The neon sign of The Blue Lounge beckoned Alexandra inside. Her first day at work down in Houston called for a drink, and if she was lucky, a girl to take home for the night. She sat herself at the end of the bar, giving the bartender a nod that she was ready to order. "What'll it be," he asked.
"I'll take an Old Fashioned." As he prepared her drink she took a glance around the room. There was a cute brunette a short ways down the bar, but she was flirting rather intently with the guy next to her, so Alexandra turned her attention elsewhere. That's when she spotted two women come in and sit at a table right in her line of sight. A redhead and a blonde. Despite how loud the blonde one was, Alexandra still couldn't quite make out the details of their conversation. Though if she were honest with herself, it was partly because she was too busy checking out the redhead with her.
She gave a quick glance and a muttered thank you to the bartender as he slid her drink over to her. She lifted the glass to her lips, never taking her eyes off the two of them as she took a sip, noting just how many of the men in the bar seemed to be taking an interest in them both. When the blonde moved to excuse herself several minutes later, Alexandra saw that as her prime opportunity to make her move.
Quickly downing the rest of her Old Fashioned, Alexandra came over to the high table and propped her elbow on it, leaning into the redhead's view.
"There must be something wrong with my eyes. I can't seem to take them off of you. Now that's out of the way, hi, I'm Alexandra, but most people call me Alex."
With a small chuckle, the other woman responded. "Hi, Alex, the name's Reba. Say, you're not from around here, are you?"
"What tipped you off? It's the accent, right," Alex joked. Reba laughed and Alex took the opportunity to explain a bit. "I'm actually from California but I came out here for dental school and just sort of stayed after I graduated."
This seemed to take Reba by surprise as her eyebrows raised. "Dental school?"
"Not a fan of dentists," Alex asked, still trying to keep things light.
"My ex husband is a dentist," she stated.
"Ex husband," Alex replied, intrigued, but also trying not to let the revelation dash her hopes.
"I don't know if you saw her, but the woman I came in with," Reba explained, "is his new wife."
"Well I already figured he was stupid if he left you. Now I know just how stupid." Again Reba laughed and Alex swore it was the sexiest thing she'd ever heard. "Speaking of your, uh, is friend the right word? She's standing in the corner staring at us."
Reba turned and caught sight of her, waving her over. "Alex, meet Barbra Jean. BJ, this is Alexandra."
Alex smiled politely, and shook Barbra Jean's hand when she offered it, but she wasn't so thrilled about the interruption. Yet she supposed she had to make the best of it. She'd certainly gotten through stickier situations. "Can I buy some drinks for the table," Alex asked.
"Actually, I saw a pretty rare Beanie Baby in the window of the antique shop next door, so I'm going to check that out, but you gals go ahead." With that, Barbra Jean bowed out, leaving Alex alone with Reba again. Maybe she wasn't so bad, Alex thought. "So, what can I get you," Alex asked.
"I'll have a Pink Squirrel," Reba said. Alex went to the bar and ordered another Old Fashioned for herself and a Pink Squirrel for Reba. When she came back with the drinks, they were quiet for a moment, each taking a sip of their respective drinks.
Alex wanted to blame Barbra Jean for making her lose her edge, but it wasn't that. No, it was Reba. She wasn't at all like the girls she usually picked up in bars. College girls looking to experiment for the night, no strings attached. She could charm them with ease. But the more she got to know Reba, the more she left her tongue tied. She wasn't about to be Alex's one night conquest, and Alex didn't want her to be.
"So, did this ex husband come with a family," Alex finally asked. Not the most subtle way to bring it up, but it was out there now.
"Three kids," Reba confirmed. "Cheyenne, Kyra and little Jake, though he's not quite so little anymore."
"Tell me about them," Alex prompted, somewhat surprised at herself for genuinely wanting to hear. She'd never dated a woman with kids before. Not that this was a date, but hadn't that been what she was hoping for when she'd come over here?
"I can do you one better. I got pictures." Cracking the biggest, most beautiful smile Alex had seen from her all night, Reba scooted her chair closer to Alex and pulled out some pictures of her kids from her purse. Alex listened as she told stories about Cheyenne and then Kyra, and then Jake. At some point the stories all blurred together as Alex focused less on her words and more on the way her blue eyes sparkled as she spoke them.
This was dangerous territory, letting herself fall so easily for a woman she stood so little chance with. She could save herself the heartbreak of rejection if she just ended it here. Snapping her away from her thoughts was Reba's voice, once again clear in her muddled mind. "I'm sorry, I must be boring you to tears."
"Quite the opposite. Your family sounds amazing. It's not hard to see you love them." At the word love, Alex's eyes traveled down to Reba's lips, staying there for just a moment until she realized she was doing it and then she quickly looked away. Now would be a good time for that exit she was just thinking about.
"I've had a wonderful time talking with you tonight, but I've got an early morning at the new job, so I'll have to say goodnight." Alex practically had to force the words to come out of her mouth because the last thing she wanted to do was to say goodbye. Yet still, as Reba was preoccupied with putting her pictures away, Alex scribbled down her name and number on a napkin and slipped it in the small pile beside Reba.
"Well I better stop Barbra Jean from adding any more to her Beanie Baby collection. I hope we'll meet again sometime."
Whether it was just a pleasantry or possibly something more, Alex couldn't tell, yet the words made her heart flutter anyway. "I hope so too," was all she said back. Reba hadn't asked for her number, so maybe it was just nice words and nothing more. All Alex really knew is that she'd remember this night, and Reba, for a very long time to come.
