I’m just waiting in line, hopefully I’ll be at the front in five minutes. It’s busy tonight!
It’s one of their themed nights, and tonight is ‘Red Hot Christmas’. I put on a red lace playsuit with cute ruffled sleeves for the occasion. It’s not normally a colour I wear, but these themed nights at the bar aren’t just for the music and drinks, they’re for the attire as well.
“You’re so lucky you’re cute.”
I look up, startled to find Beth standing on the footpath staring at me, tapping her red stilettos against the pavement with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Oh. Hi!”
“Girl, what are you doing in the line?” She hooks her arm through mine and starts dragging me toward the doors. “You’re VIP.”
“I didn’t want to just walk right up to the door as if I owned the place,” I whisper fiercely in her ear.
We get to the front of the line where two men stand beside the back door. On themed nights, this is the main entry, and you only get in if you figure out the password hidden on their social media sites.
“Hey, Cody,” Beth says as we pass one of the men. “This is my girl, Isabelle. She’s VIP. You’ll let her straight in if you ever see her here, okay?”
“You got it, Miss Beth.” The older man of the two nods to her, while the other opens the door for us.
“Sam, this is Isabelle. She’s VIP.”
I give a small wave to the second guy as he gives a simple nod, and we walk through the doors.
The Wayside feels like a classic dive bar you’d see in the movies—scuffed-up concrete floor, crumbling brick walls, lights hanging from exposed cables. Leather booths line the walls, and high-top tables surround a big dance floor. A DJ booth is set up on a stage that will play anything from eighties rock to nineties hip hop, new releases, and even remixed mashups of all of them at once.
Beth pulls me through the crowd to the back, where she always sits. I’ve met her and Tenley here a few times over the last few weeks, trying and usually failing to avoid looking behind the bar where her brother is working.
Even now, my head gravitates to the bar, pretending I’m taking in the scene as a whole instead of seeking out Gage. It’s been three nights since I saw him at Nella Notte. Since I saw a whole lot of him.
Twinkle lights are wrapped around the overhead beams, and green garlands with holly hang from the bulkhead that lines the service counter.
“Beth, did you do the decorating here?”
“Isn’t it gorgeous? Gage always leaves me in charge of his themed nights.”
“This is so cool.” My eyes drink in every detail until I notice two women step away from the bar, and I see Gage standing there.
I stop Beth in her tracks, patting her arm. “Your brother is wearing a Santa hat.”
She laughs. “I know. I totally made him.”
We make it to our usual booth, where Tenley’s sitting with a red cocktail in front of her and two more on the table. “Hey, Tenley.”
She leans over to kiss my cheek, which I return.
“Hey, gorgeous. Look at you in red.” Tenley fans her face, making my cheeks blush at her appraisal.
“Cheers, ladies.” Beth picks up her cocktail and holds it up in the centre of the table, inviting Tenley and me to clink our own glasses to hers. “I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and I would just like to say your friendship is the greatest gift a gal could ask for.”
I smile and tap my glass against theirs before taking a sip.
“And if a big-dicked man was waiting in my bed every night, then I’d consider myself truly blessed.” Thankfully, I had already swallowed when Beth added that last bit, but the cough still burns a little from the lingering spicy flavour of gingerbread.
“Girl, I’d take an average dick, just give me someone who knows what they’re doing,” Tenley says, placing her glass on the table. “Keep your dick in your pants, for all I care. Just. Show. Me. The. Orgasm.” She punctuates each word with a clap in between, and all I can do is laugh.
“Oh, you are not kidding. The last date I went on, bleh.” Beth shakes her head.
“I thought you weren’t dating at the moment?” Tenley asks.
