Leave Before You Love Me

DR. WINE

"Hey, how's everything going?" Max asks, standing beside her friend while she's busy mixing drinks.

"Busy. I think those people in the booth over there are celebrating something. Talked to some regulars and they're excited about music night. Here you go.."

"Thank you..." the customer trailed off, reading the bartender's name in her name bar pinned at the right side of her shirt. "Michelle." The girl finishes smiling flirtily at her and walks away.

Max chuckled and shook her head. "Auntie is really gonna kill me for making you work here. They want you to settle down, but you do the opposite."

"Don't mind them, mum just didn't want to admit it, but she actually finds my job to be cool, because I didn't follow dad's footsteps no matter how much he talked to me about it."

Her friend gave her a pat on the shoulder. "I mean, for one, your brother is a well-known music producer, your sister is a lawyer, and you should have your third book published by now. I love and I'm proud of what you do here because you really help my business. But I would've been more proud if you do what you're really passionate about. You love writing, you help your brother create music, and I just don't want you to waste that gift. And find someone to settle down with already, it's actually nice being married, you know?" She smiled, "Wanna step out and smoke?"

Michelle checked the time, and it's already midnight. She excused herself to one of the bartenders to watch out for the orders for a few minutes. She and Max went to the back room and took out their vapes. "Band's here, you're going to present them on the stage, right? Or do you want to perform?"

The bartender rolls her at her friend/boss. "It's your pub and you do other stuff, you do it. That performance was only a one-time thing, because I was forced to do so."

"It's your turn, remember? I did it last week. They also loved you singing in front of them. Make all of them kneel for you." She retorted, amusingly. They both hate standing on the stage and being watched by many people as the awkward silence emanates from the room while she speaks and introduces the performer for the night.

She groaned, remembering that it was, in fact, her turn. Michelle took another drag of her vape before exhaling. "Fuck."

—

"Finally, I'm so ready to go home."

Ann put her pen down and leaned back in her chair. She's been at the clinic for nine hours and was ready to go home and couldn't wait to spend the weekends and just do nothing.

She's been practising medicine for two years now and she enjoys it a lot. Having to help people gives her fulfilment, though the working hours sometimes are long. And it's nice to get to know different people. So focused on her job as a doctor that she didn't have the time to go on dates.

The doctor had experienced her own heartbreaks and heartaches, just like everyone else, of course. It's actually the main reason she doesn't want to fall in love with someone anymore. Three bad break ups had ruined her perception about love.

"Ready to go, Ann?" her friend, who visited her, asked.

"I think I'll pass. I need to visit my parents."

"It's Friday, Ann. Let loose a little, tell you what, just a few drinks and you can go home after if you want. Pretty please?"

"Few drinks then I'm off." She repeated.

"You got it."

—

Ann

I haven't been to this pub before. We used to go out, but it's always at the bar near my workplace. The interior is nice. A stage in front probably for open mics, a bar on the right side corner and retro style booths and tables.