Richard raised his eyebrows. "I don't quite follow. We have been speaking together for more than an hour now," he muttered
The bartender shook her head. "No, you have been speaking with me, not 'TO' me. You were the one who listened to me, and that's not how it works at a bar," she explained
"Wait, I thought women liked guys that listens? I mean, it works every time," Richard chuckled. He was clearly confused at this point, but he carried on. The girl in front of him was far too interesting.
"Yes we do, but I'm not your typical kind of woman. And being a bartender, I've talked with all kinds of people, you know," the bartender chuckled. "They come in here, get a couple of drinks, get drunk and talk about themselves. Their jobs, problems, how many kids they have, how many people they've had sex with and more. And it's been a fun experience for me, listening to people,"
Richard smiled. "That's very... Sweet, and noble," he muttered
"No it's not. I think I'm just obsessed with understanding how other people feel, I'm really good at it. So good that sometimes, I forget my own emotion," she chuckled
"You know it's funny, I have the exact same problem," Richard said, staring into her eyes with a genuine look of attraction.
She smiled. "Are you just saying that so you can 'Try your luck' again?"
Richard shook his head. "No, I'm being honest," he said
The bartender chuckled. "Wow, that's a crazy coincidence. We should hang out sometime," she muttered with a smile
"I believe we're hanging out right now," Richard said, a charming smile placed on his lips
"Hmm, I guess so," the bartender muttered in realisation. Realisation of the fact that no one had approached her ever since Richard arrived. "But why do I feel like you have something to do with it?" she asked, looking at Richard with suspicion and curiosity. She was already getting more interested in the mysterious amber-eyed man sitting in front of her.
Richard shrugged. "I don't know what you mean, mademoiselle. But I think, they think we'd be better off together. So they leave us be and don't approach you," he speculated with an innocent smile
"So much for being honest," the bartender rolled her eyes. "But seriously, do you flirt with every girl you meet?"
"No, just the ones worth flirting with. Normally, I'd only say a few words and smile at them. And after that, we'll spend some... Quality time together," he explained
The bartender was stunned, her mouth was wide open. But she quickly composed herself. "Wow, just like that? So you consider me as one of them?" she asked with a serious expression
Richard sipped some whiskey from the glass cup and smiled. "Well, I've spoken a lot of words and smiled like a billion times, so no. You're different, I like different," he muttered, flashing a genuine smile at the bartender.
This made her happy but she didn't show it. "Guess I am. There's absolutely no way I'm having you in my bed just after a few words and a bloody smile," she chuckled, her cheeks still flushed from Richard's words and apparently hers too.
It turns out she was still a bit innocent in some aspects, but I have to admit, she's hiding it quite well. But not well enough from the charming devil. Richard noticed this little shift in her demeanour, and he made sure to use it to his advantage. Maybe, just maybe he would get what he wanted afterall.
A mischievous smirk grew on his face and a wave of confidence washed over him. "It doesn't have to be your bed, or even mine. We can have fun anywhere," he whispered, his voice soothing and flirty.
But what happened next was unexpected, the bartender smiled and stared into his eyes. She then leaned in and kissed him on the lips, catching him completely off guard. Their lips parted after a while and Richard was stupefied and speechless, but she wasn't.
"Hmm, you're not a bad kisser. But that's all you're going to get... today," she muttered, making Richard even more surprised.
"Wasn't she innocent?" he thought "Wasn't I supposed to be the one with the upper hand?"
"I'm... Honoured," he voiced out, still tasting the flavour of her lips. It was strawberry.
The bartender burst into laughter. "Hahaha, you look so cute when you're shocked. I bet you didn't see that coming," she stated with a knowing look
Richard shook his head. "I did not," he said, with a slight chortle escaping his mouth.
"Good, next time you won't think I'm innocent," she replied.
Richard was stunned yet again, he stared at her with curiosity. "How did she know that I called her, Innocent?" he pondered, searching her face for answers he would never find. But her next words were even more shocking.
"So tell me, amber eyes. Why are you always angry?" the bartender asked, her jovial face replaced with a serious expression
Richard furrowed his brows. "Excuse me?" he asked in confusion. But some part of his mind knew what she was talking about, he just couldn't believe... Or rather didn't want to believe that she actually meant what he thought she meant.
"It's time we had the proper bar conversation between a bartender and a customer," she declared. "So tell me, why do you pretend to be happy? Sad?... Drunk?"
Richard sighed. He would normally get angry at anyone questioning him about things, especially about his emotions. Not even Naomi could ask about his way with emotions.
But the bartender was different, she was welcoming and Richard felt that he could tell her anything. Or maybe it was just the excitement he emulated from the people in the bar that prevented him from getting angry.
"I... Fine you caught me, I'm not drunk. But I really thought I hid it well by saying those things I said earlier," he muttered with a wry smile
"You can't fool me, amber eyes. I knew you were in the right state of mind when you were flirting with me. Why'd you think I pretended to be smitten?" she replied with a smug smile
"Wow, you're good. My elder sister would love you," Richard snickered and took another round of whiskey. He was trying to change the topic, hoping she would get interested in his sister or something else, and forget about the first question she asked. And it seemed to have worked
"Hm, told you I'm really good at knowing people's emotional state. It's like having a superpower, you know? Understanding people's emotions," she said with excitement
"You have no idea," Richard chuckled with a knowing look and ordered another round of liquor.
The bartender shook her head and poured Richard another bottle of scotch and passed it to him. "I'm still surprised at how much tolerance you have for alcohol, it's impressive," she muttered with a smile
"Merci beaucoup. I've had many years of practice. But if you think mine is impressive, wait till you meet my aunt. We call her, the vodka demon," Richard chuckled.