Fall Away

Music echoed through the room, a familiar melody. I hummed along as I moved along the counter, taking orders and delivering drinks. The closing shift at Bella was fairly slow, but the people still kept me on my toes.

Finally, I had a moment’s rest. It seemed like half the room disappeared, leaving a few scattered people who were all happily nursing their drinks. I looked around the room, making sure everything was okay before I allowed myself to sit down.

The place wasn’t much – not the hippest new nightclub, or even the classic bar – but it was the best we had. One half of it wasn’t even open at night. It served as a coffee shop, open in the early morning when the bar side was closed. In the morning, it looked like any other store in the small town – just another place, trying to survive.

But after seven, all bets were off. Bella became a dance floor, a bar, a place for the kids to come and hang out. A place for them to get away.

On Friday or Saturday, we would host live bands, known and unknown. On the off nights, we had a DJ, filling the small place with a combination of hip-hop, rock, and the occasional slow song.

It wasn’t much. We didn’t get the huge headlining bands, but we also didn’t get the druggies and creeps that lurked amid the night life in large cities. We got the occasional drunk who would over-step his bounds, but even that was rare and easily handled. Because in the end, we were a small place in a small town. If it wasn’t for the teens wanting a place to let loose, we never would have survived.

Still, I mused, weeknights were slow. The music was never as loud, the atmosphere never held the same buzz it did on weekends. The bar was open, but it was normally home to two or three people who just wanted a quick drink before they went back to whatever they were doing.

At the moment, there was only one man in the room with me. He was the only thing keeping me from closing early. I glanced at the clock and sighed quietly. There were still twenty minutes before I could kick him out. In a polite way, of course.

I reached for a rag and began to wipe down tables before returning to the bar. I glanced around, making sure everything was in place for closing. The clock told me that five minutes had passed, so I moved towards the lone man at the bar.

“Last call,” I said lightly, a joking note in my voice.

The man looked at me blankly.

“For alcohol,” I clarified. “Do you want another drink before I close things up?”

The man – boy – glanced around, and I took the opportunity to look at him closer. He appeared to be in his early twenties, probably twenty-five at the oldest. He had thick, dark hair that brushed his eyes, partially concealing the strong features of his face.

He turned back to me and I took in clear blue eyes before I realized he was talking to me.

“I’m sorry,” he continued. “I lost track of time. You must want to get out of there.”

“You’re fine,” I shrugged. “You have fifteen minutes. Do you want another beer or something?”

He shook his head. “I should be getting back.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few bills, leaving them on the counter next to his empty glass. He nodded at me before standing up and sweeping out the door.

I watched him thoughtfully. I’d never seen him before. It wasn’t a rare occurrence, but it was somewhat unusual. In the small town, I normally recognized most people, even if I didn’t know them. Still, maybe he was new in town. Or maybe he’d lived here for years and I’d just never happened to run into him.

I moved to the door, instinctively glancing outside to see if I could catch another glimpse of him. But it seemed like he had disappeared into the night. I flipped the sign on the door to ‘Closed’ before turning back to the bar. I counted the money he had left, putting some in the register and pocketing my tip.

I took one last glanced around the area before turning out the lights and stepping out the door. I locked it behind me before making my way into the night.