Thursdays were always a great day to go to a bar.  They were noisy with the excitement of almost being the weekend.  In a college town, the worry of a bar being run over with annoying underage drinkers was always lurking.  Even so, Strauss & Main wasn’t the type of place that would entertain college kids.  It was a great place because it was just a plain bar.  Nothing too fancy, no themes—just a regular bar with a decent selection of craft beer, an okay wine list and phenomenal selection of scotch. It was busy for a drizzly day, but not so crowded you couldn’t move.  No Bud Lite bucket specials or weird over-sexualized contests that involved specific clothing choices.  Just good food and decent prices with alcohol that matched.  This was the main reason the guys had decided to come here while they were exploring the warehouse district—there was a buzz when they walked inside.

Justin was staring off into space.  After watching the Braves game last night alone, which went into extra innings, he had been a little gloomy remembering how last season he watched every single game with his dad.  When he saw that book laying on his dresser, just peeking out from under his orange shirt he had lazily dropped, he greedily snatched it and lay in bed reading ‘til 3am.  He was thinking about going back tonight and re-reading it, maybe making a few notes, figuring out a few scenes…and uh….jerking off again.  It helped him get to sleep on a night that he would have otherwise stared at the ceiling until dawn. 

That girl, that Julie girl, was just his type.  She was so extremely attractive, but in the most perfect, unassuming way.  Most people would probably just look past her.  She didn’t command attention like her friend, that Nikki girl.  You had to seek her out and once you did your eyes were not disappointed.  She wasn’t overdone, but natural and comfortable and easy in her look.  Even if he hadn’t seen her book before he had seen her, he’d still have been interested and intrigued. 

And now, after reading her book, he felt kind of bad.  She was a really good writer, and he knew he caught her off guard when he invaded her personal space. He shouldn’t have gotten that close to her, and he realized now it wasn’t just about proximity when he was trying to flirt with her.  That office was probably her workspace for all sorts of things, writing, her store, and he invaded that, too.  He knew just how much it sucked to have people in your business.  It was one of the reasons he agreed to move here when the opportunity presented itself.

He sighed and stared at the dark brown liquid in his half empty glass.  He had been too forward with her and had probably ruined any chance he had with her. 

‘Dammit’, he thought.  ‘Stop being so pathetic and down.’  

You couldn’t blame him for invading her space, though! For being that forward!  Her writing on that first page of the damn book was so tantalizingly thick with sex he thought she was going to be some sexy pin up girl with red lipstick and soft blonde hair.  He imagined her being some vixen that seduced men left and right.  He was actually looking for Jessica Rabbit.  And he was looking for a distraction.

But she wasn’t a distraction.  She was just a normal person, maybe a little closed off and easily flustered, but normal. She was short and curvy and cute with green eyes that seemed to sparkle with flecks of gold, even while looking at a spreadsheet.

He smirked and took a swallow of his beer.  He wouldn’t mind spreading her on his sheets….

He had to stop.  First, that was cheesy and secondly, he had to restrain himself.  The last scene of the book involved the two main characters drinking beer at a bar that could have easily been based off this place.  The characters chatted mildly before deciding to head home.  It ended with them smiling and breathless as they frantically fucked in the dark parking lot pressed up against a pick-up truck.

He owned a pick-up.

He cleared his throat and shifted a little on his barstool before looking over at his brother who was busy staring at PTI on one of the flat screens above the bar. 

“So, I think we should go back to the book store.”

John didn’t even look over at him.  “We went there yesterday.”

“And those chicks are hot! And I know you were hankering for that Nikki girl.”  His brother still didn’t acknowledge him.  “We’re new.  We need to make new friends.”

“And we don’t need to seem desperate.”  John was so condescending sometimes.  “I’m working on a plan for Nikki, anyway.”

Justin couldn’t help but roll his eyes and smile at John saying he had a “plan”.  It was just like him.

“We won’t seem desperate!  Just go back in to buy some books,” Justin smiled.  Whether John wanted to or not, he was probably going to do it on his own.  He didn’t care if he looked like a fool.  He needed to get another chance to figure that girl out.

“You know nothing about women.”  Justin looked away and gulped his beer. He hated all this shit talk John would give him.  A mere two year age difference between them made him think he was Einstein and Ghandi and Don Juan all wrapped up in one—spitting out advice that he deemed important and helpful.  He wasn’t an expert on anything but drawing blueprints.  He had actually had a hard time keeping girlfriends.  But being the younger brother meant that Justin was bound to have to hear these golden nuggets of knowledge from his much wiser and more stoic brother.

John was such an ass.

“You read that book all last night and think you now can get in with this girl? When was the last time you had a girlfriend?”

“A year ago.  And you know why I’m not with her anymore and Becks has nothing to do with this.”  Justin passed him a dark look.  “This is not about relationships.  This is about—Well, I’m gotta figure this girl out.  She writes this book, it’s not even like….”  He stopped mid sentence, searching for the words in the air.  “I don’t know, it’s sexy.  It’s more than just porn, ya know?  I don’t know.”

“You sound like bastard.  It was just a romance novel, Justin.”  John's comment was stupid and arrogant, but he was headed in the right direction.  Justin knew he was getting obsessive.  But nothing like this had sparked his interested in a long time.  Everything had been so blah lately, even this move—which should have been exciting, was just something to do, to get away.  Normally he’d be excited about discovering a new town, meeting new people, but honestly he was just moving through it.  Doing the motions, smiling when he had to, not really making any decisions, just being there. His mind was elsewhere…almost always lately…

But this girl, and her musty old shop and her book were interesting.  It was a puzzle that didn’t fit with the pieces given.  Why would a girl who pushed him away like the plague write this short book that was so sexy that even the parts that had nothing to do with sex seemed forbidden and hushed?  He circled the title on the title page in pencil because it was the perfect explanation of how he felt after reading the book.  Why would she, the girl whose writing made him breathless, own some book store that smelled like old, rotten liquor boxes and dust?

And why did this girl who pushed him away and bitched him out stare at him as hard as she did? 

“But you saw her, she was all closed off and had this wall.  There’s something about her.  I gotta figure it out.”

“You’re going down a slippery slope, little brother.” John placed his hand on Justin’s shoulder and gave him his 'I always know best’ look.  But his eyes moved and a huge smile broke out on his face.  Justin turned and followed his gaze as his brother mumbled, “Well looky here…”

Nikki was entering the bar, looking pretty awesome in bright yellow heels, tight jeans and a tank top.  Her red hair was down and she had on big earrings that seemed to go with her big personality.   “And you say you aren’t desperate, you look like a jerk.” Justin pushed his brother’s hand off of his shoulder and laughed.  John was basically drooling at the site of Nik walk through the door.

A glare was passed his way. “You’re just sad she’s alone without her friend.”

“Shut up.” Justin raised his hand in a silent salute to her.  When her eyes focused on them and a sly smile formed on her face, she maneuvered her way past some tables towards them, moving her hips in a sexy way.  Justin wished his buddy Bill was here so they could make a wager on how long it would take John to make it with Nikki.  John took his time with ladies and sometime he took so long they got uninterested.  He always had to plan everything.  In fact, John probably had a listed schedule for asking her on a date and how many dates to wait until he fucked her.  He was too damned structured.

“Well congratulations fellas, you found the best bar in the city.”

“That’s what we heard.  Wanna join us?”  Justin asked.  He looked at John who was still just staring, looking like a freak.

“I’m meeting someone.

“That girl Julie that writes?”  Justin cursed himself for sounding like a child with the excitement in his voice.

“No…” Nik laughed and said in a compassionate tone, “Sadly for you, I guess.

“Just askin’.”  He mumbled it.  He knew he sounded like an idiot and felt like one now for asking. 

“Sorry about her behavior,” Nik said.  She pursed her lips before saying, “I guess you could say she’s kind of socially awkward.”  Justin nodded.  That was ok.  He could work with that.  “But ya’ll enjoy your drinks…” 

Justin knew right then and there, John couldn’t wait for this girl.  She didn’t work on a schedule and he was losing her. It was obvious she liked him, but she wasn’t just going to stand there while he couldn’t say a damn word.

“Wait, wait!” Justin looked away as John grabbed Nik’s wrist when she started to turn.  “Come on girl, join us while you wait on your friend.  You haven’t even given me time to invite you to our party Friday.”

“You’re having a party?”  She put her hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow.  “I thought you were new.  You know enough people to have a party in this town?”

“Yeah, we’re having a party?” Justin asked.  This was news to him.  They had just gotten unpacked a few days ago and yeah, Calvin was pretty crazy, but this seemed like a bull shit reason.  Justin had no doubt that John had just made this up, made this up to get Nik to come to something.  Bastard was too fucking scared to ask the girl on a date.

Justin shook his head. 

“Yes.  Calvin and I talked about it earlier.”  Justin really doubted that was true, but nodded his head slowly, listening to the conversation. “You girls should come.”

That was the only thing that kept him from truly protesting.  Right now a party would suck.  He didn’t really want to have to deal with all these people in their house that he didn’t know and was forced to make nice with and answer questions to.  But if Julie was going to be there….  This would be a good place to get to know Miss Writer girl.  Not in her personal space, not on her territory, but on his.  It would be a relaxed space with alcohol and food to chill the air.  Maybe she’d open up to him.  In more ways than one. 

But when Nik said, “We’ll see.  We’re pretty busy.” Justin looked at her just like John did.  Was she serious?  This girl who was clearly jonesin’ for his brother was suddenly coy and unsure?  What the fuck?  She had to come and she had to bring her friend!

“Why you being all shy?  You weren’t shy the other day.”

“I don’t know.  I guess I just thought about it.  You’re a complete stranger.  I don’t know you very well.”

“Perfect opportunity to get to know me on Friday.”

“But what if you are an axe murderer?”  Justin rolled his eyes at the flirty way it was said.  It was stupid.  John was here with a pretty lady and all he had was his beer that had gotten warm.

“I can’t believe you’re playing that way.  How can I convince you to come?”

“Sorry.  I watched the Shining last night and I’m a little tense about it.  Ya know, the whole ‘Here’s Johnnie bit.’  Your name is John.”

“That’s a great movie!  I love Stephen King, but Justin gets scared so I have no one to watch it with.”  He punched his brother in the shoulder.  What a fuck-tard.  Just cause he wasn’t a fan of the horror genre didn’t mean he was scared.  He actually found most scary movies boring, King's included.  Hitchcock was cool, but Hitchcock was old and classic and psychological and a champ and sexy.  He was a fat old man, but his movies were sexy. 

“So you should come party!”

“I don’t know, maybe you should convince me.  I’m not quite convinced you aren’t going to make my mangled body be the star of a 48 hours investigation.”

“Well your body is the star of many investigations that I would like to perform.”

“Did you really just say that?”  Justin couldn’t keep that from slipping through his lips.  For all his brother’s arrogance, he was a complete asshole when it came to flirting with women. 

“Shut up.  I don’t need a side line commentator.”

Justin turned on his bar stool so he could face both of them.  He shrugged at his brother, smiled at Nik.  Maybe if Nik liked him, Julie would start to like him.  “You could tell her I’m grilling burgers.  I make great burgers.”

“That’s true.  He really does.”

“How about this, give me your address and maybe we’ll show up?”

“I’ll take it.”  Justin eyed his brother as he scribbled his address, his number and a time, 7:30pm, on a cocktail napkin and handed it to her.   “My number’s on there just in case.”

“Alright,” Nik looked over her shoulder and waved at a girl on her cell phone that had just entered the bar.  “My friend is here.  I’ll see you guys later.”

“God, she is fine,” John exclaimed when she walked away, watching as she hugged her friend and immediately fell into talking with her, finding a table on the far end of the room.

“She’s nice.”  Justin tipped his glass towards her and then nodded at his brother. “You’re a jerk.”  Justin tried to catch his brother’s eye line.  “Your body is the star? And you called me desperate.”

“Shut up.”  His shoulder was pushed lightly.  “Maybe she’ll bring your porn writing lover.”

“Maybe she will.  That’d be a plus.”  Justin sighed and then finished his beer, setting it down and saying, “I have so many questions that need answers from that chick.”  John still hadn’t moved, hadn’t turned back around on his bar stool, or picked up his beer.  He was still looking at Nikki. “Ok, we’re gonna have to leave if you stare at her the whole time.  That’s gonna make her feel like you’re stalking her.”

“You’re probably right.  Shit, I gotta get myself together.  Let’s go to Jake’s.”  John motioned to the bartender that they were ready for their tab to close out.

While they signed their receipts, Justin said very softly, “Just know, I know I’ve only ever had one real long term relationship and that was with Becky and you think that means I’m clueless when it comes to women.  But I don’t think Nik is a person who will just wait for you.  I think if you want her, you need to go after her at this sudden party we’re having.”

John was quiet.  He glanced over to the table where she was laughing with her friend.  “Maybe you are right.” 

“Please, I’m always right.  You are just too stubborn to listen.” Justin laughed a full laugh.  His brother smiled at him and he knew what he was thinking.  It had been a while since Justin had really laughed like that.  Maybe he was getting over it.  Maybe it was time.  Maybe this fresh start was starting to work.

As soon as she and Cindy parted ways, Nikki fished through her purse to find her phone so she could call her boss.  She desperately needed to go to this party to hang out with John. As she walked to her car she found Julie’s number in her phone and called her.  An exasperated, “Hey Nik…” came over the phone.

“So….”

“Get to the point Nik!” Julie sounded so annoyed and impatient.  She had just been horizontal on her couch, covered in a blanket, completely into the movie.  It was at the end of Raiders, and even though she had seen the movie a million times, she still got freaked out and enthralled when they opened the Ark of the Covenant. 

Why couldn’t Nik call in 30 minutes, in Temple when they were eating monkey brains?  She usually fast forwarded through that part anyway. She wouldn’t have cared about getting up and searching her kitchen for her cell phone during that part.

“I’m in the middle of something.” She leaned against her kitchen counter and stared at the dirty dishes she needed to put in the dish washer.  She could do it tomorrow.

“A good story point?”

“No….”

Julie didn’t say anything else and didn’t really want to.  She knew she had bailed on Nik at the last minute, but she had just got a hankering for watching some movies and sitting at home.  She wanted popcorn and a dark room and a blanket—so she made it happen.  And she really didn’t want to go out with Cindy and Nik.  Usually they just ended up talking about Cindy’s husband and kids and it always made Nik annoyed and Julie bored and kind of sick to her stomach.

But she still was a little embarrassed for bailing with what she knew her friend would think is a lame excuse. “Ok, I’m watching a movie marathon.”

Nik couldn’t help but laugh.  The girl was hopeless with her marathons.  And Julie knew it.  What had become a tradition for the first weekend of every month had recently morphed into a weekly occurrence.             

“Star Wars or Lord of the Rings?”

“Neither.  Indiana Jones.”

“And this is why you couldn’t come to the bar tonight?”  At least Nik didn’t sound too pissed off.  “This is why I had to listen to Cindy bitch about her husband alone.”

“It’s important for me to have my me time.”

“Yeah, like all the time you lonely goatherd!”  Nik was laughing, so at least she wasn’t so mad she couldn’t joke.  “So listen, guess who I saw at the bar?”

“Pope Francis.” Julie yawned and moved back into her den, plopping on the couch Indian style.

“Close!”  Nik sounded absolutely mischievous.  “Those brothers from the store the other day.”

“Oh.” Julie paused and then slowly moved back horizontal on the couch, lying on her side, watching the BluRay logo bounce and float on her screen.  She really had hoped those guys would have just disappeared.

But she knew better.  She knew Nik would find them somehow, or they’d find her.  Why was the universe forcing her to talk to this guy!?

“Yes, and they want us to come to a party this weekend.”

“And what did you say?”  Julie didn’t know why she asked.  Nik probably told them they’d be there with bells on.  And nothing else. 

“I told them we didn’t know ‘cause they could be murderers.”

Julie flipped over on her back and stared at her ceiling, blindly searching for the blanket at her feet and pulling it up over her. “You sound like me.  You should go if you want.”

“I am not going by myself. You know I’ll get in trouble.”

“Take Blake.”

“Ugh! That’s your excuse for getting out of everything lately.”  It was true.  She had often mentioned Blake as the buffer, Blake would do anything if you asked (if he weren’t already busy).  Julie had never been one for crowds of people or parties, especially not recently, and especially not with people she didn’t know.  “You’re just scared.”

“Fine.  Take Cindy. And I’m not scared, I’m just busy.” She knew she was being defensive and her mother would tell her to stop pouting.  But the last thing she wanted was going to a party where she didn’t know people and being forced to talk to that Justin guy.  He’d say something offensive and she’d get caught staring at his eyes and look like a moron.  Why did he have to be attractive?  It would have been so much easier if he hadn’t.  And not just attractive, but interesting—she could tell there was something else going on in his mind and she was a little curious about it.  Normally she could find some flaw with handsome men that came onto her.  Too much this, too little that.  But this dude, she had questions for him and kind of wanted to get to know him.  But she didn’t want to go down that path ‘cause she knew that he would just want to ask her about her writing.  And she was damn tired of that.  And he’d think she was into him by her curiousness and she wasn’t into anybody!  It was part of being a writer being interested in other people.  That was it.

Julie had to figure a way out of this.   “And maybe you are right.  What if they really are murderers?  I mean, flirting with customers to get them to buy stuff is one thing. Going to their house is another.  I wouldn’t just go over to Mrs. Maple’s house if she asked.”

“Yeah, you would.”

It was true.  Mrs. Maple was her hero and old and awesome and probably had tea parties for her and all her old widowed friends.  “Yeah, so I totally would.”

“Ok, Mrs. Indiana Jones, you need to go on a date.  I will not let you end up old and alone like Mrs. Maple.”

“Dates don’t work for me, you know that.  And Mrs. Maple was married for 57 years before her husband died.  Why are you getting on me about this? I thought two weeks ago you promised to stop pushing me on this subject.”

“Well, I lied.  And you’re too critical.  You are waiting for Mr. Perfect and I’m telling you no such man exists.”

“Then why haven’t you found Mr. Imperfect?”  If she had known this was where Nik was going with the conversation, she would have continued to watch Nazi faces melt off and then watched Indiana Jones eat monkey brains and watch someone’s heart pulled out of their chest.  It would have been much more entertaining.

“Maybe I have with John.  Maybe Friday night will be my story book ending.  You gotta get back into the real world sometime, girl.”

“I’ve made a lot of money off day dreaming.”

“Like you care about that.”

Julie rubbed a hand over her face.  She did feel bad.  All Nik had talked about in the shop since Wednesday was that John guy, but Julie didn’t really want Nik going to a party alone.  What if they were creepos? But she wasn’t going to talk to that guy Justin.  And she wouldn’t be left alone.

“I’ll go, but only if Blake goes. You know I have a hard time talking to strangers and I need someone there to talk to while you go off and find a husband. But I’m not staying late. And I’m only doing this to get you off my back.”

“And to see your new boyfriend.”  That was the exactly opposite of what she wanted to do.  And he was NOT her boyfriend! And never would be! 

“I hope not. He thinks I’m easy.”  She cursed herself after she said it.  She shouldn't have acknowledged Nik's comment.

“He bought the book.”

Nik had a point.  She wondered if he had read it.  He had probably just skimmed it for the sex scenes.  It wasn’t like there was that many, it was a short book and yeah it started and ended with one, but it wasn’t like the whole book was sex.  It was about two people who were lonely and lost and really upset and they find each other and get happy, after some drama and other normal romantic crap.  She couldn’t ever imagine a guy actually reading it and enjoying the story. “He did actually buy the book.”

“I’ll let you get back to Harrison Ford. Remember Dave took my shift tomorrow.  So I'll pick you up at eight tomorrow for the party.”

“Sure.”

“Bye hon!!”

Julie hung up the phone and tossed it on the carpet beside her coffee table.  She stared at the ceiling some more.  She had a feeling this was going to be a disaster.  But maybe she was wrong.  Maybe things would be ok.  Maybe she wouldn’t see the guy, or maybe she would and he’d apologize and be nice and they could be friends.  Right…guys never wanted to be friends.  ‘Friend’ was a four letter word to men when it came to women unless the parenthesis of (with benefits) was attached. 

She sighed and pushed herself up a bit and picked up the remote.  Things were better in her head, staying closed off, watching movies, fantasizing and writing: that was comfort.  That was being at home and at ease.  The real world and all the stupid people in it were problematic and she was happy where she was, with Indiana and a couch and her half-eaten, stale bowl of popcorn.  Things could be a lot worse.  She could be heartbroken, or being cheated on, or used, or the worst: in love, married even, to someone who despised her.

It just wasn’t worth it.