Mr Thompson's Pub and Cabaret

"How do I look?" Vera asked, stepping out of her bedroom, and Brendon's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. She wore yellow and white striped high-waisted shorts and a yellow bandeau to match. A yellow flower in her hair contrasted with the bright red. She was a lot sunnier than her usual cabaret outfit.

"You look...great," he said, smiling, taking in her long, toned legs.

She smirked taking in his costume that he now felt like he was now straddling the fence on. Vera looked graceful and amazing, Brendon was a vampire. He wore a cape and a white button-up, fake fangs and sunglasses. "You look pretty cute yourself," she replied, grabbing a jacket to cover up all of her bare skin as they went to fight off the late October chill.

The cabaret was opening earlier than usual, and rather than holding a show, there was a Halloween party. Brendon had started the tradition when he took over and thought it would be fun. A lot of people who came to usual shows came to the parties, and everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves.

When they pulled out, Brendon got out, then opened Vera's door, and went to open up the cabaret. Some were already beginning to line up in front, waiting anxiously to get inside. "There you are!" Bambi said. "We've been waiting for you guys. Everything's all set up inside."

"Thank you, Bambi," Vera said, with a sweet smile. Bambi was dressed up as many would think, a deer, except a little more...thought provoking than a child's costume would have been. She wore little doe ears on her head and a short brown dress. She followed the two of them into the cabaret, where everyone else was waititng.

"Everything ready?" Brendon asked and they all nodded. "Alright. Turn up the music and I'll let them all in."

~

The cabaret was packed. Everyone was dancing, drinking, laughing, and hanging onto someone else flirting relentlessly-or maybe that was just Genevieve. But just like Brendon, most people were having a difficult time keeping their eyes off Brendon. And it made him so happy that he could show off that she was his.

He had gotten to meet Spencer's girlfriend, Haley, and Dallon's wife, Breezy. But it seemed like just as soon as it had started, the party finally started to end. It always was cut a little short due to the neighborhood area. No one wanted another interaction of what had happened to Rodger. And once everyone else was gone, it was just Brendon and Vera left to clean the mess of beer bottles, plastic cups, and confetti everywhere.

"I'm really glad we decided to keep the cabaret," Brendon said, sweeping up some of the mess with a broom. Vera was walking around the room with a trash bag and picking up the bottles and throwing them inside.

"I am too. You're good at what you do. And not to mention you somehow convinced them to change their mind from hating us to actually liking you," she said with a slight smirk on her face.

"Just me? You have to give yourself some credit, they've really like you a lot more than they did."

Vera laughed. "That's not saying much. You have to remember the way they treated me. You witnessed it first hand. They did it to you too."

Brendon remembered. How could he forget? But he had to live and let go. He had to keep going and not hold any grudges against any of them, because now they worked at a place where he owned. More or less, they had to like him, but he didn't want to use that as an advantage. He wanted them to like him because they wanted to. But maybe because he was a threat, they figured Vera was as well and treated her a lot better than they ever had before. Either way, she wasn't getting the cold shoulder, or the shotty remarks that she had been before. "I know they did. But they're different people now. We've shown them a new side to us."

He walked over to her and grabbed her hands, leaning the broom against the side of the bar. "I love you," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers.

"I love you too," she replied, smiling, brushing her lips against his, but then pulled away.

"Tease," he muttered, taking her waist in her hands and held her closely.

She smiled. "I think you knew that coming into this."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I could assume. But I didn't care. You were gorgeous, you were mysterious, you were someone that everyone pretended you weren't. You caught my attention."

"Oh, I was all those things? I'm not gorgeous anymore? I lost my mystery?" She ducked away from him, grabbing his broom and started sweeping where he had left off. Her smile never faded.