"I could not tell if I loved you the first moment I met you, or if it was the second or third or fourth. But I remember the first moment I looked at you walking toward me and realized that somehow the rest of the world seemed to vanish when I was with you"
-Cassandra Clare
Ichigo wiped in a circular motion, soggy cloth cleaning the remains of alcohol created from the previous guest. With a soft clink, Ichigo set the glasses into a small container, which had accumulated quite a bit of glass over the last hour. Clearly the dish-boy left early again, meaning Ichigo's job list had added weight to it. Fantastic; another late night.
"Excuse me?" Ichigo abandoned the dishes, turning towards the new customer at the end of the bar. With a sigh, he threw the rag over his shoulder and made his way down.
"What can I…" His movements slowed, almost stopping completely as his eyes set on the customer. Suddenly, as a rowdy shout emitted from the far corner of the bar, Ichigo found his speech. Pink dusted his cheeks. "What can I get you?" he asked with a generous amount of enthusiasm.
The girl smiled, as if Ichigo hadn't stopped to stare at all, and laced her fingers on the top of the bar counter. "Cola on the rocks, please!" Again, Ichigo hesitated. Was this girl playing him? But the smile she wore convinced him otherwise, which is why he turned on his heel to go fetch the girl a glass.
Within seconds he had a small glass of ice, and was filling it up with Cola. From his peripheral Ichigo could see the outline of her red jacket, which she had decided to keep on. Everything about the girl looked innocent; her hair, her clothes, her voice; hell even her drink! What the heck is a girl like her doing in an area like this one?
The girl stuck out like a sore thumb; just one glance around the bar and Ichigo was convinced she was lost. Dangerous men roamed the building; drunken idiots, a gang member here and there, perverts who were probably convicted on various occasions, and mafia types. The women were just as bad, if not worse. Ichigo only agreed to work in that bar because he was desperate for a job, which happened to be desperate for an employee. Besides, with Ichigo's past training, he could handle any of the thugs that walked through the door.
The glass swished as he placed it down in front of the girl, his light eyes burning into hers. She hadn't seemed to notice, though, being too preoccupied with the liquid placed before her.
[e/c] orbs lit up as she coiled her fingers around the cup. "Thank you so much!" Within three gulps the pop was downed and the empty cup was set back on the counter, gently. Her pink tongue glided over her upper lip, replacing the traces of cola with a glossy shine. "That really hit the spot!"
Ichigo cracked a smile, fighting against his strong urge to frown.
"Glad to help, I guess."
With that, he turned to walk away. A pool table was set up a few meters away from the bar, where three men had been playing for the last ten minutes. It was hard not to notice their wandering eyes, which were fastened on the girl in red. Normally Ichigo wouldn't pry; he'd let his customers sort themselves out, or let the bouncer deal with them. But this time, Ichigo got himself involved.
"Are you lost?" The girl looked up from her cell phone, eyes influenced by the tips of her lips, which twitched upwards, almost like a forced smile.
"No; I came down here to look for someone." Ichigo's gut twisted. He found his muscles tense under the intensity of the girl's stare, which was unblinking. Awkwardly, Ichigo tore his eyes from hers to scan the bar once again. The bar had a decent amount of people occupying it; twenty at least. All shared a similar rugged look to them; the kind that causes you to assume they live a tough life.
"Did you find them?" Finally, she diverted her eyes. She brought the glass to her lips, tilting it back until an ice cube slid into her mouth. Wordlessly, she nodded her head. Her eyes fluttered around the room, never staying on a spot for more than two seconds. As her jaw crushed the ice, a thud on the counter sounded.
"Two scotches," A raspy voice called, which Ichigo complied with. He rushed with the order, eager to get back to the girl in red. He set the drinks down, took the money, and made a move towards the end of the counter. His feet stopped his advance…
When did she leave?
His widened eyes quickly resized as he made his way to the empty glass. Under the cup was a folded $20 bill, along with a creased paper napkin. The blue ink was scribbled, but the writing was still readable.
Hope your night gets better
-Cola girl
Author's Note: Hello! So this will be a very short series, maybe just 8 or 9 chapters (which'll be ficlet-sized). I posted this story on quizilla a while ago, but decided to rebuff and alter it a bit, and re-post it here, since Quizilla is suuuuper slow nowadays.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this mini series. I am considering making a sequel to the story, but that's only if you guys want me to. So if you end up enjoying it, please let me know if you want a sequel! ^^