Broken Ch 03

10:15, drinks. The third in the series, paired with a few shots. Nat and Katie were beside him chattering loudly. Their voices sounded shrill over the classic rock that blasted on Thursday nights. Was he drunk? Getting there. He was buzzed enough to have a cocky smile on his face as he eyed the girl at the other end of the bar. A short blonde number in a frilly pink t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. She was cute, and hungry for Dimitri. Her straw never entered her mouth without her tongue's caress and a suggestive stare in his direction. Prospect number one, he chuckled to himself before raising his hand and pointing to the empty beer. One of the benefits of knowing the bartender, no need for the mechanisms of polite society, He was sipping on his fresh beer when he heard a voice that he couldn't resist turning around to greet.

Madi Highwood looked fabulous. A pair ripped jeans' flared bottoms nearly completely covered the pointy toe of her black suede stiletto boots, torso was covered by a hot pink number with a low dipping neck line that ended in the point of a V at the empire waist line, lighter cotton flowing to her waist. Auburn curls hung past her shoulders down to her mid-back and make-up was understated. She was smokey-eyed and sexy in a way Dimitri had never quite pictured her. He wanted to be closer, he wanted to hear her speak. But the bar crowd didn't allow for that sort of immeadiacy. He watched as he tried to work his way through.

"Ummm… Darren….?" She looked over her shoulder, much perturbed to find her roommate was missing in action. She shrugged, shaking her head and turning to face across the bar. She smiled at Jake as he walked towards her, being a regular had its perks. She hooked the arch of her foot on the metal bar at the foot of the counter, placing her elbows on the smooth marble as she leaned forward to plant a kiss on his cheek. "'ello, love." Her lips curled into a smile as she pushed the best British accent possible off of her tongue.

"Dawlin', it's been too long." She laughed as his best imitation of her Jersey drawl still managed to sound somewhat refined. "You look like you need a good kick in your bum, lovey, Red Bull and Vodka, on the house. By the way, " He wiggled his eyebrows mischievously as he nodded towards her chest "the girls look good tonight." She raised a fist playfully, sinking back to the ground to wait for her drink.

"Hey" An unfamiliar voice jolted her a bit as she turned to gaze over her shoulder. She was almost shocked to see Dimitri standing behind her with a goofy grin on his face. Her coat was dropped from her arm onto the empty stool beside herself as she looked up into his face. The crowded bar pushed him closer than she probably would have normally allowed, and he seemed a little bit drunk already. She was getting a late start though. "Madi, I see you've met Dimitri" Jake grinned, placing her drink down on the bar behind her before he leaned in closer and grinned. "I love it when my friends become friends." Madi giggled and smacked his cheek playfully.

"Actually, Jacob, my love, Dimitri and I have a class together. But thank you for the encouragement." She grinned a smile so sweet it had to be sarcastic before turning back to Dimitri and sucking on her straw. It was innocent, eyes cast up at him from beneath long, dark, thick lashes, lips wrapped around the straw just for the sake of drinking. She wasn't teasing, she was just drinking and talking and being a bit off the cuff, and yet he couldn't take his eyes off the sight. Somewhere in there she had asked him question.. something about… class… that was it. Class.

"I think I'm doing okay, but was up with you today? You didn't say a thing for like, the whole hour and a half. That's not like you." The way she went wide-eyed caught him off-guard. She would look up from her drink and into his face, panic written in her eyes that were a swirling green.

"I was just… tired. I mean, the class is at 9:30." She bit her lip, praying he would buy it. It wasn't a good excuse; the class was always at 9:30. She wasn't about to pour her heart out to a drunken half-stranger who was just trying to make small talk. What was she supposed to do? Sit him down on a stool and explain that her semi-psychotic, completely abusive ex-boyfriend had resurfaced after finally leaving her alone for a whole year? Yeah, that was a great way to keep her situation out of the limelight. She laughed inwardly and shook her head, she needed a better back-up, and quickly.

It was then that Darren pushed his way back in. He was short, loud, and always amusing, and Madi didn't think she had ever been happier to see her best friend.

"Darren! My love!" She grinned at him, the only release for her new found relief. She watched Dimitri's eyes dart to the ball of energy that he could only recognize as a stranger. "Oh, I'm being rude! Dimitri, this is my roommate Darren, Darren, this is Dimitri, he's in my Poly Sci class." The two shook hands, Darren nodding towards him before turning back to Madi. Even in silhouette she was still attracting his attention. Her profile showed off a well-shaped nose and perfect curves at opposite ends. He bit his lip as he watched them speak, the music drowning out their voices. "Whipping Post" by the Allman Brothers, he could see the smile spread across Madi's lips as she heard the first few notes. It was loud though, and he was glad for his headache when she stepped closer, rising onto her highest toe even on her heels, a hand placed on his shoulder to balance her. And then that voice was right next to his ear, she was yelling over the music, but he could feel her breath on his skin, it made him tingle. "I've got a game of pool with my name all over it. But it was nice seeing you."

He barely had out his "you too," before she was disappearing into the throbbing mass of people that had filed into the bar. He could see her moving to the music in the direction of the dimly lit pool tables.