Refills
Simon chuckled to himself at the sight of the bearded man in his sparkly red dress stumbling over from the bar, beer in hand. He clearly had been drinking but the oversized, high heeled shoes didn't help for keeping his balance either. The group of friends cheered as the guy returned to them and raised their full glasses in celebration. All were talking too loud and laughing too often for Simon's liking. It didn't fit his mood at all. In fact it only reminded him of the very reason he still felt somewhat miserable in the first place.
The guys were obviously enjoying the dressed-up man's last night as a free man. The poor soul was made to look like Jessica Rabbit with a big pair of fake breasts dangling around his neck to complete the outfit. However the bad wig, bushy beard and smeared lipstick made him look more like a bad drag-act instead. Tomorrow morning he'd wake up with a huge hangover and dress up in a different kind of costume, only to be tied down by some pretty girl he'd walk on eggshells for, for the rest of his life.
"Better enjoy those heels while you can, buddy!" Simon thought out loud and took another swig of his beer.
"I'm afraid he's already taken," a warm voice spoke behind his back and Simon turned around to face a middle aged woman smiling at him. "Besides...I don't think your equipment is his cup of tea," she said while waving a hand towards his groin area.
"Oh, I'm not into..."Simon stuttered, feeling his cheeks burn up as the woman's straightforwardness had caught him off guard.
"No? Is it the hair?" she asked with a cheeky grin.
He wondered if the question was inspired by the amount of alcohol in her blood and eyed her drink closely.
As if she could read his mind she answered him, "A virgin margarita..." and emptied her glass.
"In case you want to buy me another one," she added while winking at him.
That made Simon smile and he nodded his head while picking up her glass to get a refill at the bar.
While waiting for the drinks he glanced back and saw the woman sitting down at his table. He wondered who she was and why she had come up to him. Even though Simon had been coming into the pub frequently the past few weeks he hadn't seen her before so she hardly could be one of the regulars. He wasn't looking for company and secretly hoped all she was after was a free drink. Perhaps she was just meeting a friend and her chat with him was just to pass the time waiting.
Walking back to the table Simon decided he would make the best of it. With a polite smile he put the drinks down and took the seat opposite his new table guest.
"Thank you," she replied with a warm, radiant grin on her face. It made her look confident and comfortable with the situation. Raising the glass to her red lips she kept her eyes focused on his. Her attention did something to him and Simon suddenly felt intrigued by this woman.
"So... Do you come here often?" Simon asked and immediately cringed at his own cheesy pick up line.
She laughed in response and shook her head, "I don't...but you seem to do so lately."
Simon raised an eyebrow at her words. They sounded like more than a well educated guess but she couldn't possibly know about his evening drinks from the past few weeks. It wasn't something he was proud of and Simon had even kept it from his friends and co-workers. For a moment he feared this lady was a friend of his mum who had sent her over to check up on him. She seemed the same age as her but even though his mother was a bit...special...she surely wouldn't think up an idea this crazy.
"I'm sorry....I didn't catch your name," Simon tried, raking his mind on who she could be.
"How rude of me! I didn't even introduce myself," she replied and stretched her arm out towards him, "I'm Anne, nice to meet you...?"
"Simon," he replied while shaking her hand. It was soft and warm but felt firm as he squeezed it lightly.
"Nice to meet you, Simon."
"And you, Anne." Simon felt himself relax a bit now that he realised he was as much a stranger to her as she was to him.
They were both silent for a moment, staring at each other while sipping their drinks. For a split second Anne even seemed a little nervous to Simon but she quickly recovered and leaned towards him over the table.
"Look, I know this sounds crazy..." Anne said, biting her lip as she appeared to gather her thoughts. "And it's a bit out of my comfort zone too," she continued while her fingers dreamily ran up and down the stem of her glass.
All Simon could do was sit and wait patiently at what she had to say. Not that he minded much. Her red lips were a treat to stare at and he caught himself wondering if they'd feel as warm and soft as her hand did.
"It's just...I've seen you coming here a good few times lately and you kinda caught my eye," Anne confessed while staring him down. She raised her drink to her lips and sipped it while waiting for his reply.
Simon felt his cheeks burn up and awkwardly shifted in his seat. She had seen him?! The few beers on a regular night weren't enough to get him too drunk to recall an evening. It was true that lately he'd been coming into Robinson's more often, but he would have remembered seeing her for sure.
"I don't think I've seen you here before. Must have been too focused on myself, " Simon replied, not wanting to call her a liar.
A soft chuckle was her response, "I'm too old to go to bars and cafes really."
"You're never too old to go out for a drink!"
Looking up at Simon she smiled warmly, "I live across the street."
He nodded at her words. That made enough sense and would explain how she had seen him but he had never noticed her. At the same time a thought crossed his mind. Why did she observe the entrance to a bar on a regular base? Was there someone she was keeping an eye on that was drinking...a husband perhaps? Were there some ulterior motives for making small talk with a stranger?
Anne didn't seem to mind the other people around the bar however and she was solely focused on Simon. It made him feel somewhat apprehensive that a lady like Anne would just come up to a guy like him. A few moments passed before he could bring up the courage to ask her about it.
"What made you decide to come into Robinson's today?"
She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a shy smile, "I guess I finally felt bold enough to take a gamble."
Her choice of words piqued his interest and Simon leaned forward a bit as if she was going to tell him a secret.
"You see, I normally wouldn't dare to just strike up a conversation with a handsome young man like you."
Simon huffed in response and slowly shook his head. No woman had ever called him handsome before but he felt somewhat flattered by her remark.
"A friend of mine suggested it actually," Anne continued. "According to her, I should get out more and just have a good time with somebody new."
