I remember the song that was playing at the bar, that night I came in and sat down: Lonely Blue Boy by Conway Twitty. Definitely a song meant for the lounge-type of aesthetic that this bar was going for. They usually have a live band play on stage, but if they're unavailable for a night, the barkeep will just flip on the radio station over the speakers across the bar and try to find an often mellow, or at least retro station.
Conway Twitty's not a bad pick if you have a thing for the ol' folk type. I wonder if Elvis ever did a cover of this song…
Anyway, this is what's going through my head as I sit down and order a short drink. I just needed something to help me relax, but small enough that I could still drive home. Irresponsible, maybe, but in my town, I could drive shitfaced and still drive better than half of the backwards idiots in this town.
I'm 26 years old, I have a well paying job that I'm lucky enough to work at home from, and I worked my ass off at sed job to cash in my vacation days for a solid 2 weeks! And I was smart enough to save my cash to keep me afloat, and maybe even treat myself, until I go back to work when it's all over.
So yeah… I came to this bar to celebrate. By myself. Don't get me wrong I had friends, but… they were work friends, and lord knows that would make an awkward toast… if they even had time to get off work, that is.
Soon the bartender made me my drink, I took a sip, and just basked in the ambience. The bar wasn't very busy that night, just a couple of drunk regulars, but nothing to write home about. That is of course… until she caught my eye.
Sitting at the very end of the bar, cross legged, lazily kicking one foot, was a girl. Possibly around my age, maybe younger, but obviously old enough to drink if she's here. Unless of course she's a local high schooler who has one hell of a fake.
But then again, I actually hope it's not the case, for a few reasons. One, I hate high school fakers who can't wait a few years before they decide to ruin themselves with alcohol and bad decisions. Their sense of self entitlement is ruining it for the rest of us.
Second, if I'm being honest with myself, I actually think this girl is cute. Like… really cute. She has one of those faces; the kind you never forget, even after she leaves the room. Those crossed legs looked like they would be smooth and creamy to the touch, and there was so much of them exposed in that dress she wore; her thighs were bare and out. It was a very vivid short red dress that complimented her curves nicely. They left just enough to the imagination, and believe me, I was trying to imagine as much of her as I could. She had short brown hair, a pixie cut, but with a sort of wild style to it. Perfectly messy, that just told you that she had a loud personality, definitely a social butterfly. A girl who wants to be noticed, sexy red dress or not.
Third, and finally: she was staring at me with piercing emerald green eyes. They darted back and forth between me and the green martini that sat in front of her, but she was definitely focused on me. Girls don't stare at me like that. Ever. And I didn't know how to take it. She was the single most beautiful thing in here, so of course I liked the attention, but I was smart enough, or insecure enough, to wonder why. So, I decided to test the waters, just to see how she'd react: I smiled at her.
And then she smiled back. If this were a staring contest we were having, I definitely lost, because that smile was so bright it was blinding; I had to look away.
Her cheeks were soft and shaded a subtle pink. Her lips were pink, and looked very soft, almost fragile. I was almost worried they would break when they stretched across her face to make that smile. But I'm glad she did. She had a face meant to smile. Her emerald eyes somehow glowed brighter when they were directed at you, like a dangerous mammal you catch in the dark, right before it attacks.
And now for the scary part: she did.
She stood up and walked towards me. And my heart jumped into my throat. Despite what a nice little scene this may feel like to me, I was prepared for a confrontation that I didn't want tonight.
'WHAT WERE YOU STARING AT ME FOR? WHAT ARE YOU, SOME SORT OF CREEP?'
'IF YOU DON'T STOP STARING AT ME, I'M GONNA CALL THE COPS!'
'MY BOYFRIEND'S HERE AND HE'S GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!'
Soon she was right up to me, and almost instinctually I stood up from my stool. She was close enough that I could smell her. The way she smelled… sweet. Like vanilla. It was one of those smells that was so good it made you dizzy. And lord knows this whole situation was just daring me to pass out right now.
Just get your apology ready. Blame it on the booze, and then get the hell out as quickly as possible before her taller boyfriends shows up and wales on me.
But instead, what happened next almost killed me.
"Hi there!" She said in a soft, high, almost nasal-like voice. The cutest thing I've ever heard in my life; like the soft meow of a kitten.
My throat went dry instantly.
"Ummmm…. hi," my voice cracked. Embarrassing.
I cleared my throat and tried again, "Are… you talking to me?"
"Yeah, you!" She said with a subtle giggle.
I couldn't help but smile and giggle back. Actually… I needed to. It was the only ice breaker I had in my pocket.
Open your mouth… see what else comes out, "Sorry, I just… don't talk to many girls."
Smooth.
Through another subtle giggle, she said, "Well you're talking to one now champ! My name is Kyu; nice to meet you."
Did she say her name was Cue? Or was it…?
"Did you say Q? Like… the letter?" I couldn't help but ask. And I regretted it the instant that left my mouth. Especially when her thin eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. This is instantly worse than if she had just called me a creep and threw a drink in my face, instead of us being in this moment that feels like it wouldn't end. Hell, I think I'd take the angry scary boyfriend at this point.
She kept talking to me, and I couldn't tell if it was mercy on me, or a punishment; "Nope. Not like that at all. Look dude, are you gonna be alright? Looks like you're having some trouble holding it together over there."
Definitely a punishment. What was her goal here? To make me feel awkward and shitty for staring at her? Because it's working!
"Oh, no I just… Uhhh, I just—"
"You just… you just… yeah, that's what I thought." She teased.
Can't I just apologize for being a creep so we can both move on from this torture? Is this fun for you?
I sighed, "Is it that obvious?"
She didn't miss a beat, "I could see how uncomfortable you are right now from space."
I sighed. Defeated. Let me see if I can dig myself out of this grave that she threw me in.
"Look… I'm sorry for staring at you. I just came in to get a drink, and... your dress is um… I mean, I saw you sitting there, and I could've sworn you were staring at me, and… I got the wrong impression, and… I'm really sorry."
She didn't break eye contact with me the whole time. She had a very quizzical look the whole time, one eyebrow arched. Silently judging me; quizzing me almost. And when I was done talking, I just kept my eyes down."
It wasn't until an eternity later that she finally said something, "Hmmm… you know what? This might actually work. Yeah… yeah! Oh man! This is your lucky day, buddy!"
I raised my head back up and looked at her in disbelief. What the hell was she talking about? Is this the part where she tells me I was a subject of a social experiment for some stupid reality show? Because I will not be signing any release forms!
She looked at me with excitement, and dare I say sincerity in her eyes as she reached over and rested one hand on my arm, sending a surge of voltage through my whole body.
My heart was pounding and the room was spinning.
"Listen," she said as she leaned in, like she was about to tell me a secret, "I gotta go. But we'll meet again real soon. Trust me. Niiiiight."
I was about to ask her what the hell she was on until—
"Hey dude?" I heard next to the two of us. It was the bartender, staring at us; me in particular. He had a similar confused look that Kyu did when I vomited that whole apology towards her. What did I do now?
"Who are you talking to?" He asked me.
"Sorry, this girl right here just came up to me and started a conversation..."
I turned back at Kyu to direct the attention towards her… and she was gone. I looked back at the bartender, who was still just as confused before I started talking, and then I looked all around the bar. Not a cute girl with a brown pixie cut and a sexy red dress in sight. Did she just give me the slip? My back was to the main entrance of the bar, which was a good solid meter away from me, and the other exits were behind where she was standing, which was another good meter away. So if she had left, I would've at least seen her bolting out any of the doors here. But nothing. It's like she was never here. Like she never existed.
Finally I looked back at the bartender, who was my only anchor of sanity at this point, because now I was ten times more confused than he could ever be right now.
"You didn't see the girl that was just here? Brown pixie cut? Red dress? Really cute?"
He kept his resting duh face as he just shrugged. There was a long awkward pause before he asked, "How much did you drink tonight? Do you need me to call you an Uber or something?"
I ONLY HAD ONE DRINK! YOU POURED IT YOURSELF—
You know what? I'm just not gonna bother. The bartender can think I'm crazy all he wants. Hell, I probably am. Instead I just gave him a look that let him know that I was done with this conversation, downed my hole drink, and stood up. I grabbed my leather jacket from off the stool, started putting it on, as I headed for the door.
And just to give the barkeep an extra shot of crazy, I started to sing, "Loooooooonely blue boy… iiiiiiiiiissss my named naaaaaaaammmeee…."
I have no idea what the hell just happened, but I've had way too much crazy in one night, and not nearly enough liquor. I'm just gonna go home, get some sleep, and finally enjoy my well deserved vacation. But the whole drive home, I couldn't stop thinking about that girl. Kyu. She says her name is Kyu. She said we would meet again soon… what did she mean by that?
I took a deep sigh and sang one more time, "Loooooooonely blue boy… iiiiiiiiiissss my named naaaaaaaammmeee…."
