~Only once upon a time~

~Part 1: Only once upon a lifetime~

She sighs and slightly pushes away from the brunette, straightening her back. "Don't make it sound like I was forcing you to join me and Sadie here. Besides, I was fully aware of the fact you still had assignments to complete-"

"Oh, so dragging me out of my own house was just some entertaining joke to you?" I fire back, although humour laced my tone.

Again, she shrugs at my answer and jumps off the wet surface from the used sink to the boy's dismay, walking closer.

I note her chucked away stilettos in the corner, her bare feet barely making a sound on the bathroom floor.

She smirks at the pinpoint of my gaze and to my surprise, unexpectedly pulls cash from the inside of the top corner of her ruby lace-up dress, merely handing it to me.

"Given you're kindly agreeing of the fact I didn't force you before, I'm forcing you now to buy yourself at least one drink as a reward for coming, not to mention you interrupted something I was deemed to finish properly," she replied, not waiting for an answer before pushing me towards the door.

I stare back down at the freely-given money, and gasp out, "this is way too much money, Dalia. More than I was expecting too. And besides, I have my own money to pay with-"

She scowled and pushed me out the door, close to closing it in my face before chuckling, "consider it as a gratitude, Amora, my treat. So buy a drink, go dance, and have some fun, just for tonight. Forget about all your studies and just meet some new people for your own benefit."

And with that, she shut the door, locking it to my revulsion yet satisfaction.

True to her word, I saunter back to the bar counter to order something, noticing how the dance floor was more crowded than ever.

In fact, it was so busy, I could barely make out where Sadie was anymore.

With a sigh, I sit down on a nearby stool, a bartender approaching as a service. "How may I help you?"

"Just a martini, please. Thank you," I reply, subconsciously passing him Dalia's cash.

Despite the bartender's quick-witted reaction to my order, I can't help the dread of familiarity of his appearance.

I take in his inked, wavy hair and beautifully contrasted hazely-emerald eyes, lifting almost every five seconds just to catch a sneaky glimpse of me.

Even as I try to make out his edgy yet confident gaze, nothing seemed to make its mark.

Barely two minutes had passed before my desired drink was in my hands, unable to keep myself from swirling the olive-pick around the alcohol.

I raise my weary eyes and almost jump back at the sight of the man still there, lightly grinning even. "Funny how I've never seen you at this club before, and yet you look more familiar than ever."

I can't help but blink at his words, even hopeless to keep away from snickering. "I'm truly flattered. Given its my first time here, we're already both thinking about each other."

The bartender chuckled, his laugh like honey on sand, smooth but rough.

I quickly take in a more detailed view of his somewhat dark appearance in the process of his distraction, unable to turn away from the many tattoos that remained visible underneath his pulled up sleeves.

Most of them were quotes and names, although the only thing making them out to be completely different was a single butterfly inked under his left wrist.

He notices me peering, and I clear my throat, taking a sip of my martini.  I can't help but ask, "Do you usually work here?"

He rolls his eyes, lips curling. "What gave it away?"

I mimic his last action. "I didn't suggest anything revealed it-"

"So staring at random strangers for minutes on end is just a hobby?" He grinned. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were almost trying to form a mission of flirting with me, my darling, to which you have presumably failed at."

I flush red at that, completely ignoring the name he had used and wonder how long I had truly basked in his physical features.

Instead, I pull out my phone and gaze at the late time, too tired to be bothered to panic. It was amazingly almost 12:30, the small-edged windows proving it with the darkened night sky.

The last words the bartender had told me before my "stress" had hit me sunk in.

Even now as he was apparently sorting out the wine glasses on the racks, he seemed no such of a stranger. In fact, he seemed like a person I was even comfortable in inviting into my life-

"Amora, there you are! I've been looking to the ends of the earth for you!"

An even more familiar woman strides to my side, heels clicking on marble with every step. Sadie's lipstick reminds me of Dalia's after she had managed to hook up with that boy in the bathroom, the makeup smudged all across her mouth.

"I was just meeting with this guy a little after you left. Complete hottie too," she smirked, leaning her back to the bench. "Such a shame for someone like him to turn out he wanted more than for someone to warm up his bed just for one night. Greedy fucking bastard he was, though. My hands were so close to feeling his cock I could almost taste it."

I choke out the remainings of my drink back into the glass, glaring at her. "I think the taste of the shards of this cocktail glass would be much fouler, Sadie."

She barked out a laugh, just before abruptly stopping at the sight of the bartender. I glanced back to see him already staring at her, his smile somehow darker than the one he had already given to me before.

She crossed her arms and pulled me out of my seat, scowling at him. "Ran out of whores to pay for your bills, Brandswiff? Or are you just working here to make extra money for dear old daddy?"

I arch a brow, completely confused at her sudden insult, wondering how on earth she knew him too. At least she fully recognised him, unlike her.

"Please tell me who the hell that is." I whisper to her, and Sadie raises her brows so high it almost reaches her hairline.

"You're joking, Mor, right?" She asks, giving me a look as soon as I shake my head. She puts her hands on her hips. "Even after I said his surname? God damn you, Amora."

Suddenly, the bartender leans forward from the other side of the bench towards us, looking deeply into my gaze, as if he could see secrets even I didn't know of.

"I'm flattered, my darling Amor, how you of all people don't know who I am."

He stares with the intensity of a million fires, finding satisfactory in the way I shiver at the pet name, before leaning back again and walking away. "I hope to see you again soon, mi Amor, it was rather ravishing talking to you tonight."

Sadie pulls me away before I can ask any questions, yet I do as soon as I get the chance.
"You need to tell me right fucking now who he was, because I'm not tolerating mysterious bartenders calling me 'my darling' and "mi Amor'".

She sighed, glancing at me. "Amora, that was Eryn Brandswiff. You know, the same guy that was bullying you for being a low life and nerd back in primary school and is transferring to Lirendale in two days time?"

My eyes widen, lips parting on their own accord. "That was Eryn? Is he the same new guy everyone's talking about?"

Sadie shrugged, pulling a face. "I mean, no shit. It's not as if there's been any other new transferred students in a long time now."

I groan, and head towards the exit, acknowledging the fact that Sadie calling out my name fell upon deaf ears.

Two days until my misery started all over again. Two days until Eryn Brandswiff makes my life a living nightmare in itself.
Eryn Brandswiff, the bartender that assumed I was flirting with only a couple minutes ago.
Two days until I can no longer fight the inevitable.