Last Friday Night (ManxMan)

Chapter 2

One week later, Hunter once again found himself standing outside of Adonis. His navy blue jacket and black slacks, minus the typical waistcoat, were more fitting for the environment because he'd planned them to be. He tried to deny the truth when he woke up this morning, picking clothing items he thought would look good in the low bar lighting. He tried to deny it as he went through his day, critiquing design choices and managing time off requests. He even tried to deny it for most of the drive here. But the turn came up and Hunter took it, heading to a now familiar bar.

It was an impulsive decision, Hunter told himself, ignoring the way he'd been privately preparing for this visit the entire day. It was strange that a man so accustomed to buying expensive bottles of alcohol he could finish alone at home was so drawn to purchasing a single cup at a bar. His efficiency-driven mind screamed at him since, over time, it would be far more expensive to go out for his drinks than to stay home, but his hand still reached out, pushing against the glass door to walk inside.

It seemed as if his logical arguments consistently fell away when faced with Adonis and the handsome man inside. Hunter sauntered up to the same seat from last time, preparing once again for a night of casual drinking and, hopefully, riveting conversation.

To his pleasant surprise, the familiar older man with his full head of wavy, brown hair spotted him, his eyes lighting up in recognition. He put down the glass he was wiping, walking over to Hunter and leaning his elbows against the bar counter as he spoke.

"Hey again. I guess you liked my drinks from last week, huh?"

Hunter nodded quickly, agreeing to the more socially acceptable answer. Hunter thought that was a great excuse to keep coming back and noted it for later.

"Yeah, they were pretty good, to be honest," Hunter agreed, rubbing his chin in what he hoped was a casual manner. "I was thinking of them all week."

Hunter regretted the comment as soon as it left his lips, his cheeks warming quickly. The words just got too close to the truth and River must have thought the same judging by the cheeky grin that widened his mouth.

"I'm just ... excited to try some more," Hunter tagged on, the heat now spreading to his ears and neck.

"I'm happy to hear that," River chuckled, and Hunter's entire face was now verifiably on fire. Hunter felt completely exposed, naked even in his layers of expensive linens and fabrics. But River, on the other hand, was perfectly hidden, his exposed chest giving nothing away to his inner thoughts.

Except amusement, of course. He was visibly amused by Hunter's embarrassment.

"I'm hoping this means I can make a suggestion for your next drink."

Hunter blinked stupidly for a moment. Was River trying to encourage conversation? He was finding a reason to stick around? Giddily, Hunter wondered if this could be the way he flirted with customers.

"Of course, what do you recommend?"

And that was essentially the end of their conversation that night. With a mischievous grin, River had gone away and made Hunter a Martini. It was delicious, of course, and surprisingly cheaper than the Gin and Tonic he'd chugged the previous week. River didn't even return to Hunter's side to ask if he liked it, keeping himself busy on the other side of the bar. He and the female bartender working there that night switched places at some point, making it completely impractical for River to come his way again.

Embarrassingly, Hunter's interest in hanging out waned considerably when he no longer had River's attention to look forward to and, after paying in cash once again, quietly made his way out of the bar.