You start to hear the clamor of the bar’s patio seating just before you round the corner. It looks surprisingly busy for a weeknight. The band isn’t bad; they’re playing on a little raised stage outside, some kind of indie rock, and holy shit is that the drummer? She’s gorgeous. A mane of curly brown hair whips around her head and sticks to her red lipstick as she drums. She’s clearly having a great time. How is Kelly not all over that?

“Your friend is so hot,” you say before you can stop yourself. As the words leave your mouth, your eyes go wide. 

Kelly turns her head slightly. “Sorry, what was that? Didn’t quite catch it, it’s super loud in here. Hey, what would you like to drink, by the way? They make crazy-good margarita pitchers here, but something tells me you and I aren’t going to finish one together. I had a peach sour last week, it was-”

She didn’t hear you. Thank fucking god. You compose yourself and think of a better answer while you wait for Kelly to wrap up. 

“All those drinks sound nice, so how about one of whatever you’re having? I was just saying that your friend is really amazing!” you yell at the top of your lungs, gesturing to the stage. 

Kelly grins. “Yeah, she’s really something! She had a Tiktok get really popular a while ago, like ninety thousand views, and now the bar gets so full when they have a gig. She’s totally got her choice of hookups these days.”

You politely don’t pursue that thought further right now. “Awesome!”

Kelly waves to the bartender, which tilts you around more than you’d like, and you redouble your grip on her shoulder. 

“Hey, could we get a peach whiskey sour and a tiny peach whiskey sour, make the big one a double?” 

While Kelly pulls a card out, thankfully with the other arm, and starts a tab, you take some time to sit up properly and check the bar out. It’s cozy, with dark wood paneling and dim light. The bartender is putting on a show of mixing a drink; all the bottles have fancy pour spouts, and the glass has a chilled stone instead of ice. The bar seating is packed, and the floor seating is half-full, but there’s a mostly empty dance floor in the middle. Wow, there are some actual hipsters here, with the beards and suspenders and flannel and all. You didn’t know those guys existed outside of Portland. 

“Hey, Nicole! Hey! Your drink!” 

Your head snaps up. “Yeah? Sorry! I was just checking the place out!” You really had to scream for her to hear you. If you had to scream like this all night, your voice was going to be super hoarse tomorrow. 

Kelly gingerly hands you a tiny cup, nearly smothered between her between two fingers. “Here’s your drink! This is actually just a bit off the top of my drink, so the bartender says yours is free as long as we’re having the same thing. So, my treat, I guess!” She smiles. 

You take a sip. Oh wow, that’s strong–right, Kelly got a double. The soothing buzz of the whiskey spreads through your body, and you feel yourself start to loosen up. You think…yes, you could actually make some conversation now. 

“That’s awesome, thank you! Hey, so how about those dancing hipsters!?” 

Kelly’s eyebrows raise playfully. “I know, right? Can you believe that was my style for a whole year of college?” She tosses her hair gently over the shoulder you’re sitting on. A few strands dip themselves into your drink. 

“Pfffftttt-” You laugh louder than intended. “Really, you!? I actually can’t believe that! Like, in a flannel shirt, listening to Mumford and Sons!? Gorgeous aerobics Kelly, with a vinyl record collection!?” 

She smiles and flushes, just a bit, when you call her gorgeous. “Honestly, yeah! I was at an arts college, and that was before I had a good workout routine, so-”

You chat, and finish your drink, and have another dropper of Kelly’s. She’s so easy to talk to! You talk about college, work, fashion - “But no, don’t worry about your hipster thing, you should have seen my goth phase,” “Oh, so is this not your goth phase right now!?” “Hahaha oh my god, Kelly-” and before you know it, forty-five minutes have passed.

And she’s so, so hot. Her face is so beautiful, and her lips are so plump and perfect. And her body. You’ve been sprawled on her shoulder, staring down her cleavage, imagining grinding yourself against her nipples, or riding the tip of Kelly’s tongue until you come in her mouth. If she sets you down to go to the bathroom, you’re going to Google like lightning and figure out how a tiny can top. 

“Hey!” you shout up to her before you know what you’re doing,