The Original High (Koli) ✔️

30: Not From Here

I am legit surprised that this book has hit 1K reads. I didn't expect that anyone would actually read it... it's not exactly my best work. but yay thank you!

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It was my fourth night working at the bar. . . I mean, the pub, as they called it here.

During weeknights it wasn't all that busy. I always saw the same, local faces. Mostly they were men in their late forties and early fifties. They occasionally made flirty remarks but they were overall pretty nice and caused no trouble. Today however, was Friday and bound to get a little busier than usual.

I wore black skinnies, comfortable vans and a button up shirt that had La Lune's name and logo on it.

"Any game on tonight, guys?" I asked the usual men sitting at the bar, as I flipped through the channels on the tv in the back.

"Of course there is, darling." One of the men called David told me.

"It's Northampton against the London Welsh tonight." Henry then reminded me as he raised his beer. All the other men raised their beers as well and cheered. Alright, message received. I smiled and turned the tv to BBC Sports.

I honestly didn't care for sports at all, but it kept them busy and entertained, so why not. I filled a few bowls of 'crisps' as they called them around here and divided them over the bar. I watched the game for a moment and then noticed a small group sitting down at one of the tables near the window.

I made my way over to them with my notepad and smiled. "Good day, gentlemen. What can I get you?" I asked them kindly, pen ready to write down their order, even though I already assumed they just wanted beers.

"Good day indeed." One of the men said. "It's my mate's birthday today." He then added, patting the back of his friend beside him. The man looked up at me with an awkward smile, obviously not liking much of the attention.

"Alright, first round's on the house then." I told the group. "What will it be?" And as expected, they all wanted a beer. Pints, no less. Damn I was good at this.

I made my way back behind the bar and began to fill five pint glasses, hearing the door open and close. "Welcome." I greeted, not really looking at who had just entered. I placed the five beers on a tray and brought them to the men sitting at the table.

"There you go, and a happy birthday to you. If there's anything else I can do for you, just call." I threw them all a smile as I placed their beers on the filters in front of them.

"Well. . ." One of the men began. "There's one thing you could do." I raised an eyebrow questioningly as the man smirked a little. "My good mate here here is a little shy, but it would make his night if he could get a peck from a lovely lad like yourself."

I chuckled silently. God, men in bars were all the same. Right, had I mentioned that La Lune was a gay bar? Well, now you know.

The guy did look pretty shy to be honest. So just this once, I went over to the birthday boy and left a hard kiss on his cheek, making extra pecking noise to please his friends. They all cheered as their friend's cheeks burned up.

Giggling silently and shaking my head in amusement, I made my way back behind the bar, pouring myself a coke.

"So, you do actually work here." I then heard a voice say from the end of the bar. I frowned slightly and looked up, recognizing that it was the same guy I had asked for directions earlier this week. He leaned on the bar with one elbow and smiled at me, resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

"Why would I lie about that?" I retorted with a slight smirk as I cleaned some of the empty glasses in the bar's sink.

He didn't answer that. Honestly he probably didn't have an answer to that. I refilled some of the customer's glasses and drank some of my own coke, casually eating from the snacks that I had placed on the bar.

"You're not from here, are you?" The same guy eventually asked, grinning widely.

I walked down the bar and leaned my crossed arms on the edge. "Oh no, what gave it away?" I gasped sarcastically, looking him straight in the eye. The color of his eyes were an unusual hazel. . . and I swore that they looked so familiar somehow. But that was impossible.

"Perhaps the fact that you asked me for directions?" He stated.

I snickered and walked back to the tap. "Really? I kinda thought it'd be the accent."

He cocked his head sideways and nodded, knowingly. "And that."

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Say, you gonna order something, or what? Can't let you sit here without a drink." I then raised a glass, mentally asking if he wanted a beer, and he just gave me an approving nod.

I then filled the glass and grabbed my own, walking over to where he was sitting. "Thank you very much." The man said in a sing-songy voice as he took the glass from me. His voice sounded so familiar too, but I really couldn't place it.

I was probably just going crazy.

"So. . . you got me curious. Where exactly are you from?" He pried.

"Take a wild guess." I simply told him as I took a sip from my coke.

"New York?" I raised an eyebrow and then shook my head. "Texas?" That made me laugh quite hysterically.

"Do I sound like a hillbilly to you?"

"Is this lad bothering you, darling?" Henry then suddenly asked me.

I snapped my neck into Henry's direction and smiled. "Not at all." I told him. In the corner of my eye I saw the guy who I was talking to clear his throat in a nervous way and gulping down quite a bit of his beer, trying to get his act together for some reason.

I chuckled softly and looked back at him. "I'm from Los Angeles." I finally decided to tell him.

"Well, mister Los Angeles, I'm Oli." He then said as he held out his hand for me to shake.

I smiled at him and took his hand, shaking it for a few seconds and then focusing back on my coke. "Kell." I simply said, using the short version of my name.

I had decided since I wanted to start with a clean slate down here, I wasn't going to give anyone my full name. I didn't want to be recognized as either the band whore nor literally anything else. So I was just Kell. They didn't need to know more.

Michael knew about this, of course, and he promised to work along. Though I honestly couldn't get used to him calling me Kelly when he was around. I swear someday I will drown his little punk ass in the sink.