strings // newtmas au

tongue tied

         Thomas made a face as he sipped the awful tasting beer the bartender slid over the countertop. Not that any beer tasted good, but that one was especially bad.

      "What was that face for?" The girl next to him laughed as she tied her curly brown hair behind her head.

      "Have you tasted it?" He asked as he shook his head and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Actually I take it back you're too young."

     The girl rolled her eyes. "You're older by like, what? Four years. I'm seventeen Thomas, when are you going to stop treating me like I'm fresh out of the womb?"

     Thomas smiled as he waved over the bartender and asked for a water. "You'll always be my baby sister Rose."

     She rolled her eyes as she shoved her hands into her pockets. "You're somehow making me regret asking you to come."

     "Awe come on you love me."

     That earned him another eye roll. "Whatever." She took a breath and looked over at the dinghy excuse for a stage the staff was setting up in the bar. Although Rose wasn't old enough to drink, she usually came to the place with her friends for the live music. Except all her friends were busy that weekend so she'd invited the next best thing, her old brother.

     "Do you know who's playing?" Thomas asked as he stirred the ice in his cup around with the pointless tiny black straw the bartender had put in it.

     Rose shook her head. "It changes usually. I think there's only one or two bands playing tonight though."

     Thomas nodded. The small downtown dive bar was starting to fill up.

     Rose looked at the group of people sort of suspiciously. "I'm gonna go ask someone, hang on."

     She disappeared into the slowly growing crowd leaving Thomas alone. He swung his feet that barely reached the ground due to the height of the bar stool. He tried another sip of the horrible beer, cringing again. It tasted like actual metal.

     "Hey if you're not gonna finish that I will," a girl appeared next to him. She had long blonde hair that was tucked back into a pretty braid and bright blue eyes.

     Thomas pushed it over to her. "Go for it, it's awful."

    She smiled and took it, taking a big swig. "You get used to it."

     "You come here often?" Thomas cringed as soon as the words left his mouth. "I promise that wasn't supposed to be an attempt at the world's most basic pick up line."

     She laughed as she placed the plastic cup on a napkin. "I do come here often, well often enough. My brother's in one of the bands that plays here. He drags me to most of the shows and, they're good don't get me wrong, but I can only hear his setlist sober so many times."

     "What does he play?" Thomas asked as he swiveled his seat to face her.

    "Guitar."

     Thomas opened his mouth to say something when Rose came running back and practically slammed into him.

     "Thomas Thomas Thomas Thomas!" She repeated excitedly. "I know who's playing tonight! It's WICKED! They're literally my favorite! They're so good and the girl who sings is so hot."

     Thomas smiled at how excited his little sister was getting.

     The blonde girl laughed at that. "Teresa?"

     "What?" Rose asked, just then acknowledging there was another person there.

     "The girl who sings? You're talking about Teresa?"