Amber J

He stares at the bartender as she pores a drink at the opposite end of the bar with a smile on her face. Her short blonde hair is pulled into a tiny top knot with lose strands falling around her face. Her thick rimmed glasses cover her eyes because she didn’t feel like dealing with contacts.
The smile on her face was almost permanent. It wasn’t very often when Tyler didn’t see her smiling. He started coming to this little local bar when he first moved to Dallas. When he first moved to Dallas he wasn’t looking for anything serious when it came to a relationship. But now, looking over at Julianna and seeing the light reflect off of the diamond on her left hand, he couldn’t have wished for anything else.
.
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1 Year Ago
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“Can I help you?” She asked from behind the bar top and he gives her one of his famous smiles.
“Yeah, can I get a Sam Adams Boston Lager draft please?” He asked her. She eyed him for a second before asking for his ID. “Wait you’re serious?” He asked and she nodded.
“As serious as I can be.” She stand there and waits while he fishes his wallet out of his pocket and then pulls out his Canadian ID. When he hands it to her and she looks it over, for a split second, her eyes go wide and she smiles. “One Boston Lager coming right up.” She says and hands it back.
He had guessed, at the time, that she hadn’t recognized him, but the name on the ID must have wrung a bell, if not many. She filled the mug and set it down in front of him.
“Thanks.” He said simply. She walked to another spot at the bar as he looked up towards the Television here some football game was on. He didn’t really care, but he had nothing else to focus on.
It wasn’t then that he realized just how beautiful she was. No, that came a few visits later, although he did think she was cute.
She walks by and he stops her, “Could I get a regular menu?” He asked and she nodded.
“One Sec.” The blonde walks a few feet away and he admires her body. Jean shorts, short enough to show her great legs but long enough to still be respectful, and a black razor back tank top that seemed to be the thing the girls who worked here wore. Her shoulders were also toned and it was clear that she worked out in her spare time. She turned around and He then noticed the name tag than sat on the right side of her chest. With the name tag also came the noticing of the breast. They weren’t huge but they were perfect for her body. The name tag read, Julianna. She sets the menu on the bar in front of him. “I’d recommend the Smoke House Bacon Burger. It’s pretty great.” She said with a small shrug and he smiled at her.
“I’ll get that then.” He said and she grinned
“Ok, what kind of fries would you like?” She asked, perking up a bit from his smile.
“What do you recommend?”
“Have you had sweet potato fries?” She asked, but when he scrunched his nose and shook his head, she laughed. “Just give them a try. You can’t hate it till you try it.” She said and he couldn’t argue with her knowledge, plus her smile made him smile and he thought that was enough of a reason to order whatever she recommended.
“Alright then. If you say so.”
“I do.” She turned her back to him once more to enter the order into the computer. Tyler finished his first beer quickly and she sat a water in front of him before getting him another mug of Lager. “So, you liking Dallas alright?” When she asked this, he noticed a small hint of a southern accent.
“Yeah, I mean it’s a lot different than Boston but I’m getting used to it. I’m starting to get to know the team more, and that’s the important thing.”
“Yeah, maybe you will take us to playoffs this year.” She says and he perks up. That meant she watched hockey. That was good for him.
“You watch hockey?”
“Yeah, it’s decently popular here and I got into it in high school.” She said nonchalantly.
“So you going to school or are you from here?”
“I’m from Georgia but I go to the University of Dallas.”
“Oh so a Georgia peach? That’s what they call you pretty girls from there right?” He asked and she laughed with a nod.
“Yeah that’s me.”
“So what are you studying?” He asked her. He wasn’t sure if he genuinely cared, normally he didn’t, but this time, with this girl, he thought he might have.
“I’m going into hotel and restaurant management. I know it sounds stupid but I want to own my own bar one day if not a brewery and I’m also in dace there, as a minor. I love being around all the people and things stay exciting. My dad owns one in Georgia, a bar and a brewery, and…” She stopped herself. “Sorry, I’m rambling.” She said with a blush.
“Hey no worries! I think that would be pretty cool to own a bar.”
“I’m going to go check on your order.” She said, becoming shy. He wasn’t sure if he did something wrong or if she was really just embarrassed for rambling on about her dad and bars. He really had thought it was a cool idea though. If he owned his own bar then he would be throwing bar parties on the norm.
“Here you go.” She sat the plate down with a satisfied grin. He looked at the plate and took in the large portion.
“This could easily feed two.”
“Oh come on now! You’re an athlete! Eat up!” She encouraged and he did just that.
Tyler ate at least three quarters of the burger and he even ate the majority of the sweet potato fries before calling it quits.
“You did good.” She said with her arms crossed over her chest. “I’m impressed. Hey you liked the fries!” She said with prideful grin. “Maybe next time you will trust me.”
“Hey I trusted you this time, didn’t I? I ordered it.” He said with a small laugh.
“That you did Tyler. That you did.” She left the check for him and when he paid out his $30 tab, he left her a $50 tip. At that moment, he wasn’t sure he was going to be going back. He wouldn’t know until later that lunch at that little local bar, would become the norm and change his life forever.