Mad as a Hatter, Thin as a Dime

“Hey there,” Ryan smiled, sliding into a seat at the bar next to Vesper.

“Hey,” she smiled back, taking a gentle sip of a martini.

Panic! had just played an exhilarating first show in their hometown, and Ryan had dashed to reach the shower first; he couldn’t be looking all sweaty and gross if Kyra was going to see him. Most of the other boys crowded around Kyra, but he was too nervous to speak to her just yet. What would he say, anyway? So instead he opted for Vesper, who was sitting two seats away and casually fiddling with her phone. She pocketed the device when he appeared.

“You took your stage make-up off,” she pouted, causing him to laugh lightly.

“In case you didn’t notice, this isn’t quite a stage.”

They both took a few moments to look around the dingy bar. It wasn’t too grotty, but certainly not extravagant by any stretch of the imagination. The bartender, a relatively young and not unattractive guy probably in his mid-twenties, was looking at Kyra like she was a piece of meat, until Chris’ intimidating glare scared him enough to scurry away to the other end of the bar.

“Okay, maybe not,” she digressed. “But I think your stage make-up is amazing. Did you ever take art in high school?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t that great at it, though. It was kind of like, art is supposed to be a matter of opinion and risqué, but we’ve got limitations and we’re told what to feel. It wasn’t very appealing to me. I guess I was more of the music and English kind of guy.”

Vesper simply nodded, taking another sip of her drink. It probably wasn’t very good, the way it was so easy for them all to obtain alcohol, although Jon was the only one of age, and not by much.

“So what about you?” he asked. “You an artist?”

“Uh, not really,” she replied. “I took art at school, and I know what you mean, but I guess for some reason my teacher liked me so she let me do pretty much whatever I wanted. I was always more into creative writing.”

“Really?” he asked, intrigued.

She hated talking about that, so she tried to change the subject.

“Uh, yeah. You guys played a great show tonight, by the way.”

“First show of tour,” he shrugged. “We have adrenaline to spare. But seriously, I’d like to read some of your writing some time. What do you do? Poems? Stories? Incredibly cheesy fan-fictions about Brendon?”

She laughed, hoping her nervousness didn’t show. Don’t be silly, of course she didn’t write fan-fiction. But this topic was far too uncomfortable for her liking.

“I don’t write fan-fiction,” she rolled her eyes humorously as he laughed. “But other than that I guess a bit of everything. I don’t really show it to anyone, though. No offence or anything… it’s just… it’s kind of private, you know?”

He nodded.

“Yeah, of course. Sorry. I guess I just got a bit carried away there,” he laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck a little.

The bartender brought him his previously ordered daiquiri, and the two of them drank in a now-comfortable quietness, the loudness of their friends and other customers being enough noise for both of them. Ryan’s eyes wandered back to Kyra again, her smiling image shining through his fringe and causing him to let out the slightest sigh. Vesper looked up at him when she heard the faint noise, and the corner of her lips twitched up into a small smile when she saw him staring at her sister again, clearly so deeply infatuated.

“Why don’t you go and talk to her?” Vesper asked him, and he turned back to face her with a bit of a blush at being caught.

“I have no idea what I’d say,” he answered truthfully. “I can’t really just go up to her and start talking to her randomly.”

“Yeah, you’re touring with her. She’d definitely think you were random,” Vesper teased with light-hearted sarcasm and Ryan flicked her shoulder. “Just talk to her. That’s what you did with me.”

“Yeah, but it’s different,” he argued. “I can’t just go up and introduce myself, because she knows who I am. Besides, it was just different with you. I don’t know. I like her, so she makes me nervous. But with you… I just felt comfortable with you.”

Vesper took a deeper sip of her drink to hide the faint blush rising to her cheeks. This didn’t happen to her much. Kyra was really the only person who ever said things like that to her.

“I feel comfortable with you too, Ry,” she smiled, and he smiled back. “But I can’t have you simply lusting over my sister all tour. We need to find a way to make her return your feelings.”

Ryan blinked.

“Are you seriously going to set me up with her?”

“I’m going to try,” she grinned. “What sort of sister would I be if I let you become her stalker? Besides, I can give you useful information. I know Kyra. She’s a sucker for romantics, but she also likes the thrill of the chase. Someone that keeps her wanting more, but isn’t a total jackass about it. I think you can be who she wants.”

Ryan bit his lip.

“I don’t know…”

“Or you can just spend all tour admiring her from the sidelines while your friends and hers move in on her. It’s your choice.”

He looked Vesper in her sparkling eyes and he struggled to tame the grin that was growing on his lips.

“Okay. Pleased to meet your acquaintance, miss matchmaker.”

He held out his hand and she shook it, chuckling slightly.

“How come all of our tawdry moments conclude with handshakes?” she laughed.

“Would you prefer a hug?” he asked, alcohol pumping him more confidence than he usually had.

For a moment she felt awkward, not knowing what to say, until his arms found their way around her shoulders. Her light blush that made an appearance so often softened as she relaxed into the hug, a content smile decorating her features and her eyes fluttered shut. Her expression was mirrored on his face in the other direction.

Already, this was a friendship that wasn’t going to fade any time soon.