Love on the Rocks (Bar Tenders) (7 page)

“No,” Justin replied. “Should I?”

“Justin, honestly.” Tam quickly removed his feathered ruff, and reached out to help Justin with his. “That’s Mark Malone. He’s a big name booker in burlesque, not to mention drop-dead
gorgeous
.”

Reaching up to help Tam with the feathers, Justin quirked a brow. “Are we burlesque?”

“We’re boylesque.”

“I thought we were cabaret?”

“Same difference, darling. It doesn’t fucking matter as long as it
pays
.”

“Uh, okay.” Justin finally removed his feathers and handed them off to Tam. The next song would be their ABBA medley and required the ruffles added to the costume. They had it down to about a five-minute changeover, if they were quick. Tonight, they had about fifteen minutes.

Tam must have sensed his mood. “What’s up? You’re brooding.”

“I-I’m just tired.”

“Mm hm.” Tam shot him a look but didn’t press. “If you don’t want to hang out afterwards, that’s cool. I’m more than happy to flirt my arse off with that devilishly handsome man if he’ll book us for more shows.”

Justin had to laugh. “All right. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“That doesn’t leave a lot, darling.”

Rolling his eyes, Justin let the comment slide. Tam was right; he was brooding tonight. He had something—
someone
—weighing on his mind, and he knew he wouldn’t feel better until he’d addressed the issue.

J
USTIN
’
S
HEART
beat wildly as he walked down the little street to Foxy’s. Why was he so nervous? For all he knew Yena wouldn’t even be working, and he was getting himself in a tizz for nothing.

This couldn’t be any more embarrassing.

He patted his jacket pocket, feeling the remote control there. Well, he might as well get it over with. Taking a deep breath, Justin approached the glass doors and opened them. It was only Monday evening and clearly not very busy. Only a few couples dotted around the cocktail bar. The music wasn’t as loud, playing something poppy and chilled.

Oh, god, he’s here.

Justin spotted Yena behind the bar, and his immediate reaction was to want to turn and flee. He told himself to buck up and go over there. A steadying breath, then another, and Justin walked as casually as he was able up to the bar. Yena saw him and held his gaze. And damn, Yena looked good, eyes all big and dark. The dark shirt he wore complimented his skin tone and made his brown curls look almost black. Justin felt like all the breath had been knocked out of him.

“Er, hey,” he said, planting himself in front of Yena and wondering what on earth he could say next. A glance down showed Yena had been chopping limes on the counter behind the bar. Justin chewed his lip, willing Yena to say something. An excruciating silence followed, and Yena turned away.

Panicking, Justin called out, “Yena, wait—”

But Yena only went to the nearby tills, and came back holding something in his hand. “I believe this is yours, Justin.” He waved the mobile phone.

“Oh!” Relief swamped him, and Justin dug in his pocket. “I’ve, umm… I took this by mistake, I think.” He pulled out the remote and offered it to Yena, who stared at it in surprise.

“Oh. Yeah, I wondered where that’d gone.” He looked up, catching Justin’s eye. His lips quirked in a half smile. “Smooth, Justin.”

A nervous laugh bubbled out of him. “Smooth is my middle name.”

They exchanged electronics. Justin noted his phone was off, and Yena muttered, “I had to switch it off, it wouldn’t stop beeping.”

“Sorry.” Justin winced. “I’m glad I didn’t lose it, though. I can’t afford a new one.”

“Well, no worries,” Yena said stiffly. He placed his returned remote behind the bar, and looked ready to continue chopping his limes. Justin hovered, and Yena paused with the knife, looking up at him. “Did you want a drink, or something?”

“Er….”
No, I can’t afford it
. “Not really.” Justin floundered. Did Yena want him to leave? Should he leave and maybe send a text later? Assuming Yena hadn’t gone in Justin’s phone and deleted his own number, of course. Nerves seized Justin in a way he’d never really experienced before. He wasn’t sure what to make of it all, but he pulled his wits about him enough to ride the nervous high and blurt out, “I had fun… the other night. Being with you, I mean. Did you, umm… want to do it again?” He winced. “I mean, not like
that
. I mean, did you want to meet up again?”

Yena studied him closely. His dark eyes looked very intense. “Meet up?” he repeated.

“Yes.” Justin felt light-headed. “I promise not to get drunk.”

“We were both drunk,” Yena pointed out.

“I know, right,” Justin said with a laugh, trying to hide his nerves. “Is that the only reason you took me home?”

At this, Yena looked a little embarrassed. “Look, Justin, I….” He shifted awkwardly, staring down at his chopping board. “I don’t do this often, okay? I hadn’t planned on…. Well, I was drunk that night, and….”

Justin frowned, noticing the color appear on Yena’s cheeks. Was he blushing? “Okay,” Justin said carefully. “I’ll ask again. Is that the only reason you took me home?”

“No,” Yena said firmly, starting to sound annoyed. He sighed, putting down his knife. “No, okay?” He added softly, “But I didn’t want to do it that soon.”

“But you
did
want to do it?” Justin had to ask. The way Yena stared at him in surprise made him worry. When he didn’t respond, Justin prompted, “Is that a yes, or…?”

“Oh, my god,” Yena exclaimed quietly, starting to look upset. “
Yes
, all right? Yes, of course I wanted to. I can’t imagine anyone
not
wanting to have sex with you, but that doesn’t mean I
should
have jumped into bed with you on the first date.”

Justin digested that, confused by the outburst and Yena’s obvious frustration.
What
was so complicated? He didn’t get it. “Er, so…. Does this mean if we have a second date, I shouldn’t be expecting more sex?”

Yena blinked at him. “You want a second date?”

“Sure.” Justin swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Don’t you?”

To Justin’s dismay, Yena shook his head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Justin.”

“Why not?” he demanded, starting to feel desperate. “That’s how it works, right? You keep having more dates. Stuff… happens.”

“Look, I….” Yena glanced down the bar, and it was then Justin noticed a female bartender watching them curiously. “I need a cigarette,” Yena muttered, moving away.

Justin couldn’t believe it. Why had this turned into such a disaster? He refused to give up without a fight. He waited for Yena to come around the bar and followed him outside. Yena took out a cigarette and lit up. He offered the packet to Justin.

“I don’t smoke,” Justin reminded him.

“Oh.” Yena pocketed the cigarettes and shifted from foot to foot as he took a long drag. Justin waited. He was starting to sweat in his jacket, but the breeze outside was too crisp to be without it. Out of sight, a bicycle bell trilled.

After a long silence, Justin asked quietly, “Don’t you want to go on another date?”

Yena puffed nervously, hand shaking slightly. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Why?”

“Come on, Justin.” Yena flicked his cigarette, dislodging ash to the pavement. “I don’t think we want the same things.”

“How’d you know what I want?” Justin asked. “You haven’t asked me.”

Yena glanced at him briefly, blinking large eyes before he looked away. “You’re right. I haven’t. I guess I assumed….”

He left the rest unsaid.

“Yeah, sounds like it.” Justin felt put out. Why was he so upset? If someone had implied he was fast and loose before, he wouldn’t have cared.
This
felt different. He didn’t want Yena to think that of him.

“So, what do you want, Justin?”

That brought Justin up short. His drunken words from last Thursday night came back to him.
I want you
. But he couldn’t say that, could he? That’d be too much.

Wouldn’t it?

Now it was his turn to shift awkwardly. “I don’t know,” he mumbled, somewhat petulant. “Do I have to answer right now?”

Yena was silent for a moment, and with one last drag, he flicked away his cigarette. “No, you don’t have to answer now. I’m sorry if I put you on the spot.”

“’S’alright,” Justin muttered. He cleared his throat. “What exactly do
you
want?”

Smiling, Yena replied, “Do you really want to know?”

“Er….”
Yes
. Panic flashed through Justin.
Yes
.
But… is this moving too fast?
In a rush, he said, “Why don’t you tell me next time I see you?”

The smile was still there. “How’d you mean?”

You know very well what I mean
. Justin smiled back. “On our second date.”

“You really want a second date.”

“Yeah.” The panic was still there, but now Justin realized how much he
wanted
that second date. “Isn’t that the sort of thing that gets talked about on second dates?” He scuffed his foot on the pavement. “At least give me the chance to seduce you with food and wine.”

Yena burst out laughing. Justin couldn’t help a grin in response.

“I’ll take that as a yes, shall I?”

“Oh, my God,” Yena muttered, shaking his head. “Sure, why not. But less wine, okay? I shouldn’t have drunk so much last time.”

“Less wine,” Justin agreed.
Less puking too
. “How about cocktails?”

The look Yena gave him made him laugh. “Justin, cocktails are worse.”

“Could just have one or two,” Justin said. “Actually, I could do with the practice making them. My boss keeps telling me I suck.”

“Oh?” Yena smirked at him, a twinkle in his dark eyes. “You want to be tutored?”

Now
that
sounded like fun. Justin nodded eagerly. “Only if you’re the tutor, honey.”

This brought another laugh. Flattery seemed to amuse Yena, but Justin sensed a certain amount of nerves with it. “You’re crazy,” he said, turning to go back in. “I’ve gotta get back to work.”

“I’ll text you,” Justin said quickly. “Second date, yeah? You and me.”

Yena glanced back at him, still smiling. “Okay, Justin. Second date.” He waved and disappeared through the doors.

“Yes,” Justin hissed under his breath, pumping both fists excitedly. Then he remembered that the front of Foxy’s was glass, and everyone inside might be watching him right now. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away whistling.

Chapter Six

D
INNER
,
AT
his place. After a conversation via text, it’d been decided that keeping costs down was imperative for both parties this month. Justin was already broke, and Yena said he’d had some unexpectedly large bills come in. Justin’s suggestion of a home-cooked meal was first met by reluctance, but he eventually persuaded Yena it was the best option.

He’d also promised he had no expectations—just dinner, drinks, and maybe dessert if they fancied it. And by dessert, he actually meant the sweet kinds currently chilling in his fridge. Justin surprised even himself by meaning what he’d said: all he wanted was to spend the evening with this gorgeous, intriguing man. If they didn’t end up falling into bed tonight, well, Justin was okay with that.

But if it was offered, Justin wouldn’t say no either.

He had the whole day off. Usually, after working a late shift the night before, he’d sleep until well into the afternoon. Today, Justin was wide awake just after eleven. Tara was still sleeping, so Justin quietly made himself a coffee, measuring in a shot of vanilla syrup, and shuffled back to his room. He’d have to keep the noise down until she was awake, as she was also covering his evening shift tonight.

Six months he’d been in the apartment, and he hadn’t done a whole lot of decorating. He rolled back his blinds, letting the sunlight in, and popped in his earbuds to listen to music on his MP3 player. Then he danced and shimmied around in his pajamas, tidying his room at the same time. He stuck up all the posters that still hadn’t made it onto his walls with Blu Tack. He hung up all his clothes on the rail and covered it in a bright orange tie-dyed throw. His bed needed a makeover, so he changed the sheets, wrestling on brand new ones he’d had for ages but never gotten around to using. Old sheets always felt softer on his skin, but he wanted his bed to look enticing tonight.

He could hope, couldn’t he?

The new sheets were a color wash of dark purples, reds, and golds. He’d picked the set to go with the throw pillows he had in a box, which hadn’t been unpacked yet. Justin arranged his bed neatly, arranging a soft, creamy chenille comforter on top and setting his as-yet-untouched pillows artfully against the wall to create a nest.

Looked pretty good.

He tidied away everything else and was just having a boogie to Boney M when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Justin yelped in fright, making Tara yelp too.

“Tara!” He ripped the earbuds out. “Scare the crap out of me, why don’t you?”

“Sorry!” She breathed deep, hand on her chest. “I was just going to ask if you wanted a coffee.”

“Love one.” Justin usually needed at least two coffees to feel normal again after a late shift. “Then I’m going to head to the market and buy food for tonight. Anything you need?”

“I’ll come with you.” Tara yawned as she shuffled off in her dressing gown and slippers.

Justin was hoping she’d say that. He needed lots of help to organize the meal tonight.

C
URRY
SHOULD
’
VE
been easy. Justin had suggested it for that reason, and because he also thought Yena would like it. In hindsight, making his own curry pastes and naan breads from scratch was probably a little ambitious.

Coupled with playing ABBA on the stereo in the kitchen meant Justin spent more time throwing shapes and singing along than he did actually cooking. So Tara pointed out, when she dived in to help him. “You’re burning it,” she warned, stirring the saucepan full of biryani. “You haven’t even added the chicken yet, have you?”