The Drink
My dead eyes stared up at me in the bronze liquid circling in my glass. All life gone. All energy gone. All hope gone. The absent grip on my ring finger felt haunting. It didn’t matter how many swings I had, how many glass cups emptied, how much liquor I drank like a fish, the aching pain in my chest wouldn’t fade.
I had just been cheated on by the love of my life, the man I planned on spending the rest of my days with. How could I not be miserable out of my mind?
“Another.” I slid the empty glass across the wooden bar table.
The bartender looked at me worriedly. “That’s your sixth one tonight, miss. Are you sure?”
“Until I can’t feel my face anymore, yes.” my slurred grumble was barely recognizable for the anxious man. I knew he was only trying to be nice, but I was too fed up with the world to give a damn about anything. Not even the pub’s booming music and flashing lights could distract me.
The next time my full glass was slid to me, I noticed objects floating in it. I had to squint to focus on my blurred vision. “Is that… strawberries?”
“That’s right.”
“Why did you put strawberries in my liquor?”
“Well…” he sheepishly smiled, “I thought you might be getting bored with the same taste by now. This one is in the house.”
“Oh… um, thank you?” I awkwardly brushed some of my dark, curly hair behind my ear. The way he looked at me made me realize I must look like a dumpster fire.
“I’ve worked here long enough to tell when somebody is drinking away their sorrows. Do you wanna talk about it?” he asked while nonchalantly wiping a glass cup.
“Do you always poke around in your customer’s business?” I immediately regretted my sassy response. Some habits die hard. “I’m sorry… I guess you could say that love is a pain in the ass.”
“I wouldn’t say that. It sounds like you just haven’t found the right one.” the stranger’s voice was kind and his smile was soft. I didn’t expect to receive such attention at a pub, of all places.
“Hey! Bartender!” one of the other customers impatiently shouted at the other end of the long table.
“C- coming!” the flustered bartender quickly attended to his neglected customer.
Alone again… The simple bartender’s absence made my loneliness return. However, when I chugged the rest of my liquor and felt the soft fruit bounce against my lips, the ache in my chest eased.
“Hey.” the sudden sound of a masculine voice made me jolt and almost choke on my drink. “You’re far too pretty to be sitting by yourself. Did you come here alone?”
Where did he come from?! This person was by far the most attractive man I’ve crossed tonight. His ash-colored hair reflected the colorful lights and his pale blue eyes showed that he had secrets unspoken. The grin on his face made my heart rate speed. It was easy to see what he wanted at first glance.
“U- um,” I stumbled over my words. “Yeah, I’m single. I mean alone! Alone. I came here alone.” if my face wasn’t already flushed from being drunk, it had to have been tomato red now.
The nameless man’s charming grin stretched, and he called to the bartender from afar. “Let’s get a couple more drinks over here.”
When the bartender came back, his kind demeanor dropped like a stone in water when he saw the stranger sitting next to me. “I think she’s had enough, sir. Can’t you see she doesn’t have a high alcohol tolerance?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of her.” he pushed both his and my cup towards the bartender.
Huh? Huh? The next thing I knew, I had another full glass of liquor and two men having an intense staring contest in front of me. Is it too late to mention I’m feeling nauseous?
“You have beautiful eyes,” the blonde man flirted with me. “I’ve never seen blue as deep as yours. What’s your name?”
“Thanks. And it’s Arabella.” I looked him up and down, my long eyelashes narrowing. “You know, it’s a little weird to start shooting compliments and interrogating names without a proper introduction.”
“You have a point.” He chuckled, then took my hand. His sun-kissed skin complimented my cinnamon-colored tone. “My name is Gus Simmons, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.” he kissed my hand, his soft lips cushioning against my smooth knuckle. “I can see you’re here for a good time and so am I, Arabella.”
The heat in my cheeks burned hotter when our skin touched. Without a doubt, Gus was far more handsome than Alex. There was a look in his eyes that both made me anxious yet sparked an arousal in me that I hadn’t felt in forever–Alex went downhill in bed and now I know why.
I could feel the bartender’s eyes on my back the entire time as he tried to do his job. Sure, I felt bad for giving him a cold shoulder when he offered me warm comfort, but Gus appeared and swept me up like a ghost. Before I knew it, he tugged on my hand, pulling me to my fight. The moment I stood up, my dizziness and nausea hit me like a punch to the gut. Part of me wanted to go home and curl up in bed.
Oh, yeah… I guess that isn’t really my home anymore, huh?
Gus gave me no time to wallow in my misery as he led me to the dancefloor.
“Gus!” I protested, stumbling with each drunken step.
The handsome blonde turned around to face me once we were surrounded by other people dancing. The temperature here compared to sitting at the bar table was hotter, and the scent of sweat and suffocating perfume didn’t help my nausea. But it all became worth it the moment his big hands gripped my wide hips, and he leaned over me.
“Dance with me, Arabella.” it sounded more like a demand than a question.
I was speechless and a little offended. This stranger dared to waltz up to me, snatch me up, and do with me what he sees fit? It dawned on me that I felt this way because I still felt a shred of loyalty to my cheating fiance. I can get some ass a lot better than you can, bastard.
My nausea and headache faded just like that. I giggled when he twirled me and leaned me down like a trust fall. The devil in his eyes turned darker as he marveled at my slender frame and curvaceous breasts.
The vibration in my pocket brought my attention to my phone. My gaze may still be blurry, but my chest pounded so hard it ached when I saw a familiar name on the screen. Alex…?
“What’s wrong?” Gus whispered in my ear.
I spun around again and danced with my back against his chest, seductively swinging my hips back and forth as he rested his hands on my small waist.
Lifting my phone high, I took a picture of myself with the handsome man’s hands on me. I couldn’t resist giving a flirtatious wink while taking the selfie. I knew I shouldn’t, but I felt guilty for sending that picture.
Once it was sent, the second party dawned on me. “Oh, shit! I’m sorry, Gus, I hope you didn’t mind–” I gasped when he began to wordlessly kiss my neck. In return, I pushed back further until I felt something hard stab at my jeans and try to squeeze its way between my ass.
“Oh. Hello there.” I joked, already fully aware I had successfully turned him on.
Gus didn’t seem embarrassed at all. Instead, his arms wrapped around me tightly and he buried his face into my neck, breathing in my scent like he had asthma and I was his inhaler. Actually… the expression on his face told me that he was holding back and it was painful for him. It made me desire to want to fix that.
“What’re you waiting for?” my coveting whisper froze him.
A smirk crossed his shiny lips. “Well, aren’t you a pert little temptress. A naughty one at that.” His tongue slid up the back of my neck and I shivered from both the lust and the tickling feeling.
“Hey, get a room!” someone nearby barked. The drunk hypocrite was dancing just like us with his ‘lady friend.’
Before I could give him a hotheaded, sassy retort, Gus swooped me up and headed for the staircase that led upstairs.
“H- hey! You still have to pay for a room!” I stuttered, knowing where this was going. I peeked over at the bar table and saw that the bartender was busy with a barrage of orders. It was as if Gus had picked the perfect moment.
“I’ll worry about that later.” I leaned down closer and whispered in my ear. “You focus on me, nothing else.”
