Page 21 of What Happened Last Night

He added another shot, and again, he got a tip because there was no judgmental look. Maybe I had imagined the look the first time. Maybe it was because I knew I was acting like some middle-aged loser and that’s the reaction I was expecting.

The door to the bar opened and a group of girls came in. They were giggling and talking a little too loudly, and I grinned. These girls were more my scene. They clearly knew how to have a good time. They came up to the bar. One of them ordered four Manhattans.

“I’ll get those,” I told the bartender. “And another large one for me.”

I downed my current drink as the girl who had ordered the drinks smiled at me.

“Thank you,” she said.

“It would be a crime to see girls as beautiful as you four and not buy you a drink.” I smiled.

The girls nudged each other and giggled some more, and I felt myself starting to relax. The bartender brought the drinks over and I gave him my card. He ran it through and returned it to me. The girls had made their way over to a table by the time I got it back in my wallet, and I picked up my own drink and walked over to the table, taking slow, careful steps.

“Mind if I join you?” I asked.

One of the girls shrugged, and I took that to be a yes and sat down at the table with them. I was beside the girl who had ordered the drinks. I sat back and let their chatter go over my head as I studied the girls. The one near me was definitely the prettiest of them. She had long mousy blonde hair that could use a few highlights, but her face was pretty, and I found myself watching her as she spoke, her hands moving animatedly as she told some story to the others. They all burst into laughter as she finished, and I joined in, not wanting them to think I was ignoring them.

“So, is it a special occasion?” I asked the girl when there was a slight lull in the conversation.

She smiled. “It’s my birthday.”

She turned to look at me as she said it, and for a second, she held my gaze with her bright blue eyes. I smiled back at her.

“Happy birthday,” I said.

She was still smiling, still looking at me, and her hand reached up from the table. I thought she was reaching for my face to pull me in for a kiss, and I started to move in toward her. Too late, I saw she was only reaching up to brush a strand of loose hair from her cheek, but it was too late for me to stop moving in and I brushed my lips against hers.

She shrieked and jumped to her feet, pushing me off her. I went sprawling, falling from my chair. I hit the floor hard with a loud crash, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I gasped on the ground for a minute or two, and by the time I got my breath back and got back to my feet, the bartender had joined the girls, all of whom were speaking to him at once.

“Look, man,” the bartender said to me. “You’re going to have to leave, all right?”

“Me leave?” I said, shocked. I pointed at the girl. “She’s the one who assaulted me.”

“You tried to kiss me, you dirty old bastard,” she snapped.

I took a step toward her.

“What did you say to me?” I demanded.

She took a step back, a look of fear flitting across her face. Yeah, she wanted to be damned scared after she had led me on and was now acting like she was somehow the wronged party here.

The bartender stepped forward, putting himself between me and the girl.

“Look, man, I really don’t want any trouble,” he said. “But I have to insist that you leave.”

I debated arguing with him, but what would be the point? He wasn’t going to serve me any more drinks, and these girls were clearly too up themselves to really have a good time with.

“Fine,” I said. “I’ll go. But I’m finishing my drink first.”

He looked relieved and nodded his head. He picked up my glass and handed it to me.

“Cheers, ladies,” I said sarcastically, raising the glass in their direction.

I downed the drink and slammed the glass down on the table. I staggered toward the door and left the bar. The sun momentarily dazzled me. I staggered forward. There were plenty of other bars along here. I would just find one that was a little more welcoming, where the customers where a little bit more friendly.

I heard a car horn beeping and screeching tires. I looked up to see what was happening, squinting into the sun. Too late to do anything but freeze on the spot, I saw a car coming straight at me. I had somehow managed to stumble out into the road, directly into the path of the oncoming traffic.

I felt the car slamming into me. I felt my feet leave the ground and my body fly through the air. I pinwheeled my arms, desperately seeking purchase, but none came. My whole body was a screaming nerve ending, pain lighting me up. I fell back to the ground and everything went black.

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