Learn From Cigarette Burns

By default, I'm a calm person.

Tonight, though, things were different. Tonight, I was anxious.

I found myself looking up at the clock every so often, not really paying attention to the drinks I was mixing. Instead of focusing on my customers, my mind would drift back to the phone call I had received just a few hours prior from Garrett, telling me that John had walked out on them. I know that since then, John had worked things out with the guys, but I still felt anxious to be done with work, so that I could go home and be with him.

I had barely gotten to spend any time with him during the short time I had been home for dinner, and right now I wanted nothing more than to be back at our place, resting peacefully in my fiancés arms.

Goodness knows that either of us would need the rest, because tomorrow night we were leaving for tour.

Sighing heavily to myself, I finished up the two Alice in Wonderland's I had been asked to make, and then took it back to the bar. After giving me the appropriate amount of cash, the couple thanked me and left the bar in search of an empty table. Watching them walk away hand in hand, I frowned sadly and then started to collect the empty glasses along the bar.

A few seconds later, the barstool that had been claimed by the Alice in Wonderland fans was claimed by someone else. Looking up at them, it took me a split second to register who they were, and an additional two seconds to remember that they shouldn't have been allowed inside of the bar.

"John," I said, leaning forward so that my coworkers wouldn't overhear me, "how the hell did you get in here?"

A half smile that spread sloppily across his face indicated to me that he had already had a few drinks before he had arrived. "I have friends." He said simply.

"O'Callaghan, if they find out that you're underage, you're going to get into a whole shit load of trouble." I growled.

"Come on, sweetheart," he said, his smile slowly slipping away to be replaced by a sad, puppy dog look, "I missed you. I decided to catch a ride with Pat, and sneak in so that I could see you." He mumbled. "If you don't want me here, though, I'll leave."

My guilt was quick to consume my emotions, and as he made a move to get up and leave, I grabbed his hand, keeping him in place.

"Johno," I whispered softly, "don't go, babe."

"You don't want me in here, though, and you're busy." He frowned. "I'll just go home."

"I didn't say that I didn't want you here." I said. "I just don't want you to get caught."

"If I just sit here tonight and watch you," John said, leaning forward over the bar, "do you think anyone will get suspicious?"

"As long as you order some drinks, they'll leave you alone." I informed him.

John raised an eyebrow as he sat back on his chair, gripping the edge of the bar tightly with his fingers. Raising an eyebrow at me, he gave me a cute smirk and then leaned forward once again.

"Are you going to make me pay for all these drinks?" He asked. "Or will they be on the house?"

Laughing softly, I pulled a clean shotglass out and filled it to the top with Patrone. "You have to pay for the first one." I informed him as I set the glass down just in front of where he sat.

Wrinkling his nose, he eyed the shotglass and then looked back up to me. "Patrone?" He questioned. "That's probably gonna be like ten fucking dollars."

"Nine," I corrected him.

John eyed me with a fake look of hatred on his face, before he grabbed the shotglass and drank the shot. Making a face as he set the shotglass back on the counter top, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and then reached into his pocket for his wallet. He pulled out a ten dollar bill and tossed it over to me.

"Keep the change," he muttered.

I rolled my eyes slightly and snatched up the money, "wow, big spender." I mumbled under my breath.

At the cash register, I ran into one of my coworkers, Lana, who was watching John with interested. Seeing me watching her, she looked back to me with a smile on her face. "The fiancé?" She questioned with a laugh.

"Don't ask how he got past the bouncers, because I honestly don't know." I sighed.

"I'm not looking to get him thrown out," she winked, "but, I do think it's time for a body shot."

"No, Lana," I blushed, "no body shots." I protested, but Lana had already pulled me back over to the bar to where John was waiting for me.

"Hi there," Lana smiled at him, "are you a tequila fan or a vodka fan?"

"Um," John hesitated slightly, glancing at me before he continued, "I just had my fill of tequila for now, so I'm gonna have to say vodka."

Smirking softly, Lana dug into a cooler and grabbed a freshly sliced lemon wedge, handing it over to me before she filled a clean shot glass and filled it with Grey Goose.

"Alright, everyone!" She announced for everyone to hear. "Time for some body shots!"

Many of the occupants hooted and hollered, and I felt my cheeks starting to flush.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Dee?" She grinned, "climb on up on that bar. And you too, O'Callaghan." She instructed.

While another one of my coworkers helped me onto the bar with ease, John had to fend for himself. Once he managed to get up onto his stool, I held my hand out and helped him up the rest of the way. Knowing that at least 90% of the bars patrons had gathered around us, I did my best to ignore them as I wetted my finger with the vodka and ran it along the side of my neck.

John watched me with wide eyes as I poured some sugar onto the wet area.

"You ready for this, Johno?" I asked as I placed the shot glass between my boobs.

John simply nodded his head, a giddy smile pulling across his lips as I placed the lemon wedge in my mouth. Placing his hands on my hips, John waited for Lana's okay before he licked the sugar from my neck and then took the shot of vodka. When he was done with his shot, he tossed the empty shot glass aside and then expertly sucked the lemon from my mouth. Pausing momentarily to spit aside the lemon skin, he leaned back over and pressed his lips to mine, kissing me deeply while our audience cheered for us. I forgot about the public display of affection for the time being and kissed him back eagerly for a little while longer, before laughing as he pulled away from me.

Wrapping his arms tightly around my body, he held me close to him while whispering a handful of explicit suggestions in my ear. I gasped in shock, and then blushed deeply as I pushed him away from my lightly. Giving me a cocky smirk, he leaned over one last time, stealing another passionate kiss before he hopped off of the counter. I rolled my eyes slightly when I saw him receive some ridiculous high fives from some guys, and then allowed Lana and my other coworker to help me down as well.

"Looks like your boy likes to have fun," Lana teased.

"Don't encourage him," I sighed, preparing another drink for my fiancé.

Lana simply laughed, and wandered off to help some other people. By the time I finished John's new drink, he was settled back in his stool, a love sick smile on his face.

"Make this one last," I instructed as I set a Long Island Iced Tea in front of him.

"What about the rule, 'don't mix your colors'?" He asked.

"Like you've ever listened to that before." I replied.

John gave me another quirky smile and then flashed me a little wink before he started sipping on his drink.

A few hours later, when most of the crowd had thinned out, John was straddling the line between being just drunk and being completely incoherent. Watching him with an amused smile, I couldn't help but laugh softly at the thought of how cute he looked when he was in fact intoxicated. Not to say that he wasn't good looking when he was sober, but when he starts drinking, his smile becomes crooked, and rarely leaves his face. It was simply cute, in a strange way.

"Maybe you should get him home," Lana suggested.

"I still got at least an hour left on the clock." I replied.

"Go ahead and go home, Dee," she insisted. "I'll clock you out when I head home."

"You don't mind?" I asked.

"Of course not." She said. "Now get that boy home before he passes out."

"Alright," I said quietly, "thank you, Lana."

"No problem, sweetie." She replied, and then bristled off to work on an order.

Reaching underneath the counter, I grabbed my purse and slung it over my shoulder before I made my way around the bar. Coming up from behind, I slid my hand into John's and squeezed it tightly. Surprised, he jumped a little and then turned around.

"Oh, it's you, sweetheart." He slurred. "You scared me."

"You thought I was a pervy old man trying to steal you away?" I teased.

He nodded his head. "Something like that." He admitted.

"Come on, babe, let's go home." I said.

"No, not home yet." He said, shaking his head, but standing up nonetheless.

"You want to say here and drink more?" I questioned.

"No." He muttered as he tested his feet and legs. When he found them a bit wobbly, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and let me support a majority of his weight. "I want to go to the park." He said.

"Babe," I sighed, "its late."

"To the park." He insisted.

Knowing that I wouldn't be able to sway him other wise, I sighed heavily and then led him toward the door. The bouncer held it open for us, and even offered politely to help us to the car, but I told him that I could manage. A cool breeze blew past us as we walked up the sidewalk to my car, and I heard John breathe a sigh of relief; all that alcohol in his system was making him hot, so the cool breeze was refreshing to us both.

Once at my car, I opened the passenger side door, and John all but fell into the seat. He sat like that for a few seconds, his legs sprawled out of the door and onto the sidewalk before he finally mustered his strength and straightened himself out. When I was sure he had his legs tucked safely inside, I shut the door and went around to my side. Within a matter of seconds we were heading down the street toward the park not far from our apartment complex.

John was silent during the ride, but when we arrived at the park, he started talking animatedly about something. Honestly I wasn't really able to understand what he was saying; it all sounded more or less like random pieces of words mashed together to form a complete, yet nonsense sentence.

"Johno, you're not making sense." I sighed, causing him to stop in mid sentence.

"Oh," he mumbled, "I ... I don't know."

"Well, we're here now, so what do you want to do?"

"Come on," he muttered, and then opened his door to literally crawl out.

Rolling my eyes slightly, I got out and went around to the other side, only to find that John had crawled to a nearby picnic table, and was using it as support to stand to his feet.

"Good Lord, Johno," I sighed as I took his hands in mine.

Once on his feet, he swayed and bumped into me, flinging his arms around my middle to keep himself from falling.

"Care to lead the way or should I?" I questioned.

"Take us to the pond," he whispered.

Knowing which pond he was talking about, I nodded my head and slowly set off toward it. The walk was surprisingly short, considering how sluggish our pace was, and once we were there, John collapsed to the ground, and then patted the ground between his legs, indicating me to sit down as well. I did as he asked, and leaned back, resting my back against his chest.

Satisfied, he wrapped his skinny arms around my shoulders and hugged me close to him. After placing a few, random kisses on my cheek and temple, he let out a soft sigh.

"I love you, sweetheart. You've always put up with me and my shit."

Taking my cell phone out of my pocket so I could get more comfortable, I set it beside his leg and replied, "I love you too, babe."

"You're my girlie, my wifey. I can't wait until you take my last name." He said shyly. "Then you're gonna be mine forever."

Laughing softly, I traced random patterns onto his legs with my fingertips. "You're a silly boy, O'Callaghan."

"I know," he admitted, "you're silly too, though."

"Am not."

"Are too." He said childishly. "Oh! That reminds me, I've got some asses I need to kick." He growled.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"I'm talking about that asshole Lance, trying to make a move for you while I was away!" He yelled. "I'm gonna kick his ass."

"Johno - "

"I'm gonna give him a call right now and tell him that it's on." He mumbled.

As I watched, John picked up my cell phone and started to dial out on it.

"John," I said, trying to grab my phone from him, "stop it."

John, however, leaned back out of my reach and then held the phone up to his ear. "Hey, Lance? It's John." He said. "I'm gonna beat the shit out of you the next time I see you. No one makes a move for my girl, least of all a little bitch ass pussy like you!" He yelled. "I'm gonna fuck up that pretty boy face of yours, Lance, so you'd better watch your fucking back."

"John!" I gasped, taking the phone from him after he hung up. "That was real fucking immature." I growled.

While he muttered a few incoherent words under his breath, I hit the call log on my phone, only to discover that he hadn't even called Lance. Judging by his tone, though, he obviously thought he had and I chose not to tell him otherwise. Stifling another laugh, I couldn't help but turn around and steal a kiss from my fiancé. This stopped his rants for the time being, and as he kissed me back, the tension in his body melted away. After a little while, I broke the kiss and then gave him two more quick kisses before pulling away altogether.

"I love you, John Cornelius O'Callaghan." I told him.

"You know, to make it sound cooler, you can just leave the 'Cornelius' part out." He replied.

I erupted into a fit of giggles and elbowed him gently. "Johno!" I grinned. "Are you going to tell me that you love me too or not?"

In the moonlight, John's smile shined brightly as he ran his fingers through my hair. "I love you too, sweetheart." He swore. "Always."

With a smile still on my face, I leaned over, resting my head in the crook of his neck. I know that we're still young, but I can't wait to marry this boy.