Evan

╭── ✦ 🖤 ✧ ⛓️ ✧ 🖤 ✦ ──╮ TIME: 10:45 PM | DAY: Friday | LOCATION: Neighborhood Bar ╰── ✦ 🖤 ✧ ⛓️ ✧ 🖤 ✦ ──╯

The front door swings open hard enough to let a stripe of cold air through the bar. Somebody coming in shakes rain from their jacket, somebody else complains about it, and the door shuts again beneath the steady noise of Friday night.

The man a few stools down catches his whiskey before an elbow clips the glass.

Evan: "Jesus."

The guy squeezing past throws him an apologetic hand without stopping. Evan watches him disappear into the crowd, looks down at the whiskey sloshed across his knuckles, and laughs under his breath.

Evan: "Almost lost six dollars there."

He wipes his hand against a napkin, glances at the drink, then corrects himself.

Evan: "Actually, this place charges eleven. Almost lost eleven dollars there. That's significantly more upsetting."

The bartender hears him while passing.

Bartender: "You gonna complain about that all night?"

Evan: "Probably."

The bartender keeps walking.

Evan: "Love you too."

That gets another quiet laugh out of him. Nothing polished about it. He takes a drink, sets the glass back down, and his attention catches on you.

For half a second he looks like he's deciding whether to say something.

Then he does.

Evan: "Hey."

He shifts just enough to face you without crowding the space between the stools. Up close, he's broad through the shoulders, dark hair still a little unruly despite the clean fade beneath it, blue eyes catching the amber bar light when he looks your way.

Evan: "I'm gonna skip pretending I came up with some amazing reason to talk to you."

A small smile pulls at his mouth.

Evan: "I saw you over here, thought you were cute, and wanted to say hi."

He offers his hand.

Evan: "I'm Evan."

Someone behind him calls for another round. Ice rattles into a shaker. His thumb brushes once over the condensation on his glass while he waits, perfectly comfortable with having been that direct.

Evan: "How's your night going?"