Law was a little disappointed that the Tuesday night crowd was smaller and less enthusiastic than usual. Perhaps it had something to do with a basketball game going on at the university, but he'd much prefer to keep his mind occupied while he worked. There was nothing left to clean or organize, and he was quickly becoming bored just standing behind the bar.
It had been four days since he'd last seen Summer, when she'd come into the bar for a drink, and he wondered when he'd next see her. He hoped that whatever the reason she did, that it was good. She had a habit of visiting during her low points too, and Law knew there were plenty of those.
His drifting thoughts had caused him to stare off behind the bar, and the heeled steps of Vivi as she moved through the dining area to fill orders snapped him out of it. She gave him an apologetic glance, which he shrugged to. People were just more hungry than anything. Tuesdays were slow to begin with anyways.
Zoro was almost half asleep in the corner, having no other thing to do than stare at the occupants all night. Though, the man looked half asleep at any given point. Whether it be working or relaxing, he was sure to be tired. 'Piano Man' played over the old sound system gently, setting the talkative atmosphere most of the patrons seemed to like.
The jingling of the door caught his attention, and the blue-haired man from before walked in, setting his coat on the rack. Law stood up from his leaning and checked the counter for any dirty spots. Even though he'd cleaned it less than five minutes ago.
The man walked up and sat on a stool. "A tequila for me." He graveled out, and Law reached for the bottle. As he poured, and man rested his elbow on the counter and propped his head on his hand, grinning at something on his mind. His eyes were unfocused, and Law could take a guess on what he was thinking.
"Any luck with that angel?" He inquired, if only to pass the time. Setting the glass in front of him, the stranger knocked it back with ease, tapping the table for another one.
"More than luck, my friend. Progress!" When Law topped the glass off, he drank it just as quickly as the first. "I've learned her name is Robin, and she works as a high school history teacher over there in the town over. She lives in the city though."
"Sounds promising." Law commented, offering the bottle to the man for another shot, but he waved it away. Putting it back under the counter, he leaned one arm against the wood.
"Ah. Though I only wish her name wasn't so fitting. She had to leave after a few minutes to teach a class. So elusive…I'm lucky if I catch her before she flies away."
"To give up now would be a shame." The young man encouraged, and the blue-haired man nodded thoughtfully. His eyes narrowed as the words sunk in. He laughed, grinning slow.
"Right you are! A lady that beautiful only comes by once in a lifetime." Law filled up his glass once more, before the man's attention drew itself to the small mounted TV in the corner of the room. The sound was off but subtitles ran along the bottom edge of the screen.
The young man went off to find the broom, realizing that he'd forgotten to take care of the floor in his usual cleaning. It only took a minute or two, as there wasn't that much room to begin with, but at least it kept him busy for a short time.
The blue-haired man's cell phone rang, and he dug it from his pocket. "This is Franky." He answered, and Law filed away his name for later. He had a feeling he'd be seeing the man again soon, if his instincts were right.
Franky listened to whoever had called for a few seconds, before sighing and nodding. "Yeah, I'll be right over. Won't take more than five minutes." Hanging up, he placed the device back in his pocket and pulled out his wallet.
"Business as usual, it seems." He grumbled, though Law wasn't sure if he was actually being talked to or if the man was simply murmuring to himself. Franky paid for the drinks and added another five on the table as tip, which Law pocketed gratefully. "You're as good a listener as a shrink."
"I'll keep that in mind." The bartender said, nodding his goodbye to Franky. As he made his way to the door, two men stepped inside, glancing around in search of something. Or someone. Law specifically.
He sighed and rolled his eyes, waiting for the thunderstorm that was about to explode. The two young men stomped over to the bar, crossing their arms in anger.
"What gives?" Shachi asked, usual sunglasses and red hair hiding most of his face. His beret style hat covered his head, an attempt at taming the messy strands. Penguin, wearing his signature PENGUIN hat had his eyes covered by the brim.
Law gave them both a bland look, eyes trying his best to meet theirs. "What?" He glanced at Penguin's face, which sported red and black bruises on his cheeks. "What happened to you?"
"Yeah, you know that pic I sent you a few days ago? Turns out the husband found out about that…"
"Hmm." He grinned for once, amused that his friend got what was coming to him. Maybe it would teach him to stay consistent with a relationship instead of going on so many one night stands. Though, then again, it was tough for either of them to learn from their mistakes.
"You've been avoiding us, Law! What did you think, you could just ditch us for two weeks and get away with it?" Penguin interrupted. Their voices carried, and a few of the customers' heads turned towards the bar. Law noticed this and shook his head.
"Keep it down. This is a business, you know." Shachi scoffed.
"Now you're dodging the question. How come we haven't heard from you in so long?"
Seeing as the two were riding his ass with this kind of insistency, he rolled his eyes and relented, placing both of his hands on the counter. "Look, I've had to work six days a week the past few weeks and-"
"Yeah, and during the day?" Shachi countered.
"I'm sleeping most of the day." Law replied bitterly. His friends were great, sometimes, but other times such as right now they really got on his nerves. They didn't seem to care whether he enjoyed their company or not, because they didn't leave.
"The whole point of being friends is to do stuff. Take some time off or something. Hang out for an hour. Just do something." Penguin adjusted his jacket, which looked brand new. Come to think of it, both of their outfits looked crisp and straight out of a retail store.
"Going somewhere?" He questioned, nodding at the unusual get-ups for the two. They glanced down and sheepishly scratched their necks.
"Well, you see-"
"There was this girl and-"
"Maybe we should have said no-"
"I thought it was a stupid idea, really-"
"Shachi was dumb enough to say yes-"
"We sort of have to take these twin sisters-"
"And pretend to be their boyfriends for a family reunion…"
Law was silent a moment, glancing between the two of them when they stopped talking. He wasn't quite getting the point. This sort of thing was right up their ally…why were they so uncomfortable? He raised an eyebrow.
"…And?"
They laughed nervously. "Turns out their dad is a millionaire…and a really powerful businessman." Shachi explained.
"The girls said if we were convincing enough to fool their dad that we were their legit boyfriends, they would pay us $1,000 each."
"So, we had to go out and buy fancy clothes for the whole thing. Maybe you should get some too, since you know, that's like the only thing you seem to wear."
Law frowned, looking down at his black sleeveless shirt and light blue jeans. The sneakers may look a little worn, but they still worked for him. "There's nothing wrong with what I wear." He defended, pointing at them in reply. "But it sounds like you've gotten into trouble yet again. Too bad you guys aren't that good of actors." He grinned at their fearful expressions.
The nodded, then snapped out of their worrying to glare at Law. "Hey, you're still dodging the question from before!"
"Answer us, Law!" Penguin demanded loudly. Corazon walked out from the back, a lit cigarette between his lips.
"Woah, what's all the ruckus here?" He went to stand beside Law, who sighed again.
"We're just trying to figure out why Law is avoiding us. We haven't heard from him in weeks!" Shachi explained. Corazon turned a disapproving eye on the bartender, who scowled and looked away. He felt like he was being scolded for eating from the cookie jar without permission.
"Avoiding you? Didn't I teach you better than that, Law?" The man sighed, a smile returning to his lips. "Well, I suppose I can give you guys a free dinner as compensation, since Law's been so rude lately."
They seemed to think about it a while, nodding thoughtfully and sitting at two bar stools.
"Fine." Shachi said.
"Yeah, I guess that'll do."
Corazon wandered back to the kitchen to put in their orders, leaving them to bicker between themselves at the bar. Law ignored most of their mutterings, trying to find something to do in the meantime.
The door jingled. Law looked up, and his body suddenly became more aware of everything around him. Her blonde hair was unmistakable against the darker interior of the bar. Her violet eyes found his gray ones, and she smiled happily. She made her way to the bar and sat down in her usual seat.
"Could I have another Island Breeze?" He nodded, reaching for the necessary juices.
From the corner of his eye, he could see Shachi and Penguin openly staring at her, and she knew it too, judging by the way she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Setting the things on the counter, Law glared at the two idiots.
"Maybe you could stop antagonizing my customers?" He suggested but was actually demanding. They glanced at him, startled, and cleared their throats uncomfortably.
"Ah, right. Yeah, sorry." They muttered, and Summer gave Law a grateful look. He sent a tiny grin her way, as a way of easing her anxiety. Though her confidence was high most of the time, she got really nervous around men she didn't know. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"One Island Breeze." Law placed the drink in front of her a few minutes later, glaring at the men to stop staring again when their eyes began to wander. They looked away hastily.
"Thanks, Law."
"You know him?" Penguin asked, catching Summer's attention. She looked up at his question.
"Yeah, I've been coming here for a few years. I know everyone here." She explained, and Shachi frowned.
"Why hasn't Law told us about you?" Shachi questioned, giving a look to Law laden with unspoken implications. He ignored it.
"Because I doubt Summer would want two idiots staring at every move she made all the time." He said cuttingly, and Summer laughed.
"You guys are friends of his?" They nodded, and she reached out to shake their hands. "I'm Summer. Nice to meet you."
"You too. So, what do you do?" Penguin asked, looking up happily when Vivi came around with their food.
"I'm a photography major at the university. Only one semester left and I'll…be…" She trailed off, staring as the two stuffed their faces with food. Law watched as her face turned to one of concern, most likely at their lack of manners. It was almost comical, the horror that etched itself on her face at the barbaric shoving of food into the men's mouths. "…done." She finished eventually, taking a delicate sip of her drink afterwards.
"Oh, that's pretty cool." Shachi said through a mouthful of fries. "I work at an autoshop, and Penguin here is a Diesel mechanic." Summer nodded wordlessly, and Law shook his head.
"Don't mind them. They're slobs."
"Hey!"
"Oh, it's no problem." She chuckled after a moment. "Reminds me of a boy I knew once." She said wispily. Her eyes drifted away, remembering some past memory from the time she was in the foster system.
"So, you single?" Penguin asked, getting straight to the point. Summer just about spit out the drink she was halfway through, and swallowed it hard with a wince.
"What?" She gasped out. He shrugged, biting another fry.
"Are you dating anyone?" Law gave his friend a glare.
"Seriously?" He asked incredulously. Penguin shrugged again, this time holding up his hands in defense.
"What? It was just a question!" Summer cleared her throat, taking care not to look in their direction. Law could see the nervousness building up. Great. Just what he needed. His two friends scaring one of the only people he enjoyed talking to during work out of the bar. Just perfect.
"I'm…single, yes." She gave them a short glance. "But if I'm gonna be in a relationship, I'd like to know the person more before going on a date." His two friends looked disappointed, but he knew that they were gentlemanly enough not to push a woman once they said no. At least they had that going for them.
She sighed heavily then, holding her head up with her knuckles. "I really need to start thinking about the future though, dating and all that. I've never had to really worry about that until now, since college is almost out of the way." She muttered, swirling the contents of her glass around deftly.
Her words surprised Law. Dating was not a subject she talked about. Just from her actions alone he'd always known she wasn't fond of strangers, even more so of strange men. Come to think of it, she'd never mentioned any guys in her life, nor had she brought any around during her time in the city. He'd always taken that as a good sign-
Wait. A good sign for what exactly? He frowned to himself, pondering over what that kind of thinking meant. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he felt happier every time she came in. But much as the answer came easily, he didn't want to really admit what his feelings were on the topic.
"Well, I guess that's fair." Shachi said, taking giant bites out of the burger. They lapsed into a silence then, and the sound system took that moment to begin playing The Pina Colada song overhead. Summer's eyes shot upward, a smile forming on her lips.
"I love this song!" She cried, humming along with the beat and the words, gently swaying in her seat.
Law watched her out of the corner of his eye, admiring the way she could take joy in such small things, all the while realizing that he never had the time to do the same. Penguin and Shachi were too busy filling their stomachs to care much about that stuff.
The song finished after a while, and Summer finished the rest of her drink. Meeting his friends had taken away her time to browse through her most recent photos, and she hadn't pulled out the notebook at all to draw, which left him a little disappointed. He was looking forward to seeing her newest creations.
"Well, I'd better get going. Don't wanna leave Max alone for too long." She said, picking up her bag from the floor and standing. "See ya, Law. It was nice to meet you guys." She directed the last bit to the two idiots, and they waved back.
"Bye, Summer!"
"Hope we see you again soon!" She waved as the left, disappearing out the door.
Penguin and Shachi immediately turned back to Law. "She lied to us! Who's this Max person, huh? How long have they been dating?" They shot questions at him one after the other, and he held up a hand to stop them.
"Max is a cat." He explained, and they looked relieved.
"Oh."
"I was afraid I was getting rejected with a big lie." Corazon reappeared from the back, glancing around the bar for the blonde girl.
"I thought I heard Summer. Did she leave already?"
"She's gone, yeah." Law responded.
"Damn. I was gonna ask her to help us out again. We could use her photography skills."
"What for?" Shachi asked out of curiosity. Normally, Corazon wouldn't discuss his business with anyone not directly involved with the bar itself, but since the two were Law's friends, he always made an exception.
"I got a call from some gal who wanted to rent the place out for a bachelorette party next week. She wanted pictures to see where she wanted to set everything up." He scratched the back of his head, thinking over. "I'll just give her a call tomorrow morning."
"You've got her number?" Penguin asked, and the man looked at them strangely.
"Of course. She's a good family friend and she's helped us out before. Why?" Their eyes lit up like stars, and they clasped their hands together.
"Could we maybe get it from you? She said she wouldn't date anyone she didn't know well, so we just gotta get to know each other!" Shachi explained. Corazon chuckled, puffing out smoke from his cigarette in another direction.
"No way, you two. I've got to win a bet, you see, and if she dated either one of you, I'd lose!" They frowned, feeling awfully confused. Law perhaps most of all. This was the first time he'd heard of this.
"A bet?" Law questioned, frowning deeply. The man only cocked his hip and gazed around at the bar.
"That's right. I put down a whole 100 bucks."
"She is totally hot though. Help a brother out." Shachi pleaded. Beside him, Penguin propped his chin up in thought. After a moment he shook his head slowly.
"Nah, she's more cute than anything. I wouldn't say hot." Law glared daggers at the insult and his friend held up his hands in defense. "Hey, don't get me wrong! She's still a solid 7 or 8 in my book."
"Just be lucky she wasn't around to hear you say that, otherwise you'd probably be wearing your food." Corazon laughed.
"Well, what about you, Law? She knows you really well." Penguin suggested. The bartender crossed his arms and looked away.
"Dating's not my thing. I'm not her type anyways." Beside him, Law felt the stare of his boss.
"Hmm." The man hummed, not saying anything more. The two at the counter weren't quite as composed.
"How do you know what her type is, huh? How does she know I'm not her type?" Penguin questioned.
"Who says you're her type and I'm not?" Shachi retorted, and they turned towards each other to bicker once more.
"That's enough, you two. Now if you're not gonna order any drinks, I'm afraid you'll have to leave." Corazon took their now empty plates and carried them towards the kitchen, ignoring the stares he could feel on his back.
"Well, I guess we'll head out. And don't even think about ignoring us next time!" Shachi warned, pointing two fingers at his eyes and then at Law. "We'll come after you if you do."
"Sure." Law replied, watching his friends leave out the door.
He stood there a moment, thinking over the whole meeting between friends. In all the time Summer had been visiting the bar, he'd never once think that she'd chance a meeting with the two rambunctious mechanics. Nor had he really wanted her to, but that had all been tossed to the wind now.
'I've got to win a bet, you see, and if she dated either one of you, I'd lose!' Corazon's statement from before bothered him. Much as he wanted to forget it and move on, the phrase kept turning over and over in his head. Who had he meant? Idly, he glanced at Zoro who still sat in the corner.
Maybe Corazon expected her to fall for Zoro? He was the strong, brawny type. Maybe she was into that sort of thing. Honestly, he really didn't know for sure what her type even was. Not that it mattered to him, he told himself. She never mentioned dating before. Tonight was the only time it ever came up between them.
She'd always been wary about other men. Hell, it had taken several meetings before she even trusted him with her name. There wasn't anything wrong with being so cautious, especially in a bar setting like this, and he'd even enjoyed trying to guess her name before he knew it. Still, her apparent fear of men seemed to be a little paralyzing, as her encounter with Shachi and Penguin demonstrated.
How she expected to date openly like that so suddenly with her fear present was beyond him. Maybe, if he was feeling especially generous and kind, he'd give her some tips.
And maybe, if he were insanely brave or stupid, he'd ask her out himself.
Summer made her way to her car, searching for her keys in her jacket pocket and unlocking the door. The chilly air made her warm cheeks very apparent, though she didn't need reminding. The heat was pretty self-evident.
Why had she brought up dating? She'd never been so bold in the past, nor had she ever planned on it. But the two guys had kind of forced an explanation out of her. Now she only hoped Law didn't think of her as pathetic.
She wasn't stupid; Law had never shown an interest, so she didn't imagine he did. Forcing attraction only ended up in heartache. If he'd had any sort of interest in the past four years, he would have shown it by now…right? She'd dropped a few hints after the first year or so, but after nothing had been reciprocated, she'd dropped it and enjoyed his company as a friend ever since. Now, she'd hoped that wouldn't change because of one little slip up. It's why she never talked about dating in the first place, so Law wouldn't feel obligated or anything.
Still, the redness in her cheeks wouldn't go away. Figuring the best person to talk to about dating, or anything for that matter, was Hitomi, she decided she'd talk about it in the morning.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
