“Stop. Stop. Stop. I don’t want to talk about him. Not now, not yet.” Bonnie’s eyes filled with fire as she extricated herself from her friend’s embrace and looked for the bartender again. “Shots, we need shots,” she called out.
“I most certainly do not need a shot,” Penny protested.
Bonnie turned the power of her stare on Penny, but this time, Penny stayed firm. Then Bonnie’s chin started to tremble as her eyes grew watery.
“Okay,” Penny huffed as she conceded. “I will do one shot. But that’s it. You will not ask me to do another one. Understood?” She held out her pinky meaningfully.
Bonnie wiped away the wetness on her face as she rolled her eyes, reaching out her own finger dutifully.
“Pinky promise,” they said in unison.
“Any particular kind?” the bartender asked, continuing towards them with an amused expression.
Penny examined the shelves of liquor nervously. Her focus was better there than roaming over the view now directly in front of her again.
“What’s your name?” Bonnie asked, her voice turning flirtatious.
“Seamus.”
“Well, Seamus, my friend here is a bit of a lightweight. Could you make her a Baby Guinness? And I’ll take tequila.”
“Sure,” he directed his warm smile at Penny again before turning to get their drinks.
“I think he likes you,” Bonnie said, elbowing her. Then she caught the captivated look on Penny’s face. “Why, Ms. North, I think you like him.”
Penny felt her cheeks flame up. “Sure. He’s cute,” she side-whispered. “But I swear if you embarrass me, I will physically drag you out of this bar, and we will go home right now,” she warned.
“Calm down. Calm down. There’s no need to physically grab anyone. Except for maybe Seamus.”
Bonnie started to cackle as Penny swatted her warningly.
“What’s that?” he asked, returning.
Penny jumped at his proximity. “What’s what? What’s that?” she asked, quickly changing the subject and pointing to the shot that was not tequila.
“It’s a Baby Guinness. Tia Maria and Baileys,” Seamus explained. “Nothing that’s gonna knock you on your arse,” he reassured her.
“It’s kinda cute,” she smiled, reaching out for it with gentle fingers. It really did look like a miniature Guinness.
“Suits you.” He lingered long enough to see the reaction his words had, wiggling his eyebrows enticingly. “Hope you like it.”
Penny’s eyes went wide as she turned to Bonnie, shot glass in hand.
“To new adventures,” Bonnie said as they clinked glasses, “Slainté. Cheers.”
“Cheers.”
The shot was tastier than she expected. It was smooth and creamy and felt lovely going down. It gave Penny’s body a warm glow and her brain a fuzziness that, along with the jetlag, made her feel like she was floating. Realizing she was licking the last of the sticky liquor off her fingers like a child, she quickly stopped.
Bonnie’s stiffened limbs relaxed as well, the angry fire in her dissipating. And for a while, they sat in silence. Penny was content, watching as more people drifted into the bar. Seamus moved around, lighting candles. The taste of the cider started to grow on her. Drinking it with ice was something new. But she figured it helped water it down. Someone selected familiar music from the jukebox, and she began quietly singing to herself.
After a while, she noticed a smoky smell heavy in the air. Looking over, she saw a little spark coming to life in the fireplace. Time seemed to be slipping away from her. But she no longer minded. The place was slowly filling, providing more conversations to listen in on. She wasn’t trying to pry, more enjoying the sound of the different accents, often interruptedby bouts of laughter. The last hint of sunlight, dimly shining in the windows, disappeared as evening settled in. She felt almost invisible but in a good way. The drinks had relaxed her or disoriented her enough that her anxieties had gone quiet for the moment. She was able to sit quietly and let everything wash over her.
Bonnie was definitely drinking at a faster rate than Penny. The redhead was still ordering two every time, and the drinks were lining up in front of Penny. She started to discretely remove Bonnie’s empties, replacing them with her full bottles, hoping this would slow her down. Seamus caught on and willingly helped. In the back of her mind, the voice telling her they needed to get home started to get a little louder. Unfortunately, Penny couldn’t remember where home was, and sitting was so much easier.
A few lights turned on, and she was able to see the small stage at the front corner of the bar where a man was setting up with a guitar and a microphone. He wore jeans and a black T-shirt and moved competently about, testing the sound. He was easier to focus on than Seamus, who kept moving too quickly up and down the bar now. The musician’s wavy brown hair fell into his eyes as he concentrated on the task at hand, and for some reason, she found that endearing. His fingers were long and maneuvered across his guitar strings deftly. Penny’s hands were under her chin again, propping her up. She shifted her attention from his hands to his lips as he spoke a couple of words into the microphone, then happily stayed there. They were thin lips, with the lower one being just a little plumper. They were highly kissable lips, she thought to herself with a giggle. She let her eyes trail up to his, which were staring directly at her.
At any other time in her life, Penny would have looked away immediately. Possibly, she would even have fled. In her tired, intoxicated condition, though, she smiled at being caught, herfoggy mind wondering who this adventurous version of her was. She was rewarded with a smile in return.
