Begin Again

Four

A few days had passed and I quickly realized that the salary from my new teaching position wouldn't cover bills without me struggling the rest of the month. Brooks, being the sweet talker that he was, spoke to the owner of the Hard Deck and she agreed to hire me on for some evening and weekend shifts.

I had some background as a bartender from when I was going though my masters program so I was no stranger to the nightlife. As I made sure that all of the liquor bottles were full, I heard the distinct jingle of the bell when the door was opened and I turned to see who was coming in before the bar was even open.

"Bob?"

"Hi, Morgann," he replied as he stopped at the bar.

"What's this?" I asked as he slid a cup and straw from Sonic across the bar to me.

"You said you liked that cherry Vanilla Coke, right? I hope I got the right thing."

I exhaled through my nose as a smile grew on my face, both happy and surprised that he had remembered.

"That's the right one," I replied softly. "Thank you. That was really thoughtful of you."

"No worries," he replied sheepishly. "I should let you get back to work."

I had known Bob for five days and he was very reserved but part of me felt like there was a lot more to him that I wasn't seeing and that he was keeping hidden.

"Hey, Bob?" I called after him as he turned to leave.

"Yeah?"

"Are you busy tomorrow evening?"

"I don't think so," he replied.

"Well, you're the first friend I made here," I admitted. "I thought maybe we could grab a bite to eat."

Oh god, Morgann. You just made it sound like you're trying to ask him on a date.

"I mean, totally platonic of course," I added, embarrassing myself even further.

Stop talking, Morgann!

Bob smiled and nodded his head.

"Sounds great. How's six sound?"

"I don't work so that sounds perfect," I replied. "I'll see you then."

"We all are planning to come back later," he replied. "Maybe I'll see you then."

"I'll be right here where you left me," I replied, watching him walk out before looking at the drink on the bar.

"What's that?" Penny asked as she came to the bar from the back room.

"One of the guys from Maverick's team brought it for me," I replied as I punched the straw through the top.

"You must've made quite the impression," she replied, playfully nudging me. "Which one? Let me guess. Omaha?"

"Wrong," I replied with a smile. "Bob."

"That surprises me," she replied. "From what I've seen of him, he keeps to himself a lot."

"I just don't think people give him a chance," I replied with a small shrug. "He's very sweet."

I thought back to the night we had met and the conversations that we had that carried into the night. I thought of the cool breeze blowing off of the ocean and the scent of the salt air still stuck with me.

"It's showtime," Penny muttered as the clock struck five.

At first, only a few people had trickled into the bar but within an hour and a half, it was packed from wall to wall. Around seven, I saw Jake and Brooks walk in, followed by others from their new team.

"What'll it be, boys?" I asked as I flipped two coasters onto the wooden bar top where they sat.

"Two blue moons, keep the tab running," Brooks replied.

"Orange slice or a shot of orange juice?" I asked.

"Who does a shot of orange juice?" Jake questioned.

"You pour the orange juice into the blue moon," I replied. "Don't knock it til you try it."

"I'll try it," Brooks replied.

"You've got it," I replied as I popped the tops on both beers.

"Make it two," Jake chimed in.

"I knew you two trusted me," I replied.

As I looked at them, I saw Bob enter through the door behind them and I couldn't help but smile as I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. As cool as I tried to play it, it wasn't cool enough.

Both boys saw my reaction to seeing Bob and looked behind them and then back to me before looking at one another in disbelief. It always creeped me out how I'm sync they were.

"You like him," Brooks said, clearly shocked.

"I haven't seen you look at anyone like that since Chase Erickson when you were a freshman," Jake added with a chuckle.

I laughed softly before shushing them. The truth was that I did have a small crush on Bob. He was sweet, charming, and despite being quiet, had a way with his words.

"Hey, can I get you a drink?" I asked as Bob walked up to the bar, taking a seat beside Brooks.

"I'm good," he replied with a small smile. "You still okay on your drink?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jake and Brooks exchange looks once more and I couldn't help but smile. I pulled my cup from under the bar and gave it a shake.

"About halfway full," I replied before taking a drink. "Thank you again. It's been a huge lifesaver."

I grabbed a glass from under the bar filled it with sprite before topping it off with grenadine. The first night he told me he didn't drink often, which I respected, but I still wanted him to feel included.

"It's on me," I said as I slid the glass to him. "Just a small token of my appreciation."

"Well I appreciate this," Bob replied.

"Hopefully a good end to the day," I replied. "I'll be here if you want more."

The three walked away towards an open pool table, one of Jake's favorite pastimes, and I kept my eye on them for a moment before the their seats were quickly filled by newcomers. I finished serving them before Penny had come up to me.

"Go take your lunch," she said as she took over.

I went to the back and grabbed the dinner I had brought myself before going outside and finding an empty table. I had thirty minutes and I planned on using every single one of them to rest.

"Mind if I join you?"

I turned my head and saw Bob before shaking my head and gesturing to the seat across from me.

"Please do," I replied. "Sorry, I'm starving."

"Don't worry about it," he chuckled as he sat down. "So about tomorrow."

"Oh, don't worry about that," I muttered. "If you don't want to go, it's totally fine."

"I actually wanted to see where you wanted to go."

"Oh," I replied, somewhat shocked. "I'm fine with anywhere. I'm not picky."

"There's a nice little French bistro off of Silver Strand Boulevard if you're interested."

I nodded as I held his gaze, a soft smile on my lips.

"It's a date then," I said before catching myself. "Friend date."

Bob laughed and stood up as I finished my dinner.

"It's a date,"he said as he walked back inside.

"A date," I whispered to myself as anxiety began to set in.