Chapter 34

Inside the License to Liquor, the front half of the long building was dedicated to an oval bar down the centre of the room lit by a cascade of fluorescent neon lights. The stools around the bar and the standing tables packed against the wall were all beaten to crap and mismatching, clearly scavenged or salvaged from other bars that had failed in the city over time. The walls were plastered with posters from video games and old movies from the 80s and 90s. The bar itself was already busy, and you and Gemma had to release your arms to get between a couple of groups of people.

Usually, you would have some sort of nerves about doing it, but tonight? After the two days you’d had? You took Gemma’s hand confidently to lead her through, and when you broke through the other side she was just smiling that broad grin of hers and didn’t pull her hand away. You both sidled up to the bar, facing each other.

“What would you like to drink?” you asked. The office interns hadn’t actually gone out to drink together - something you realized someone probably should have organized in the last month, especially since it might have sped up the process of finding out Gemma had a little thing for you. Now, there wasn’t much of you that was interested in grabbing a drink with Eric and Andy.

“I’ll start with a Bramble,” she said. “Then it’s probably best I move on to beer. I can get a little messy on too many mixed drinks.”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing Messy Gemma,” you laughed. “But we do have work tomorrow, so it sounds like a plan.”

You signalled to the closest bartender, who completely ignored you. There were only three of them working behind the bar, each wearing black shirts with the old Golden Eye 007 death screen on the front and ‘License To Liquor’ in bold on the backs. You knew the guy you waved down saw you, but he turned to some other customer down the bar, chatting and talking with them.

“Wow, guess they prefer their regulars,” you laughed, waving it off.

“Oh, I’ve got this,” Gemma said, then put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. It wasn’t super loud, but it cut through the noise and classic video game music the bar was playing over the speakers. Another bartender, this one a woman with a fairly large septum nose ring and tattoos along both arms and up the sides of her neck, looked over and Gemma waved her over.

“Damn. So you’re a bartender whisperer and Sabrina is a secretary whisperer. I’ve been missing out on learning some new skills,” you laughed.

Gemma rolled her eyes with a smile. “It’s not a big secret. Girls get served first at bars since they’re more likely to get mad and make a scene about it.”

The bartender came over and you leaned toward her so you didn’t need to shout. “Two Brambles to start.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Never heard of it.”

Gemma was ready and put her phone on the bartop, a recipe already pulled up. “Crushed ice, dry gin, lemon juice and syrup, then blackberry liquor. We’ll take raspberry if you don’t have it.”

The woman scanned the less-than-common cocktail recipe, nodding along, then set to work.

“I’m surprised you wanted to try it,” Gemma said, settling onto one of the bar stools. “All my guy friends back home think it’s kind of a girly drink. That doesn’t stop them from drinking since it’s fucking delicious, but not on a first date.”

You shrugged. “Why would I care if you thought I drank girly drinks? If you like it, I have to assume it’s tasty.”

The bartender came back over with the two drinks. “Twenty,” she shouted over the noise.

Fuck me, you thought. There was no way that was a $10 drink. Still, you fished a twenty and a five out of your wallet and passed it to her.

Gemma had already picked up her drink and was smelling it, but you saw her watching you pay, and she had a little smile of satisfaction on her face. You picked up your drink as well and held it up to her. “To a fun night of getting to know each other,” you said. “And me beating your ass at skeeball.”