Clara sighed as she walked into the small western bar that she called work. The stereotypical country music rattling from the speakers on the walls, and her little leather boots clicking on the wood floor blended into white noise as she walked further. Another day another dollar. That phrase had become her mantra over the year that she had been working in the small bar. Clara kept telling herself that her 'temporary' job as a bartender would not last the rest of her life. These dresses and cowgirl boots were not going to be her daily wear for years and years to come. She was supposed to be out in the world being an actress right now. The reality, however, has become being stuck serving drinks to drunks and being paid to keep a smile on her face all night. Life could always be worse though right? That is what her mother used to say at least, and mother always knows best right? Still she made the biggest mistake of her life and now there was one less person around in her life. Here Clara is, months after her little mandatory 'vacation' working at the bar again. Trying to keep the unrelenting demons tormenting her mind at bay for whatever time she could, no matter how short it may be.
"Clara, we need you to work the bar today. Amy called in sick and Trixy just quit." Isobella said as she poked her head in the back room, causing Clara to sigh as she hung up her oversized hobo bag; at least she didn't get stuck working the floor. No one seemed to like working the floor lately, but they all usually took turns through a shift working it anyways. Systems however only function if everyone plays their part, and no one seemed to be doing their part at the bar. Luckily Clara was the most experienced bartender in the club so she normally got most of the shifts behind the bar. Which was good, it kept you busy and if you flirted enough they would tip you just as well as they tip the waitresses. The problem was not serving drinks necessarily. No, it was that constant struggle to be bubbly and happy for the public despite feeling nothing but emotional hell inside.
By the time that Clara had her shirt and apron on, there were already a few customers coming into the bar. She was working the day shift today, which was probably the slowest times for the bar on a normal day yet alone a Monday. Most of the people who came in during the day were the older folks who did not stay up late enough to come to the night crowd, and the people who slipped out of the office for a little liquid courage before that big presentation. So being the only person working the bar was a breeze for Clara, and a breeze it was. Her shift was uneventful, to say the least, a few regulars popped by to say hello, check in to see if there are any new girls while they ease their worries. Like Isobella, her shift supervisor, says you are like a captive therapist with all the painkillers you will ever need.
The bell in front of the front door rang loudly as someone walked in the bar. Clara looked up, her hands busy cleaning a cup as she watched the man walk in. He was undeniably attractive, but that definitely was not the first thing that she noticed about the man. No, the first thing she noticed was how tired and beat down he looked. His leather wrapped shoulders and denim covered legs may be holding him strong, but he looked purely and truly tired. When he came close enough to make eye contact she could see just how to beat down the man was. The dark circles under his eyes and, at least, a day's worth of scruff on his face a dead giveaway of a long night. "What can I get you?" She asked him as he looked at her with a weary look in his eyes.
"Whiskey, no rocks." The man answered as he sat down across from her and took off his leather jacket. Not saying a word more, just sitting there staring at his hands on the counter. He was like a puzzle that she wanted to finish, Clara needed to help him somehow. The man looked so miserable, he looked like she felt without the shield of the bar to plaster on a fake smile over. Whatever he was going through must have got him pretty down. Maybe a crap day at work? No that is more of a beer thing. Girl trouble was more likely the culprit, he looked like he would have girls all over him. She grabbed the whiskey and a glass and made her way back to the man, who had moved his eyes from his hands to the countertop.
So Clara decided to get the ball rolling with the small talk. "Long day?" She prodded hoping to get some answers to her questions with the simple conversation starter. Even though Clara had the feeling that he was just here to dull his pains, not talk about them, which was what most people used the bar for anyways. To dull the hardships that they go through for however long the alcohol stays in their system, a temporary but quick fix for that hole in your chest, the heavy heart you carry, or that guilty conscious. Really it just caused more problems than it solved, but hey it kept her in the job so who was she to complain right? All she was paid to do was look pretty and keep the drinks coming out smoothly.
"Long life," He answered as Clara poured a glass of whiskey for the man and put it in front of him. It was hard not to notice that he tossed back half of the glass with one gulp. She could not help but wince a little at the thought of the burn going down his throat right now. It is never a good sign when someone tosses back their drink as quickly as that. Then again, she did not know this man, he could be a heavy drinker. Clara's thoughts were broken when the man in front of her spoke again. "You ever feel like no matter what you do, or how hard you try... you just mess things up anyways?" The man asked his eyes finally looking up into hers as she stood there in front of him.
Clara sighed as she looked into his bright green eyes, taken aback by the intensity of the storm of emotions inside them. Her eyes staying on his as she grabbed a rag and moved over to the sink. "I think we all do, just with varying degrees of how messed up we feel our lives have become," She said, dunking the cloth in sanitizer and grabbing a bottle of cleaner. "I know that I have messed up things pretty bad myself, but you can't stop trying or things will never get better," Clara said as she started wiping the counter and gave him a small smile. Hoping the small gesture would make the topic a little lighter.
The man took the glass in his hand and looked down at the amber fluid for a while. Clara debated leaving him to his thoughts for a moment till he spoke again. "What if you did something horrible that you will never forgive yourself for and it ended up getting someone killed?" The man added, raising the glass to his mouth again and finishing the rest. Quickly motioning for more and running a hand over his neck. Looking like he was trying to ease the pain from a heavy load on his shoulders. Trying not to focus on how much she could truly sympathize with what he just said. How his word went right to her heart and grabbed it tight. She just stood there for a moment and watched the man before moving and going to find the bottle of whiskey again.
"Honestly, if you find out how to make that ache better you come back and let me know. That is a nearly impossible one to cope with," Clara answered as she grabbed the bottle of whiskey and poured him more. "You might want to slow your roll there," She said as he started on his second glass of whiskey, looking over at her with a curious look in his eyes. Just looking at her for a moment before setting the glass down and leaning forward on the counter. It was his turn to watch Clara now, eyes searching hers for what felt like something deep inside her soul. What exactly was being searched for was a mystery, but the man seemed to find what he was looking for, or at least give up on finding it as his eyes returned to the glass in front of him.
The man held up his glass up and looked over at Clara again, motioning towards her with his hand as he started speaking again. "How exactly do you know so much about screwing up people's lives?" His eyes searched hers again when he finished speaking, holding the eye contact as he slowly took a long drink from his glass. The emotions in his eyes closing down like a wall was placed in front of them, instead being replaced by curiosity and a calm expression. "You seem like you have a lot of heavy stuff on your shoulders."
It was a good question, at first glance, you would not expect the person smiling across the bar at you to have a heavy conscious. The truth was, though, she had made a lot of mistakes in life that haunted her every day. It almost felt like it should be her specialty by now with all the ones she has made. "Well, I should have my Ph.D. in screwing up by now, and, believe me, I know that it is not easy to fix your mistakes all the time." She said, being completely honest with the strange man. He was obviously having a rough day and it might not be as hard on him if the man felt like there were more people with screwed up lives than him. That is what she hoped at least.
The longer that the two of them talked though the more the man seemed to visibly warm up, a smile was even spreading across his face. "Oh, what this I see? Is that the start of a smile?" Clara asked, getting a full smile from the man as he shook his head at her. A smile of her own spreading across her face at how good he looked smiling, even if the smile did not quite reach his eyes. It was still beautiful. "Jackpot, I got a smile from him." She joked with him, getting a small chuckle as he leaned further forward. Only to frown when someone banged their glass on the other side of the bar. Clara sighed as the smile faded from the man's face as fast as it came.
The last thing that Clara wanted to do was leave, things were just starting to get good. For some strange reason, the fact that she was able to put a smile on his face, as brief as it may have been, it really did make her day. There was still an hour left on her shift though and it might be dead, but there were still some people in the place. She gave the man a smile and moved to the other side of the bar, bringing the two men at the end of the bar their drinks before going back to her mystery man. "I got a second visit, that's a good sign." He said as his hand moved across the bar and brushed against Clara's. Causing her to raise an eyebrow and smirk a little.
"What can I say, I'm a sucker for lost animals and angsty men," Clara said as she smiled at the man earning a smirk and a hungry look in his eyes that sent a warmth rushing through her. "I can see you're feeling better." She said, earning a soft chuckle as her hand patted his arm, feeling the firm muscle under the jacket. "It might be the whiskey too." With that, she looked down at his nearly empty glass and tisked a little. "You might want to slow down a little there, my shift doesn't end for another hour. Wouldn't want you passing out on me now would we." Clara said, winking as she bit her lip and leaned forward a little giving him a good view of her cleavage without meaning to.
The man smirked a little, his eyes drifting to her chest for a moment before looking back at her face. "Guess I better switch to beer then." She smiled and turned around, quickly grabbing a glass from under the bar, feeling a set of eyes on her the whole time. "Would not want to disappoint the lady after all." He said, finishing off the last of his whiskey, his eyes on Clara the whole time she moved around. "So if you're free after your shift I was thinking that we should continue this conversation somewhere a bit more private." The man added as he eyed Clara up with hungry eyes, reminding her of a man in the heat looking at a glass of water.
Maybe it was the way he seemed to cheer up or just that damn smirk but she wanted to say yes to his offer. There was just something about being a bartender and letting a guy pick you up at the first try that made her feel skeezy. Not that she did not have her fair share of private meetings. The mysterious stranger had promises being, at least, a very pretty face to look at with his chiseled jaw and bright green eyes. "If I let myself get picked up that easily then I would always be in the backseat of some car," Clara said softly, leaning over the counter and looking over at the man. "Although, I can probably be persuaded." She added, winking at him again and leaving to go wipe the counter down.
"You will find I can be very persuasive." He said as she walked off, feeling his eyes on her as she bent down and searched for a clean rag, wiggling her hips a little to tease him. The ball was in her court, and it is not like she had much to do tonight. There is no way he would stick around for long either, which was the way she preferred her relationships now, to be honest. Quick and easy, as little pain as possible. "Just drinks in the back booth?" The man asked. Clara still had her back to him as trying to scrub another sticky mess off the bar top. She knew exactly what talking would lead too, it always seemed to end with that when guys looked as good as this man did.
Turning around, she debated his offer for a moment before smiling a little. "Only under one condition," Clara said as she wiped the counter all the way towards the man again and brushed her hand softly against his arm. "You tell me your name." She added, leaning forward a bit to get a better look at the man in front of her; seeing the freckles that were sprinkled across the man's lightly tanned face, the bags under his eyes speaking of sleepless nights. He gave off that rugged and dangerous vibe that most of the girls around here go wild for, including herself more than a few times. The one that your mother warns you about, but you just cannot resist.
"Dean." The man said as he leaned forward so their faces were closer. "Your turn, since you're the only one in here without a name tag." He added as he got close for a moment and looked down at her lips. Clara was sure he was going to kiss her, the worst part is that it was highly unlikely that she would stop him... or pull away. Part of her wanted to close the distance between them herself and let him have his way with her right here on top of the bar in front of everyone. Making her dig her nails into the bar top as she cried out. That would not be the right thing to do, though, like her mother taught her, you have to make a man work for his fun. Before she could even think about what to do before he pulled away and sat back in his chair smirking a little bit.
"Clara," Clara answered as she looked down at her shirt and, sure enough, her name tag was gone. Probably buried in the laundry basket full of dirty clothes in her room. "My name tag is around somewhere, you're the first person to notice I wasn't wearing one." She added as her hand smoothed over the spot where her name tag should have been and smiled a little. It was a little unsettling how she felt so comfortable around this man, or Dean rather. If that was even his real name. Trying not to think too much into the way her stomach fluttered when she saw the lust in his eyes or the things that she wanted to do to him.
Her thoughts were broken when that deep raspy voice reached her ears again. "Well did I pass your test?" Dean asked as he brought his beer up to his lips and took a long drink from it, eyes never leaving her's. She tilted her head a little and watched him, keeping a straight face for a moment before breaking out into a smile. "I'm going to take that as a yes." He said, giving her a smile and leaning forward again, his eyes watching her carefully. "Unless you want me to answer more questions for you," Dean said, smirking a little and taking another long drink from his beer.
Clara looked over at the clock and smiled, a half an hour managed to pass by in the time that they had started talking. It felt like the clock was mocking her, the hands seeming to move slower and slower at it neared two thirty. "I still got another half an hour left on my shift." She said, smiling as her fingers drummed on the bar top. "I can't take off early two days in a row," Clara added as she bit her lip a little and moved her eyes down to his mouth for a moment. Wondering what his lips would feel like under hers, how he would taste on her tongue. She cleared her throat when the sound of a bottle being tapped on the bar top came from the other side of the bar. "Meet you back here in a half an hour." She said, smiling and watching him for a moment before walking away. Looks like tonight was not going to be that bad after all.