The Boy at The Bar

“What’ll you be having tonight?” The bartender asked. Navinder looked at him sleepily. 

“Just a glass of water tonight, John. It’s been a long day.” She replied. He smiled at her thoughtfully, admiring the beauty of the woman that sat before him. She ran her fingers through her delicate brown hair, her mind wandering back to the thoughts of her work. No, she thought to herself. I’m here to relax, not think about work. 

The bartender slid her drink to her from the other end of the counter. Although it was only water, the taste of the cold beverage seemed to lift a weight off her shoulders. The old-timey music coming from the jukebox filled the building, creating a sort of buzz around her. 

Navinder continued sipping her drink, her eyes dancing around the room, studying everything that surrounded her; The bar was pretty small, yet it fit the room perfectly. Multi-colored lights were dancing all over the walls, and people filled the area. She was lost in thought, when she felt a small tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see a tall, blonde-haired man standing behind her. He was wearing a white button up shirt, with the top 3 buttons undone. His hair spilled over his forehead messily, somehow bringing his whole look together. He held out his hand politely.

“Care to dance?” He asked her, his green eyes shining with a hint of admiration. Navinder smiled.

“Yes, why not?” She replied, taking his hand. His smile widened, as he pulled her to the dance floor. His hands met her waist as hers rested on his shoulders.

“I couldn’t help but notice you came here alone, darling.” His voice spoke as they began to sway to the music.

“I sure did. What’s your name?” She replied.

“Alvis. Yours?” 

“Navinder.”

“It’s beautiful.” He said, lowering his voice. She giggled at this.

“Someone’s a bit of a flirt.” She said with a huge smile. To tell the truth, she really liked this.

“I sure am. And I’m not afraid to admit it.” He said with a chuckle. His eyes narrowed slightly, searching for the answer to an unsaid question.

“And what are you?” He asked. Navinder tilted her head to the side, confused.

“What do you mean?” She replied. His lips curled upwards into a small smile of amusement.

“If I’m a flirt, what does that make you? I’d like to get to know you better, tell me about yourself.” He said, his tone genuine and interested. Navinder widened her eyes slightly, amazed by how easily he continues with the conversation.

“Well, I’m 26 for starters.” She said with a smile. His eyes widened in shock.

“There’s no way.” He said. “You look practically 19!” Navinders smile widened, and a faint blush colored her cheeks.

“Is that a bad thing?” She asked with a chuckle. 

“No, not at all. I mean, I assumed you to be older than that, considering you’re at a bar, but I just wasn’t expecting you to be 26.” He replied. “I, myself, am 28.” He stated proudly.

“Interesting.” She said. 

“Tell me more.” He said, his full attention on the stunning girl in front of him.

“I’m a lawyer.” She said. Once again, his expression became aghast. 

“Woah. That’s… woah.” He stuttered.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, you just never fail to amaze me.” He said, admiration in his eyes. Navinder giggled.

“We’ve known each other for about 5 minutes!” She exclaimed.

“And have you failed to amaze me yet?” He said with a smirk. Navinder’s smile widened. She can’t seem to find the words she’s looking for, only causing Alvis to smile more. 

“My point exactly.” He said, his voice soft. 

“Tonight’s New Year's Eve, you know.” He said with a sudden certainty to his voice. He looked over at the small stage on the dance floor, and saw a big TV, broadcasting Time Square. The huge metal ball rose slowly, getting closer to the top.

“Oh, that’s right.” muttered Navinder. She felt a pang of sadness in her chest, knowing she’d be starting the new year the same way she started it last year; alone and stressed. She looked down, her gaze involuntarily falling on Alvis’ chest peeking through the top 3 undone buttons. Her cheeks immediately flushed pink, and she looked back up at him. 

When her eyes met his, he’d already been looking at her with an amused smile on his lips. 

His lips… She thinks to herself.

All around them, people started counting down from 60. 

“59! 58! 57!...” 

“So, Navinder..” He began, one of his hands falling to the small of her back, bringing her closer.

“50! 49! 48!...”

“Yeah?” She responded, her heart rate speeding up for some reason.

“45! 44! 43!...”

“Do you realize how beautiful you are?” He said with a wonderful, glittering smile.

“39! 38! 37!...”

A faint pink color flushed onto her cheeks. “No…” She said softly, looking down, avoiding eye contact.

“34! 33! 32!...”

Alvis placed his fingers on her chin, and tilted her head up so she looked him in the eyes.

“29! 28! 27!...”

His lovely green eyes danced across her face, studying her features.

“20! 19! 18!...”

“Alvis..?” She said, her voice soft and expecting.

“13! 12! 11!...”

His eyes met hers, and a wave of electricity shot all throughout their bodies, unleashing an unfamiliar emotion in their core.

“7! 6! 5!...”

His eyes fell to her lips.

“3! 2! 1! Happy New Year!” 

All of a sudden, he leaned in and captured her lips into a passionate kiss. Instead of pulling away, or resisting, Navinder leaned in as well, her lips matching the same energy as his. She slid her hands from around his neck to cup his cheeks as she deepened the kiss. The feeling was wonderful, yet unexpected. Why am I kissing him? I barely know him! Why is he so charming? She thought to herself. The kiss seemed to last hours, even though they pulled away from each other after around 20 seconds. Their eyes locked once more, the two of them surprised and relieved.

Little did they know, there were more to come in the following years.