Drinking by the Bar

Julia was at a bar. She hadn't been able to go to one in years. It was a bit dingy, but at least she could go out without having to call her husband every five minutes. Right. Late husband. Julia smiled at the memory of his death. She had originally loved him, but it had been a great many days since she had even liked him.

Julia had felt like she was in that marriage for at least a decade and it had only been three years. She leaned back against the chair. Her mother had been right about one thing. She should have married rich. Julia had originally thought that point was the bitter ramblings of an old woman. Her mother was right.

Julia surveyed the bar with dismay. There was not much that she wanted to see more of. It looked like it was going to be a slow night. She returned to sipping on her wine. It was awful. Then again, she had ordered the cheap shit.

A flash of blonde entered her gaze. "You look lost."

Julia took in the tall muscular form of the woman in front of her. She had never seen a woman quite so built. It was probably the most attractive woman she had ever laid eyes on. Julia had figured out that she was a fan of muscles a while ago. "Oh, no. I was looking for someone, not something."

The woman's soft blue eyes sparkled with humor. They were the brightest blue eyes that she had ever seen. Julia's eyes fell upon the woman's sharp, angular face. The round oval face was clear of any blemishes. Her lips were colored with black lipstick. She was dressed in a very attractive leather outfit. "I see."

The blonde sat down in front of her. Julia was very tempted to scoot closer but didn't want to seem presumptuous. After all, she hated when other people invaded her space without warning. "I'm Julia."

The woman held out her hand. Julia took it. "Helen."

Helen was sipping on some sort of dark beer. Julia had gone for a slightly more refined-looking table wine but was now regretting her choice. Helen's smile turned mischievous. "What's a pretty woman like you doing in a dive like this? Also, the wines here are garbage."

Julia colored slightly. Helen was looking mighty pleased with herself. She let out a huff. "As I said, I was looking for someone. I think I just found her. Which means I was in the perfect spot."

Helen laughed. It was a pretty sound. "What I'm hearing is that you've never been here in your life and you probably heard this was a lesbian hotspot. And your wine tastes like vinegar."

Julia pouted. She wasn't used to being verbally pulled apart like that. Being pretty got you a lot of social leeway. Helen was mean. Accurate, but mean. Well, not really. "You're not wrong, but you're awfully direct."

Helen strawed the rest of her beer. Julia vaguely wondered if that suction translated to her ability to give hickies. If so, that was hot. Helen lightly flicked her drop earring. Julia gave her a sulky look. Helen looked far too happy while messing with her. Or maybe she was just grumpy. "Why don't you wait here while I get you a drink fit for human consumption? I'm not sure that wine would pass a health inspection."

Julia watched, mesmerized, as Helen walked up to the bar and ordered. She wouldn't have protested even if Helen had given her time. The ripple of leather on her muscles was amazing. Julia had a feeling that the night was about to look up.

Besides, Helen looked strong enough to lift her, which was important for the things she liked in the bedroom. If they made it that far. Julia was hoping they'd make it that far. Helen returned with two mugs. Julia was handed a drink that smelled like apples. "Apple cider! Don't worry, it's not vinegar."

Julia took a cautious sip. Okay, it was good. Helen let out a sigh as she sat down. "It's good."

Helen grinned at her. Julia felt her stomach jump. The blonde hair was almost glowing in the light. "See? It'll go fine if you just follow my lead. A pity that the berry one is out of season."

Julia was moderately intrigued. Helen was leaning against the chair. Julia was afforded a nice view of Helen's boobs. "Berry one?"

Helen's look turned mischievous. Julia wondered what sort of night she was in for. "You should come back in the fall with me."

Julia gave her a thoroughly amused look. Helen was looking ever so hopeful. Julia rolled her eyes. "Let's just see how this first little meetup goes."

Helen pouted playfully. Julia felt the amusement warm something in her chest. Julia let out a sigh of contentment as she took another sip. The wine was vinegar. Helen was right. "So, do you want to dance? There's a rave in the basement."

Julia blinked. What on Earth was a rave? Julia knew that she was sheltered in some ways. Not having money or freedom for any activities was awful. She did want to seem at least slightly informed. Helen looked at her. Julia swallowed and answered. "What sort of dancing would that be?"

Helen grinned. Julia felt her heart stutter. Being that hot should be illegal.

She was not falling for the first blonde woman she-

"The scandalously close kind."

Julia thought she was allowed bad life choices after a near-death experience and subsequent husband murder. She raised an eyebrow. "Scandalously close, you say? What are we waiting for?"

Helen's eyes lit up. Julia had a sinking suspicion that she was going to regret being sucked in by a hot blonde lady. Oh, well. Helen was that attractive. "Finish your drink first. If you try to dance with it, it's going to end up on you."

Julia wondered how fast she could down the cider as she looked into Helen's shining eyes. Right. Attractive blonde lady. The faster the better.

Fin

Based on a prompt by Zyzyax (see story summary). This is the 330th work in the Winds of Change 2022 Alex Rider Prompt event, where a new prompt (plus a short 1-3K work) is posted every day. For more details, see the AO3 collection. We have an index of all the prompts used in this event so far and going forwards - join the discord to get access to the online index (and to take part in our events, chat about everything and anything, and meet a load of awesome people!