This Is How I'll Remember You

She stared lifelessly ahead, towel in one hand drying the glass which she held in the other, glaring at the clock. Scarlet sighed and placed the glass with the others picking up another from the seemingly endless line, sighing to herself she moved her eyes back to the clock. Each second painfully passed by, over the irritating bar gossip the sound of ticking mocked her.

Scarlet was currently stood behind the bar of the lavish up-town cocktail bar known as, Cosmo. She personally didn’t find the name appealing, but the customers seemed not to mind so she didn’t think any more of it.

Her familiarity with cold temperatures had caused her to feel almost allergic to the sun and the warm temperatures; some rolled her eyes at her bare arms as they pulled their cardigans closer to their body. What had promised to be summer of fun had turned into a nightmare of twelve hour shifts, sun-burnt shoulders and an increasing desire to return back home.

The sound of glass smashing pulled her from her daydream as she stared down at her now glass-free hand. She winced when she heard the familiar grunt of displeasure and the tap of brand-new, expensive shoes cross the floor to her left. She could imagine the snarl he had on his face and the tight grip of the brush he held in his hand, as she’d experienced this scenario more than once in her short career at Cosmo.

“Clean this up, it’s coming from your wages, again, Walker.” She groaned at the use of her last name as he turned her back on her and began laughing with Luke Adams, he had been quite nice to her when she started but gradually disowned her in case of guilt by association, which she understood. She wasn’t exactly doing her best at the job, it was a wonder she hadn’t been fired.

She pushed the glass to one side, and knelt down to clear glass all the time whilst glaring at his shoes which probably cost more than her wardrobe put together, different images running through her head of how she could destroy them. Setting them on fire was her first choice.

She stood up, pulling her t-shirt down that had ridden up her back slightly. The black bag which contained the glass was grabbed from her hand and replaced with her bag. She looked up to be met by the stern eyes of her boss, “Go home.” He whispered through his teeth in his strong, west-coast accent.

“I’m not fired, am I?”

“No. But look, you’ll have to do much better tomorrow. Just relax and come back tomorrow.” He moved around her and out of the back door.

She looked over to Luke who gave her a thumbs-up. She laughed at him before waving and almost running out of the door, the sunshine was a welcome feeling for the first time. She pulled a cigarette from her pocket, her lighter falling to the floor. She blew her hair from her eyes in frustration and bent to pick it up.

She wasn’t much of a smoker, but her nerves couldn’t cope with the stress levels of the job.
Scarlet checked to see if she hadn’t broken her lighter and stepped forward only to fall and stumble into somebody, a man from the size of his arms that had broken her fall.

“Whoa, careful.” He set her back on her feet, laughing and shaking his head. He pointed to the bar behind them, “You coming in or is it a habit of yours to linger around bars and fall into the arms of very attractive men?” She laughed and stopped quickly, unsure of whether he was being serious which his current look suggested.

She fixed her bag on her shoulder, “I’m not coming in, no. I just finished working.”

He turned his head to one side in confusion, “Not from around here?”

She shook her head laughing, “That obvious?”

“Slightly.” He grinned at her, before somebody slapped his shoulder, from the look of him they were friends, the same leather jacket thrown onto their tattooed shoulders. He, too, grinned at her before turning his attention to his friend, “Not interrogating this young lady, are we Zack?”

Zack flipped him off before walking into the bar, muttering to himself about his friend who stayed in front of her. He offered his hand to her, “Brian.” She took his hand in his as he brought it to his lips and kissed it, their eyes never leaving each other’s, a permanent smirk on his face.

“Brian?” She glanced at his tattoos smirking, “Not exactly a name for a rock star, is it?”

He laughed at her, letting her hand drop. His laugh was low and it was obvious that he smoked, but she could listen to it all day. He crossed his arms over his chest, fake glaring at her.

“Oh?” He laughed again, “So, what’s your name then?”

“Scarlet.”

He grinned at her, “Not exactly a name for a wise-ass, is it?”

Her laugh was melodic; he smiled as it rang around his head. She shook her hand and walked around him, he turned to keep her gaze, “You’re going?”

Scarlett nodded her head, pulling her bag back up on her shoulder, “Yeah, but I start at seven tomorrow. That’s if you’re not too busy.” She didn’t know where this new found confidence had come from, she was never this forward with anyone especially a strange man she’d only just met. There was something intriguing about him; she wanted to know more about him, all the stories behind the tattoos.

Before he could reply she turned quickly and walked away from him, she was actually looking forward to coming back tomorrow. She just hoped that he would turn up, and she had a feeling that he would be there.

“Finally!” Zack pointed to the chair next to him, “Could you have been any slower?”

“You know me, Zack. I like to take my time; you did share a wall with me once.” Zack shuddered next to him.

“Don’t remind me.”

Brian picked up his glass and turned to the door, hiding his smile as her face flashed through his mind. Her green eyes smiling at him, he would be there tomorrow. He had to know her.