Harrison’s isa honky-tonk bar that is all party downstairs and very chill upstairs. Not many people even know upstairs exists, but I became friends with Josh, the bouncer, after I became a firefighter; one night, when I was having a rough time dealing with the day, he took me up there. Turned out, it was exactly what I needed. Then, the party atmosphere became a little too much, and I was drowning in all of it. Thankfully, he recognized something was off and took control before I lost it completely.
Ever since, if I get in that mindfuck space and choir practice doesn’t cut it, I come here.
When I texted, asking if I could bring a date up there, he agreed immediately, and so here I am, waiting at the door for my beautiful angel to show up.
When my eyes meet hers from afar, I can’t help the huge grin that grows across my face. All day, I kept thinking about how beautiful she was, and I almost started to wonder if I was making it up in my mind, but nope. She’s everything I remembered and then some.
I tap Josh on the shoulder to get his attention, then point her way.
He slyly holds his hand out to me, giving me dabs on my choice of date as she appears.
I walk up to her. “Hi. Thanks for coming.”
I lean in to give her a hug, which she reciprocates.
“Thanks for inviting me,” she says with a smile that just about does me in.
I place my hand on the small of her back as Josh opens the barrier for us to walk through.
“Thanks, man,” I say as we slap hands again.
“Have fun,” he says too playfully, making Kara and me both grin.
I guide her up the stairs to the room that’s lined with private high-back booths and has a few tall tables spread throughout. It’s still early, so we easily find a place in a booth, and a waitress comes to take our order.
“What can I get you two?”
I point to Kara, having her go first.
“I’ll take a glass of red wine—whichever you think is best.”
“And for you?” she asks me.
“I’ll take whatever you have on tap tonight.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be right back.”
I give all of my attention to Kara. “So, how are you?”
She looks like she’s trying to hold back a laugh as she says, “I’m good. How about you?”
I nod. “Good. Had the day off, so I just worked on stuff around my house, then went to visit a friend.”
“What kind of stuff around the house?”
“Boring stuff. I mowed the lawn and fixed a door that had been giving me trouble every time I tried to close it.”
“Ah. I call that adulting. Not fun,” she says as the waitress brings our drinks. “Sometimes I wish I could go back to the carefree days of being a child.”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t bother me. I like doing those kinds of things. Keeps my mind busy, especially on my days off.”
“So, you’re a project kind of guy?”
I inhale and nod my head. “That I am. It can be hard for me to sit and relax.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
I shrug. “Just depends on how you look at it.”
