Imperfect

Chapter Four

The bar, aptly named The Square, was sleek. The black and white theme made it look much more modern than the buildings surrounding it.The dim lights accompanied by the laughter filling the bar and the faint jazz playing in the background created an ambience Sarah couldn't describe.

Once Kate and Sarah had found themselves a booth, the duo went to the counter. A young, laid back bartender came up to them.

"What can I get for you, ladies?" he asked.

Sarah scanned over the menu filled with exotic cocktails. Some claimed to be made solely of exotic fruits and alcohols and others were more local, "down-to-earth". One drink in particular that caught her eye was one called "The City Lights". Sarah was driving, unfortunately, so she couldn't order any of the alcoholic drinks.

"Can I maybe get the City lights as a mocktail?" Sarah asked.

"Of course, it'll just cost a little extra. Around five dollars more," the young man said.

"That's fine," Sarah said.

"Can I get a classic mojito, please?" Kate asked.

"So, a City Lights mocktail and a mojito?" the bartender asked.

" That's right," Sarah said.

Once the two women had received their drinks, they retreated to their booth,chatting the hours away. Kate spent the bulk of their time talking about her new boyfriend, Kyle before Sarah noticed a familiar face in the booth across from theirs.

"Is that Christopher Landon?" Sarah whispered to Kate.

"Where?" Kate asked.

"There," Sarah said, gesturing to the man, trying not to draw too much attention.

The mayoral candidate in question noticed the curious looks the duo gave him and gave a small smile in return. Sarah saw the opportunity for an impromptu interview and it made her heart race. An interview like this would give no time for Christopher to prepare or fake any answers, but it didn't give her any time to prepare questions either. Journalistic questions, at least.

After an eternity, Sarah built the confidence to walk to Christopher's booth and extend a hand in greeting.

"Mister Landon, I'm so sorry to bother you. I'm Sarah LaRae, a journalist at JourniLock. I'm covering your campaign and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions," Sarah said, not sure if she would ask as a journalist or a curious citizen.

"LaRae? I'm familiar with some of your work, very good, I must admit," he said.

"Thank you, Mister Landon," Sarah said.

"Call me Christopher, a bar isn't the best place for formalities, is it?" he said.

"So, Christopher, unemployment is rampant in Kane City. I mean, having a job is seen as a privilege. What are your plans for job creation for the next five years?" Sarah asked.

Sarah wasn't too concerned about exactly what his plans were. After all, it wasn't a proper interview. She was more concerned with how he handled her questions. It wasn't unique, that's for sure. Ever the orator (when he was sober), Christopher artfully dodged Sarah's more direct questions, leaving her with more questions than answers. What Sarah found most surprising, however, was how much the two had in common. The most important of these was the opinion that education would stop most of the city's problems before they started.

As the night went on and the drinks were flowing on Christopher's side, the conversation that began as an impromptu interview slowly turned into an icebreaker between strangers with the two laughing over the smallest of things. Christopher had the ability to make conversation so well that an outsider would think they had been friends for years.Although Sarah couldn't help but feel a slight discomfort in how personal some of the things he mentioned were, how his gaze lingered for a little longer than necessary, the slight frown he gave whenever Kate came to talk to her. They all gave her chills.