"The past has been there all along, reminding us: This time-maybe, hopefully, against all odds, we will get it right." -Unknown
...
"Another round! Come on, just one more!" The man said, slamming his shot glass onto the hardwood counter. He swayed unsteadily in his seat, eyes unfocused and a deep set frown marking his face. The bartender barely glanced at him before putting down the empty glass he was cleaning with a rag, a sigh escaping his lips.
"That's your sixth shot already, Paul. Perhaps you should head home." The young man said, causing the drunk to scowl. His shaky hand tried smoothing out his hair, but it took a few tries to get his coordination right.
"Just to run into my wife fucking another man again? I don't think so!" His slurred voice continued to rise, causing a few of the other patrons to direct their attention over to the counter. Their beady eyes watched as the drunk banged his glass on the counter a few more times, as if the repetitive motion would convince him otherwise. He almost tipped over in the stool, but his arms wheeled forwards to grab onto the edge of the counter. The bartender placed his hands on his side, leaning towards the man with an intense look.
"Go home. Or I'll have you removed." He threatened. Figuring that it would be worse to be physically thrown out by the security guard watching from the corner, he let out a string of curses under his breath, throwing down a few bills for the last shot, and sauntered out the door as gracefully as a spited drunk man could. His departure caused the other customers to pick up their quiet conversations once more, and the bar settled into it's usual comfortable atmosphere with the sounds of 'Rocketman' playing overhead.
A low chuckle caused the young man to glance to his left. The owner, a tall and lean man in his late 30's, walked over with a cigarette in his amused grin.
"Law, are you antagonizing customers again?" The young man sighed, grabbing the rag he'd been using to clean with and the abandoned shot from the counter.
"That's the third night in a row Paul's been here. Each time he drinks more and more. It wouldn't be good for our reputation if we allowed our customers to get alcohol poisoning, Cora-san." He grumbled, turning on the small sink behind the counter and rinsing out the remnants of Paul's drink. The bar owner chuckled again, snuffing out his used-up cigarette in a nearby ashtray. Technically, you weren't allowed to smoke in the building, but since Corazon was the owner, no one was gonna tell him otherwise.
"You've been reading those medical books again, haven't you? You're sounding more and more like a doctor every day." He teased, ruffling the man's hair affectionately. He walked over towards the other side of the bar, grabbing the small broom they kept to clean. Law cocked an eyebrow.
"Broke another glass?" He joked, grinning at the man's sheepish look.
"Ah, well you see…" He rubbed the back of his head, messing up his short blonde hair. Though, it was messy to begin with.
"At this rate, we'll run out of glasses to serve drinks." Law shook his head, drying off the now clean shot glass in his hands with a clean rag and replacing it with the other clean ones under the counter.
"I'm getting a new shipment of glasses next week. We'll be fine." He laughed, walking back into the kitchen to speak with the cook. Law was left alone behind the bar. He spotted rings of alcohol on the counter and grabbed another rag to clean it with.
A body approached the counter, and Law glanced up. The bodyguard, looking decidedly bored, sat at one of the stools. The green-haired man stifled a yawn with his hand, knocking on the wood of the counter.
"When's your lady friend coming around huh?" His comment made Law send him a stern glare, and he grinned. "What? I heard her say she'd be down today to celebrate getting a new cat or something."
"Lay off, will ya Zoro?"
"A little touchy, are we? Fine, I'll leave. Have a great time with your rag." The bodyguard shrugged before walking back to his spot in the corner to watch the room. Law glared at the marimo head until the bell attached to the entrance jingled. Law glanced up quickly, a little disappointed when he didn't spot that signature long blonde hair. A man entered, taking off his hat that had shielded his head from the rain outside. He hung his coat on the rack and approached the bar.
"What'll it be for ya?" Law asked, eyeing the man curiously. He was unfamiliar. They didn't get a lot of newcomers very often, mostly tourists or an adventurous couple seeking new places and things occasionally, but this man didn't look like either.
His light blue hair was styled upwards in a gravity-defying swoop, and his muscled arms were tattooed with blue stars. The prominent chin made him stick out like a sore thumb, if the blue hair hadn't done that already. Law waited for an answer to his question, but the man just stared off into space. Clearing his throat, he tapped the counter.
"What? Oh, what was that?" The man asked, shaken out of his thoughts.
Law raised a brow. "What'll you have?"
"Ah, just a brandy will do." Nodding, Law grabbed a shot glass and a bottle of Remy Martin and poured an inch or two. He set the drink in front of the man, who had this goofy grin on his face. He was staring off into space again.
"Hello?" Law snapped his fingers, and the man chuckled.
"Sorry, sorry. Just…distracted."
"Whatever's on your mind must be important." Law pried, doing what he did best-reading people. As a bartender, people came to him in their darkest and most vulnerable moments. He was the preacher, the psychologist, the teacher, the friend, the shoulder to cry on, and he reveled in being able to read people and their emotions before they even realized it themselves. A perk of the job.
"Ah, I think I've seen an angel today." The man sighed contentedly, downing the glass in one go. He tapped his fingers on the counter and Law poured another glass. "The most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes upon."
"Mmm, really?" The man laid his cheek on his hand, the grin never leaving his face.
"You wouldn't believe how gorgeous she was." Law leaned over the counter on his elbows, having nothing to do but listen to the man talk. "She was reading a book, drinking tea at a cafe across town. I passed by on my way to a meeting, and she was just sitting there. I stopped from surprise, and she looked up with the most mysterious smile I've ever seen."
Suddenly, he sighed deeply. "I don't even know her name. Who knows if I'll even see her again?"
"Well," Law said, filling the once-again empty glass with more brandy, "I don't know much about angels, but from what I've heard they're pretty elusive. If you're gonna catch one, you gotta go out and find them. Don't sit back and wait."
"You know, that's some sound advice. A toast, to your wisdom!" He raised his glass, tipping it back and downing the drink. He grinned once again, digging in his pocket for some bills to pay for his drink. Tossing in the amount due, and an extra twenty, he winked.
"For your time." The man explained, standing and grabbing his things from the coat rack. He disappeared outside, and Law went to clean the now-empty glass all the while pocketing the tip money.
The bell jingled again, but Law only thought it was the door closing. He turned his back to the bar, washing the glass in the sink with soap and water, drying it with a rag and replacing it underneath.
He didn't notice until he'd turned around that the young woman had taken up a seat at the bar, setting her large camera and notebook down on the counter. Law turned, and stopped short at seeing the new figure.
"Could I have an Island Breeze please?" She smiled brightly, taking out a pencil from her bag and flipping her notebook to a blank page. Law grinned.
"Island Breeze? Not a Burning Sun like last time?" He retrieved the rum and juices from the cupboard. She made a face, remembering the last time she'd come in.
"Too strong for me, though I did like strawberries." He poured the mixes and soon presented her with a colorful red drink, a lime slice balanced on the rim.
"Well, I'm sure you'll find this one a bit sweeter." She reached for the glass and took a sip, pausing a moment to really taste the flavor, before breaking out into a smile. Her violet eyes sparkled with amusement.
"Yes, just perfect. I think this'll have to be my new usual." She said, returning to her drawings once more. He tried sneaking a peak at this new one, but she covered it with her arm. "Uh uh, you know you're not allowed to see them until they're done. Otherwise you don't get the full affect."
He held his hands up in surrender, moving off to put away the mixes. He knew she wouldn't be ordering another. She never did.
"So, what's the occasion tonight?" He asked, leaning once more against the counter. Her head bobbed back and forth to the beat of 'Hotel California' which played softly overhead. She hummed, finishing a few more lines with her pencil.
"I got my new kitten today! He's so tiny and adorable." She beamed, pulling out her phone from her pocket. A few taps later, she held out the screen. It displayed a picture of Summer and a tiny black kitten, snuggled on the couch. It was sleeping on her chest.
"His name?" She grinned, taking another sip of her drink.
"Max. Don't you think he looks like a Max?" Putting her phone away, she picked up the camera.
"Sure." He agreed, simply for the sake of conversation. His thoughts on the cat's name wouldn't be spoken. He may find it strange and just a little childish, but he wasn't gonna tell her that. She looked through her reel of pictures on the camera, most likely taken that day, with deep concentration. Law left her be for a moment, heading towards the kitchen to seek the cook.
The tiled room was much hotter than out in the bar, and steam rose from the range of pots and pans on the stove. The blonde cook was talking to Corazon, all the while cooking up someone's order.
"Right, but we need to figure out how to cut some costs. Maybe we don't need as much ketchup with the fries, or less lettuce with the burgers?" Law heard while approaching the men. Sanji shook his head.
"I'll see what I can do, but we've already made cuts before. You're running me dry, boss." Corazon sighed.
"I know, and I'm not meaning to, but we gotta do something to stay afloat here." They seemed to notice Law's presence behind them, and turned.
"What do you want?" The cook asked, not unkindly.
"The usual for Summer." He said, and the curly-eyebrowed cook nodded with a small smirk.
"I'll get right on it."
Law left the kitchen with Corazon, heading back out to the bar where their regular blonde customer still sat looking at her camera. She'd turned her notebook over so no one would see what was drawn there so far. She was always so self-conscious about her writing. At the two men's approach, she smiled.
"Corazon, how've you been?" The man in question grinned and ruffled her hair.
"Oh, just fine! How have your classes been?" She rolled her eyes.
"Well, they're definitely coming along, though I'd rather be out of university by now. I want to get out there and start working already."
"Don't take things too quickly." Law warned. Corazon nodded.
"Just be smart about it! Don't end up like me!" He grinned with eyes closed, flashing white white smile and holding up a peace sign. She laughed, drinking the rest of her drink.
"I'll keep that in mind." At that moment, Vivi, one of the servers, came around the corner with a plate of food. She placed it down in front of Summer with a poke in the ribs.
"Hey, this is from Sanji." She said, leaving the bar to return to the back. Summer glanced at the food in delight and hesitation. Corazon heard his name being called from the kitchen, and he gave them an apologetic wave before disappearing as well. Summer sighed, turning to Law.
"I really appreciate you guys feeding me whenever I come, but this is a little much." Law shrugged, glancing around at the other patrons. There were considerably fewer than before, though the place was still very much busy.
"You really helped him out, taking pictures of the bar for the yelp profile." She sighed again, resting her head against her hand. She picked at the french fries and burger in front of her, though after awhile her hunger got the better of her.
"Yeah, but anyone could've done that. This seems like a little much as payment for that." He shrugged again.
"He's not gonna change. You know how he is." She smiled, nodding in agreement.
"True. And neither are you, I suppose. You two are so much alike."
He didn't answer that, just raised a brow at the comparison. He couldn't be sure if that was a good thing or not.
She glanced at the time on her phone. "Ah, well I better get going. Gotta make sure Max isn't getting into anything he shouldn't." Eating the rest of her fries and one last bite of her burger, she gave a smile before shrugging on her coat and stuffing her notebook back into her bag. Her umbrella was leaning against the next stool, and she picked it up. The camera she slipped around her neck, zipping the jacket up over it so it wouldn't get wet from the rain.
"Bye Law!" She said, waving back to him. He raised a hand in acknowledgment. She gave a wave to Zoro as well, and he nodded back. She disappeared out the door, out into the rain.
Law gave a sigh, glancing at the clock for the time. It was only 11:02. Still another six hours till he got off work. A six hours he couldn't really look forward to.
It wasn't the job itself that was taxing. Bartending was rather enjoyable for him. It was the lack of someone to hold a genuine conversation with. The normal patrons and customers were there for an hour at the most, perhaps two if the day had been especially horrid. They would lament their problems, Law would throw in a quick word of two of advice, they'd pay for the drink and leave.
Corazon was an exception of course, but everyone else seemed to bore him.
'Not her.' He thought suddenly, to which he had to admit was true. He always looked forward to seeing Summer over the week. She wasn't coming in very often as of late, probably due to her classes having more and more tests. She seemed to be under a lot of stress.
Zoro walked past the bar, probably to use the bathroom or something, and sent Law a look that said 'Touchy, huh?' The bartender scowled, rolling his eyes.
"What did I tell you before, huh? Lay off." With an unconvinced shake of his head, Zoro disappeared down the hall to the bathroom.
Summer huddled underneath her umbrella, trying to wave a taxi through the dim light of the evening. The rain came down steadily, a constant background noise to the still-awake city. Cars drove by, headlights semi-blinding passersby as they traversed the sidewalks. She left 'The Heart Seat.' The name always confused her, but Corazon had said that the phrase held a personal value to him, and she hadn't asked since. Shaking herself from her thoughts, she stuck her hand out for an oncoming taxi.
Luckily, one slowed and stopped in front of her, allowing her to stuff her things inside and climb in. Shutting the car door with a sigh, she settled into her seat.
"Where to?" The driver said, and she snapped in her seatbelt.
"Mikkan Apartments, please." The driver nodded and they started towards the apartment complex.
"Keep the change." She said, handing the man money for the ride. Grabbing all her stuff, she exited the vehicle and slammed the door. Her quick steps brought her underneath the overhanging roof of Building B. She kept under the overhang all the way to Building C, taking the stairs to her door on the second floor.
The chill had started to seep to her hands, and they fumbled with her keys before inserting them in the lock and turning. She stepped into the apartment and shut the door behind her.
"Ahh…" She sighed in relief, dropping her bag by the door and hanging up her coat in the small closet. "Finally home." She muttered.
Kicking off her shoes, she wandered through the apartment looking for her new kitten. "Max?" She called, even though she knew that the small animal wouldn't know his name.
She heard a soft meow somewhere in her bedroom, and she stalked to the door. The little kitten was sleeping in the middle of her comforter, curled up in a tiny ball. His head peeked up at the noise, blinking away the sleep from his eyes.
"There you are." She joined the kitten on the bed and laid beside him. "I missed you today." She whispered softly, and the kitten rested his head down once more.
Scratching his fur softly, she rose to put on her pajamas. After wiping off her makeup and getting ready, she went through the house and turned off all the lights, making extra sure to lock her doors and windows. A break in down the street had made her realize how easy it would be to be broken into. Returning to her room, she got under the covers and adjusted her pillows.
"Goodnight, Max." She called softly, reaching for the lamp to turn off the light.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
