With an excited smile, Summer closed the door to her car, locked it behind her, and walked up to the door of the Heart Seat. She hadn't seen Law for awhile, too busy with meeting with potential clients and taking various families' graduation pictures to be able to visit with him. They kept in touch, of course, but as of recently texting and calls were their main line of communication. It was a little disheartening not to see his face for so long.
The blonde passed by each row of cars, careful not to scratch or dent anything as she went. It was late, so dozens of vehicles filled the parking lot. The red neon sign displaying the establishment's name made the closest ones glow with a deep hue.
It was busier than usual, thank god. As of late, Corazon had been worried about a slow decline in business, but the past weekend or two had been unexpectedly fruitful. The last thing Summer wanted was to watch the little bar slowly lose business and finally have to close. This place had too many good memories for her, and Corazon was too much of a good friend. It was his pride and joy, the Heart Seat. It was everything he had.
The door opened before she got to it, and a couple, laughing and whooping in good fun, walked out into the sea of cars where she'd just emerged. The man looked to be physically holding up the woman, who teetered precariously on her heels as she giggled and hiccuped. They passed beside her, and Summer slipped in before the door closed with a raised brow, into the cooler bar. Even at night, the summer was unrelenting in the heat, and the Heart Seat rushed a cool blast of air conditioning onto her as she entered.
The parking lot reflected the amount of business going on tonight, and Summer politely made her way over to the bar. From where she was standing, Law didn't appear to be behind the counter, leading her to believe he was somewhere in the back for a moment. Then, surprisingly, she saw Luffy pop out from the back room and starting serving the drinks. She smiled, happy to see the young man again.
It took a few 'excuse me's and having to wait for other patrons to pass by, but eventually she found her way to an open seat towards the very end of the counter. There weren't a lot open at this point, but she managed to get one without having the wrestle with anyone.
The crowd was rambunctious that night, probably due to the sports program being played on the television against the wall. Dozens of eyes were rapt on the screen, shouting encouragement and insults at the opposing team. You almost couldn't hear the overhead music above the crowd of spectators, much to Summer's disgruntlement.
Luffy appeared to be much more at ease with the large crowd compared to her graduation party. Very unlike Law, who tended to remain composed and quietly poised to his customers, the young man worked the crowd with an easygoing smile that never seemed to wane. Summer watched and listened as he made delightful small talk with the patrons closest to him, asking people about their days and striking up personal and lengthy conversation seemingly at random.
They are polar opposites, Summer thought with a chuckle, resting her head on her hand as she waited for the orders to die down enough to talk to him. Her gaze wandered for a moment, the boredom drawing her attention in several directions. Vivi skirted around the tables carrying trays of wings, onion rings, and various burgers and fries. It seemed people were as hungry as they were thirsty for alcohol that night.
Zoro was sat in the corner of the room as usual, and she caught his eye by chance. She smiled and gave a little wave, to which he nodded in response. Deciding that he was busy watching the crowd of rowdy people for any funny business, Summer went back to sitting there in wait.
There was a particularly loud couple sitting beside her, practically shouting to be heard over the rest of the conversation in the bar.
"So, you've never been inside a Camaro before?" The man asked with a prideful smirk as the brunette shook her head. "You're in for a treat tonight then."
"Can't wait, heh." The woman laughed good-naturedly, but Summer could almost hear the discomfort. The woman was directly beside Summer, who only got a look at her back, but from the tensed muscles, and rapidly tapping foot on the stool of her seat, Summer could tell she didn't exactly want to be there.
Feeling intrusive, the blonde turned away and tried to ignore the rest of their conversation. It was rude to eavesdrop like that, no matter how curious she was. Several minutes later, the brunette stood quickly from her seat.
"I, uh, have to use the restroom for a moment." With that, the woman tromped off in a rush, steering her way to the back where the restroom was located. Summer glanced quickly in her direction before returning her attention to the bar, where Luffy continued dishing out drinks.
Movement in the corner of her eye made her look up discreetly, to where the brunette's date was bringing her glass closer to him, looking as nonchalant as possible as he put a few drops of something into the woman's drink. Summer frowned in worry, watching him swirl the glass around to mix whatever he'd put in it so it would disperse evenly, then set it back down where it was. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, going back to appearing relaxed as he watched the tv on the wall.
"Oi, Summer!" A voice called, and she looked up to see Luffy approach. She smiled thinly, glancing over at the man one last time.
"Hi Luffy. She replied with a chuckle.
"It's been so long since I've seen you around! What's up?"
Summer shrugged. "Mostly work, honestly. I've had a ton of calls for appointments, so I've been keeping busy that way." Her elbow began to ache, so she crossed her arms over the counter. "Are you enjoying being a bartender?"
"Yeah! It's great!" He perked up, grabbing a nearby empty glass from a vacated seat. Almost immediately, it was taken by somebody else looking for a drink. For the moment, he ignored them, instead looking to the blonde. "I'm really glad I found this place. Oh! I guess I should ask…Is there anything I can get you?"
"Oh…uh…I'll have an Island Breeze, if that's alright?" Summer hadn't planned on drinking anything that night, but now that he offered, why not? It may be some time before Law was done with whatever he was doing in the back anyways. Might as well pass the time.
"Coming right up!" Luffy grinned, walking off to get her just that. Summer was surprised to see that Luffy ignored the other patrons to specifically make her drink, which was touching, but she also saw a few guests getting restless further down the bar, itching to get their hands on more alcohol.
After a moment, he presented her with her colorful drink. "Here you go! Oh, and don't worry about paying. Corazon specifically said not to charge you."
"W-what?" Summer stuttered in surprise. "He did?"
Luffy nodded emphatically, not seeming to understand her surprise. "Yep! He said you're family, and family doesn't pay for drinks."
Unable to come up with a response to that reasoning, Summer felt someone pass behind her and noticed that the brunette was back from the bathroom. Her hand reached for the glass of alcohol sitting in front of her.
Suddenly remembering what the man had done, she pursed her lips with indecision. Standing and picking up her drink, Summer started to walk in his direction, before pretending to trip, sending the contents of her drink all over the man in question.
"What the hell!" He shouted, standing as quickly as he could after being doused in alcohol. The front of his shirt had a red stains down the front, the crouch of his pants as well, and he turned angrily towards her. "Are you fucking serious right now?"
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Summer feigned concern, trying to reach for something to clean it off. "It was an accident, I swear."
"Fuck off! Just stop." He spit at her, pushing away her hands as they tried drying the front of his shirt. Scowling deeply at her as he went, he stood from his seat and stomped to the bathroom to clean up. Just as she'd hoped.
"Summer, are you ok?" Luffy asked in concern, having noticed the man's rather loud outburst of anger.
"I'm fine, Luffy." She reassured, noticing he went off to start making her another drink to replace the one she'd spilled. Then, she turned to the woman. His brunette date seemed a little bewildered with what had just happened, and she was half standing from her seat, poised to go after him and not too invested in helping at the same time.
"Hey, listen to me." Summer started, gaining her full attention. The brunette raised a brow in surprise. At least she was listening. "When you were in the bathroom earlier, I saw him put something in your drink."
The woman's eyes widened for a moment, then looked at the drink still in her hands with fear. She quickly put it back on the counter as if it were burning hot metal, before looking back to the blonde. "Are you serious? You're sure?"
She nodded, looking back towards the bathroom in case the man was coming back. "Yeah, he put these clear drops of something, then swirled it around."
The brunette looked towards where the man had gone with disgust, before grabbing her drink and switching it places with his. Since they'd ordered the same thing, it was practically indistinguishable which one had been spiked with the mystery substance.
Smirking with mischief, she turned back to Summer. "We'll see how he fares the rest of this date, huh?"
The blonde couldn't help but chuckle a little at the clear amusement on the woman's face, and she gestured for her to sit down again. Thinking of one last thing, Summer walked over towards where Zoro was seated.
"Hey." She said, approaching him with a smile. He looked up and nodded again.
"What's up?"
"So, the man sitting beside her," Summer started, pointing towards the brunette who was wiping off the excess alcohol that had gotten on the seats, and he followed her finger, "just tried to put something in her drink."
Zoro frowned, scanning the crowd to look for him, but Summer shook her head.
"He just went into the restroom to wash up, but she switched the drinks. Everything should be ok, but I wanted to let you know what was going on. In case something happens."
The security guard smirked. "So spilling your drink right then wasn't you natural clumsiness?"
"How rude." Summer replied with with a cocked head. "Anyways, that's what's going on. So, just keep an eye on her, ok?"
He nodded again with an amused glint in his eye, and she walked back to where she'd been sitting. Taking her cue to act like nothing had happened, Summer returned to her seat and decided to watch as the following events would unfold.
"Thanks for saying something, by the way." The brunette smiled, then laughed with mirth. "Nice job getting him to leave, too."
The blonde only shrugged again. "I couldn't think of anything else to do."
"It was great. The look on that guy's face? Priceless." She sipped calmly at what had previously been her date's drink, setting the glass back down on the counter. "This is the exact reason I don't do blind dates. I should have just stayed at home."
"This was a blind date?" Summer inquired, and the woman nodded. "I wouldn't have the courage to do something like that."
"All the better to you. My advice? Ignore your friends when they tell you to do something you normally wouldn't do. Stay at home and netflix some romcom." She mused with another sip of her drink.
Just then, the man reappeared from the bathroom. Summer saw Zoro's eyes follow him back to his seat, watching intently in case anything were to happen.
"Can you believe some people?" Summer heard the guy whisper to the brunette, as if she weren't sitting a seat away from him.
"Oh, I know." She replied in agreement, tossing her hair flippantly. "You wouldn't believe the kinds of things I've had to deal with."
"Well, for a sexy lady like you, I can imagine." He tried schmoozing over what had happened before, like it had never even occurred. His eyes drifted discreetly to her glass of alcohol, seeing she'd indeed consumed some of it. Grinning, he picked up his own drink and took a long sip.
Summer's attention was shifted away from the couple when Luffy brought her over a second Island Breeze, face full of concern. "Here's another one since you dropped the first. Are you sure you're alright?"
"Oh yeah, just fine." She reassured with a wide smile. Sipping on her drink, she felt satisfied to have helped out someone else today. Still, something was bothering her, and she figured asking Luffy would solve the problem rather quickly. "By the way, is Law around? I haven't seen him."
"Oh, he's in the back with Corazon." Luffy pointed down the back hallway. "If you want, you could go back there and find him. I'm sure they won't mind."
"If you're sure." She raised a brow, and he nodded enthusiastically. So, taking one last sip of her drink, she hopped down from her seat and wandered behind the bar to the back.
The first room on the right was the kitchen, where she heard sizzling food and Sanji shouting for things to get done faster. The cooking staff was swamped with orders of appetizers and entrees, so Summer left them alone, knowing that going in to say hi would only interrupt their smooth flow of work.
Continuing on down the hall, Summer passed by two storage closets on her left, before reaching the very end of the hall, where Corazon's office was. She could hear people talking behind the door and, hesitating only a moment, she knocked softly against the closed wood door.
The voices stopped, before the door swung open. Law glanced out curiously, brows raising in surprise upon seeing her standing there. Sitting behind the desk further in the room was Corazon, still smoking a cigarette. Smiling, she gave a timid little wave to the both of them. "Hiya. Luffy said I could come back here and say hi. Am I interrupting something important?"
"Summer! Come on in." Corazon gestured her inside enthusiastically, smiling wide upon seeing her.
"What are you doing here?" Law whispered with amusement, and she stepped into the office as he shut the door behind her.
"Thought I'd drop by and say hello. Haven't seen you for awhile." She responded in a low tone, and he smirked discreetly.
"Been keeping busy, I see?" Corazon said, leaning back in his chair comfortably. Law took a seat in one of the two chairs facing Corazon, so Summer took the other.
"Yeah." She sighed in faux exhaustion. "Lots of weddings, graduations, birthdays, family photoshoots. You name it, I probably have an appointment for it in the next month or so."
"That's great to hear. Say, do you think you could squeeze us into your schedule in the near future? I might need you to take some more pictures for some marketing." The bar owner took one last drag of his cigarette before crushing the butt into the ashtray, which was already filled with dozens of other used cigarettes.
Law turned to her then. "Don't feel obligated to. Just because you know us doesn't mean you have to take the job."
The blonde shook her head adamantly. "Oh, no, it's nothing like that. I'd love to help out." Her smile betrayed her honesty. "Besides, the more business I get, the more my services are marketed out. It's a win-win, really."
"Well, we won't be needing you too soon, I think." Corazon rubbed at his chin. "We were just discussing remodeling some sections of the bar. Give it a fresh look, you know? Maybe it'll help promote our image to the millennials and give it some class for the older folks."
Summer nodded, envisioning a remodeled Heart Seat with interest. "It definitely could. Just let me know when you need me and I'll cover the new additions."
"You're the best, Summer." Corazon sent her a playful wink, and she chuckled. "By the way, how's Luffy doing out there? It's his first night alone with a crowd like this."
Summer raised her brows in surprise. "Really? Well, in that case, he's doing great. Working the crowd, getting better with making drinks quickly. It's pretty busy out there, you know."
"I know, thank god, too." The owner sighed in relief. "A few more nights like this and we could start the remodeling a lot sooner than I planned."
"As long as you quit breaking the glasses." Law joked, and Corazon sent him an unamused look.
"I'm not that clumsy." He defended, but Law only continued staring at him pointedly.
"I've got a running tally of all the instances where you broke one. Want me to read it over?" He pretended to reach for his phone to actually follow through with his threat.
The owner finally sighed, shooing them away with a hand gesture. "Alright, out you two, before Law starts telling stories he shouldn't be."
Summer chuckled again and stood with Law. "Call me and we can plan a day for me to come in." She said, and Corazon gave her a thumbs up. Law opened the door and lead them back out into the hallway, closing the door behind them. They both walked slowly down the hall, enjoying this time together.
"Thought you had an appointment today?" Law asked casually, walking beside her slowly. She shrugged with a smile, looking back up at him.
"They cancelled last minute, so I figured I'd swing by and see you. It's been like a week since the last time I visited."
"Huh, sounds like someone was missing me." He smirked, and she blushed faintly. Her eyes glanced sidelong at the opposite wall, before returning to his.
"Hmm, I mean, if that's what you want to call it." She jokingly said. He smirked and bumped her with his elbow, causing her to giggle. "Hey, don't do that, I'm a delicate flower."
"Delicate flower?" He questioned incredulously. "Sure."
Summer's mouth formed an 'O.' She laughed and pushed him back. "I'm feeling so attacked right now. Message received. I'll be on my way."
Law chuckled lowly and stepped in front of her to stop her walking. She looked up with a raised brow, cocking her hip and crossing her arms in mock annoyance.
"Going so soon?" He questioned with a smirk, leaning in closer to her face. The distance between their lips grew shorter and shorter, and Law lifted one hand to cup underneath her chin, guiding it up to angle her head just right. He stopped just an inch or two away, staring into her eyes, and she froze, almost unable to breathe from his look alone.
For several seconds, though it felt longer, they simply stood there in the hallway, until Law reduced the space apart from 2 inches to 1, his lips hovering just over hers. She tried closing the gap but he backed away just enough so she couldn't fully kiss him, chuckling at her struggle.
"I'll walk you out." He whispered suddenly, then placed a chaste kiss against her lips before stepping away from her entirely. Summer stood there a moment, trying to understand what had happened, before running after him down the hall where he'd already gotten ahead of her.
"How disappointing. That's all I get?"
"Patience is a virtue." Law teased, with a grin. "Besides, tomorrow is Sunday. If you don't have plans, you can come over for dinner."
Summer immediately perked up. "That'd be lovely! Maybe I can finish my crime spree on GTA V too. I almost made it to five stars last time, but not quite."
Law shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I'm starting to get the feeling you're just using me for my food and games."
"Weeeelllll…" She started, stretching out the word in a joking manner. They laughed together before reemerging into the main bar area of the Heart Seat. Summer took pains to glance over at the brunette woman from before, seeing her laughing at the man who was looking decidedly more drunken and confused than he had before, no doubt due to the effects of his own drug. Zoro stood next to him, holding what looked to be the man's driver's license. They'd probably add him to the blacklist, never serving him drinks again. Summer inwardly laughed. Served him right.
Law did as he said he would, walking her to the door and out into the slightly-cooler air of the parking lot. Where it had been almost sunset when she'd first arrived, now it was edging towards complete darkness.
The couple walked with quiet conversation as Summer went to find her car, lost in the sea of vehicles that had yet to leave. It only took a minute to find, thanks to the button on her keyring, and she opened the car door to throw her stuff inside. Closing it and standing straight again, she turned to tell Law goodbye, but found herself trapped between Law's arms as he planted his hands against her car to either side of her body.
"Oh, now I get a real kiss, hmm?" She teased with a smirk, but Law said nothing. His intense gaze bore into hers, something heavy behind those gray orbs that Summer couldn't put a name to. Feeling as though perhaps he didn't know what to say, she stepped forward and closed the distance between them completely, grabbing onto the lapels of his jacket.
She felt his hands leave the car and wrap around her waist as he deepened the kiss. He leaned forward, pushing her back into the metal of her own vehicle, trapping her between it and his own body.
Summer couldn't help but groan as his hands massaged her lower back with a slow, steady pace, the same one their kiss shared. It seemed he knew exactly what to do to both put her at ease and wind her up all at the same time. Oh, what this man could do to her. Her arms snaked around his neck and she lifted herself up by her tiptoes to reach higher. The slow motions of their lips against each other never became rushed or sloppy, instead focusing only on each other and taking their sweet time, making up for the week they had been apart.
Eventually, they broke away for air, and Law rested his forehead against hers, looking down into her eyes with a peaceful expression. She felt content to simply stare back, gently twirling a few strands of hair from the nape of his neck between her fingers.
"Be safe." He whispered against her lips, and she smiled lovingly.
"Promise."
Leaning in to leave her one last kiss, they separated and Law stepped back, allowing her space to open her driver door and climb into her vehicle. She dug out the keys from her purse and turned the ignition on. Law walked several feet away so she could back out of the parking spot and, after returning her wave goodbye, began his walk back to the bar entrance. The smile etched on her face as she drove home felt permanent.
ns 15.158.61.42da2
