Greetings, dear readers, and welcome back to 'The Blonde at the Bar'! Now, my biggest apologies for taking so long with this update. I was dealing with two losses in my family that took me out of things for a bit, but *takes a breath in before letting it out, I have since bounced back and recovered from that. *clears my throat* Now, let's move on from that, shall we? So, last time, we saw Mike decide to join his friend John for a night out in the hopes of getting over his break-up ...only to find himself at a bite bar (vampire club, basically), where he gets ditched by John (who's hooked up with a vampiress he seems to know quite well) and left in the company of Maryse, the titular blonde at the bar. So, just how will Mike's time with Maryse go? Read on to find out, and I hope you all enjoy, my loves. =)

'Hang back over here with Maryse? Has John lost his damn mind?!' Mike thought, trying to keep a clamp on his sudden panic. Before he could open his mouth to object, it was too late as Mike watched John and Melina weave their way through the slight throng of other clubgoers. Turning to look back at the still seated platinum blonde, Mike wasn't quite sure how to even go about trying to break the ice with the platinum blonde. So, digging into what he'd seen in movies, Mike moved over a bit to Maryse before leaning against the bar and asking with a grin "So. You come here often?"

Managing to take her gaze off of her nails, Maryse turned to look at her standing guest. With a largely unimpressed click of her tongue, the platinum blonde reached in front of her and grabbed the glass that was partially filled with a liquid of some sort before taking a sip and placing it back on its coaster.

'Well, that was a total bust,' Mike couldn't help but think. He had a feeling that his flirting game was a bit dated, …but he wasn't exactly expecting to get shot down so quickly. Not quite sure what to do next, the brunette decided to take an empty seat at the bar a bit far from Maryse. 'Maybe a drink'll help. I could use something to help me forget about that crash and burn.'

…

Looking away from her polished nails, Maryse looked to her left and happened to notice the human that tried to hit on her not too long ago had taken a seat in one of the chairs close to her. Only …he seemed a bit down about something. 'Weird. Usually, humans would keep trying if their first tries at flirting with me didn't work. But, …that doesn't seem to be the case with Mike. I wonder why?' An idea coming to the platinum blonde, Maryse ordered first a refill of the drink she had and then a drink for the brunette. Rising from her seat, Maryse grabbed both glasses and walked over to the seated human. Thinking back on some of the lines she would remember some humans would use in their attempts at flirting with her, Maryse cleared her throat a bit before asking "So. Is this seat taken?"

…

Sitting at the bar, Mike couldn't help the scoff that escaped him. He honestly didn't even know why he was still here. Him trying to flirt with Maryse was a bust, and he had no clue where John got taken away to; although if he had to guess, maybe his lady friend took him somewhere she could drink his blood without being watched, or maybe they just decided to leave themselves and go somewhere else. Liking the sound of this second thought, Mike almost got up to leave Club Plasma himself before he faintly heard "So. Is this seat taken?" Turning to his right, Mike was surprised to see the object of his recent flirtation standing beside him holding two glasses, both filled with different beverages. A slight scoff of a laugh escaping him, Mike said "What? Feeling bad for the lonely human at the bar?"

"What? Can't a girl want to keep a guy company?" Maryse said with a shrug.

"Guess not," Mike replied with a shrug of his own as he gestured to one of the empty chairs near him. Watching as the platinum blonde took the seat to his right and set one of the glasses in front of him, that glass containing a dark liquid of some kind, Mike suddenly found himself thinking some of the same thoughts about Maryse he had earlier when John first introduced him to both Maryse and Melina. 'OK, Mizanin. You may have struck out the first time you tried talking to her, but that doesn't mean that you have to make that same fuck up again.'

Looking at the brunette human, Maryse couldn't help but notice the look on his face. 'I wonder what Mike's deal is. He seemed so confident before, but now …not so much. Maybe I should try to find out why.' "So, Mi-"

"So, Maryse," Mike began, cutting into what Maryse was about to say. Seeing the surprised look on her face, Mike said "Sorry, didn't mean to cut you off. Were you about to say something?"

"I was, yes," Maryse said after shaking off her slight surprise. "I was going to ask if you were okay. You seemed so sure of yourself when you tried to hit on me not too long ago. Now, you're just sitting over here looking like someone kicked your chien (dog). Is everything okay?"

"No, I …no, everything is not okay," Mike finally managed to get out.

"What is it then? What has you seeming so upset?"

"It's a long ass story," the brunette began.

"Well, I've got nothing better to do right now, seeing as how Melina appears to have left me. So, by all means, feel free to tell me your long ass story," Maryse said with a slight grin.

Mike wasn't sure what surprised him the most here. Whether it was how cute Maryse seemed to look as she grinned at him or her willingness to hear his story, Mike weirdly felt like he could trust her. Taking a breath, he began his story. "So, to start, I think it'd be best to go back a few weeks. I'm not sure what caused it, but my now ex-girlfriend got into a pretty bad argument with me. And it was then, that she …that she told me she had been cheating on me."

"Your girlfriend actually just came out with it and admitted she was cheating on you?" Maryse asked. "Wow. What a bitch."

Trying but failing to hold back the laugh that escaped him, Mike said "Wow. Way to basically say what everyone else has said about my ex."

"I'm just calling it as I see it. I mean, anyone that treats someone like that must be some level of connard (asshole)," Maryse shrugged before she grabbed her glass and took a sip.

"Yeah, she certainly was. …Although, she wasn't always like that," Mike said in slight defense of his ex.

"Really? What makes you say that?"

"Well," Mike began before pointing at the still full glass in front of him. "Is it okay if I drink some of this?"

"Of course," Maryse answered. Seeing what looked like a slightly distrustful look on Mike's face, the platinum blonde couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. "Relax, Mike. I didn't spike it with anything, and I made sure to keep an eye on the bartender as they made it. No need to worry."

While he still seemed a bit suspicious of this drink, Mike felt it would be best to not be rude and, grabbing the glass, took a sip of the dark liquid it held. And, surprisingly, he liked it, as it turned out to just be a rum and Coke. "So, going back to my ex, she actually wasn't so bad when we first started dating. It's actually thanks a bit to John that we even met in the first place."

"Really? Why do you say that?"

"Well, it happened one day a few years ago when we had to do some shopping. John happened to notice her when she came into the grocery store we were at and that I may have given her a few looks."

"And, let me guess. It was because of you just staring at her that John put it together that maybe you were planning on asking her out?" Maryse asked as she grabbed her own glass before taking a sip, her drink being a Cosmopolitan with a little something extra added in that appealed to her more vampiric nature.

"When put that way, yeah, it was," Mike said. "I guess I got a bit tongue tied when I first saw her."

"Aww. I think that's fairly mignon (cute) that you got so smitten with your cherie (darling) before you met her," Maryse said, a slightly joking grin crossing her face.

"Y-Yeah, well, I was honestly thinking I had found the one when I saw her. So, after I managed to get ballsy enough to talk to her, I'd say things actually went pretty well. For a while, things were great between us. And then, …then came the fifth year we were together."

"What happened in your fifth year?" the platinum blonde asked, starting to feel curious.

"Honestly, I don't even know," Mike said. "I think maybe over time, …we had just started to grow apart from each other. Maybe it was work, maybe it was something else, I honestly don't even know. All I know is that one day, she just came out with it and broke up with me."

"Damn. That's unfortunate," Maryse said before taking another sip of her Cosmopolitan. "So, do you at least still keep in touch with your ex?"

"Yeah, I mean, just to be nice. She told me things have been going well for her and her new boyfriend, so …can't be too upset about that, I guess," Mike shrugged before grabbing his glass and taking another sip.

"Well, Mike, I have to say. I think it's pretty noble of you to be the bigger person and keep up your friendship with her after your breakup. Hopefully, you'll be able to do like her and move on to someone new," Maryse said.

"That sounds great and all, but I don't even know where to begin looking. It's not that easy finding a date, you know?"

"Yes, yes, that is true. But, maybe you don't have to look too far or too hard for someone new to date," the platinum blonde said with a shrug.

"And, just where exactly would you suggest I look? I wasn't exactly planning on trying to hook up with someone in a place like this," Mike said, gesturing around himself.

"And just what's so wrong with our club? We don't bite unless you ask us to," Maryse said, her gaze traveling around the establishment that she had come to see as a bit of a home away from her home.

"Yeah, I still don't get that. Who in their right mind would want to willingly get bitten by a vampire? Just doesn't seem too smart to me."

"Well, some humans can be fairly bizarre (weird) about that. Although, one of the biggest reasons I've heard from some is that it can be something that leaves them feeling drunk or high. Same thing I've heard from the vampire that does the blood drinking," Maryse explained. "At least, that's what Melina tells me."

"You make it sound like you don't actually bite people and drink their blood," Mike said, feeling a bit curious about this.

"It's not so much I don't. I just want to be careful, you know? It's not exactly the smartest thing to just go around biting people just because they ask," Maryse reasoned out. "Besides, I'm more than okay with my way of getting blood."

"And what way is that, exactly?"

A light laugh escaping her, Maryse said "Oh, don't you worry about that, Mr. Mizanin. A girl never drinks and tells" before winking at the brunette with a slight grin.

Trying to stop the sudden warmth that threatened to climb up his cheeks, Mike grabbed his glass and took a few sips of his drink.

Seeing the look on his face, Maryse couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. "Don't worry, Mike, relax. If you really want to know, I usually get my blood supply from blood bags. I have a human friend who works at a hospital and has no problem with getting me a bag here and there when I may need it, so it's no big deal."

"Well, that's good, …I guess," Mike said, a bit uneasily.

It seemed a bit strange that Mike would just bring up her feeding habits out of the blue. So, shrugging it off, she grabbed her glass and took another sip of her drink when she heard slight mumbling. Turning to look over to the human, Maryse said "I'm sorry, Mike. Did you say something?"

"Huh? Oh! No, no, not really. I was just thinking about something."

"And what would this something be exactly?"

"Well, I, uhh," Mike began before running a hand through his hair as he thought his question through. "OK. Don't think I'm weird or anything, but I was just wondering if you've ever bitten anyone before. I mean, I'd imagine when people come here and you happen to be here, they'd maybe want to hook up with you for the night."

"You wouldn't be wrong in saying that. But, it's like I said, I don't feed from anyone just because they ask."

"Oh. I see. Well, smart thinking there," Mike said.

"Why all the questions about my feeding habits? Is there something you're trying to ask me?" the platinum blonde asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I-I," Mike began before scratching the back of his head. "Fuck, this is hard to ask."

"What is?"

"I, uhh…. …OK, don't think this is weird, but …how about I be your first? Y'know, the first person you've ever bitten?"

Well, it looks like Mike hanging back with Maryse wasn't too bad, as it would appear as though he had a pretty nice (if not a bit flirty from Maryse at points) chat with the vampiress. One that led to him making Maryse an offer that she may or may not refuse (...*snickers a bit*...sorry for making this sound a bit like The Godfather). Is this an offer Maryse'll accept? We shall find that out...next time! Until then, don't forget to RR please. =)

(Stay safe, warm, and healthy out there, lovelies. *sends much love and many positive vibes out to you all*)