldn't bother her. Maybe kissing this nice bartender would help erase that.
  His lips were warm against hers. The kiss was shy at first, but not for long. His arms snaked around her waist and pulled her close, and she parted her lips to allow his tongue to roam freely. The alcohol was buzzing through her veins, she could hear it pulsing in her ears. When she realized that this wasn't satisfying her craving for the man she couldn't have she pushed harder, silently begging for the void to be filled.
  To her disappointment, he pulled away. Hollow. That's all she felt. Just hollow.
"I can't do this here. This where I work." He smirked, his hands still around her waist.
"I don't even know your name." She smiled weakly.
"It's Adam."
"Oh. I'm Sydney."
"Nice to meet you, Sydney. I've got to get out there and help close the place down, so let's get you some water and when I'm done I'll take you home."
"Okay."