“God what a colossal waste of make-up tonight was,” Kera dropped onto the couch and took a huge gulp of her beer.
“What happened now?” Amie laughed at her friend as she turned to face her.
Kera had just joined Amie at their favorite downtown hangout, The Culture. As they relaxed on the couches, Amie pressed her to talk.
Kera didn’t need much encouragement to relate her disastrous date earlier in the evening, “Well, I had a date. And now it’s 8:30 pm and I’m here. Alone. Ugh, he was a cad,” she groaned.
“Well, what happened? Tell me!”
“First, he was late getting there, then he had on this funky red sweater. Amie, it’s MAY! It’s HOT! And he had on a heavy sweater. Then he complained all through dinner that he was hot. Well, DUH, go figure. How smart do you have to be to figure out WHY you’re hot?” She laughed as her friend shook her head in amazement.
“Where on earth do you find these people, Kera?” She arched an eyebrow, “wait, don’t answer that. Let me guess, internet? Right?”
Slowly, Kera nodded, “Of course. Where else do I meet people?”
“You are going to get yourself in trouble one day, you know that, right?”
“Yeah yeah, that’s what everyone keeps saying,” she grinned. “But if you remember, my stalker is someone I met in a bar.”
“What bar?”
“Coconuts.”
Amie laughed, “Well there’s your answer to that one! What did you expect from a meat market hook up?”
“Yeah yeah! I know.”
“Anyway, tell me more about this guy tonight.”
“Well, besides the sweater, he smelled funny, and he wanted to be all up on me and shit. He just wasn’t getting the hint.” Kera cringed at the memory. “So finally, after he tried to slide his hand up my leg again for the eighth time, I stood up, and told him off.”
“Oh God, what did you say?”
“I stood up from the table, in the restaurant now, remember, and very loudly told him that he needed to learn to keep his damn hands to himself and learn to catch a clue when someone wasn’t interested in being groped. And I walked right on out the door. Left his ass sitting there.”
“Damn girl! I’m proud of you!” Amie laughed aloud. “Served him right.”
“So, I came down here ‘cause I knew I needed a drink after that one.”
“Here’s to better days and better men!” Amie raised her glass in a toast.
Meeting her friend’s glass with her own, Kera sighed, “Amen.”
“Hey honey,” Amie turned to kiss her husband, Mark, as he walked up beside her.
“Hey baby,” he returned her kiss and sat down in the chair in front of them. Looking at Kera, he asked, “So what’s going on?”
“Kera had a date tonight!” Amie burst out laughing.
“Hey Mark,” Kera nodded to him.
Mark quirked an eyebrow, “What now?” He knew of Kera’s misadventures in dating that Amie had told him about.
“Well she put one in his place tonight!”
By the time they finished relating the story, Kera was ready for another drink, “I’ll be back in a sec. Anyone need anything from the bar?”
“Yeah, I’ll take another, Mark?” Amie looked at him.
“Nah, I’m fine right now.”
“Okay, I’ll be back in a sec.”
Walking to the bar, Kera could only shake her head at the fiasco the night had started out to be. Thankfully, things were looking up now that she was with friends.
“Hey sweetheart, what can I get ya?”
Jerked from her thoughts, Kera looked at the bartender. “Oh, um, a Corona with lime and a white wine. It’s for Amie,” she pointed over her shoulder to where they were sitting.
Seeing Amie wave, he laughed, “Sure thing.”
* * *
“Damn.”
“What?” Amie reached up to accept her glass of wine. “Did he charge you for it?”
“No,” Kera shook her head. “He didn’t even charge for mine.”
“Wow, that’s cool. Now, what were you cussing about?”
“Just thinking to myself actually,” Kera answered and then continued, “I never realized how damn cute he is. And he seems so sweet.”
“Who?”
“The bartender.”
“Which one? Jason? Or Jonathan?”
“Not Jonathan, I know him. I guess it’s Jason. I never can keep their names straight,” Kera laughed.
“Show me which one.” Amie turned to look at the bar.
Kera turned to point him out, and came face to face with him.
* * *
Jason approached the couch. “Mark, hey man. How are you?” Shaking hands with Mark, he turned and nodded to Amie. “Amie, nice to see you.” Then he faced Kera, “And,” he laughed as he extended his hand to her, “as many times as you have been in here, I have never gotten your name.”
“Kera,” she reached up to shake hands with him.
Still holding onto her hand, “Very nice to meet you. I’m Jason.” Reluctantly releasing her hand, he turned back to Mark and continued, “May I join you for a few minutes?”
Amie caught on instantly. Jumping up, she answered, “Sure, have a seat. I’ll sit with Mark.” She sat on her husband’s lap and kissed him on the cheek. While she had her head bowed to his, she whispered, “Do you see what I see?”
Slowly, Mark nodded and quietly replied, “I think I do. Wonder what happened? She’s been in here a thousand times and he never said anything before.”
“Find out.”
“I will. You get with her and see what she thinks. I think they would be great.”
Amie kissed him again, then turned back to face their friends. And saw that they hadn’t even noticed the conversation between Mark and herself.
Kera and Jason had begun a tentative conversation. Both were finding it hard to concentrate on the words spoken because they were both completely enthralled, gazing at each other. Neither could tear their eyes away when Amie spoke to Kera.
“Kera, walk with me?”
“Huh?” Kera jumped when Amie grabbed her hand. “Oh, yeah, sure.”
Amie looked at Jason, “We’ll be right back.”
Still starry eyed, he just nodded. Turning, he watched them as the walked away toward the restrooms in the back of the bar.
* * *
”So, what the hell is that?” Mark laughed at the look on his friend’s face.
“What?” Jason shook his head, “what’s wrong with it? She’s gorgeous.”
“Funny you just noticed that. She’s been coming in here for over a year now. What’s up?”
“Man, I don’t know. She came up to the bar tonight and I just noticed her eyes.”
“Oh God, you’re a sap.” Mark laughed again. “So, what are you gonna do?”
“I’m going to ask her to wait till I get off tonight. After that, I don’t know.”
“Jason, don’t you fuck with her. She’s been through hell this year. Don’t think she’s just a fuck.”
“Have you ever known me to do that?” Jason glared at his friend, then remembered, “Oh, yeah, never mind. That was a mistake. And I was drunk. How was I to know she would flip the fuck out?”
Erin had been a friend of both of theirs from several years back. She and Jason had hooked up one night at a party and things happened. Jason had been drunk and for him it was just a night of fun. For her it went much deeper. Unbeknownst to him, she had been wanting him for months. Afterward, when he tried to explain that night, she wouldn’t hear him. She refused to believe that that was all it was and continued to pursue him for months afterward. Mark had finally stepped in and talked to her. She had finally given up and left Jason alone, but only because she found someone else to pursue. She moved out of state less than a month later and neither of them had heard from her since.
“Yeah, well, Kera is a little more stable than that. And she means a lot to Amie and me. Just as you do. We don’t want to see either of you get hurt.”
“Mark, listen to me, I know what you are thinking and it’s not like that. I’m not looking just to fuck her. I really think I want to get to know her. That’s why I am going to ask her to wait on me.” Jason reached out his hand, “Trust me.”
“Okay man.” Mark grasped his friend’s hand. “Treat her right.”
* * *
“OH MY GOD!” Kera was practically floating. “Did you see that? Did you see him?”
“I guess that was who you were talking about?” Amie laughed.
“Oh yeah. He is so adorable.” Kera’s smile was blinding, “Isn’t he a friend of your’s?”
“Yeah, he and Mark have been friends for years. He’s a really nice guy. Pretty straight up and normal.”
“Help me out?” Kera looked hopeful.
“Girlfriend, did you see the way he was looking at you? You aren’t going to need my help.”
“Do what? What do you mean?”
“You mean you didn’t notice that he couldn’t string three words together trying to talk to you? You didn’t notice the look on his face?”
“Uhhh, no.” Kera was confused. She was so enraptured by his looks that she had not noticed him looking at her in the same way.
“Girl, he was practically drooling over you. All you gotta do is be cool and this one is ON!” Amie hugged her friend.
“For real? Oh God.” Kera turned to the mirror, “How do I look? Do I need to brush my hair? My lipstick is gone,” She started rummaging through her purse. Pulling out the tube, she leaned toward the mirror and reapplied the lipstick. “Good enough?” She turned back to face Amie.
“It was good enough to begin with. You already got his attention. BE COOL! LET IT HAPPEN!”
“Okay okay,” Kera laughed. “Now I’m going to be a nervous wreck.”
“Don’t be, just follow mine and Mark’s conversation. It’ll be fine. Jason is a great guy.”
“Okay. I can do that,” Kera opened the restroom door.
“Let’s go. Girl, you got this!” Amie linked her arm through Kera’s, “You GOT this,” she repeated as the walked back across the bar.
* * *
Sitting back on the couch, Kera was again stunned at how cute Jason was. Looking away, she laughed as Mark grunted when Amie plopped back into his lap. “Getting heavy is she?”
“Nah, she just forgets when she does that that I’ve had about four beers!”
* * *
Kera’s laugh rolled over him in waves. Jason couldn’t believe he had never noticed her before. He wondered at the flutters he felt in his chest. He was completely blown away by the woman in front of him. He could not wait to get to know her better. He just hoped she felt the same.
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