“Stay still now,” Lucky whispered. He aimed the water balloon and took the shot.

The pigeon resting near the window looked at him unimpressed and flew away.

“Damn...” That’s when Liam knew this day would not be in his favor.

It was April Fools, and everyone was avoiding Liam “Lucky” O’Malley like a plague. His phone had been silent since morning. No calls, no messages, not even the usual spam calls he enjoyed so much. Even his best friend and partner in crime, Patrick, was not responding to his calls today. Maybe adding a blue dye in his shampoo was not such a good idea after all.

His early morning attempt at weak humor of using a plastic spider had fallen miserably. She calmly picked the spider and delivered it straight to the dustbin. He tried to cheer himself with the thought that he had cured her spider phobia, but her cold stare broke that delusion. A squeaky pillow under his ireful landlord’s bum was no better. His landlord did not even bother to acknowledge the sound as he started the news channel. Liam decided to leave it at that, rather than face his anger by talking about it.

By late afternoon, all his enthusiasm had gone out like a deflated balloon. He needed a distraction, something to take away his mind from the awful day and failed ideas. With no better option, he decided to head out for a drink. So, he found himself at “The Rusty Mug,” a secluded dive bar down an alleyway. It was not his usual joint, but today he wanted to be away from known faces. He craved the anonymity of strangers and may be an unsuspecting patron to improve his day.

Liam slid onto a sticky bar stool. The bar was all country music stuff—old posters, cowboy hats, and dim lights. There was a little stage with a microphone, but nobody was singing. The place was mostly empty, just a few people talking quietly to themselves. It smelled like old beer and dust.

He felt like he was a protagonist in a sad song. The kind where everything goes wrong. He took a big sip of his cold beer. The amber color liquid did not improve his spirit though. Every sip felt like another sad note in his head. He did not want a reminder of how bad his day had been. His eyes started scanning for someone to talk to.

Then he spotted her. A dark-haired petite girl leaning over a glass of whiskey at the back of the bar. She was in a business suit, quite odd for a place like this. Her hunched shoulders and lifeless eyes suggested that she had entered here on the whim. She gave off an intense “leave me alone” vibe. Liam chuckled at the thought as he could visualize a force field around her that repelled everyone.

Liam was a prankster but a harmless one. Yes, he was looking for someone to play prank on, but what he hated most was sadness. He could never expect someone in his vicinity to be so down. He wanted to break through her isolation and chase away that sadness.

He finished his beer, and that brought a smile on his own face. Now he was ready. He slid off his stool and walked over to her. His mojo was off today, but that did not stop him, nor did he bother to plan the conversation in his head.

She looked like a spring coil, ready to snap at the first word. He could see the water droplets around her glass; she had not touched her whiskey for a while. While her eyes were trained at her glass, her gaze was unfocused, as if she were searching for answers to the questions no one asked.

“Hold on, kid.” A rough growl stopped his advance. It was a bartender, a tall, rough man with a shade of white hair.

Liam gave him his usual disarming smile. “She looks sad; maybe I can cheer her up?”

The bartender laughed. “April Fools, eh? You are one of those pranksters?”

Liam nodded. “Yes, but not today. Everyone is avoiding me like I am contagious or something.” He then looked at the woman, absorbed in looking at her drink. “Looks like she’s having a tough time too.”

“Yep. Been here for a while now.” The bartender replied with a head shake. “Just stumbled here with sad eyes. Love trouble, I think.”

Liam felt a recognition in his heart. People called him lucky, and while his luck worked in almost all his pranks, it did not work in his love life. He was a cheerleader. Girls dated him after their breakup to have a good time before moving on. He knew it and enjoyed his time with them, but it did not hurt any less when he started feeling something for them.

“Keep it down kid,” the bartender warned. “If she so much as points a finger at you, I will throw you out. You hear me?”

Liam nodded at him and walked towards her. He slid onto the stool beside her.

“Hey, mind if I join you?” He asked with a nice smile.

“Suit yourself,” she said bluntly without glancing up.

“So, what are you having? Looks pretty potent.” He continued with his usual cheerful energy.

She finally looked at him with her tired, dark eyes. “Even a blind man can tell it’s whiskey and it’s none of your business if it’s potent or not.”

“Of course,” he replied hastily. “I am just trying to break the ice. I am having a bad day myself; no one wants to talk to me today. You seem you could use a distraction yourself.”

She sighed in frustration. “Just leave me alone, will you?”

Liam was not deterred. He grinned at her with his first genuine smile of the day. “How about this? I will try one terrible joke, guaranteed to make you smile.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Fine. Get it over with.”

“Okay,” Liam leaned forward. “Why don’t scientists trust atoms?”

She just looked at him expectantly.

“Because they constitute everything!” He concluded with a smug smile.

She didn’t laugh, but a small smile played on her lips. “That’s terrible,” she said with some warmth.

“Terribly effective!” He had already achieved his goal to break her sad mood. “See? A little bit better already.”

“Okay, okay, you win. One point for a terribly effective, terrible joke.” She actually smiled this time.

“One point?” Liam replied in mock indignation. “Even Miss Hendricks would have given me five points for that, and it may be detention. So, are you new here? Never seen you in the class before.”

She laughed. “I am a sales consultant. On a business trip here.”

Liam nodded as if he understood, but his eyes wandered on her business suit and then around the country bar they were in. He had no clue, why a consultant would land here after her business meeting. “Oh, and how is that consulting thing going for you?”

She sighed again. “Business is fine. In fact, I finished early today, and thats how things got complicated.”

“Distant relationship?” Liam inquired with a thoughtful gaze.

She looked surprised. “Is it that obvious?” she asked in a falling voice.

“Not to me,” he confessed and looked at the bartender. “He clued me in before I threatened to throw me out if you did not like my presence.”

She nodded at the bartender with a smile. She then shook her head and sighed once again. “He moved to this city a few months ago. I wanted to surprise him.”

“And you were the one surprised?” He asked with a genuine care.

She took out her phone and flipped through some pictures to show him.

Liam glanced and saw a man and a woman in an intimate hug. They looked way too comfortable for it to be innocent.

“Oh,” Liam said quietly. “Is there any chance of misunderstanding somewhere?” He asked with hesitation.

“Misunderstanding?” She laughed bitterly. “He not only moved to this city, he moved in WITH HER.” She tried to control her anger but failed.

“I’m sorry,” Liam said. “That’s a crap thing to do.”

“Crappy,” she repeated with a sad little smile. “He was always flaky. I should have known when he was hesitant to commit. I should have known when I got a new dream job out of the blue in a different city.”

“Sometimes people can be jerks,” Liam chose his words carefully. “Now that you know, you can move on.”

She gave him an angry glare. “Move on? A piece of cake for you. You don’t even know him.”

“No, I don’t,” Liam agreed. “There is another way to look at it, though. He saved you a lot of pain in the long run. That’s something to smile about, or you can at least try anyway.”

He chuckled as he imagined a guy in the picture with Rooster’s feathers and a red comb on his head dancing in the sand. “So, tell me about this guy. Does he wear socks with sandals?”

She blinked and then chuckled. “Yes, he does wear socks and sandals. How do you know?”

He laughed. “I just imagined him dressed like Rooster and dancing around.”

She could not stop laughing at the image he had painted in her head.

As they continued talking, Liam could see her relaxing in his company. Ok, so maybe his mojo was still missing, and maybe his April Fools was flop, but he was happy to make her smile.

She finally finished her drink and looked at him with a flushed face. “I’m so sorry. I have been blabbering about my life on and on.”

He smiled. “Not at all. You were telling me about your life, and I was actually listening. That doesn’t happen too often with me.”

She chuckled and leaned in towards him. “And what’s your name, stranger?”

“Liam O’Malley. My friends call me Lucky.” He stuck out his hand towards her. “And you are?”

“Tori Sinclair.” She responded while shaking his hand.

“Tori,” Liam repeated while looking in her eyes. “It sounds strong, and it totally fits you.”

Tori blushed a little. “You’re not so bad yourself, Liam. So, what’s the story behind your nickname?”

Liam squirmed in his seat. “Well, it kind of hits close to home with your situation. I would rather not talk about it.”

Tori was about to push for the info when a chime rang through the bar.

The bartender walked towards the stage. He started the karaoke machine and plugged in the mic. “ “Alright folks, show time! Who wants to go first?” He yelled.

“Karaoke?” Tori raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Seriously? You’re sitting in a theme bar, and you didn’t even notice?” Liam grinned at the absurdity of her question. “I know there a song running through your head. Trust me on this. Sing it out, and you will feel good.”

“I don’t know,” Tori hesitated. She looked around the bar to see if anyone was getting up to sing on the stage.

Liam did not give anyone a chance. He grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the stage. He handed the mic to Tori. “What’s the worst that could happen? We embarrass ourselves? I’m already halfway there with my dance moves, and I could really use the company.”

Tori didn’t pull her hand away. “Okay, fine. You’re buying me another drink if I do this.”

“Deal!” Liam said enthusiastically.

Tori held the mic and squared her shoulders. She then closed her eyes to block out the crowd. The bar patrons were surprisingly supportive and cheered her on. She chose “Someone Like You” by Adele. Her voice started out a bit shaky at the start, but she soon found the tune.

“I heard that you’re settled down

That you found a girl and you’re married now

I heard that your dreams came true

Guess she gave you things I didn’t give to you.”

When she finished, the bar erupted in applause. There were one or two exceptions, but they were not interested in the songs anyway. Liam whistled loudly. “Wow, Tori, you can actually sing.”

Tori smiled, feeling her cheeks flush again. “Thanks. I guess I’ve kind of practiced that one a whole lot.”

Liam was still in an upbeat mood. “Oh, come on now. Don’t tell me you only practice sad songs. Try something different, Tori.”

She decided to change the pace with another song. “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor suited perfectly for her situation. This time her voice was strong. It was like she was singing to herself and totally meant every word.

“Do you think I’d crumble? Did you

think I’d lay down and die?

Oh no, not I; I will survive

Oh, as long as I know how to love,

I know I’ll stay alive

I’ve got all my life to live,

and I’ve got all my love to give.”

The place went nuts. The bartender gave her a thumbs-up for picking the classic.

Tori handed the mic to Liam. “It’s your turn now.”

Liam took it stride. “Alright, Tori Sinclair. Get ready to be amazed!”

He started with “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina & The Waves. He was an awful singer, but he made it work with his sheer energy and crazy dance moves. The crowd loved his performance.

“I used to think maybe you loved me now baby I’m sure

And I just can’t wait till the day when you knock on my door

Now every time I go for the mailbox, I have to hold myself down

‘Cause I just can’t wait till you write me you’re coming around.”

He did not give the audience a second to rest and switched to “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. His energy was infectious, and the bar became even louder. He jumped and danced around like his actions resonated more with song than his voice.

“Tonight I’m going to have myself a real good time

I feel Ah-lih-lih-live

And the world

I’ll turn it inside out, yeah

And floating around in ecstasy, so

Don’t stop me now

Don’t stop me

‘Cause I’m having a good time

Having a good time!”

Tori watched Liam, amused. His happy mood was catching, and she felt a bit better. The dark mood had left her. She realized that all it took was a stupid joke, a happy tune, and some craziness to forget her blues.

The karaoke went on for hours, with both impressive and outright awful singers. Between the songs, laughter, and drinks, Liam and Tori joined together in chorus more and more times. Even the bartender sang some classic country tunes.

The night flew by till late evening. Liam and Tori went out of the Tavern together. Liam had made her stop thinking about her problems for a while, and she was in a good mood.

“So,” Liam asked in a tipsy voice. “What now, Tori Sinclair?”

She placed a finger on her chin in a thoughtful gesture. “I think I should head back to my hotel.”

“Right, hotel. Which one is it?” Liam asked while trying to focus.

“Downtown,” she responded, searching for her phone. “The Grand Majestic.”

“Grand Majestic,” Liam repeated slowly, his eyes going wide. “Wow.”

“I told you. I am on a business trip,” she explained.

“Right, right,” Liam nodded enthusiastically. “It’s a nice place.”

They walked out into the chilly evening air. Liam called for a taxi, and they piled in. The ride was a blur of city lights and casual talking.

They got to the Grand Majestic. The doorman gave them a respectful nod as they passed through the huge doors. The lobby was fancy, but Tori complained the lights were too bright. Liam explained it was the marble floor, it was too white. The ceiling seemed really high, and they avoided looking at it.

Tori wanted to try stairs, but he pulled her to the elevator. She looked at him with squitish eyes. “You know. They have a really big room and I’m all alone.”

Liam chuckled as her words registered in his mind. “Alone, huh?”

She nodded. “Alone.”