Page 10 of For the Plot
“I dunno, wanna foot out first so I can get my head out?”
“What does that even mean?” she asked incredulously.
“Eh, I tried something, it didn’t work.” I shrugged, setting the glass and cloth down, and made my way down the bar towards her.
“You are so weird.”
“Hey, I keep your life interesting. You’re welcome.” I turned to take an order before she could say anything else and pretended I didn’t notice when she snapped the towel in her hand at my arm.
The time flew as I made drink after drink for the next few hours.
Finally getting a break in the crowd, I took advantage of the moment to wipe my station down and restock my glasses from the dishwasher. But right as I turned to the back, a wolf whistle broke out, and a man’s voice called out, “Oh, who's that hottie behind the bar?”
Recognizing the voice, I made sure to shake my ass a little extra as I continued on my way rather than turning and acknowledging him.
A trio of cackles broke out behind me, and I let a grin spread across my face. In the madness, I had totally forgotten they were going to come entertain me tonight. I made my way back out with a clean rack of glasses, dropping them on the counter and turning to my three waiting friends. Will, Collins, and Nikki sat left to right on the bar stools, elbows on the bar, chins resting on their clasped hands, fluttering their lashes at me in unison.
“Free drinks, please!” they chorused out as one.
“Menaces, the lot of you,” I shot back at them, but the laughter in my voice definitely undermined the name calling. I attempted, in vain, to keep my eyes from lingering too long on NIkki and the soft curves and rolls of her body under the crop top and maxi skirt she wore. The soft, loose curls of her black hair falling around her shoulders. The clear blue eyes twinkling in mischief along with the two idiots beside her.
“So how’s it been tonight?” Collins asked as he glanced around at the mostly packed bar. “Looks pretty busy in here.”
“Let’s just say we had a callout which made it worse, but it was Megan, so it’s also better,” I replied dryly. They all cringed in unison. They had heard many a complaint about Megan in our venting sessions—or as we liked to call them, roommate trauma-bonding sessions.
“Two nights in a row, and you might have killed her,” Collins quipped.
“Might?” I started pulling glasses out. “The usuals?”
“You treat us so well.” Will sighed dreamily at me, and I blew him a kiss. He pretended to swoon, falling into Collins’s shoulder.
As I made their drinks, I snuck glances at Nikki who was very muchnot looking at me. Maybe she was just as affected by our conversation last night as I was. As I made a Cosmo for Will, a lemon drop for Collins, and a vodka apple juice for Nikki, the three of them picked up where they must have left off in their conversation on their way here.
“I’m telling you, it’s an allegory forMacbeth,” Will insisted, while Collins shook his head vehemently.
“What is?” I set their glasses on the bar in front of me, wiping my hands off on the towel thrown over my shoulder.
“That scene from the lastLord of the Rings! Eowyn’s big moment.”
“And I’m just saying I don’t see it.” Collins threw up his arms in surrender, and Will made a sound of distress like he was actually being tortured, rather than dealing with our idiot roommate who also had a not-so-secret love of riling him up. I decided to take pity on him this time.
“Tell me, how so?” My eyes flicked over to Nikki only to see she was already looking at me, a small, fond smile on her face as she shook her head at their antics.
“OK, so you know how Eowyn is able to kill the Witch-King because no man can kill him, but she’s a woman, right?”
“Alright, I’m with you.”
“Well, he's paying homage toMacbethwith that line, obviously! InMacbeth, it’s thewitcheswho tell Macbeth ‘None of woman born shall harm Macbeth.’ But then later you find out Macduff was delivered by C-section, so on a technicality, he was not woman born, yeah?”
“OK.” Collins nodded along slowly, stroking his chin like a cartoon villain pretending to think, but Will was too far gone onhis tangent to notice, staring at me instead. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Nikki stifling a giggle into her glass.
Will made the universal duh gesture, and when Collins didn’t immediately respond, Will finally looked over and saw what Collins was doing. He lifted a finger, pointing it accusingly at Collins and grumbling about impossible people, while the three of us burst into laughter.
Just when it looked like he was about to explode, Collins finally gave in, speaking through his laughter, hands aloft placatingly. “OK, OK, I’m sorry! Of course I know ‘no man’ is a reference to no ‘man woman born,’ I was just messing with you.”
Will just shook his head,tskingat Collins. “Man, sometimes I really can’t with you.”
“Then don’t make it so damn easy.” Collins grinned, slinging his arm over Will’s shoulders. As they devolved into a scuffle, I leaned on the bar in front of Nikki, forearms resting on the edge, rocking on the balls of my feet towards her. When I looked up to meet her eyes, a shot of electricity zoomed through me.
