A/N: This is a rewrited version of this fic. Text has not changed (at least not much), only my notes have because there are some things I must correct.
First of all I must say I have gotten much more reviews than I expected and I thank you wonderful people for that. :) Keep on reviewing, it makes me so happy.
Some of you wished me to continue this, but this is just a oneshot and I'm not going to continue this.
To Braeca: Thanks for correcting me. I've drank 'Sex on the Beach' only once and then it actually was red, but I'm not sure what the bartender put in it. Later I checked the incredients on the Internet and discovered it can't bered. So now I've removed the colour details from the story.
Disclaimer: Don't own.
The bar is awfully crowded and noisy and the air is thick and smoky. Well, I suppose I shouldn't complain. After all, I came here by my own free will and am free to leave whenever I want, which might be happening quite soon since this atmosphere is really starting to get on my nerves. Too much people for my taste.
Sighing I light a cigarette. I'm not even sure why I'm here in the first place. I don't actually enjoy being around a lot of people, drunken people to be more accurate.
I covertly take a glance around me. I have probably chosen the worst seat in the whole bar because I'm sitting by the bar counter. And the fact that most people have an extreme urge to stay close to the source of alcohol is what makes my position considered as the Hellhole. Again, I have only myself to blame for the situation. I mean, who in the right mind would voluntarily take this seat as their regular seat? I, obviously.
I come to this bar every now and then and always I sit here, by the counter. This, in fact, is the only bar I tend to go. I guess you could say I'm stuck in my habits. No, really the bartender here makes the best drinks. That's my explanation.
I don't come here often. Just often enough to get familiar with the usual drunkards hanging around here. Not that I've made friends with them or anything. Some of them just know who I am and those who doesn't at least know that I'm not a person to mess around with. I have this reputation of a cold-hearted bastard. I guess I am one.
My cigarette has almost burnt out. I inhale the last amount of nicotine from it and then crush it in an ashtray.
I notice some movement among the crowd around me. Someone is probably pushing through to get a drink. I take a sip of my drink not paying any more attention to my surroundings. After that I concentrate on staring at my glass.
"Is this seat taken?" I hear a soft voice from beside me and look up, freezing. In front of me is standing absolutely the most beautiful creature I've ever seen. A boy about my age, maybe a bit younger. He's a bit shorter than me and he has a slender, perfectly built body and soft-looking tanned skin. His long raven hair is tied up with a white band, matching with his white Chinese shirt. And his eyes… They are just the most wonderful big amber gems full of life. I can only imagine how every emotion makes those eyes shine with different shades of gold and how they glow in the dark or how they absorb the light from candles or… okay, someone needs to calm down now. Not that anyone else has noticed my reaction since my face shows no emotions.
He's still waiting for my answer, a shy smile playing on his lips. I tear my eyes off him turning to stare at my drink again. "No". I'm very amazed that there actually was an unoccupied seat. You don't see that often in a place like this.
I light another cigarette as the raven-haired boy sits down on the stool next to me with admirable elegance. For a moment he's quiet and I can only imagine how he's going through those cliché conversation openings like 'Do you go here often?' in his mind. But no, instead I can see from the corner of my eye how he glances at my drink.
"What is that you're drinking?" What a weird thing to ask from a stranger.
"Sex on the Beach," I say indifferently inhaling smoke from my cigarette.
"Is it good?" After a moment I answer the question with a shrug. He obviously waits if I decide to add something, which I don't. I'm not in a talkative mood.
When he's convinced I'm not going to say anything more about the red liquid in front of me he sighs. "I take that as a 'yes' then," I could almost smile now, just almost.
The boy turns to the bartender to order the same as I'm having. While he's not looking at me I steal a quick glance at him. Now I'm sure he's the same boy I saw here once before. Then he was here with some other people. A lot of people actually, so I didn't see him clearly then. Why isn't he with them now?
By the time he gets his own drink in his hands I'm back in my one-sided staring competition with my glass. He takes a sip from the drink and allows a content smile spread on his cherry lips. That must mean he likes it.
"So… um… how are you?" His soft voice suddenly asks. Do I look like I want to chat?
"Fine," somehow I don't want to be rude to him. To anyone else I would be, but not to him. What is wrong with me?
He opens his mouth again and is about to speak when something interrupts him. "I say you're wasting your time, kid," we both look at the owner of the slurring voice. Beside the raven-haired boy is sitting an old man. He's one of those usual drunkards that are always here. He's always sitting on that same stool.
"I am?" The boy beside me asks with a strange tone. I lock my stare to the old man.
"Sure," I narrow my eyes at the drunkard's statement. The man takes a good gulp of his beer. "That Hiwatari guy is just a bastard, kid, I must warn you. He's colder than the polar region," I send him my best you-will-shut-your-mouth-immediately-if-your-life-is-precious-to-you –glare. The man quivers although he's too drunk to get the whole effect of my glare.
"Cold, you say," the boy says pondering. Then he surprises me by raising his hand from the counter surface and offering it to me. I just stare at it not knowing what to do. Without even noticing it myself I take the offered hand gently in my own after a few seconds. It's cold. Most likely because it's the hand he held the cold glass with. I notice my eyes didn't lie to me when I thought his skin looks soft; it's even softer in reality.
I lift my eyes from the hand to his face. He's looking at me, smiling. His amber eyes are shining just the way I imagined they would when he's happy. Is he happy? Why?
"You're wrong," the raven-haired wonder says softly never taking his eyes off mine. "He can't be cold because his hand is warm," I feel him caressing my hand gently with his fingertips. Is he happy because my hand is warm? The drunkard snorts as to prove his disagreement.
I suddenly realize that we have been staring into each other's eyes for many minutes now. I blink and reluctantly let go of his hand turning back to stare at my drink. What is he doing to make me feel so strange?
We sit in silence for a long time, we both sipping our drinks and I inhaling smoke from my cigarette.
Then he stands up after finishing his 'Sex on the Beach'. "I'm going now," he says causing me to feel a small pinch in my stomach. "Goodbye then," he disappears into the crowd without even waiting for my reply. It doesn't matter since maybe I wouldn't have said anything anyway. I don't even look after him.
I keep on staring at my hands trying to restrain my urge to run after him. But he was so beautiful and so… I want to hold his slender hand once more and see the glowing of those golden gems and I just want… him.
"Well?" I look at the old man questioningly.
"Well what?" I ask though I know what he means.
"Just go," the man says gulping his beer. Immediately I jump off my stool crushing the left of my cigarette in the ashtray. I can't believe I'm actually taking a heed from his advice, I think when I push through the crowd towards the door.
Once I'm outside I pull my coat tighter, since it's damn cold, and look around me. No sight of that boy anywhere. Okay, what do I do now? There are two directions where he could have gone. When I last checked I can't split in two so I can only pick one of them, but which one?
I know; I just choose one direction and go there and be happy if I find him. However, if I choose the wrong one and don't find him then I know it just wasn't meant to be. We weren't meant to be.
"Which direction?" I say aloud to no one in particular.
"I would go to left," some strange passer by mutters into their scarf. I raise one of my eyebrows, but for some reason choose to go to the left. It's not like I have much time to ponder the option when I could have lost him forever already. Wait a sec! This sounds almost like my life was depending on him.
Abandoning the thought I start running to the direction I chose.
After running a good while I stop, panting slightly. And I haven't seen him. Should I have gone to the right? Perhaps. I find myself sighing disappointedly. What am I doing? It's not the end of the world. I mean, I just met him for God's sake.
I start walking slowly, lighting a cigarette, again. I'm very aware of the fact that I smoke too much.
"Those are really going to kill you, you know," I hear someone saying from my right side. I turn, surprised. There he is, the one I've been searching for the past ten minutes. He just appeared out of nowhere and is now standing there, hands in his coat pockets.
"I know," I say locking my gaze into his shining eyes. "You never told me your name," I suddenly hear myself saying. He smiles sweetly, offering his hand to me again.
"Rei Kon," I take his hand. "And you are Hiwatari?"
"Yeah, Kai," Rei gives me a small bow, grinning. "So why did you come to me in the bar?" I ask him raising the cigarette to my lips.
"I… I wanted to get to know you," he blushes a bit. I smirk at this.
"Why me? I see no point in that," he shrugs.
"Well then, why did you go after me?" he asks smiling. How does he know?
"Want to go get some coffee?" I avoid answering by changing the subject. Rei raises one of his nicely shaped eyebrows.
"Now? It's like one o'clock in the morning,"
"So what? I know one cafe, which is open around the clock. It's not even far from here,"
Rei thinks about my suggestion for few seconds and then smiles at me. "Sure, lets go," I nod and we start walking down the road side by side, I still smoking and Rei humming some strange song quietly. This feels so very natural, he walking by my side like that. I can't help wondering if that unoccupied seat wasn't only a coincidence. Yes, I suppose I believe in destiny. At least in some things.
I take quick glance at him from the corner of my eye. He is smiling a bit. It's that kind of a smile, which makes even me want to smile too.
I have a strange feeling that this might actually become something beautiful.