i’ll smile when you speak | closed

Reese glanced at her phone, chewing her lower lip as the time changed another minute. Forty-five minutes. She had been waiting forty-five minutes for 'marksthespot21' and so far, he hadn't been holding up to his promise of being some withstanding man that she could trust. To be honest, going on the website to look for a date was stupid in the first place, but she let her friend Willow talk her into creating a profile and giving it a shot. The guy seemed pretty decent - he was attractive, worked at the same job for almost six years, had a great personality, and even spent a lot of his free time volunteering at different animal shelters around the area. But now it was time to finally meet, and Reese was alone in a bar, wearing what she considered to be a casual yet weather appropriate outfit that she thought would make her easily noticeable for Mark. And the guy's not even here - go figure.

She pushed a hang through her hair and took another look around the bar, going based off of description to see if anyone could fit the Mark profile. There was one guy who she thought could possibly be him, but he was looking practically everywhere but Reese's direction, it seemed, so maybe it wasn't him. She stood up from her spot at the bar and walked over to the small table, fingers nervously tugging at the ends of her sweater before she made herself let them go. With a soft clear of her throat to get the man's attention, Reese offered him a nervous smile.

"Hi, uh, you're not Mark, are you?"

Alec muffled a yawn in his fist as he settled more comfortably in his seat, sipping his beer. He'd come of a 24 hour shift and had gone for a beer with a few of the guys he worked with. They'd all gone home, though, trailing off one by one to leave Alec alone, nursing his beer. He figured he'd go home after he finished - he was still on a bit of an adrenaline high, but he wanted to get home before he crashed. He hated being tired on the subway - he didn't want to fall asleep and miss his stop.

Alec carded a hand through his hair as he sipped his beer again, dropping his hand to find his phone in his pocket. He scrolled through a few messages, sending off an okay to his ma about Sunday dinner and one to his eldest sister about babysitting her youngest.

When someone cleared their throat rather pointedly Alec looked up, one brow arching. He blinked a little at the woman's question - it was a bit of a funny one to ask, he thought - before shaking his head, tucking his phone back into his pocket.

"Nah, sorry. Can't say I am," he replied, tilting his head slightly to one side as he appraised her. "He stand you up?"

Reese sighed, really feeling like crying or yelling in frustration, both of which would be inappropriate in a public setting. To his question, she nodded, checking the time on her phone again as she glanced at the entrance of the bar.

"I've been here for almost an hour," she mumbled, shaking her head a little. "I'm so dumb."

She knew better than this. Knew better to make herself so vulnerable to some guy she had met online who told her all the things she wanted to hear, promised her everything she could've ever dreamed of, and here she was, waiting for him at some bar while he sat at home most likely chatting it up with another girl, telling her all the same things he told her.

"Sorry for bothering you," Reese said before turning on her heel and going back to the same spot she was sat at, waving the bartender over with an attempt at smiling, "Can I get a whiskey please?"

Reese texted Willow a frowny face, thinking that it was better to tell her the actual details when she saw her at work in a couple of days. She thanked the bartender quietly when he set the small tumbler in front of her, picking it up and drinking down a nice amount before setting it down with another deep sigh.

Alec bit down on his lower lip, brow puckering slightly at the woman's words. That was a bit rough - kinda the whole reason Alec didn't date. That and he wasn't good at changing or any of that shit.

He didn't get a chance to give the woman any sympathy as she'd taken off back to the bar before he could even open his mouth. He shook his head a little - women, honestly.

Alec downed the last of his beer, checking the time briefly - he decided he had time for one more, and hauled himself to his feet. He headed back to the bar, leaning against it. With a wave of his fingers he got the attention of the woman behind the bar, smiling sweetly to her as he asked for another beer. He took it when he was served, paying before sipping it.

Alec's eyes slipped side long to the woman who'd spoken to him before, just sipping his beer.

"So did your friends hook you up or did ya try your hand at online datin'?" Alec chimed, thumbing a little beer foam from his lip.

Reese slid her index finger around the rim of the glass, eyes flickering over to the man she had mistaken as Mark.

"The latter," she replied with a frown, chuckling softly the more she thought about what just happened, "My friend thought it'd be good for me since I'm more outgoing behind a screen, apparently."

She paused her finger movement to pick up the glass and finish the rest of it off before asking the bartender for another. Reese knew her limits, but with how the night had panned out, she didn't care if she returned to her apartment completely shitfaced. It was only about a twenty minute walk from here - five or six minute drive if she called a cab.

"I just," Reese sighed as she tried to find the right words to put together, eyes looking down at her lap, "Feel so stupid for even trying something like this. It seemed like an alright idea in the beginning but, like, I don't know."

Reese shrugged, thanking the bartender once more as her new glass was set in front of her and the empty one was removed.

"Sorry, I didn't even catch your name and I'm talking your ear off. I'm Reese." She said, looking over at him and extending a hand.

Alec shrugged his broad shoulders as he listened to the woman speak, just nursing his beer, not really trying to interject. Honestly Alec didn't have much advice to offer - he'd never done online dating past cruising tinder for casual pussy, and even that hadn't lasted all too long. He wasn't good at giving time to people he wasn't related to - he wasn't good at giving romantically-oriented time to anyone.

"Alec," he answered, giving her hand a brief shake before withdrawing his own large one, wrapping it back around his beer bottle, taking a sip before he spoke. "I've never really tried that internet dating shit," he replied. "It just seems like a waste of time, y'know? Especially for women. Just trawlin' through creeps constantly."

Reese put her hand back around her glass, nails clinking against it absentmindedly as Alec spoke. He was right - it was a complete waste of time. The fact that she had believed the hype Willow gave the site makes her almost sick to her stomach - how could she be so dumb? Reese took a swig from the tumbler and sat it down.

"You're right, it was a waste of time," she mumbled, still feeling embarrassed about the whole situation, "Maybe I'm just getting old, though." Reese joked with a lazy shrug. "It seems easier to find a one night stand in person than it is to find someone to hook up with online. So many questions to answer, people to filter through, yada yada."

Okay this was not Reese's sly way of hinting at a one night stand with Alec. Nope, it really wasn't. Now, to say that she'd be against that would be ridiculous, but hey, she was still recovering from the embarrassment of the century, sometimes getting dick to make it all go away was the answer. But Alec seemed kinda cool though, and the idea of a possible acquaintanceship would be nice. Drink a little, hang out a little, fuck a little, and go back to their lives. Like friends with benefits without a friendship as the foundation. I'm being dumb, Reese thought to herself, He'd never go for that.