Several days had passed since my friends and I stumbled into the bar and there wasn’t a day when the bartender wasn’t on my mind. Every day I would find myself asking, “I wonder if he’s working tonight?” or “I wonder if he’ll remember me the next time I go back?” Either way, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. It seemed like every time I blinked I could see his goofy smile. And whenever I heard laughter of other people around me I could hear his sweet, childlike giggle. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I stop thinking about him?
The only plausible answer to both those questions was the one that scared me the most. Could it be love? Nah, love at first sight only happens in the movies and from what I could tell this wasn’t going to be The Notebook. No, it couldn’t be love because I had never been in love before. If it was love, I would know it. Looking back, I can tell how naive that was. Just because I had never experienced love, didn’t mean what I was feeling wasn’t love. But still, who falls in love after meeting someone for one night? It was impossible.
Thankfully my work and school schedules kept me busy enough to where I could think about him less, though he was always on the back of my mind. Finally a friend of mine sent me a text message: “I need a beer…let’s go out.” Instantly a cheesy smile came to my face because I knew this was my chance to go back to see him. “I’m down…we should go to this new place I found! Meet me there at 7!” “Okay, sounds good!”
This was it…it was finally time to see him again. When I drove up to the bar, I could instantly feel the butterflies fluttering around in my belly. My palms began to moisten and I could feel the sweat beads forming on my forehead. Oh crap, I can’t go in looking like a hot mess! I honestly didn’t care…I just wanted to see him. As I was walking up to the door, I could see him through the glass in his usual place behind the bar. Instantly the cheesy smile came back to my face.
“Hey! You made it back! Where’s your crew?!” he said with his beaming smile and a wave. He looked just as handsome as I remembered. The same goofy grin, his hair neatly combed to the right, and his eyes that seemed to glimmer even more without his glasses. In fact, he looked even more handsome tonight because of the 5 o’clock shadow he was sporting.
We’re told to believe that there’s one person on Earth that is meant for each of us. Was this my guy? Is this the person I’ve been destined to meet somewhere along this journey called life?
“They’re all busy tonight, but I came to meet a different friend,” I said as he turned to walk to the beer taps to pour a drink. He walked back over to me and placed an ice cold mug filled with my favorite beer topped with a fresh lime in front of me…just how I like it! “Did I get it right?” he asked with the slightest bit of a smirk on his face. Oh sir, I think you just won my heart.
“You sure did! It’s a little creepy that you remember especially since it’s been a week,” I managed to sarcastically say after collecting myself. “Well, not many people take that beer with a lime.” “Oh, so I guess I left a lasting impression, huh?” “That you did!” I wanted so bad to tell him so did he, but I could only smile as I took a sip of my beer.
The Bartender and Me 