2. Ava
1056 Words
2
AVA
“Ava, why are you single?”
We were on beer number four of the night. He was on this round a little after one in the morning. We closed at two, but if Zeke needed extra time, I wouldn’t kick him out. He could stay while I closed up. I had no problem with that.
I grunted, sliding his beer over to him. We were on the late-night sports highlights, and the place was going strong. It didn’t bother me. I was the only one behind the bar, but I had a system down.
I grinned. “Why? You volunteering?”
He grinned back, a chuckle before lifting his beer. “Just seems weird. You were with that Roy guy for a while, and then…” His eyes grew distant, and his head c****d to the side. He was thinking, trying to remember my love life, but he wouldn’t remember because while he went to a D1 school, I stayed home and attended the local community college. There’d been plans for more, to finish and go on to graduate school, but life got in the way.
I knocked my knuckles on the counter in front of him. “Don’t think too hard, Allen. I’m single because I want to be.” I moved down the counter. Three women had been eyeing him all night, and they were on their fourth round of shots. The one who’d been paying all night waved more money toward me, so I started reaching for three more shot glasses.
“No. Wait.” She leaned over, and I got a good whiff of her perfume mixed with booze as she breathed on me. “We want a shot with him too. Four shots.”
I didn’t move, but I looked at Zeke from the corner of my eye.
This had happened before. Many times, and Zeke was always a good sport about it, but for some reason, I was hesitating. That wasn’t good for business or my job, so I grabbed the Patron. “You want them poured here or by him?”
She hesitated too, and I saw some self-consciousness set in. Her two other friends were ignoring us, almost gawking at Zeke. She bit down on her lip and leaned over again. “You know him?”
I nodded.
“What do you think?”
I opened my mouth but faltered on what I was going to say because the truth was, Zeke would’ve already grabbed one of them if he was interested. The girls were not being subtle, and he knew the game. He was a master at playing it.
“How about I pour yours here and take his to him? He can wave you down to say thanks?”
Her smile was wide and quick. “That sounds great!”
I did as I said and ignored the other two girls’ grumbling as I took the shot to Zeke. I placed it a little away from him and bent down, pretending like I needed to grab something under the counter. “Giving you a heads-up. That shot there is for you, paid for by those three girls. Yellow halters.” (Every single one was wearing yellow.) “And they’re hoping you’ll wave them down to thank them for the shot.”
He barely reacted, taking the shot, flashing them a smile in thanks, and he tipped his head back for the shot. He mouthed it, then followed with his water, and as he set that glass down, I saw that it grew a little bit more water than what had been in there.
I looked up, caught him watching me, and he gave me a wink.
My pulse jumped, and I almost dropped my washcloth because f**k, my stomach got some tingles.
I looked down, surprised. I hadn’t had this reaction to someone in a long time.
“You’re Zeke Allen, right?” One of the girls came over.
His gaze stayed on me for a moment before turning to her. “I am.” He gave her a once-over before smirking. “Please tell me I didn’t f**k your older sister or your mother.”
She gasped.
There was the old Zeke I remembered. I’d missed the jackass.
He slid off his stool and threw a bunch of bills onto the counter. Ignoring the girl, he lifted his chin up toward me. “You’re too hot to be single, Ava. That’s what I think.” He knocked his knuckles on the counter before heading out.
“What a d**k!” The one girl was scowling in his direction. Her two friends joined, and the second one (not the one who paid for all the drinks; she had stayed back the whole time) huffed at me, her hand finding her hip. “You don’t have to laugh at Laughlin. I thought we were in the whole women empowering and lifting each other up era?”
I fought against rolling my eyes. “Sweetie, I wasn’t laughing at your girl. I was laughing at Allen, because for him, that was tame.” I began moving backward, going back down the bar. “Also, Laughlin is a cool name.”
The girl eased up, her head straightening. “Thank you.”
A guy had moved in behind the girl who paid for everything, and as I filled his order, I couldn’t help myself. I asked under my breath to her, “They’re going to pay you back for tonight?”
She jerked upright, stiffening. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I stepped back, eyeing her. “Right.” I gave her a soft, but sad smile. “Here’s some female empowering two cents: if you gotta pay for them, they’re friends with your cash, not you.”
She flicked her eyes up, just as the others called her name. “Whatever.” She stalked off.
I watched her go, but I didn’t know why.
Maybe I saw a bit of me in her. Sadly, it wasn’t the part that had friends. It was the part that felt like a schmuck. That was me back then, and still was.
I lied to Zeke. I wasn’t single because I wanted to be.
I was single because no one that I wanted, wanted me back.
- Writer
