Too Scared to Love Again

“There you go!” the brunette smiled, as she passed a beer over the counter, and then returned to collecting empty glasses all around the bar.

The place wasn’t as packed as usual, which Lynn was happy for, considering she would be shutting everything down with Kath today. Her hands were loaded with glasses as she returned to her spot behind the counter, and then noticed how even Blair was serving customers over the wooden counter.

As Lynn drew closer, she soon noticed that Blair wasn’t really serving customers, but rather speaking to them. And when by them, it of course had to be Zack.

“Lynn! Hey!” Zack smirked from his seat, tearing his green eyes away from his gorgeous girlfriend for merely a second, before they returned to her milk white face.

“Hello, Zee.” Lynn smiled, and then disappeared into the tidy kitchen in the back room.

The brunette soon returned once again, sliding her bottle of water up from under the desk as she took a swig from it.

“Hey, you.” a familiar deep sound voiced to Lynn, as the dark-haired woman looked up and discovered Brian, who was settled right in front of her.

“Are you here to demand more free beer?” her eyebrows rose on her forehead, meanwhile she cleaned the desk in front of him, listening to the sound of his dark chuckle.

“You know me too well, Evans.” Brian shook his head slowly.

“I know.” Lynn sniggered under her breath, before she went to tie her dark locks unto a loose ponytail.

Brian watched as the brunette worked her way through her shift. She all but tipped down the bar, delivering beers and picking up empty glasses, before she returned happily to her seat behind the counter.

“You look… happy?” he pointed out, circling his long fingers around the cold beer, which was the second drink she’d tapped for him.

“I’m half-way through my shift, and this will be the first time I’m not shutting down the place by myself in a long time.” Lynn told him, and then embraced the straw in her soda with her lips.

“Lynn! About that!” Kath voiced rather innocently, as she earned the brunette’s attention.

“What?”

“Luke invited me over to, and I totally forgot that I was closing down tonight,” Kathleen announced.

“Can you please do this for me?” the younger brunette was looking at Lynn with the puppy eyes she normally managed to avoid, but now couldn’t.

“Kath…” Lynn sighed. “Are you ditching me.... for a bootycall?”

“Uhm, yeah!” Kath voiced back, sounding as though she was stating the obvious. “I mean, if you knew how good he’s in bed, you’d do that too!” she all but reassured.

Both Brian and Zack hovered with laughter, meanwhile Lynn sent Kath a rather nasty glare.

“Fuck you!” she snarled. “You’re a bitch!”

“Does that mean that I can go?” Kath’s eyes all but rose with happiness, as Lynn threw her another unimpressed glare, and the younger woman soon launched herself on top of Lynn. “I LOVE YOU!”

“You’re awful!” Lynn squeezed out, as Kath only tightened her grip around her friend.

“And you two aren’t doing what you’re supposed to do!” Donna said, pointing her finger at her workers in a rather motherly way.

“Sorry!” Kath instantly returned to her earlier spot and started cleaning the counter, meanwhile their boss only chuckled at the sight of them.

“Can I get a refill, Evans?” the older brunette asked, and then got a quick nod from Lynn.

“Here you go! One for Gloria as well?” Lynn wiggled her eyebrows a little.

“You know it, girl!” Donna chuckled, as she watched how the brunette within seconds had refilled two glasses of beer.

The night went on like most of their shifts. The first part of the evening was always stressful, as men that were eager for booze and women packed the place. Throughout the night it usually became much more peaceful, and especially when the show started and only few people made went to order more booze.

Brian had seen this scenario so many times by now. At this point of the shift, Lynn was settled in her bar stool on the other side of the counter, reading a book about Jane Austin, meanwhile she now and then picked up her soda and took sips from it. The man finished his beer, not bothering to pay attention to the show, as he placed his empty glass along with the four other beers he had had that evening.

“Want another refill?” Lynn asked, noticing how the guitarist looked anything but excited, as he paid more attention to the old wooden counter than Blair on the stage.

“I think I’ve spent enough money on beer tonight.” Brian admitted, a heavy sigh following his words.

“Really? That’s kinda weak, I mean, considering that you’re a so-called rock star.” the brunette responded teasingly.

“You are a nasty woman, Lynn Evans!” he shook his head at her, unable to hide the smirk that curved his lips.

“I can very much live with that.” Lynn confessed, before she returned to her book.

The curtains in front of the stage had been pulled forward and the lights from the ceiling had been turned on again. A heavy sigh fell from Lynn’s lips when she discovered the mess that covered the entire bar, meanwhile their guests were collecting their belongings and making their way out of the bar.

When the brunette turned around to look at her co-worker, she noticed that Kath had already snatched her leather jacket from the backroom, and looked like she was ready to head off.

“Have fun tonight,” Lynn told her. “And use protection!” she added.

“Always!” Kath promised. “Have fun locking up!” the brunette said, as she pecked Lynn’s cheek and then made her way out of the bar.

Lynn sighed once again when she realized how long it would take her. The brunette made sure the tiny bun that was holding her hair was strong enough for the upcoming hours she had all by herself, before she turned around and allowed herself to play some music from her Spotify.

“This is one hell of a mess.” Brian admitted to the brunette, as she soon noticed that even Blair and Zack had taken off.

“Yeah. Can’t wait to spend my night here!” Lynn shook her head, rubbing her fingertips against her temple.

“Do you want some company?”

“Depends on who’s offering.” Lynn replied, and then started cleaning the counter again.

“I believe that’s the really hot guitarist named Synyster Gates.” Brian voiced almost teasingly.

“Do you know how to clean up?” her eyebrows climbed high on her forehead, and she could already see the insulting look that spread across his face.

“I thrive to be surprising, Evans! You’ve seen it before!” Brian announced, raising his finger at her.

“I have, but can you do it again?” she wiggled her eyebrows at him.

“The fuck I can!” he reassured her, sounding as though this task was depending on his pride.

Lynn only chuckled, as she watched Brian clean tables faster than what she’d expected. The brunette emptied the sink, humming along to a song that had been stuck in her head throughout the entire shift.

“Are you really singing to Nirvana?” Brian glanced over at her, the sound of her husky voice reaching his ears.

Lynn could feel the warmth rise to her cheeks, meanwhile she left the plates inside the shelf, and then turned to find Brian settled on the bar stool on the other side of the counter.

“It’s a great band.” she replied, and then allowed her elbows to collapse on top of the counter.

“They’re… okay,” Brian shrugged back. “Not as good as metal bands.”

The brunette rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head a little before she swept her gaze across the bar. The chairs had been left on top of the tables, something Brian had done during an impressive amount of time, and Lynn had gone over the floor at least three times.

“You’re really something, Haner.” she announced.

“You say that a lot, Evans, but I still don’t know what you mean.” he admitted, and then laced his fingers together.

“Well, it’s not like we actually know a lot about each other.” Lynn agreed.

“Even though we run into each other all the time.” Brian added, chuckling.

“Yeah…” the brunette let out, before she grabbed a bottle of scotch from under the sink and placed it on top of the table. “Maybe that’ll change after a drink?”

“Do you drink scotch?” his eyebrows looked like they could disappear into his hairline by the sight of Lynn holding a bottle of scotch that looked like it was twice as old as her.

“Oh, fuck off!” Lynn snarled back. “I’m a bartender! Of course I drink scotch!”

Brian soon drove his hands up in surrender, and then watched as she popped the bottle and lowered it into two glasses.

“Drink up, you jerk.” Lynn demanded, before she settled herself on top of the counter.

Brian couldn’t help but chuckle, as he picked up the glass and took a swig from it, tasting the strong liquor that nearly made him grimace.

“Was that too strong for you, Haner?” the bartender asked teasingly, meanwhile the man flashed his middle finger at her.

“Who the fuck wants to get to know another person over a bottle of scotch?” he all but snorted.

“You’re weak!” Lynn retorted, slapping his shoulder, before she took a sip from the drink.

“I’m not!” he protested. “Let me tell you what. Let’s play a game, and the loser has to drink up!” Brian suggested.

“What kind of game?” Lynn asked.

“One of us has to present something about ourselves, and the other has to guess if it’s true or false.”

“Okay, you first.” she requested, shoving the bottle into his direction, as she had noticed that he’s glass was empty.

Brian placed his index finger under his bottom lip, looking like he was really thinking in order to come up with something creative.

“Michelle and I used to be engaged.”

Lynn snorted by his assertion. “Nope, that’s definitely bullshit!”

“Fuck you!” Brian groaned at her, before he took a swig from his drink. “Your turn!”

The brunette shifted in her seat, unsure what to say that could sound somewhat true.

“I’m also a pole-dancer.”

“Right!” Brian sniggered. “That’s definitely not true.”

“What? Why not?” Lynn scolded at him.

“Come on, Evans! It’s almost impossible to get you out on the dance floor. I can’t imagine you hanging from a fucking pole!”

“You’re a jerk!” Lynn announced, and then grabbed her drink. “Your turn, Haner!”

“I used to date a bartender.”

Lynn knitted her brows for a little while. Brian hadn’t really told her much about the women in his life, not even his mother, and for some reason she wouldn’t really be surprised if he’d been dating a bartender before.

“True.”

“And why’s that?” he cocked his eyebrows.

“You’ve never worked at a bar before, but you still know how to work your way around.” Lynn pointed out.

“Damned you.” Brian chuckled, and then took a swig from his scotch.

“I have a sister.”

“False.” the guitarist answered few seconds after her assertion.

Lynn looked at Brian, almost surprised that he was this confident in his replies.

“I’ve seen the pictures of you and your dad. A parent can’t look at their child with so much love if they had other kids as well.”

“Smart-ass!” Lynn rolled her eyes at him and grabbed her drink, meanwhile Brian pour himself another glass of scotch, the two of them being halfway through the bottle by now.

“Drink up!” Brian grinned, and watched as she tilted her head back and emptied her glass.

“Okay, hit me, Haner!”

“One time I tattooed my girlfriend’s name when I was drunk.”

“That can’t be true.” Lynn chuckled.

“Why?” he responded, sounding almost offensive.

“You’re not really that romantic, Haner.” the brunette pointed out, meanwhile she watched as he scolded at her.

“I have my moments!”

“Do you really have a romantic bone in your body?” she cocked her eyebrows at him, as he slapped her arm.

“What do you know about romance anyway, Evans?” he asked.

“Oh, absolutely nothing.” Lynn reassured him, as she giggled a little.

“Then you better drink up, because that happened.” Brian told her, and watched as she wiggled her eyebrows a little, as though she was trying to see if he was joking or not.

“Seriously? Where?” Lynn looked almost disgusted while she poured herself another drink, realizing how much they had been drinking during the little time they had been playing this game.

“That’s not a part of the game!” he announced.

“Neither is those stupid looks you’re giving me all the time!” Lynn argued. “Come on! Where is it?”

“Do you think I still have it?” Brian cocked his brows.

“Where did you have it then?”

“You’re not that lucky, Evans,” Brian shook his head. “And I’m not so easy either!”

“Jeez!” she snorted, smacking his head. “I’m not trying to get you in bed!”

“That’s a little determined.” he admitted, meanwhile she slapped his arm once again.

“I thought you knew me.” Lynn responded teasingly.

Brian chuckled, and then poured himself another glass of scotch, already noticing how the liquor was kicking in. He looked over at Lynn, who was still settled on top of the counter with her legs crossed. The woman had had more liquor than she usually had, and she could feel herself getting a little tipsy, as she kept sipping from her glass.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Lynn half-slurred at the guitarist.

“You look drunk.” Brian pointed out, and then took a swig from his scotch.

“You would be too if you were tiny and drinking scotch!”

“Ey! I’m not making fun of you! I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m really drunk as well!” he said to her.

“Yeah, right!” Lynn snorted. “Are you really drunk?”

“Yeah! I had four beers before you turned up with that fucking bottle!” the dark-haired man reminded her.

“Ops!” Lynn giggled. “Okay, my turn!”

“Now I’m very excited!” Brian let out.

“Before I started studying literature and history, I wanted to be a tattoo artist.”

Brian had to look at her before he could give an answer to that. The brunette looked dead serious there she sat, one leg tugged under the other and her fingers still wrapped around the glass of her scotch.

“I’d say false, but that fucking look on your face tells me that it’s true.” he confessed.

“Drink up!” Lynn cracked a smile, and then watched as the guitarist rolled his eyes at her.

Lynn watched as the dark-haired man drank up what was left in his glass, once again realizing that he had reached his limit. The woman giggled a little as he grimaced again, as the strong taste filled his mouth.

“Okay, I can’t take more of that shit!” Brian admitted, bringing his hands up in surrender. “I’m gonna fucking throw up if I have one more sip of that crap!”

“You’re weak!” she let out, waving a finger at him. “And you call yourself a rock star!”

“I am!” he scolded at her. “But rock stars have their limits!”

“Yeah, right!” Lynn only rolled her eyes. “You’re really full of surprises!”

“And you aren’t?” he chuckled back.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Lynn shrugged, running a hand through her hair, almost yanking on it as she reached the tangles of her locks. “I’m pretty predictive.”

“No, you’re not!” Brian argued. “Not at all!”

“When am I not being predictive?” Lynn asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Well, let me see…” Brian trailed off. “When you slam the door in my face when I’m being honest with you? Or that one time when the cousin of your former fiancée shows up at your work?” he shrugged.

“Oh, fuck off!” Lynn groaned and punched his shoulder. “You don’t really get to joke about that!” she told him, and then grabbed her drink again.

“Sorry…” Brian mumbled, and then watched as she emptied her drink and grabbed the bottle again.

“How’s that going by the way?” he asked her and folded his fingers around the glass.

“It’s not going,” Lynn chuckled. “Which is exactly how I like it.” she added.

“We don’t have to talk about it.” Brian told her, and then placed his hand on top of her knee, soon earning her gaze.

“I know,” Lynn mumbled back, and then placed her hand on top of his. “I don’t say this a lot and I’ll probably won’t say it again, but now I’m drunk and I want you to know that I appreciate this, Brian.”

“And what’s that?”

“That I can get drunk on cheap ass scotch with you. I needed that.” Lynn admitted.

“Because you were dumped by Kathleen?” he chuckled.

“Fuck off! I’m trying to give you a compliment here!” Lynn groaned at him. “Now you’re making me regret it!”

Brian watched as warmth radiated to her skin.

Was Lynn Evans actually blushing?

“Shit! Is… Is Lynn Evans blushing?” Brian let out, unable to keep it to himself.

“No, I’m not!” she protested, slapping his arm.

“You are!” the grin on his lips only widened.

Just as Lynn was about to slap him again, the guitarist grabbed her hand, his long fingers circling around her wrist and holding unto her.

“Let me go!” Lynn groaned at him, as she tried to free herself without any luck.

“Maybe I was wrong, you’re more predictable than I thought!” he sniggered.

“Okay, let me go now!” Lynn giggled, the alcohol obviously getting to her head, before she noticed the slick smile on Brian’s thin lips.

His dark eyes soon travelled up to her face. Brian could spot the few strokes of mascara on the tip of her lashes, and he soon watched as she applied more lip balm to her lips, before stuffing it into the back of her jeans. His eyes then looked over at her dark eyes that were currently staring blankly at the wall, once again showing him that she really was drunk.

Lynn soon noticed his dark eyes that rested on her, and then went to slap his shoulder again, just as Brian caught her glimpse, and this time decided to bring her hand into his. The brunette could feel the temperature that rose in her body as his smooth skin touched hers, and it only increased as he locked their fingers together and then allowed his warmth to radiate towards her body.

A shiver ran down her spine, something that hadn’t happened in a long time, before Lynn dared to look into his eyes.

“You look good.” Brian suddenly said, meanwhile he kept holding her hand, giving it a soft squeeze.

Lynn didn’t know what to say, as she instead rubbed the back of her thumb over his upper hand. Lynn ha no idea what was going on. Her head was cloudy, and the alcohol was leaving her with an odd sensation inside of her.

“Thanks…” she exhaled, feeling the gaze that rested on her face, before she could feel his chest against her knees.

It felt as though a weird tension had been left between them, and the space between their bodies was bugging him. Brian couldn’t exactly put it into words, as Lynn grabbed his other hand and felt the temperature that almost burned her when their skin connected.

Her mind went even cloudier as Brian got up from his seat and allowed his hand to leave hers and then travel up to the back of her neck. Lynn could feel goose bumps rise on her skin as Brian came closer and the smell of his rather expensive cologne drifted into her nostrils.

His cool breath lingered of alcohol, and the way he came close to her suddenly didn’t bother her, as Lynn slipped her arms around the base of his neck and suddenly pressed her lips against his.