Misconceptions
The Pub
Brandon doesn’t know what he’s doing really, beyond the fact that everything hurts and that thinking straight is like wading through pudding and that he doesn’t want to go home or indeed see anyone that he knows. A pub had seemed like a good idea in that split second after walking out of Cody’s office.
Unfortunately, the only pub he could think of quickly enough was the one that he and Cody had come to following the result of their appeal all those months ago, and Brandon’s unimpressed but not surprised when Laurie the red-haired barmaid looks up from her magazine and grins at him.
“Alright, mate,” she calls, getting to her feet and slipping behind the bar. “Long time no see.”
He forces a smile. It’s not her fault that he’s having a bloody awful day. And it’s definitely not her fault that Zack has seen Cody naked, and... Brandon cuts off that thought before it becomes entirely destructive and sits down heavily on one of the tall, brocade stools at the bar.
He orders vodka and tonic and barely resists making it a double. He suspects anything he drinks is going to make his head hurt even more, but he doesn’t much care.
“Two fifty-five,” Laurie says, and Brandon realizes with a twinge of horror that he has no money with him at all. Apparently, that’s what you get for being impulsive.
“Erm... any chance of... paying at the end?” he asks hopefully.
“You want a tab?”
He nods.
“Sure. Planning a proper session, are you?” Laurie leans on the bar on her elbows and gazes at him.
“I don’t know. Maybe.” Brandon grimaces and gulps at his drink. He twists the broken string between his fingers.
“Need me to get rid of that for you?” she asks, holding out a hand.
“No,” he says a little too quickly, withdrawing his hand and shoving the string into his pocket. “I mean, no thanks. That’s alright.”
When he looks back at her, the pale eyes are curious and the red eyebrows are up under her fringe.
“OK then... hey, where’s your blond friend? Corey?”
“Cody,” Brandon mutters, and his chest aches. “Can we not talk about him?”
Laurie winces and straightens up. “I see. Tequila?”
Brandon snorts, almost amused. “Is that your answer to everything?”
The barmaid shrugs and retrieves the bottle anyway. She picks at the peeling label. “Well, not as much as you and he-who-we-won’t-be-talking-about put away last time. Just one’s usually enough for most crappy situations.”
“I concur,” Brandon says, taking off his glasses and pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes against the dull throbbing. “That was a bad morning after.”
Laurie laughs, and when Brandon looks again, she’s poured him a shot. He doesn’t want lemons and salt this time, that’s for sure. Too... Cody.
“Cheers,” he manages, and is just reaching for the little glass when the door swings open, admitting a gust of wind and light spray into the warm, smoky atmosphere.
He hesitates, and something makes him look up at Laurie. Her mouth has dropped slightly open, and her eyes are wide, and Brandon suddenly has a fair idea of who has just walked into the pub. And as he turns on his stool to look at Zack in soaking clothes, he’s never wanted to break someone’s nose, Brandon sighs and turns around again.
“Hello, Wonder Boy.”
“You two know each other?” Laurie puts in, amused. And then: “Oh, right. I see.” She scuttles to the end of the bar before Brandon can relieve her of that particular misconception.
“Bugger off,” Brandon says, and sneezes again. Zack leans on the bar beside Brandon, and in spite of himself, Brandon rakes his eyes up and down his body, taking in the wet outfit.
“He lied to you, you know,” he offers.
Brandon snorts dryly and downs his shot of tequila with a shudder. “I know that, Zack, that’s why I’m drinking tequila at five o’clock in the afternoon on a Thursday.”
“No... he lied to you just now. Cody and I never slept together.”
Unfortunately, the only pub he could think of quickly enough was the one that he and Cody had come to following the result of their appeal all those months ago, and Brandon’s unimpressed but not surprised when Laurie the red-haired barmaid looks up from her magazine and grins at him.
“Alright, mate,” she calls, getting to her feet and slipping behind the bar. “Long time no see.”
He forces a smile. It’s not her fault that he’s having a bloody awful day. And it’s definitely not her fault that Zack has seen Cody naked, and... Brandon cuts off that thought before it becomes entirely destructive and sits down heavily on one of the tall, brocade stools at the bar.
He orders vodka and tonic and barely resists making it a double. He suspects anything he drinks is going to make his head hurt even more, but he doesn’t much care.
“Two fifty-five,” Laurie says, and Brandon realizes with a twinge of horror that he has no money with him at all. Apparently, that’s what you get for being impulsive.
“Erm... any chance of... paying at the end?” he asks hopefully.
“You want a tab?”
He nods.
“Sure. Planning a proper session, are you?” Laurie leans on the bar on her elbows and gazes at him.
“I don’t know. Maybe.” Brandon grimaces and gulps at his drink. He twists the broken string between his fingers.
“Need me to get rid of that for you?” she asks, holding out a hand.
“No,” he says a little too quickly, withdrawing his hand and shoving the string into his pocket. “I mean, no thanks. That’s alright.”
When he looks back at her, the pale eyes are curious and the red eyebrows are up under her fringe.
“OK then... hey, where’s your blond friend? Corey?”
“Cody,” Brandon mutters, and his chest aches. “Can we not talk about him?”
Laurie winces and straightens up. “I see. Tequila?”
Brandon snorts, almost amused. “Is that your answer to everything?”
The barmaid shrugs and retrieves the bottle anyway. She picks at the peeling label. “Well, not as much as you and he-who-we-won’t-be-talking-about put away last time. Just one’s usually enough for most crappy situations.”
“I concur,” Brandon says, taking off his glasses and pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes against the dull throbbing. “That was a bad morning after.”
Laurie laughs, and when Brandon looks again, she’s poured him a shot. He doesn’t want lemons and salt this time, that’s for sure. Too... Cody.
“Cheers,” he manages, and is just reaching for the little glass when the door swings open, admitting a gust of wind and light spray into the warm, smoky atmosphere.
He hesitates, and something makes him look up at Laurie. Her mouth has dropped slightly open, and her eyes are wide, and Brandon suddenly has a fair idea of who has just walked into the pub. And as he turns on his stool to look at Zack in soaking clothes, he’s never wanted to break someone’s nose, Brandon sighs and turns around again.
“Hello, Wonder Boy.”
“You two know each other?” Laurie puts in, amused. And then: “Oh, right. I see.” She scuttles to the end of the bar before Brandon can relieve her of that particular misconception.
“Bugger off,” Brandon says, and sneezes again. Zack leans on the bar beside Brandon, and in spite of himself, Brandon rakes his eyes up and down his body, taking in the wet outfit.
“He lied to you, you know,” he offers.
Brandon snorts dryly and downs his shot of tequila with a shudder. “I know that, Zack, that’s why I’m drinking tequila at five o’clock in the afternoon on a Thursday.”
“No... he lied to you just now. Cody and I never slept together.”