A Girl's Night Out/Try to read the dimly lit chalkboard mounted above all the liquor
From Create Your Own Story
Squinting, you try to make out the small chalk letters above you in the hope that you’ll see something remotely understandable. Unfortunately, it’s just a bunch of liquors and brands that you’ve never tasted or sometimes even heard of.
Your confusion and embarrassment mount as the bartender stands there looking at you, waiting for you to make a decision. “Well…”
“How ‘bout the daily special, Layla?”
The mellifluous voice comes from behind. Craning your neck, you see a woman behind you in a biker jacket and loose jeans. She reminds you a bit of the bouncer you met earlier, but far more rugged. This woman came from the streets, not from the military.
The bartender, apparently Layla, gives an annoyed smirk for reasons you aren’t sure of. “And one for you too, I take it?”
Your savior grins back at her. “What else?”
Layla sighs and turns to her shelf of liquor, lined with colorful bottles that catch the low light and make patterns on surrounding surfaces.
The woman takes the stool next to you. “Never been to a real bar before?”
“Yeah,” you answer sheepishly. “Thanks for bailing me out.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it.” She has an easygoing smile, not overly joyful but certainly not cold. Her skin is tan from work, her face a bit funny. The fringes of her slightly overgrown pixie cut brush the tops of her ears. “How’s it feel, first time out of the gate?”
You decide to be honest. “Kind of scary,” you admit. “I’ve never been around this many people who I knew were like me. It’s like I suddenly have options now.”
She laughs, a low, soothing chuckle that makes your chest squeeze up. “I know what you mean. When I was your age, I thought I was never gonna find a girl.” Her eyes meet yours, almost burnt orange in this lighting. “Can’t see you havin’ those problems, though. Any girl who’s rougher around the edges’d fall for you like that.”
“That’s nice of you to say,” you mumble, blushing a bit at the sincere compliment. “But if they did, they probably thought I was straight.”
“That’s why it’s so great here, right?” She leans in closer, so that the smallest bit of her leather jacket touches your arm. “We take away those kinds’a barriers.”
The slight touch sends an enjoyable shiver down your spine, and you want to lean against her. “Right.”
Your drinks arrive on the counter with a clink. “All right Jay, show me the money.”
The woman hands Layla ten dollars, which she folds and stashes under the counter before going to attend to some other customers. The two of you are relatively alone now, with no one else paying attention to you.
“Jay?” you ask. “That’s your name?”
“It’s actually Janet,” she answers, pressing her shoulder to yours with a smile. “But yeah, I go by Jay.”
She sits back, to your disappointment, and grabs her shot from the counter. “You ready?”
“Actually… I wasn’t planning to drink any hard liquor tonight.”
