Acing Romance

Four

It wasn't until Friday night that Sohal got a message to meet up with Asa at the park again. Asa didn't have to spell out why for Sohal to know the reason for this meeting.

Don't worry. It's walking distance from the park. I'll walk you to you-know-where.

Sohal forced himself to take in a deep breath as he sat down on the bench, waiting for Asa. He wore a casual t-shirt but he still felt like he was underdressed. Asa never said how formal that place was, so showing up in clean clothes was enough, right?

Before he could contemplate if he had time to run back to his apartment to change his clothes, Asa appeared. He had a blazer and a dress shirt with pants to match. Compared to Asa, Sohal definitely looked like he was underdressed. Was it too late to back out?

"You made it!" Asa slapped his hand on Sohal's shoulder. "Hope you're excited."

They made small talk as they walked from the park to the row of buildings. The brick of the buildings had a thin layer of rust on them and parts of the sign lights flickered every so often.

"Lazy Crown Bar and Grille?" Sohal eyed the sign of the bar the two were headed towards. "I never took you for the type of person to go to these kinds of places."

"Follow my lead," Asa said while walking inside. "You'll know when we're there."

Sohal nodded and followed behind Asa as the two entered the bar. As soon as he stepped inside, the smell of booze invaded his nose. The scent made him slightly nauseous but he managed to ignore it.

It was emptier than Sohal expected it to be for a Friday night. People milled about, drunk off their asses. Many of them still had drinks in their hand, and Sohal wondered how many of them were regulars. Baskets of half eaten food littered every other table.

Asa strolled over to the bar and placed his arms on it. The bartender immediately saw him and put down the glass she was cleaning. Sohal lingered by the two, watching to see what would happen next. He couldn't deny that the service here was quick at least.

"What can I get for you tonight?" Her eyes drifted to Asa's hands as if she was looking for something. Nobody else seemed to be sitting at the counter.

Asa lifted one hand and pointed at the wrist on his other hand, a strange gesture that Sohal hadn't seen used before. "I'd like to order the Double Blue Orgasm please."

The way Asa said the order made Sohal think back on whether he had ordered the drink before. The way it was done so casually made him do a double take. He never thought he'd hear such a dirty word from a close friend before. Maybe in a private place like his home but not in a bar.

"Great choice," the bartender replied with a grin. "It's really popular around here. Do you need to know where the restrooms are by the way?"

"Yeah, can you show us please?"

The bartender nodded towards another bartender who took her place at the counter. Then she gestured for the two boys to follow her towards the back of the establishment. There was a hallway that branched out from the main bar area leading to the restrooms.

It wasn't easy to see at first but there was a large framed picture hanging on the wall. She lifted the frame upwards and reached a hand behind it. A sharp clicking noise resounded throughout the empty hallway. The picture frame returned to its original place after a few seconds and then the whole wall moved to reveal a set of stairs.

"Thank you as always." Asa turned to Sohal with upturned eyes. "Let's go."

Echoes of laughter and yells came from the stairwell. The bartender waved a hand towards the stairwell with a smile. Sohal pressed his lips together.