"Listen, mate, it's about time I headed home." Greg offered, downing the remainder of his pint and shrugging at John. "We should do this again soon."
"Definitely, it's been nice to just get out of the house for a while. Rosie's with Martha tonight so I don't have a curfew. Think I'll stay and have one for the road. Hope everything works itself out."
Greg stood & shrugged on his blazer.
"Me too, mate. See you soon, eh?"
John watched as the door swung closed behind Greg. He finished off the rest of his pint as the young barman came to clear the empties from his table.
"Your date after an early night?" He smirked, nodding towards the door.
"Home to the Missus,' he acquiesced, "She has him on a short leash!"
The barman glazed an appraising eye over John, lifted the glasses & paused as he was about to walk away.
"His loss," he flung at John with a suggestive stare. John's shocked expression melted into a smirk as he realised he'd just been hit on. By the most attractive man in the room.
...
Christ, where was that Uber he'd called 20 minutes ago? It was well-past tube times and the convenient backwater pub he'd chosen to meet Greg wasn't within a decent walking distance of a main thoroughfare where he could just hail a black cab.
He shivered & pulled his coat tighter against the wind as the side door to the pub opened.
"Still here?" The barman shouted across to him.
"Waiting for a cab."
"You live far?"
"Far enough," John replied, walking over to the barman as he emptied a crate of beer bottles into the recycling "I might still be here in the morning at this rate."
The barman threw the empty crate onto a pile beside the door and smiled at John.
"I wouldn't be complaining,". He responded, giving John another appraising once-over. John definitely couldn't mistake that one.
The man was in his late-20's/early 30's, tall & slim with slicked-back black hair with piercing blue eyes. As men went, he was quite stunning. John wiggled his eyebrows and laughed.
"Was that an offer?" He quipped and the man ducked his chin.
"Depends on your response?"
John stepped into his personal space. His whole demeanour changed in a second from 'guy down the pub having a drink with his mates' to 'Three Continents Watson'. Leaning in, John hovered slightly in front of his lips.
He grabbed a handful of Mr Blue-eyes' shirt and pulled him down roughly for a lip-crushing snog. Taken a bit off-guard, the guy stumbled toward John and grabbed onto John's biceps to regain his balance. John pushed him backwards against the wall, pressed into him from chest to hips and thrust his tongue between his lips. Responding with enthusiasm, the barman looped his fingers into John's belt loops and pulled him forwards. A curl fell loose from the fixings of his hair gel and brushed John's face.
John jumped back as though he'd been stung. A cab beeped its horn from behind him and John stumbled backwards wide-eyed and panting. He stared in shock at the slightly dishevelled man in front of him. His pronounced Cupid's bow was kiss-swollen & he could see the stubble rash emerging on his jaw. His curls has fallen from his slicked-back hair and those eyes. Shit.
"I'm sorry, I..." John replied distractedly, about turning and swiftly heading for the cab as it pulled up. The barman just watched, still slightly dazed as the cab pulled away.