Fifty-Three
E
Bella and Ben have been meticulously planning Rebar's first themed night for a few weeks now, and all of their hard work is finally paying off. We've been setting up for the 80's party all day, and Ben's been sharing our progress on his social media accounts as we work. According to his followers and their reactions to his posts, we're going to be slammed.
The tables are covered with paint-splattered table clothes, confetti. There are vintage posters hanging on the walls, and we've changed a lot of the lights out for black-light bulbs. There are strobes and lightbars hanging over the bar, and don't even get me started on the costumes.
Bella has spared no expense and gone all out. While I'm dressed in acid-washed, distressed denim and half a bottle of hair gel, my girl looks like she just walked out of a Jane Fonda workout video. Neon spandex, tight and stretched over toned muscles and luscious curves. Bare skin, sinful but innocent. Strategically placed glitter and freckles.
"Damn, baby." I whistle slowly and take her in.
Bella runs a hand through her feathered hair and adjusts her tutu. "It's not too much?"
"Not at all." I kiss her cherry red lips and hum. "You look amazing."
She pulls at my jacket with bedroom eyes. "I am really digging the grungy Edward look."
Ben, who's busy stocking beer, makes a choking noise. "Gag me with a spoon."
Bella rolls her eyes. "He's been googling 80's lingo since you gave us the go ahead."
I tell him to eat my shorts and offer to run and pick up lunch before Angela and Lauren get in. I doubt we're going to have time to breathe once the doors open, so I want to make sure everyone is taken care of before it gets crazy.
I get a few stares, thanks to my outfit, but return to Rebar with pizza and dessert sticks without incident. We aren't set to open for another hour, but there are already people loitering in the parking lot.
After we're finished eating, Bella and Angela make sure the jukebox is ready with the playlist Lauren put together. Ben takes his place behind the bar, and I move to the door. I'll be playing bouncer, checking IDs before joining Bella and Ben to sling drinks and the themed cocktails we came up with.
In less than an hour, we're almost at full capacity, and I tell Bella we're going to need to look into hiring a doorman on themed nights so the fire department doesn't get called.
"You should talk to Emmett. He worked in security before he started at the bakery. He might be able to point you in the right direction."
Speaking of the beast, he and Rose show up shortly after, followed by Alice and Jasper. They take up a hightop in the corner, and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.
At the bar, the themed cocktail menu is a hit among customers. Between the three of us, we manage to keep the lines down. Bella and Ben are putting on a show. They put together a whole routine revolving around certain drinks that go with certain songs as they shuffle through the playlist, and people are eating it up.
The night is going so well, and I couldn't be happier.
When I opened Rebar, I never thought, only dreamed, that it would be successful. In the beginning, I was certain it was going to fail. That first year, I felt like I was constantly funneling money that I didn't have until I found my footing.
These past six months have been amazing, a true dream come true. I've managed to take advantage of the extra business and profits being made. I'm paying off my parent's loan a lot faster than I planned to. Not to mention I'm able to afford the extra help and show my appreciation to my employees who have helped make all of this possible.
Especially the beautiful brunette who convinced me to take a chance on her. I can honestly say that Rebar wouldn't be where it is right now if it weren't for Bella.
Hell, I don't know where I'd be without her.
Toto is blaring through the speakers, and everyone is singing along. Of course, my girl is one of the loudest. She mixes a large tray of screaming orgasms and shimmies around behind the bar.
When things start to settle down, I insist that Bella and Ben take a quick break. I know she wants to visit with our friends before they start to head out. Ben vapes, and I can tell he's starting to get antsy, so we let him go first.
"Tonight has been so much fun," Bella cheers, leaning against the counter and sipping some virgin fruity cocktail she and Ben created.
I smile. "I think everyone here will agree with you on that."
She pops a cherry in her mouth and grabs the spiral notebook she's been carrying around with her for weeks. "All thanks to the bible."
The bible, as she refers to it, is filled with notes she made in preparation.
"I think I did more research on the eighties than all four years of high school combined," she jokes.
We spent plenty of our downtime watching movies and listening to music from the era to make sure we'd be doing the party justice. Bella was born in 1998, and while I spent the first five years of my life in the eighties, I wasn't very helpful with knowledge of pop culture or anything really. Research ended up being a learning experience for the both of us.
"Thanks for all the help." Bella hums." I couldn't have done it without you."
I push some of her feathered hair out of her eyes. "I should be the one thanking you."
We flirt back and forth while making drinks and cashing out people who want to close their tabs.
Bella is chatting up a tall, skinny man wearing a fishnet jumpsuit when Ben returns from his smoke break.
He's all smiles until his eyes land on Bella's customer, and he stops short, eyes bulging and skin ashen, looking as if he's seen a ghost.
"Ben?" I say, trying to get his attention, but he ignores me.
Finally, when he snaps out of it, he stomps over to Bella, glaring at the man. "Seth. What are you doing here?" he hisses.
The man just smiles, somewhat strained, and holds up his glass. "I came for a drink."
Bella's mouth pops open in surprise, but she doesn't say anything.
"Baby, you can go ahead and take your break. Alice and Jasper have to relieve their sitter, so I'm sure they'll be leaving soon," I offer.
She nods and brushes past Ben, stopping to whisper a question only he can hear. He finally tears his eyes away from Seth and tells her he'll be fine.
One of our regulars approaches the bar and waves me over. She asks about one of the specialty cocktails, and I prattle off the ingredients while keeping an eye on Ben and his situation at the other end of the bar. He and Seth seem to be having a heated discussion and my curiosity is piqued.
"—we top it off with Blue Curacao and Baileys. That's what makes it reactive under the lights," I explain. "It's sweet. I think you'd like it."
She asks for one on the rocks, and I nod, turning to the liquor shelves.
"We talked about this, Seth," Ben stresses.
"No. You talked and expected me to just agree. I told you things need to change."
"I'm not ready," my friend all but whispers. "I work here. What did you expect to happen, showing up like this?"
I mix the drink and ensure that my regular likes it before adding it to her tab. I'm not sure what Seth says but Ben's shoulders fall, and he starts pleading.
"Please go home, Seth. I'll call you when I get off, and we'll talk then. Please." He doesn't wait for a reply, just stalks off to the other end of the bar to take an order without looking back.
Seth drains his glass and waves me over. "Hey, can you close my tab?"
I run his card and hand him a pen, thanking him for stopping by. I sort of feel like I should apologize for my employee's attitude.
He leaves a thirty-five percent tip regardless and gives Ben one last parting glance before making his exit.
Ben's mood remains sour for the rest of the night despite Bella's best efforts to cheer him up. She barely gets a reaction when one of the more popular songs from the movie Cocktail comes on. I knew they were planning on recreating the scene, but Ben's not into it, so she lets it go.
I try to talk to him, but he just tells me that it's a personal matter and apologizes for it being brought to the bar. I wave it off and remind him that we were friends first. That I'm here for him if and when he's ready to talk.
"I appreciate it, man. I just have some stuff to work out on my own."
When we close for the night, Bella insists that Ben head out. Between her, Angela, and Lauren, as well as myself, we can manage without him.
Ben doesn't fight it. He just thanks everyone, shrugs into his jacket, and leaves.
It's obvious that Bella knows more than she's letting on. When I ask, she tells me that it's nothing bad and that Ben is going to be fine.
I don't push because I trust her to tell me the truth and come to me otherwise.