001 [warning: sexytimes]

[seeagreatergood]

Happy Hour at Allen's is, as usual, loud with competing voices and scents, all of which are less important to Auggie than Annie and Jai's laughter and the second beer in front of him.

Well. Almost all. Occasionally Auggie cocks his head at the sound of heels or the floral scent of shampoo and listens to Jai and Annie's reactions. Jai has one chuckle for redheads and another for brunettes, while Annie has a groan for blondes that Auggie is told is rather hypocritical of her.

"Did the last three girls all have tequila, or was it just one carrying enough shots for her whole party?" he wonders.

"The last four," Jai corrects, audibly smirking. "Your nose must be getting tired."

"I don't get it. Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow -- you'd think people could hold off on the faux-Mexican debauchery until Saturday."

He hears Annie sit bolt upright.

"Oh crap, it's Friday, I have a thing with my--"

"Sister," Auggie and Jai chorus with her. Auggie grins, in spite of the dirty look he's sure she's giving him, and adds, "Jai, you owe me ten bucks."

Jai sighs and digs in his pockets. "Which ought to just about cover your cab ride." He slaps the money onto the table at Auggie's ten o'clock. "Annie, I'll walk you to your car, I'm headed that way."

"Now there's a Pyrrhic victory," Auggie says, with a sigh of his own. "Annie, did he really give me a ten?"

"Yes!" Annie says, laughing, and squeezes his shoulder as she stands. "You're so paranoid."

"I'm wounded that you don't trust me," Jai agrees, also standing.

"You'll heal, I'm sure. Have a good weekend, you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Same to you, Auggie," Jai says, with an eyeroll crystal-clear in his voice.

"That'll be a boring weekend, then," Auggie calls after Jai's cologne and Annie's heels, then turns back to his beer. Now where is he going to find a ride with all these tequila-soaked early birds?

Comments

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

Perhaps with the woman who just walked past him and sat down at the next table over. The drink she's carrying is a cup of strong tea without milk. She walks with confidence, in low-heeled shoes that say comfort over fashion, and her hair smells subtly of strawberries and cream.

[seeagreatergood]

. . . Auggie's eyebrows go up. That does smell like a designated driver to him.

He sips his beer, with his head cocked in her direction, to see if she's waiting for anyone.

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

She settles into her seat, sips her tea, puts it down, and gets a notebook and pen out of her shoulder bag. Writing ensues.

If she's waiting for anyone, then, she expects them to be a while.

[seeagreatergood]

Interesting.

After listening to the scratch of pen on paper long enough to be sure that that's what he's hearing, he leans back in his chair, turns a little towards her, and pitches his voice to carry.

"You know, most people wouldn't consider a tavern at happy hour very conducive to writing."

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"Most people aren't me," she says cheerfully, without looking up from her work. "I can do math anywhere I can sit down."

[seeagreatergood]

". . . Okay, but why would you come to a tavern at happy hour to do math?"

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"Because this tavern serves decent Earl Grey."

Now she looks up.

"And I like watching the crowd. It gives me something to do with my brain between equations."

[seeagreatergood]

"I didn't even know they served tea here." He grins. "I have to admit, the crowd here can't be beat."

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"I don't know," she says thoughtfully. "I've seen some pretty good crowds in my time. As DC bars go, though, it's up there. I am impressed."

[seeagreatergood]

"I'm hoping you'll forgive me for the cliche that's about to come out of my mouth, so -- you come here often?"

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"All of twice. The first time was when I found out about the tea."

[seeagreatergood]

"You're going to be a regular," he says, decisively. "I've got a sense for these kinds of things."

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"I think I know that sense," she muses. "Some call it 'wishful thinking'."

[seeagreatergood]

He puts a hand to his heart.

"Are you accusing my ESP of being insincere?"

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"Insincere, nonexistent..."

[seeagreatergood]

"Ouch."

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

She laughs.

"There, there. I'd offer to kiss it better, but I don't know where you keep your ego."

[seeagreatergood]

Auggie cracks up.

"Well, big as my ego may be, you probably ought to come over here or you'll really have to stretch to reach it." He pushes out the empty chair across from him with his foot.

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"Well, since you asked so nicely. Yes, adorable stranger, I will join you at your table. Just a sec."

She tucks the pen into the binding of the notebook, picks up that and the tea, and transfers both to Auggie's table.

"So how many friends were you drinking with before they abandoned you? The empties say at least one."

[seeagreatergood]

"Two. What, they left their empties?" he says in surprise. "I must look like a real slob inviting you over to this mess. Sorry."

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"Your friends are the ones who look like slobs. It's okay, there's room for a cup of tea and a notebook. That's all I ask."

[seeagreatergood]

"Ah, you're too generous." He offers a hand across the table, miraculously avoiding knocking over any bottles. "I'm Auggie."

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

"Elizabeth," she says, shaking his hand. "Pick a nickname."

[seeagreatergood]

His eyebrows go up. "Why?"

[prima-sequentem.livejournal.com]

She laughs again as she lets go.

"Good answer. You're a liar, by the way; you knew where every bottle on this table was."