Chapter Text
The thing about living a boring life, as much as it is preferred, is that it can get pretty lonely.
Sure, she has her handful of friends, she has her bar, she has the many, many people that provide friendly company while she’s at work; but the company of a warm body in her bed is what she – more often than she would necessarily like – craves the most.
There's no shortage of women who give her attention. In the bar, on the street, in the fucking supermarket, and most recently, online.
“You need to put yourself out there! Settle down. Get wife’d up.” Owen tells her over a shared bottle of wine.
Fuck it, what’s the harm? So, she signs up to a dating site, fills in a bio, chooses a picture of herself that was taken in the bar; full body shot, pulling a pint, dressed as Lara Croft.
Course, she has no interest in getting “wife’d up", but a new dating pool couldn’t hurt.
It’s been a few days and she hasn’t struck up a conversation with a single person - Owen tells her it’s because she is being too picky and that she just needs to loosen up. But honestly, some of these women just seem a little too thirsty, and some of them do not hold back with their first messages, putting her off right away.
“See, this is just... why does she want to call me daddy?” She turns her phone, shows Owen the screen.
Owen laughs, “Okay, I’m with you there. Gimme,” He gestures for her to give him the phone.
“M'kay, but don’t set me up on a date with a freak,” She hands him the phone cautiously.
Owen sits with the phone for at least 15 minutes, scrolling and smirking whilst Jamie sips her beer and flicks through the music channels on Owens’s telly.
“Right, here. She’s cute, no red flags on her profile. Apart from the cat, but you can get over that.” He hands the phone back.
Tara. Okay, she is cute. Long brown hair, at least one arm fully tattooed, big green eyes. Jamie nods, “I could definitely get over the cat. What should I say?”
“You're asking me? The woman who goes home every weekend with a new girl is asking me?”
“Right. It’s not every weekend. But I’ve never done this before and it was your stupid idea so, yes. I’m asking you.” She sighs, looking through the pictures that Tara has uploaded – nice, innocent, just enough to pique Jamie’s interest.
“I dunno, say hi.”
“Lame.”
But she does it anyway. She types out a quick, ‘hey, how’s it going?’ and puts her phone down.
A few minutes pass by and she feels her phone vibrate. She picks it up to find a reply to her message, ‘hi, i love the pic, nice outfit.’
To be fair to Tara, it was a good choice last Halloween. The dark vest, the short shorts, the guns strapped to each thigh. It turned out to be a very nice night indeed.
‘you work in a bar?’ Tara sends straight after.
‘i own a bar, yeah.’
‘wicked. it's nice to meet you.’
‘cute cat.’ Jamie types, even if it is a massive lie.
“Right, I’m gonna go.” Jamie says, stands up and stretches, “see ya tomorrow?”
Owen nods, “Yeah sure, I’ll come by the bar tomorrow night.”
Jamie nods, grabs her keys and leaves. She lives over the road in a flat above her bar. Off shift tonight, she walks through the main entrance. It’s a busier than usual Wednesday night and each person she walks past says hello, raises a glass, taps her on the shoulder. She doesn’t mind it, though - there’s a lot of people that know her, a lot of people who she can call on at any time if needed. She walks behind the bar, grabs a bottle of Jack from the shelf, nods to Rebecca who is tending bar and heads upstairs.
It being the only nightclub in town, she has found herself with some kind of small-town celebrity status. She hates it, but the custom is great.
It would be easy enough to stick around downstairs and find someone to take home, to find someone to have a few hours of meaninglessness with, but, regardless of what Owen thinks, she's over the one-night stands and is giving this online shite a try.
She changes into sweats, sticks some music on, pours herself a large glass of whisky and carries it and the bottle to her sofa.
Tara, it turns out, is bloody lovely. A veterinary assistant, a bookworm, full of interesting stories and a quick-witted sense of humour. It could be the half bottle of whisky that’s already been drank or it could be the mystery of speaking to a nice girl online; but Jamie is horny. There’s no point in denying it.
So, she pushes her luck, only to find that Tara is happy to return the flirtatious comments. In fact, it’s Tara who suggests swapping phone numbers. It’s Tara who asks for a detailed description of what Jamie is wearing. It’s Tara who asks for a picture of the black cotton that’s been described to her.
Jamie inputs the number and saves it with just a T. She takes a picture; one leg bent at the knee, her free hand resting high upon it, her black CK underwear, a shine of light reflecting from the ring on her thumb. It’s a great picture, actually, and she’s proud of it. She hits send on WhatsApp, downs another glass of whisky, and waits.
When a reply doesn’t come through straight away like the rest of them have, she frowns and looks at the chat. The blue ticks show it’s been opened, the online at the top of the screen proves Tara is there.
Then she’s typing... and then not... and then typing again.
‘i think you may have sent this to the wrong person.'
Jamie holds her breath as she re reads the message. She taps the picture in the top corner which fills her screen with two people. One dark, curly haired man with big glasses and a goofy smile. The other, a gorgeous blonde with dazzling blue eyes and a huge, sweet smile that crinkles her nose a little. It's obvious they’re together by the way he is holding onto her. Possessive, Jamie thinks. And also, please don’t be the dude.
‘this isn’t tara?’ She sends, obviously knowing the answer straight away.
‘i’m afraid not, maybe you typed the number in wrong.’
‘that depends, you the bloke or the gorgeous woman in that photo?’
It’s risky, she knows. But she is drunk and the devil on her shoulder is out to play tonight.
‘i'm dani, and thank you. but i’m definitely not who you meant to send that picture to.'
‘that also depends... did you like it?’
There’s nothing, no reply - despite the message having been read - for 10 minutes. As she closes off WhatsApp to go and check the number that Tara gave her, a message comes through.
‘i’m not... i don’t know you.’
‘not really an answer, dani...’
‘lol i don’t even know your name.’
‘jamie. it's good to meet you.’
‘well, jamie, may i commend your choice in underwear.’
Jamie laughs. She'll go back to Tara, probably, check the number and type it in right, send her the picture and see where that takes her. But right now, she is staring at this blonde stranger’s picture. She could just apologise and say goodbye, but Dani seems to want to play along.
‘ah so you do like the picture then?’
‘don’t put words in my mouth.’
‘oh.. so you don’t?’
‘i.. don’t know you.’
‘what do you wanna know?’
‘where do you live?’
‘oof, dani, moving a bit quick don’t ya think?’
‘you literally sent me a picture of your crotch, asking where you live is moving quick?’
‘suppose you have a point there. i live just outside london, you?’
‘same.''
‘so tell me about yourself. why are you up so late?’
It is 1am and Jamie is, to be frank, very drunk. She knew where the conversation was going with Tara, could probably guess what they would be talking about right now. But Dani – she seems interesting.
‘i couldn’t sleep. still getting used to uk time.’
‘oh? where are you from?’
‘usa.’
‘and what do you do, dani?’
‘i’m a teacher. you?'
‘so you’re gorgeous and smart. i must have done something great in a past life to stumble upon your number. i own a bar.'
‘you’re a charmer, aren’t you jamie?’
‘you should meet me in person.’
‘is that an invitation?’
‘most definitely.’
‘lol, i don’t even know what you look like.’
Jamie’s WhatsApp picture is actually just a view of a garden; grass, statues, flowers, the sky and the sun. So far, all Dani has seen of her is a revealing photo. Which makes it even more surprising to Jamie that Dani is still choosing to engage.
She could send a picture of herself that she already has saved in her phone, but this seems more fun. She takes a picture of herself; brown curls pushed back with her hand on one side, a crooked smile, the loose vest she is wearing sits a little off centre, showing just a hint of black bra. She sends it and waits.
‘you have nice eyes.’
‘thanks. care to return the favour?’
‘are you asking for a selfie or to see my underwear?’
‘well, it would only be fair...’
‘what if i'm not wearing any?’
Jamie damn near spits her drink out, she sits forward and laughs at the sudden change in tone from Dani. She swallows, thumbs hovering over the keyboard, but then a picture comes through.
Dani's face; closed mouth smile, stunning blue eyes, blonde hair wavy down her chest and a baggy white t-shirt. She really is beautiful.
‘joking, i am wearing underwear. and since i technically didn’t ask for you to send me nudes, i don’t think you’re owed one from me.’
‘that’s a valid point. you took that picture just now, did you?’
‘yeah.’
‘wow..’
‘so, you own a bar? anywhere i would know?’
‘depends how often you come to bly.’
‘oh.. i actually don’t live far from there, but never been.’
‘you should. maybe i’ll buy you a drink. let you into the v.i.p area.’
‘you have a v.i.p area?’
‘yes, my flat.'
Jamie sends a wink emoji along with that last message. Unsure how Dani will react, she holds her breath and hopes for the best. She could say yes, they could arrange to meet at the weekend, they could spend the weekend drinking and dancing and fucking.
But.
Judging from her WhatsApp picture, Dani has a boyfriend. A lanky looking thing with hands that look like they are nowhere near gentle enough for what Dani deserves. Still, there are such things as miracles. Maybe.
And the fact that Dani is probably taken. That Dani is straight. Well that only makes Jamie want her more.
‘maybe i will find my way to your bar sometime, but i'm afraid i'm no v.i.p.'
‘not sure you get to decide that for yourself.’
‘do you often sweet talk girls into your apartment?’
‘on the odd occasion, gotta be pretty special though.’
‘ahh, so i should be flattered?’
‘i’m gonna say yes, but come over and find out for yourself.’
‘would you judge me if i said i'm actually tempted?’
‘why would i judge you?’
‘because i… have never been with a woman before...’
‘well, what makes you tempted?’
‘you... your pictures... the thought of spending a night with you.’
‘i am more than willing to be your experiment, dani.’
‘seriously?’
‘very seriously... why don’t you think about it, let me know.’
Jamie has slept with straight women in the past. Women who are just very interested to find out what it’s like. Women who find themselves drawn to her quick wit, confidence, and charm.
‘i'm not sure what to say.’
‘look... if you decide you want to, come by the bar this weekend. if not, no hard feelings, we can be friends.’
‘okay.’
‘goodnight, dani.’
Jamie decides to sleep. Puts the bottle of Jack to one side and turns over on the sofa. The night certainly didn’t turn out how she was expecting, but it's not been bad by any account. Something about Dani sticks in her mind, all through the night and all through the day on Thursday.
The bar is her entire life; loud, busy, plenty of people, and filled to the brim with alcohol. She works every day. During the day when it’s closed, she restocks, cleans, re-arranges furniture, tends to the plants and flowers in the garden, organises DJ's and themed events, books bands for live music nights twice a month. She gets stuck in – it’s her life.
Thursday nights are singles nights. Almost every week the bar is packed. Almost every week it is filled with men and women, dancing, grinding, drinking, kissing. The club is inclusive of all walks of people and although the original idea was “gay club", the town just isn’t big enough to be exclusive.
So here she is, lining up a row of 6 jagerbombs for a cocky student who is explaining to his friend how he will definitely be taking some girl home tonight. And there’s something in the way he speaks, the way the words drip from his mouth in a predatory way that instantly puts Jamie on edge. She listens secretly, takes the twenty-pound note from his hand and rings the order up.
The guy and his friend disappear without so much as a thank you and Jamie watches them. Watches them drink, watches the women they’re with drink. The girls come to the bar, order themselves white wine spritzers. The conversation Jamie hears between them is very different to the men they’re with. They’re nice, polite, maybe a bit innocent, not at all interested in being taken home for a one-night stand.
They leave with their drinks and it’s only ten minutes later when Jamie looks over that she sees one guy being slapped across the face. Hard. The two women leave the bar immediately. Jamie has no idea what happened, but a slap is the least he deserves. A good lesson. It's not long after that they leave too. If they had tails, they’d definitely be tucked between their legs right now.
Owen shows up and takes a seat at the end of the bar like usual.
“Beer!” He shouts with a thump on the bar with his fist.
“Alright, caveman.” Jamie laughs, pours a beer for her friend and places it on the bar in front of him. “First rounds on me.”
Owen stares at Jamie, wraps his fingers around the glass, “Why? What have you done?” He narrows his eyes and then within a second, he gasps, “that girl from the app, you pulled didn’t you?”
“No. Fuck off. I...” Jamie groans, how does she go about explaining the events of last night?
“You... what?”
“She gave me her number and I typed it in wrong. May have sent a picture to a complete stranger who definitely wasn’t expecting it.”
Owen laughs out his beer, wipes his chin with his hand and shakes his head. “You sent... what kind of picture?”
“You don’t wanna know, mate.”
“You sent a nude to a stranger?”
“Kinda. But she’s nice.”
“Wait,” Owen adjusts on his seat, leans forward, “you sent a nude picture to a stranger, and she is into you? Why do you have like, the best luck in the world?”
Jamie smirks and shakes her head, she spins the bar blade around her finger and sighs, “Ehh, not quite.”
Owen frowns and raises his eyebrows.
“Okay... okay... she’s straight, I think. Has a boyfriend, probably, but she’s nice.”
“Yeah, you said that.” Owen scoffs, drinks some of his beer, “just be careful, Jamie. You don’t wanna get mixed up with someone who has a boyfriend. I mean, what if he’s like, a big, huge rugby player kinda guy.”
Jamie laughs, spots someone waiting to be served and goes to walk away. She turns back to Owen first, “Don’t worry, he’s not.” She winks and walks to the other end of the bar. She’s assuming the guy in Dani's picture is her boyfriend, but it could be anyone, really.
The rest of the night is busy and it’s midnight before Jamie knows it. Her biggest downfall whilst working behind the bar, is refusing a drink from a customer who offers, so she often finds herself a little tipsy by the end of the night.
Whilst she's getting some fresh air and smoking, she feels her phone vibrate in her pocket. She takes a drag of her cigarette and looks down at her phone. It's Dani. At gone midnight. And for some reason, just a text from this woman makes Jamie smile like an idiot.
‘hey... wanted to... say hey.’
‘can’t stop thinking about me either huh?’
‘that implies you’ve also been thinking about me.’
‘you interest me, dani. so, will i be seeing you this weekend?’
‘not sure yet. but say for arguments sake i were to show my face, what would we be doing?’
‘depends what you want to do... drink? talk? dance?’
‘sounds great.. i am in need of all those things.’
‘tough week?’
‘could say that.’
‘well, i’m here if you wanna talk. like i said, no pressure, i'm more than happy just to be your friend.’
Jamie absolutely never offers to “lend an ear" to someone, apart from Owen. And she’s not sure why she's said it now to Dani. To someone she met accidentally. To someone she doesn’t know. She isn’t even sure why she has offered to be her friend. All she knows is that she likes Dani.
‘what’s your bar called?’
‘the leafling'
‘okay... will you be working if i show up?’
‘i would make time for you.’
The texts continue, all the way up until 3am. Dani talks about her job, her life in America, her family life. Jamie tells her about the bar, the garden, Owen. She sends Dani a picture of the view from the roof whilst she is smoking a cigarette. It's... friendly. Nice. Dani is lovely and funny and they say goodnight with no firm plans.
Fridays are Jamie’s favourite. The customers are always in a great mood, they travel from outside of town just for a night at The Leafling. Most people have worked all week and want to blow off steam and it suits Jamie because she brings in more money on a Friday night than Monday through Wednesday combined. There are extra staff, security on the doors and a DJ in the booth.
Her phone is silent. It’s 9pm and she should be behind the bar, or on the dance floor, but instead she is standing outside the front of the club, leaning against the wall, smoking and staring at her phone.
She won’t text Dani first. She very rarely texts anyone first. But it doesn’t stop her wishing for a message to come through. It also doesn’t stop her noticing and staring at the changed WhatsApp picture of Dani’s – a full body shot on a beach, a summer dress with a slit up the entire side of one leg.
She looks up, scans the queue of people, and decides to head back inside. She puts the thought of Dani to the back of her mind and instead finds her place behind the bar with a crooked smile and a beer.
It's 11pm when she feels her phone vibrate, sitting on the deck in the smoking area with a beer, she pulls her phone out.
‘i was going to come tonight but got held up...’
‘no worries. there are other nights.’
‘how’s your night going?’
‘would be better if there was a pretty american to keep me company.’
‘don’t, i really wish i could be there.’
‘so why can’t you?’
‘how do i explain to my ex-boyfriend who i still live with that i'm going to meet a woman who sent me a picture by accident one night, who i happen to be insanely attracted to?’
Jamie reads and re reads the message. Ex boyfriend. Ex. She decides not to fixate on that too much for now.
‘insanely attracted to, huh?'
‘yes.’
‘dani?’
‘yeah?’
‘are you gay?’
‘that’s… i mean, the short answer is yes.’
Jamie bites the inside of her lip, feeling a little embarrassed for judging Dani in the beginning. But at the same time, she feels her heart beat a little faster, imagines what this thing with Dani could turn in to. For the first time, she feels excited at the prospect of having a real connection with a woman instead of meaningless interactions with people that she promptly forgets about by the day after.
‘and the long answer?’
‘i’ve only just come out. eddie knows. it’s a sore subject at the moment.’
‘your ex can’t make decisions for you. besides... you would be missing out.’
‘you sound sure of yourself.’
‘only one way to find out.’
‘send me a picture.’
‘what of?’
‘whatever you want. i'll match it.’
Jamie scoffs, bites her bottom lip. She’s outside at the moment with people around, so she stands, walks through the bar and into the toilets. She locks herself into a cubicle, lifts her top over her head and let’s it hang from one arm.
She holds the phone up, tucks her thumb into the waistband of her jeans by her hip and pulls down just a little bit. The picture shows her mouth, chest, her black bra, stomach and a slither of underwear beneath jeans.
She sends it, watches the ticks turn blue and smirks. She puts her t-shirt back on and leaves the bathroom. The bar is busy, so she jumps in to help out and tries her best to ignore the 3 times her phone has vibrated in her pocket.
20 minutes later she finally manages to get away, hiding out in the cold cellar, sat on a beer keg. She pulls her phone out.
‘yeah... definitely... definitely want to.’
‘said i’d return the favour.’
And there’s a picture. Dani lay down, a hand holding up her t-shirt, a light pink bra holding perfect breasts, smooth, pale skin from chest to stomach, one leg crossed over the other and matching light pink panties.
She’s suddenly glad she is in a cold cellar, but in desperate need of some water.
‘holy fuck, dani... you are beautiful. remind me again why you decided not to come tonight.’
‘definitely the worst decision i’ve made lately.’
‘so... the ex. tell me about that.’
‘well, i guess part of me always knew i was gay. but i’ve known eddie forever and he’s loved me the whole time. i just ignored that it didn’t feel natural to me. until recently when i just couldn’t feel trapped anymore. and i couldn’t put him through that, it’s not fair.’
‘and now you’re looking to get back out there?’
‘well, i wasn’t... until your picture came through and i found myself imagining what it would be like to touch you.’
‘christ. well i'm here for you. available for your touching needs anytime.’
‘good to know.’
As much as she would love to, Jamie can’t spend the whole night hiding out like a teenager texting a crush, so she goes to work. She tends bar and cleans tables, chats to regulars, and turns down advances from two very drunk women.
It's only when she is settled in her bed at 2am that she checks her phone again. Dani hasn’t texted since her last one but has been online recently.
‘sorry, had to work.’
‘all done now?’
‘yeah, finally in bed.’
‘me too.’
‘...what you wearing?’
‘lol, really?’
‘nah. I have a decent imagination.’
‘so tell me about yourself... what do you like?’
‘ehh, not much to tell to be honest.’
‘i don’t believe you. do you often send women nudes?’
‘that was actually the first time i've done that. don’t usually need to.’
‘you’re used to people just throwing themselves at you?’
‘well.. kinda. i mean, i managed to send a picture to you accidentally and now look at you...’
‘hah, okay fair enough... does it bother you that i’ve never been with a woman before? only one person.’
‘absolutely not, no shame in it, means i have plenty to teach you. just the ex?’
‘yeah... and it was... okay.’
‘oh wow, that good huh?’
‘ha, no, not at all. time for me to do what makes me happy now.’
‘good for you. look, i'm gonna give your name to the doorman tomorrow night, if you wanna come out, they’ll let you in. let your hair down, dani. promise you won’t regret it. bring a friend if you want.’
‘thanks, i'll think about it. night, jamie.’
There’s something about Dani. The sweetness and the innocence that makes Jamie feel soft somehow. Usually, she doesn’t let a girl get in her head. But then usually, she doesn’t meet a girl this way. Maybe it means something, maybe it doesn’t.
Saturday’s are always a long day. The bar opens at lunch time, has happy hour at four. Owen comes in every Saturday and more often than not ends up helping out.
“So there’s no boyfriend?” Owen asks whilst unloading a box of Budweiser into a fridge.
“Nope.”
“And you put her name on the door?”
“Yeah.”
“I feel cheated on,” He laughs, “you know, in the 6 years I’ve known you, never have you left someone’s name other than mine at the door. Are you finally growing up?”
Jamie scoffs. It is highly out of character - letting someone in without payment on a Saturday is practically unheard of in Jamie’s bar.
“She probably won’t even show up, don’t get too excited.” But she hopes, God, does she hope.
The night goes on. 9pm, busy, hot, loud. Rebecca and Tom seem to have things under control at the bar. Owen is stood slightly swaying, talking to a woman beside the DJ booth. Jamie looks up from pouring a vodka and coke and that’s when someone catches her eye. Standing, leaning against the bar a few metres away. Dani.
It's her smile that she notices first, it lights up the whole damn room. Then her eyes, although far away, they are piercing. She’s standing with someone; a woman with a shaved head, laughing. Jamie looks back to her customer, hands over the drink and takes payment, before walking to the other end of the bar.
“I’ve got this one,” Jamie says to Rebecca, who is just about to ask Dani and her friend what they want.
She turns to Dani, who is looking back at her. She leans with both hands on the bar and flashes her most charming, crooked smile. “Hey.”
“Hi.” Dani says back with a shy smile.
“You came.”
Dani nods, tucks a fallen strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
Strangely, Jamie forgets where she is, completely lost in the eyes of this perfect stranger. It’s only when Dani's friend clears her throat that it snaps both Jamie and Dani back into the room.
“Sorry, I’m Jamie.” She holds her hand out to the woman, who raises her eyebrows. Surprised, maybe.
“Oh, hi. Hannah.” She takes Jamie’s hand and shakes.
“What can I get you?” Jamie asks, looking between Dani and Hannah.
“A beer for me and a G&T for Hannah.”
Jamie nods, turns on her heel and bends down to get a beer from the fridge. She flicks the lid off with her bar blade and tucks it away into the back pocket of her jeans. She places the beer on the bar in front of Dani, smiles at her, and goes about making Hannah’s drink. She takes a deep breath as she watches the optic filled with Gordon’s empty into the glass. Bites the inside of her cheek to stop her from smiling so wide as she pours the small glass bottle of Tonic into the gin. Composes herself before she turns around to face Dani again. Because, fuck, the pictures she’s seen do not do this woman justice. She’s stunning.
“These are on the house,” Jamie says. She looks around for a second, spots Owen looking over and turns back to Dani, “come with me.” She nods in the direction of the end of the bar.
Owen gets there before they do, standing with his pint mostly empty and a grin on his face. Jamie steps out from behind the bar, immediately greets Dani with a hand on the small of her back and a light kiss on the cheek.
“I’m so glad you came.” She whispers into her ear.
Dani presses her body gently into Jamie’s, turns her face just a little and whispers back, “I am too.”
Jamie steps aside, watches as Owen introduces himself to Hannah. Watches his eyes widen at the touch of her hand and the way he nervously shuffles back after. Jamie laughs under her breath and leans back into Dani.
“I think someone has a crush.”
Dani turns to face Jamie, opens her mouth to speak but blushes instead and sips her beer.
“What?” Jamie asks, a little amused.
“Nothing,” Dani says, laughs and then, “I was just gonna say... makes two of us.”
It’s not often Jamie finds herself lost for words, but now is one of those times. She just smirks instead, lost in bright blue eyes.
“Think someone needs you.” Dani says, nodding towards the bar.
Jamie looks to Rebecca who points at a beer pump, signalling that it’s empty. She turns back to Dani. “Coming?”
Dani looks over to Hannah, who is sipping her drink, listening to Owen, laughing. She leans into her ear and whispers something, then turns back to Jamie and nods. Jamie takes the bottle from Dani and places it next to a till and then grabs her hand and guides her through a staff door entrance and down a hall.
“So, what made you decide to come?” Jamie asks, leading them down a hall.
“Took your advice," Dani says, still holding onto Jamie’s hand.
They walk through a door and into the cellar. A huge room with kegs of beer lined up, a locked cage filled with spirit bottles and piles of boxes of alcohol. It's cold and quiet compared to front of house.
“Should have warned you it’s cold in here.” Jamie says, letting go of Dani's hand and walking to the Coors Light pump.
Dani watches, folds her arms across her stomach and leans her back against the wall besides the door, “It’s not too bad.”
Jamie unclips and turns the line from the empty barrel, slides it to one side and connects the line to a full barrel, checks that it runs through okay and walks back towards Dani.
“That looks complicated.”
“Nah, not really. Harder to pull a proper pint than it is to change the barrel,” Jamie says, now standing in front of Dani.
“Will you teach me?” Dani asks quietly. Her eyes settled on Jamie’s lips. There’s something more to the question, maybe, more than just how to pour a perfect pint.
Jamie steps in, runs her right hand slowly up Dani's arm, feels her shiver, leans in so their faces are close, “Course I will,” she whispers. Jamie studies Dani’s face. Gently strokes her cheek with her thumb, before moving her hand down to rest on the side of Dani’s neck. She realises in this moment that she has never wanted to kiss a single person as badly as she wants to kiss Dani. And just as their lips are about to touch for the first time-
“Jamie! We need vodka!” A voice from up the hall calls.
Dani whimpers quietly and bites her lip. Jamie laughs, places a soft kiss to her cheek and steps to the side, “Sorry. Duty calls.”
It's been 10 minutes since the almost-kiss and Jamie can’t think of anything but. She’s behind the bar, serving a group of guys on a stag night who all insist on having top shelf whisky. Dani and Hannah have made their way to the dance floor with fresh drinks courtesy of Owen.
The stag party, Jamie is certain, are out for a wild night. No doubt it will end with the groom being tied to a lamppost butt naked somewhere. But whilst they’re spending top dollar in her bar, she couldn’t care less. Expensive whisky shots drunk; they too make their way to the dancefloor.
Dani appears in front of Jamie, leaning forward on the bar. “Hey.”
Jamie smiles, “Another drink?” She doesn’t wait for an answer and just grabs another beer for her. “Nah,” Jamie waves away the bank card Dani is holding out, “your money isn’t welcome here.”
Dani smiles, “Thank you. Come dance with me.” She says, raising an eyebrow.
“Can’t I’m afraid. As much as I want to.”
“Dani,” Hannah appears at her side, “come on.”
Jamie smiles, watches her walk away. That little black dress may very well be the death of her tonight. She tears her eyes away and moves to the next customer.
Dani is gorgeous, so it really is no surprise that she’s being chatted up by some guy. Dani's eyes snap up to his face when he places his hand on her waist, she moves out of the way and Jamie imagines she is politely telling him to fuck off. He leans down to her ear and Dani shakes her head in response.
“Go,” Rebecca says from beside Jamie, “we're good here. Go rescue your girl.”
Jamie laughs, “You sure?” she doesn’t even have it in her say Dani is not her girl, because holy shit does she want her to be. Rebecca nods and practically pushes her out from behind the bar.
Jamie wanders across the dancefloor, stops beside Dani, slides her hand across the bottom of her back and whispers in her ear, “You okay here?”
Dani turns her head quickly, smiles bigger than anyone has ever smiled at her, and pulls Jamie to one side. “God, thank you. You’re done working?”
“For now.”
“Good.” Dani steps forward, pulls Jamie in by the belt loops on her jeans so their bodies are flush together. Dani's body is warm under Jamie’s hands, her breath hot on Jamie’s neck. She could stay this way all night, feeling Dani's body grind gently against her own, but she is certain that if she doesn’t feel Dani's lips soon, she may actually go insane.
The final straw is the feeling of Dani's nails down her arms and the pure look of want in her eyes as she stares at her lips.
“Outside.” Jamie says, taking Dani's hand and weaving them through the crowd and into the cold late October air. They get to the smoking area and Jamie leads them to a quiet corner on the deck.
“Finally.” Dani whispers as Jamie backs her up against a wall.
Jamie smirks, rests her hands on Dani's waist and leans in. She kisses her on the cheek, slowly moves to kiss her jawline. She’s teasing it, taking her time, enjoying the way Dani pulls at her t-shirt and breathes into her ear. And then finally, finally, after hours of waiting and days of wanting, she kisses her.
It’s like nothing she’s ever felt before; the way her stomach flips when she feels Dani kiss her back. The way her entire body fills with desire when she feels Dani’s tongue stroke across her bottom lip. The way her heart thuds when Dani moans quietly into her mouth between breaths.
“Dani?”
Hannah. Fuck.
“Fuck,” Dani says quietly and puts her head back against the wall, “Jamie, you need to take me somewhere where no one will interrupt us.”
Jamie laughs, bites down on her bottom lip and hums, “stick around and I will.”
Dani is addictive, Jamie knows it already. She steps back, sits on the table beside them and waves over to Owen and Hannah.
“There you are!” Hannah says with a smile. “Where’d you get to?”
“Air,” Dani replies quickly, “just needed some air.”
“Well, I need another drink, come on, come with me.” Hannah grabs Dani’s hand and pulls her away.
Jamie watches them go and then looks at Owen who is glaring at her.
“Doing a little kissing were you?” He says, folding his arms.
“Maybe,” she laughs.
Owen steps forward, wraps his arms around Jamie and hugs her. She frowns. They never hug. It’s not a thing, nor should it ever be a thing.
“What the fuck, Owen?”
“Thank you for sending nudes to a complete stranger who happens to have the best friend ever.”
Jamie laughs and pushes him away. “You’re welcome, I guess.”
Thank God for Owen. Really.
Thank God he is so charming and funny and thank God that Hannah seems to think so too. It’s the reason Jamie has Dani sat on a desk in the cash office, standing between her legs.
Dani has one hand in Jamie’s hair and the other is guiding her hand up her dress. “Kiss me, Jamie.”
Jamie wraps one arm around Dani’s back and pulls her in closer. Their lips press together gently at first and then it's hard and desperate, tongues and soft moans and Dani's fingers pulling at Jamie’s hair.
There’s no question about whether Dani wants Jamie or not. Not when she’s tracing her free hand up Jamie’s t-shirt and scratching lightly down her side. Not when she is pressing her body as close to Jamie’s as she possibly can.
It only becomes a problem when they both realise that they can’t stay here all night. Dani rests her forehead against Jamie's, her chest rising and falling heavily, and her bottom lip stuck between her teeth.
“I should... I need to,” Jamie starts, gets distracted when Dani slides her hand down into the back pocket of her jeans and squeezes, “fuck, Dani. I need to finish up here.”
Her preferred option would be to stay in this office kissing Dani for the rest of the night, of course, but there’s still an hour and half left of being open. She manages to pull herself away with a frustrated groan and runs her fingers through her hair.
“Yeah... I’d better find Hannah.” Dani says, jumping down from the desk and straightening out her dress. There’s a tone to her voice though. A challenge.
Jamie can’t help herself; she takes Dani's hand and pulls her in, her mouth instantly landing on the exposed skin of Dani's neck, “Do you wanna,” Jamie says between kisses, “stay?”
Dani moans quietly, grasping the back of Jamie’s t-shirt with both fists, “God, I want to so badly... but I can’t.”
She’s not surprised. Dani came from a different town and brought her friend so it’s not like she can just ditch her. Jamie nods, gently bites Dani's earlobe, “I know.” She whispers and feels Dani's body tense and tremble.
“Oh...” Dani reacts as Jamie kisses her again, this time slow, her tongue meeting Dani's with less urgency than before. They stay this way for a moment before Dani pulls away. “Next weekend? I could...”
“Okay, yeah... Next weekend.” Jamie responds.
But it's not going to stop her trying to drive Dani wild in the meantime.
There’s the playful wink across the bar. The “accidental" graze of fingers when handing her a drink. The brush of her hand against her back when she walks past her. And for her favourite so far, Dani's reaction at the lock of the cubicle door when she sneaks in behind her just for a quick, dirty kiss.
By the time last orders are called at 2am, the majority of people in the club are heavily drunk. Like every night, Jamie follows the crowd outside and stands with a cigarette until they disperse. Usually it takes some time, especially at the weekend. People stand and talk, wait for taxis and exchange numbers.
“How are you getting back?” Jamie asks Dani, standing beside her against the wall and gently touching her fingers with her own.
“Taxi, probably.”
Jamie takes her phone from her pocket and orders a taxi. “I’ve booked you one. I know the company, just have them take you where you need to go, and I’ll sort the rest.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
“Course you can. You were my guest tonight, let me make sure you get home safe.”
“I wish I could kiss you goodnight.”
Jamie looks around. Hannah is occupied and looks happy in Owen’s company, so she takes Dani's hand, “C'mere." She pulls her back into the entrance of the bar out of view, cups Dani's face with one hand and kisses her.
Kissing has never felt personal to Jamie. It's great, yes, but it's never felt like more. But kissing Dani feels different. There’s a tingle in her stomach and her heart rate shoots through the fucking roof as soon as she gets anywhere close to those lips.
Jamie pulls back, “Goodnight.” She strokes her thumb in an arc on Dani's cheek and steps back.
The taxi pulls up outside and beeps the horn. “That's you. Text me when you’re home, yeah?”
Dani nods, “I will. Thank you for a great night.” She says as they walk the few steps back outside.
Jamie looks at Hannah, “Thanks for coming, get home safe.”
“It’s been great fun, thank you."
Owen is simply beaming, swaying. Jamie decides to go back inside before he starts thinking it’s a good idea to hug her again. The staff finish the clean down of the bar and leave for the night. Jamie cashes up, locks the safe, throws drunk Owen out and goes up to her flat.
When she takes her phone out of her pocket, she finds a message from Dani.
‘home safe. i'm glad i came out tonight.’
‘me too, dani.’
It's Tuesday before Jamie knows it and the text messages between her and Dani have become an all-day-every-day kind of thing, rather than just a late-night chat. Dani loves her job, loves the kids she works with, even the worst ones. Jamie even gave her a nickname. Dani is sweet and caring and nothing like what Jamie is used to.
She hasn’t even thought about taking another girl home. Hasn’t re-opened the app from last week. Dani is interesting and is keeping Jamie on her toes with her flirtatious late night text messages, pictures, and confessions of not remembering when the last time she-
“Jamie. There’s a delivery.”
Jamie looks up at Rebecca, jumps down from the bar where she’s been sat texting Dani for the past half an hour. “Sorry, yeah.”
Rebecca laughs, shakes her head, and shoots Jamie a knowing look.
“Piss off.” Jamie mutters as she walks away down the hall and into the cellar.
Whilst stood in the cellar waiting for the delivery driver to unload kegs and boxes and take back empties, Jamie leans against a wall with her phone.
‘i'm coming alone on saturday... really don’t think i can stand any interruptions when all i want is to feel your mouth on-'
“Can I get a signature please?”
Jamie looks up to see the delivery man holding out a clipboard. She shakes the thought of Dani from her mind and signs. Fucking interruptions.
“Cheers mate.” Jamie closes the door behind him and spends the next hour organising the boxes and trying to focus before she gives in to temptation and pulls her phone from her pocket.
‘i'll try to finish early.’
‘i don’t mind. quite like watching you work.’
‘oh you do?’
‘and you still need to show me how to pour a proper pint.'
‘you got it, poppins. security will let you in when you get here.’
By the time Jamie makes it back to the bar, Owen is standing by a table, rummaging through a large cardboard box. “What you doin’?” Jamie asks, one eyebrow raised inquisitively.
“It’s your circus stuff,” Owen grins, pulling red and white striped bar mats from the box.
“Fuck,” Jamie groans, and runs her hand through her hair, “I fuckin’ forgot about that.”
“Can’t say I’m surprised mate, you’ve been distracted lately,” Owen winks.
Not a complete lie, but “No, it’s because this idea is stupid.”
“The people decided. Was your idea.”
“No, my idea was to give three options for people to vote,” Jamie pulls three bags of red and white tapestry from the box, “what the fuck am I supposed to with this shite?”
“Hang it up. Drape it from the walls and the ceiling,” Owen says, pointing to different areas of the room. “Exactly, though, Circus was one of the theme options.”
“Your option. I’m beginning to question the sanity of my customers if I’m honest.”
“Asylum and horror movie nights are so cliche though! It’s Halloween, Jamie. It’ll be good to mix it up a bit.”
“Okay, but you’re helping with this. And if it flops, I’m blaming you.”
...To be continued...