Luck of the Irish

“This rounds on me.” I mumble to Mike, slapping him on the shoulder hard for the smart ass remark that just popped out of his mouth. His comeback is gone in the roar that is Molly’s Pub, not like it would have been a good one, anyways.

Putting myself between a blonde and redhead at one end of the bar, I give the bartender the universal sign for another round. Waiting for our drinks at the overcrowded bar, I breathe in the familiar scent of alcohol and greasy pub food. After some of the shittiest of days we’ve found ourselves at Molly’s for their beer and endless fish and chips, which is how I ended up here tonight.

I feel the blonde’s hand wrap around my forearm, turning to her I can see she’s in for some fun. To call what she has on clothes would be overkill, any man in this bar can see miles of tan sexy legs and endless long blonde hair. Unfortunately while I am staring at the blondes rack she tries to speak as well.

“…..s your nammme, hot …..tuf?” Good thing she has a hold of my arm or she would be on the floor by now.

Thank god for bartenders. While I’m checking my wtf expression, he appears just then with my drinks. Instead of giving him a tip of ‘be quicker next fucking time,’ I decide for his good timing to give him an actual tip. Slipping him the cash I give a nod to the blonde, untangling my arm from her hands, as I step away, “Maybe next time babe.”

“What about the blonde Barbie?” Mike screams at me as I deposit our drinks in the middle of the table. I cringe, remembering how drunk she is.

“No.” Shaking my head.

“Come on man….” He says not hiding his laughter, “It’s a hump and dump, not like you’re going to see her again.”

He’s really starting to piss me off. “She’s hammered, Mike.”

“So are you.”

I down my shot, grabbing my beer. “Not yet, but I’m in for a quick lay not someone to babysit while they can’t hold their alcohol.”

“Screw this, you’re going to end up alone with nothing but your hand to keep you company.” Mike says as he brings his shot glass up for a toast.

The death stare I aim at him turns our group into a pack of laughing hyenas.

“To John,” Mike announces, “… and that bitch Rachelle, who he wasted years with.”

I couldn’t help but join in on the toast, I did waste years on her. The burn of tequila feels right as I down my seventh shot of the night, or tenth.

Fuck it.

Shaking my head as the room does a small tilt, I scan the pub again. I am here for a purpose and it’s not to hang around these idiots until 2 a.m. I freeze, my beer in hand, tilting it towards the short brunette that just entered Molly’s.

“Her.”

With a fuckin’ laugh, Mike announces, “Fifty bucks man, she doesn’t look like the type.”

“She’s in my American literature class,” I say with a cocky smile, setting my beer on the table. “Make it a hundred.”

I keep my eye on the prize as I stand, “See you fuckers tomorrow.”

The brunette I set my conquest on has posted up at the tables across the pub with her group. “Make that two.” I tell the waitress taking her order.

She turns around facing me now, damn she’s small. Barely making it to my shoulder in those high as hell heels. I’m waiting for the protest girls usually give when a guy decides to buy them a drink, but she surprises the hell out of me.

With a sexy smile she announces, “Thanks. I’m Violet, but my friends call me Vee.”

Vee has to be the exact opposite of my ex. Rachelle. Must be why I’m so attracted to her. Where Rachelle was red hair and light skin, Vee’s hair is almost black and her skin a golden brown.

“John,” I say holding out my hand to shake hers. “We have American Lit together.”

“So Vee,” I say, moving closer to her, “what brings a good girl like you into a place like this.”

Her sudden outburst of laughter throws me off, “That’s your best line?”

“Yeah,” I say rubbing the back of my neck, “Not much into pickup lines, I’m more of a ‘to the point’ guy.”

“To the point,’ huh,” she says with a sly smile. “Good, me too.”

What the fuck. “Really now, so if I were to get to the point, what would you wish for me to tell you?”

She leans in then, enough that I could feel her body against my arm, heat radiating off of her. “That your place is around the corner, and we should leave now.”

I am all for grabbing her and running out the front door, because dammit my apartment is around the corner, and we should leave now. Suddenly our waitress decides to show up with our drinks.

Taking the drinks off of the tray I place one in front of Vee and the other in front of myself. Already the floor starting to tilt slightly from the numberless shots the guys had me down this evening, I eye the double tequila sitting in front of me wearingly. Screw it. Slipping some bills to the waitress I turn to Vee, grab my shot, and put it in the air for a toast.

“To us, and the fact that my apartment is only a block away,” I laugh at the shocked look on her face and down my shot. Getting her expression under control, she downs hers as well. I’m pretty impressed seeing as women usually complain about the burn, but she downs it like a pro.

I lean across the table, “Let’s get out of here.”

“Okay,” She nods to the group of people she walked in with, “Let me just tell my friends I’m leaving.”

“Meet you at the door.” I work my way back across the crowded pub, giving a smug smile to my friends as I walk past them. I hear a couple of ‘Way to go’ and ‘wrap it up’ comments being thrown my way, flipping them off I stand next to the door. I don’t have to wait long, Vee is already walking up to me through the crowd. Damn, I did get lucky tonight.

I open the door for her as she brushes by me…. Much more of that and we won’t make it to my apartment. I follow Vee out of Molly’s, my eyes glued to her ass and how her jeans fit like a second skin. Stepping into the cool fall air, my head clears a little but I can start to feel the ever numbness that drunkenness always brings on. My fingers are tingling and I haven’t been able to feel my legs for the last 30 minutes.

Not bothering with small talk, we make it to my apartment in record time, thankfully without incidence. Standing in the dull grey hallway of my apartments, I find the right key on my key ring, turning the lock I can feel Vee’s hand start its way up my arm as I’m unlocking my apartment door….

I’m on the couch. I look to the side making out the makeshift black bedsheets for curtains against the yellowing paint on the walls and the cheap bookcase I use for my flat screen. I’m in my apartment, but just a second ago I was unlocking the door. I sink back into reality as I realize Vee’s laying beneath me, warm and kissing her way down my neck…..

I sit up suddenly, alarmed by the knocking on the front door. Early morning light is just making its way around my makeshift curtains, I’m in my bedroom, naked.

I look around, something nagging at me, there’s something I’m supposed to remember, what the hell happened last night. I put both hands on the bed trying to ground myself, my left hand landing on something that makes a crinkling sound underneath my fingers.

I pick up a piece of paper and a hundred dollar bill falls out from on top of it.

“Shit!”

I can’t help but groan as I lay back with a thump onto my bed. In her perfect handwriting is a note Vee left me.

Dear John,

You should have upped the bet with your friend.

Vee.

P.S. Mike stopped by this morning, here’s the hundred he owes you.

P.P.S. Go to Hell.

With the knocking on the front door becoming more insistent, I grab a pair of jeans off my bedroom floor and slip them on, not even bothering to button them. Shielding my eyes against the harsh morning light I make my way to the front door, managing to unlatch the lock and rip it open at the same time.

“WHAT!?!”

I give in and rest my forehead on the door frame as I realize who is at my front door.

Completely defeated and hungover I mumble, “What are you doing here….Rachelle?”