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It was your average Tuesday night at Triangle.
While not packed to the brim like on weekends or in June, the bar was still decently packed, filling it with the pleasant hum of conversations. Just the way Riley liked it.
Lily, still dressed in her uniform that still had her old nametag ‘Lee’, stumbled through the handful of other patrons. Riley didn’t register their regular until her head landed with a thud on the counter and emitted a muffled groan.
“Rough day?”
“You would not believe,” Lily groaned, rubbing her face as RIley grabbed a mixer off the shelf.
“Have people just gotten worse? I swear they’ve all just become impatient psychos who can’t fathom the idea of me being late. Like, it’s not my fault my last customer was chewing me out cause apparently the last thing they got was a total scam and that was apparently my-”
Before she could finish her rant about the many angry customers she had to endure, a whisky sour was planted right where her head was just lying. Surprised, she looked up at her bartender friend.
“I-I didn’t o-”
“Yeah, I know,” Riley answered. “But I know what a rough day is like. So… let’s just call it on the house.”
Lily looked down at the drink before glancing back at them. She took the drink, flashing a small smile on her face. “Thanks.”
“Hey, no sweat. Remember, this place is always a safe space for us.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Lily said before taking a sip of her drink. God damn, did Riley know how to make a killer drink.
Speaking of the alternative bartender, their eyes trailed down the surprisingly empty counter. Lily followed their eyesight, spotting the item of their affection.
“Jeez,” she said. “Just ask the chick out already.”
The woman in question could not have stood out more in a place like this. She wore a sweater and a long skirt despite it being the beginning of June. She had her head down, zoning out the rest of the bar to focus on whatever she was drawing in her little sketchpad.
“W-what?” The usual stable and stoic Riley stuttered.
“Come on,” she said. “I can see it in your eyes. You want to take that little artist back home and-”
“Shut up!” they snapped, glancing to make sure their crush didn’t hear a thing.
“Look, I say, just go over and ask for her name at least.”
“I’m not gonna ask out a customer.”
“Why? She’s clearly interested in you. She’s been here every time I’m here and when I’m not, she stays very close to the counter, or rather you, and I haven't seen her talking to anyone but you.”
“Yeah, but surprisingly, there are plenty of customers like that.”
“But, surprisingly, there aren't plenty of customers you share similar feelings towards.”
“Just fucking drop it, Lily.”
Lily sighed, taking another sip of her drink before getting up.
“What are you doin-”
“Call it on the house,” she said, casually strolling up to the longhaired artist. They would’ve stopped whatever massacre the boymodder was gonna cause if an older man came up and asked for some drinks.
“Hey there,” Lily said, sliding onto the neighbouring stool of the nerdy artist. She jumped as if she had just heard a gunshot.
“OH! Um, hi,” the thick, squared-glasses woman spluttered. She scrambled, hiding whatever she was just drawing and covering it under the weight of her sweater arms.
“What’s your name?”
“Um, Z-Zoey.”
“Alright, Zoey,” Lily began. “I’m just gonna cut to the chase. You like Riley, my bartender friend over there?”
Zoey glanced over to the non-binary individual, sweat dripping from her brow. Said individual shifted their expression from a death glare directed at Lily to a more embarrassed/apologetic look at her, all while she poured drinks for an old man in a purple sweater vest.
“I, um, well, ye-”
“Great, so are they!” Lily grandly announced. Zoey’s blush, already coating her cheeks) grew, soon making her look like a ripe tomato. Both could just make a growl from Riley under all the white noise and chitter-chatter of the bar.
“They close up at about two, so stick around till then,” she winked before jumping off and proudly strolling past the bartender, dashing over to the longhaired, blushing mess.
“Sorry about her,” they apologised, glaring back at the smirking bitch.
“I-it’s ok,” Zoey spluttered.
“Well, can I get you anything?”
“Um, maybe just a diet soda, please.”
“Sure.”
“And, um, do, do you actually finish at two?”
Riley jumped back, still keeping their steady hand with the filling glass. “Uh, yeah, I do. Why?”
“Well, I was just wondering if… if you would, um-”
“Look, if you’re asking me on a date tonight, I can’t.”
“Oh,” the artist began, grabbing her sketchpad to put in-
“But, I’m free on Tuesday if you want to hang out.”
The light behind the artist’s eyes flicked on, looking up at the bartender’s small smile. “Oh, yeah, that-that’s ok.”
“Great, it’s a date,” they said, only realising the last word once it slipped out of their mouth. “So, you’re an artist.”
Quickly ignoring the D word, Zoey looked back at her work. “Oh, um, yeah.”
She opened the sketchbook (making sure to ignore the drawings of her crush she might’ve done when they weren’t looking) and began to explain each and every one. Riley listened intently, smiling as her date for next Monday rambled on.
All the while, Lily looked on, smiling as the two finally got together.
______________________________________________________________________________
‘Just my luck,’ Suzie thought, downing the last of her drink in one gulp. Despite her wanting to throw the glass to the ground just to break something, she calmly placed it back.
‘I should’ve seen it coming. Karma was gonna find some way to make me pay for my winning streak.’
She hated these thoughts, mainly because they always sounded like her… mother’s.
“Hey.”
She looked up, her thoughts silenced as she saw a woman with dark hair, dressed in a slightly dishevelled business shirt and tie, standing beside her.
“Um, hey there,” Suzie awkwardly said, straightening out and readjusting one of her dresses’ shoulder straps.
“Do you mind if I…” she pointed to the empty chair.
“Oh! Um, sure, go right ahead. And you a-”
“I’m Abigail,” she said, sitting in the empty chair beside her. “Sorry, I just saw you from across the bar and guessed you looked-”
“Dumped?”
“I was actually gonna say stood up.”
“Oh,” Suzie muttered. She coughed, her hands awkwardly fiddling with her empty glass. “Yeah, I got stood up. Again.”
“Yeah, been there a couple of times. Mostly during college.”
“And tonight?”
“Oh, no. I just had a draining day at work and wanted to have a few drinks after it.”
“Yeah,” Suzie responded. “I’ve been there. I actually come here after work. Either good or bad.”
“I understa- wait… you’re that famous realtor?"
A smile broke out across the blonde’s face. “Yeah, that’s me.”
“Never thought I would see you here, of all places.”
“Well, I was the one to sell this place to its owner.”
“No way!”
“Yes way.”
The two laughed at that dumb joke. “Well, I don’t know who stood you up, but I can say that he-er, they are missing out.”
Suzie giggled. “Thanks.”
Abigail looked at Suzie’s drink and, despite having downed her own drink for the courage to walk to her, smacked her dry lips. “Hey, mind if I buy you a drink?”
“Sure,” Suzie giggled, the fruity cocktail going straight to her head.
As she watched the dark haired woman walk over to the counter she couldn’t help but think about her luck.