If It Hurts This Much (Chaelisa)

Chapter 13

There's barely anyone at Barney's when Lisa arrives. Karofsky nods at her and gives her the back again? look that makes her want to punch it off his face, but she just ducks her head and walks in anyway. The last thing she needs is to be barred from the only place where no-one will find her if looking. Because let's be honest, who would look in a back-alley bar that gives off the mugging vibe?

The stool that might as well have a 'reserved for Lisa' sign on it is waiting, bum print in the soft cushion that's basically moulded around her own – and as usual, she slides onto it and flags down the bartender, who for once isn't Barney.

"Ketel One Martini up with a twist in a tumbler," she mutters, eyeing up the grease ball behind the bar who facially questions her choice of glass. She couldn't care, though. "No offence, but where's Barney?"

The bartender throws the rag over his shoulder and puts his left palm onto the bar top, offering out his right, "Family emergency, I'm Felix."

Lisa takes it and shakes, "Lisa."

"Ah," Felix accentuates the words by widening his mouth like something clicked mentally, "You're Lalisa Manoban."

Curious, Lisa urges on, "Yeah, heard something?"

Felix bends down, momentarily disappearing beneath the bar before reappearing with an ice filled tumbler and a bottle of Ketel vodka, "Nothing bad," he pours in the liquid, turning to face the back of the bar and peeling the lemon, "Barney's just told me about you."

Lisa shifts forward, forearms leaning on the bar top as she arches a brow, "Like?"

"Nothing interesting," he spins around, sliding the glass so it stops in front of Lisa, "He told me that depending on your expression is what I should get you to drink."

"What?"

Felix smiles, "Apparently if you have fuck off written on your forehead, I should get Jack from the back," he juts his thumb over his shoulder towards the whiskey on the top shelf, "If you're smiling, a Budweiser," then points towards the waiting beer resting on the back counter, "and if you're with a friend, which he said is incredibly rare, it's a tossup between Southern Comfort, lime and lemonade or Corona, and if you're either ecstatically happy or in a terrible mood, Ketel One."

Surprisingly, a small smile tugs at the corner of her lips and she nods, ducking her head to sip on her drink as she curls her fingers around the base. "Wow, he's good."

"Yeah," Felix chuckles, "He taught me everything I know. I'm gonna go sort out Lager man over there," he nods towards the slouched over drunk at the corner - Richard, Lisa thinks. Another regular. "Call me back over if you need me."

Lisa nods appreciatively and spins the tumbler in her hand, watching the lemon peel swirl around in the clear liquid. It's not the first time she's ever ordered one of these here, but it's definitely a rarity. It kind of surprises her that Barney knows her drink order that well. Sure, there's not exactly hundreds of regular's in this bar, and the only women are sleazy looking, unlike Lisa, but she barely ever orders anything outside Budweiser and Jack. The only time she ever ordered Southern Comfort was when she brought Jennie in here like a week ago, and that was because she was drunk and remembered Chaeyoung ordering the same drink during their first visit.

Oh wow, even thinking Chaeyoung's name kind of hurts.

Her right elbow is pressed to the countertop, palm cradling her cheek whilst her left hand is grasping the glass tumbler, swirling the liquid around disinterestedly. The door rings as someone enters, and Lisa doesn't need to turn away, she can feel the atmosphere spike with Chaeyoung's presence. A hand touches the small of her back, a spot that she knows friends don't touch. It's not too low that it's sexual, but it's not high enough to be deemed in the friend zone. It makes sense in her head.