Chapter Text
Reseda was everything that I thought of when I thought about cities: crowded, somewhat gritty, and full of things to do (not that I did any of them). It was the exact place a small-town bumpkin like me decides to move to when leaving a troubled relationship and more than a lifetime’s worth of family drama. Plus, nobody knew me. Or had extensive knowledge of my family tree. Or went to school with my older siblings. I loved it.
That’s not to say I didn’t have a little bit of trouble settling in. Towns in California are so much bigger than some of the so-called cities in my home state, and it took me a bit to learn my way around Reseda and the surrounding neighborhoods. It also didn’t help that I knew absolutely nobody in the entire state of California, so I had no idea what to expect. Luckily for me, my new coworkers were kind enough to show me the ropes, and soon I was getting invited out to after-work socials and trivia nights.
Which is how I ended up at a hole-in-the-wall sports bar on a Wednesday evening. The bar was mostly empty when I got there a little past seven. Not shocking, since it was relatively early on a weekday. Scanning the place, I quickly spotted my deskmate Mike already sipping beers and shooting the shit over a game of pool with someone from the Billing Department. I acknowledged them with a nod and made my way to order a drink at the scuffed bar near the back of the joint.
At the counter, I gave my order and some cash to the bartender, glanced briefly at the gruff-looking drunk at the other end of the bar, and zoned out. As I waited for my whiskey and soda, I let myself feel relieved that the end of the quarter was over and I could go back to my normal everyday payroll tasks in the morning. It was normal for me to be stressed and overworked, but when the end of the quarter rolled around, those levels were turned up to eleven. Simply put, I was tired and frazzled after an extra-long, super difficult day, and I wanted nothing more than to go home and watch Netflix.
Damn my need to please people.
Pushing aside the weariness, I tried to look disinterested when the regular at the end of the bar tried to get my attention. Maybe he would just give up, thinking I hadn’t heard him. Maybe he would just leave and I’d never see him again and life would go on and…
“Next drink’s on me,” the man said, sliding off his stool and coming around the bend to stand next to me.
I blinked. “Sorry?”
“Looks like you’ve had a rough day, and I’m offering to buy you a drink.” When I had first seen him at the end of the bar, I figured he was just another drunk slob flushing his paycheck down the drain. Up close, however, I could tell he was built. Still a slob and more than likely pissing away his money on crappy beer, but dang. There were muscles underneath that band tee, and his blond hair was more charmingly mussed than an actual rat’s nest.
“Um, thanks. But I need to get back to my friends,” I said, gesturing at the pool tables.
He held up his hands, taking a step back as he motioned to the bartender for another beer. “Hey, no problem. I get it.” He grinned crookedly at me then, his icy blue eyes crinkling at the corners in a practically endearing way. “But if you need a refill, I’ll be here.” And with a parting wave, he ambled back to his original spot with his beer.
“Here y’go, darlin’,” the bartender said as she slid the sweating glass of whiskey and soda to me along with a paper napkin.
“Thanks.” I smiled at her and wrapped the napkin around the cold, wet glass. With one last surreptitious look at the blond man, I shook my head and made my way towards my friends.