pa-duh-duh, pa-duh-duh, pa-duh-duh, resounded from the wood as Kagome tapped her fingers anxiously.
She looked at the door.
She checked her watch again.
She looked at the door again and sighed. "He's fifteen minutes late." She grumbled to herself.
"Are you going to order something to drink, Ma'am?" A platinum blonde bartender asked her.
"Not just yet..." she looked at the door again.
"Alright... you know where I'll be. Just get me when you're ready." He told her while rubbing a shot glass with a clean, white cloth.
She looked around.
"Where is he? He said that he'd be here by now! I should be studying." She thought to herself.
She fingered the smooth, cold, plastic surface of her cell phone. Should she call? Would that make her seem needy? She looked at the time on her phone. Yeah, that would make her seem needy. After all, he was only... twenty-two minutes late. He probably got held up in traffic, or lost a shoe or something minor. Of course she shouldn't call. That's ridiculous. Kagome didn't want to be a nag.
She glanced over at some tables. A few girls were sitting together laughing, as a guy leaned on the table, flirting with one or more of them.
She looked at another. A woman, with hair up in a tightly woven bun was alone, with the exception of the several empty glasses and few empty bottles around her. She looked kind of sad, and kind of flushed. She was talking to the wall of bottles that were sitting at her table. Kagome couldn't make out what she was saying. She started to laugh. Not a normal, happy laugh, but a weird one. It was the kind of laugh that could turn into a cry at a second's notice. She continued to talk to the bottles and giggle.
She glanced to the table next to that one. There was a man sitting alone. He called a waitress over to him. The waitress listened to him, but suddenly started glaring. She walked away, but he called her back. The waitress raised her eyebrows slightly and smiled a little before walking over to the woman's table. The waitress said something to her and pointed to the man. The waitress brought her a margarita.
"Oh," Kagome thought. "He's buying her a drink."
Kagome watched them with interest.
The woman smiled at the man, She held up the drink so he could see and smiled. She conspicuously took a little sip.
She gestured for him to come over to her table.
Kagome thought the gesture funny, it wasn't a normal 'come-here' finger gesture. No way. This woman was far too drunk to pull that off. She twisted her torso violently, causing her arms to beckon him like tree limbs shaking in the wind.
The man smiled at this and moved over to her table. Soon they were laughing and talking together.
Kagome looked at her watch. Then, she looked at her phone. The time on her phone was two minutes ahead of what her watch said. Her phone had a more correct reading though.
Kagome held up her phone. She looked at it while she considered her options. He was... fifty-three minutes late. He was almost an hour late. That's not clingy but... maybe she shouldn't call. He should be here by now! She shouldn't have to make this choice.
"I take it that you're waiting for someone." The bartender spoke to her.
She read his nametag. "Hello, My name is iNuya34a"
"I wonder..." She mused. "If I'm I in the right place? Is the the Poppin' Stop?"
"Umm humm." He told her as he pointed to a place on his apron where it said "Poppin' Stop" In curvey, green thread.
"I guess I will go ahead and order a drink now, Inuya-three-four-A?"
He laughed a little bit. "It's Inuyasha."
"Oh." She laughed. "I guess they didn't have the right letters left, huh?"
"Yeah. What'll you have?"
"I dunno... what do you have here?"
He gave out an exaggerated sigh. "Oh please Miss! Don't make me name them all! Look at all this stuff!" He gestured to shelves behind him filled with a variety of bottled spirts and wines and things.
He picked up a beer that was still in a can. It was cold and covered in condensation. "How about this?" He asked.
"No... um... do you have anything... do you have... soda?" She asked him with a little bit of hope.
He set a can of cream soda and a frosty mug in front of her.
"Ooh! I like that kind! How did you ever know that was my favorite?" She smiled and handed him a five.
As he rang up her purchase she swivelled idly on her bar stool.
He handed her the change. "So... what's your story? Are you still waiting for him?"
"How did you know that I was waiting for a guy?" She asked him with wonderment.
"That's the way it goes sometimes... especially when someone is checking their watch that often." He smiled at her naivety. "You really oughta call him already and bite his head off. I know that I would have looooooong before now."
"You really think that I should?" She asked him.
"yeah, go for it." He told her boredly.
He walked off and started to polish the counter. Sure there were customers... but most of them were at tables, in big groups laughing and hiccuping, and having a good time. He pitied that poor girl. She wasn't the first that he'd seen waiting like this. No siree, and he had an aching feeling that she would be here until closing time.
She slammed the flap down on her phone and shoved it back in her purse in frustration.
"No answer, huh?" Inuyasha asked her knowingly.
"None. Maybe he was on his way and his car broke down..." She suggested with a light sigh.
She took a sip of her drink and smiled. It had been so long since she had had a cream soda.
"How far is he driving to get here?" He guided her with his question.
"A few blocks."
"Does he have a cell phone?"
"Yeah,..."
"Call that then."
"Okay... yeah... I'll try that." She paged through the address book in her phone and chose a number.
She waited a few minutes listening to the sorrowful rings of his cell phone.
She slammed the flap down and shoved it back into her purse.
"Was it busy?" He asked her.
"No... it just rang and rang." She sighed. "Do you think something happened to him?"
"Yeah, another pair of nice, round..." Inuyasha stopped himself. She was just a little girl, barely in her twenties. Poor thing was young and stupid. No need to be cruel. "I don't know. Call some people he knows... some places he might be."
She made a few more calls. It seemed more and more hopeless with every call. In the latest one, she could have sworn that she heard him in the backround, there was a lot of 'shh'ing and female giggling.
"Maybe... he's... in the hospital." She suggested to Inuyasha.
"Who are you trying to convince, me or you?"
"I dunno... You really think he's not coming?"
"It's been two and a half hours. Face it, girl. He's not coming... he must have better pe... uh... things to do tonight."
"This really sucks... you know? I was going to stay home tonight and study. He ROPED me into coming here... and he didn't even bother to show up himself."
She sighed and lay her head down next to her mug.
"Don't worry, sugar. There are other fish in the sea." He told her drolly.
"I know..." She sighed. "I sure can pick-em, huh?"
"Everyone has their moments, girl. The fact is that people don't show their real selves while they flirt. That comes later, when they spring it on you that they really are a horrible person. Then you have to go through breaking up and all of that mess. It's not your fault."
"Was I maybe being too clingy?"
"Nah." He consoled her.
"By the way, you can call me Kagome. It's a step up from girl I should think."
"Alright, Kagome." He yawned. "It's two 'o clock in the morning. Why did he ask you to meet him so late at night?"
"I guess he was trying to fit me into his busy dating schedule." She laughed a sad little laugh, the same laugh that she saw that other woman doing.
"Well, miss. I'm sorry to say, it's closing time. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."
She sighed. "Can't I stay a little bit longer?"
"I guess you can hang out here while I put things up." He conceeded.
She watched him collect the glasses and bottles from the tables.
"I wonder if he's single." She mused. "He didn't seem too gung ho about dating and flirting... so maybe he is... even so... he probably doesn't want to date. I guess there couldn't be any harm in asking..." She got a pen from her purse and wrote her phone number on a napkin.
He finished stacking all of the chairs on the tables. He then took to sweeping and mopping the floor.
She watched him... he wasn't all that bad looking. Now that she was looking at him that way... who was she kidding. He wasn't bad looking at all. His eyes were so fiery and serious, and he was very well muscled. His hair was cute... a pretty color on him... what if he was gay? Oh no... that could be embarrassing. Nah...
He put the mop away.
"Now you definetly have to go home." He told her as he flipped off the lights.
"aww.."
"You know..." He looked thoughtful. "The city is no place for a girl like you to be walking around at this hour."
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked indignantly.
"It means I'm offering to walk you home."
"Oh! Great!" She declared.
As they headed out the door together she stuck the napkin in his pocket.
"What's that?"
"My phone number."
"Silly girl." He said and patted her on the head. It was a "silly rabbit, Tricks are for kids!" voice.
He locked the door and they walked towards her dorm. He put his arm around her waist, and she blushed.
She looked at the door.
She checked her watch again.
She looked at the door again and sighed. "He's fifteen minutes late." She grumbled to herself.
"Are you going to order something to drink, Ma'am?" A platinum blonde bartender asked her.
"Not just yet..." she looked at the door again.
"Alright... you know where I'll be. Just get me when you're ready." He told her while rubbing a shot glass with a clean, white cloth.
She looked around.
"Where is he? He said that he'd be here by now! I should be studying." She thought to herself.
She fingered the smooth, cold, plastic surface of her cell phone. Should she call? Would that make her seem needy? She looked at the time on her phone. Yeah, that would make her seem needy. After all, he was only... twenty-two minutes late. He probably got held up in traffic, or lost a shoe or something minor. Of course she shouldn't call. That's ridiculous. Kagome didn't want to be a nag.
She glanced over at some tables. A few girls were sitting together laughing, as a guy leaned on the table, flirting with one or more of them.
She looked at another. A woman, with hair up in a tightly woven bun was alone, with the exception of the several empty glasses and few empty bottles around her. She looked kind of sad, and kind of flushed. She was talking to the wall of bottles that were sitting at her table. Kagome couldn't make out what she was saying. She started to laugh. Not a normal, happy laugh, but a weird one. It was the kind of laugh that could turn into a cry at a second's notice. She continued to talk to the bottles and giggle.
She glanced to the table next to that one. There was a man sitting alone. He called a waitress over to him. The waitress listened to him, but suddenly started glaring. She walked away, but he called her back. The waitress raised her eyebrows slightly and smiled a little before walking over to the woman's table. The waitress said something to her and pointed to the man. The waitress brought her a margarita.
"Oh," Kagome thought. "He's buying her a drink."
Kagome watched them with interest.
The woman smiled at the man, She held up the drink so he could see and smiled. She conspicuously took a little sip.
She gestured for him to come over to her table.
Kagome thought the gesture funny, it wasn't a normal 'come-here' finger gesture. No way. This woman was far too drunk to pull that off. She twisted her torso violently, causing her arms to beckon him like tree limbs shaking in the wind.
The man smiled at this and moved over to her table. Soon they were laughing and talking together.
Kagome looked at her watch. Then, she looked at her phone. The time on her phone was two minutes ahead of what her watch said. Her phone had a more correct reading though.
Kagome held up her phone. She looked at it while she considered her options. He was... fifty-three minutes late. He was almost an hour late. That's not clingy but... maybe she shouldn't call. He should be here by now! She shouldn't have to make this choice.
"I take it that you're waiting for someone." The bartender spoke to her.
She read his nametag. "Hello, My name is iNuya34a"
"I wonder..." She mused. "If I'm I in the right place? Is the the Poppin' Stop?"
"Umm humm." He told her as he pointed to a place on his apron where it said "Poppin' Stop" In curvey, green thread.
"I guess I will go ahead and order a drink now, Inuya-three-four-A?"
He laughed a little bit. "It's Inuyasha."
"Oh." She laughed. "I guess they didn't have the right letters left, huh?"
"Yeah. What'll you have?"
"I dunno... what do you have here?"
He gave out an exaggerated sigh. "Oh please Miss! Don't make me name them all! Look at all this stuff!" He gestured to shelves behind him filled with a variety of bottled spirts and wines and things.
He picked up a beer that was still in a can. It was cold and covered in condensation. "How about this?" He asked.
"No... um... do you have anything... do you have... soda?" She asked him with a little bit of hope.
He set a can of cream soda and a frosty mug in front of her.
"Ooh! I like that kind! How did you ever know that was my favorite?" She smiled and handed him a five.
As he rang up her purchase she swivelled idly on her bar stool.
He handed her the change. "So... what's your story? Are you still waiting for him?"
"How did you know that I was waiting for a guy?" She asked him with wonderment.
"That's the way it goes sometimes... especially when someone is checking their watch that often." He smiled at her naivety. "You really oughta call him already and bite his head off. I know that I would have looooooong before now."
"You really think that I should?" She asked him.
"yeah, go for it." He told her boredly.
He walked off and started to polish the counter. Sure there were customers... but most of them were at tables, in big groups laughing and hiccuping, and having a good time. He pitied that poor girl. She wasn't the first that he'd seen waiting like this. No siree, and he had an aching feeling that she would be here until closing time.
She slammed the flap down on her phone and shoved it back in her purse in frustration.
"No answer, huh?" Inuyasha asked her knowingly.
"None. Maybe he was on his way and his car broke down..." She suggested with a light sigh.
She took a sip of her drink and smiled. It had been so long since she had had a cream soda.
"How far is he driving to get here?" He guided her with his question.
"A few blocks."
"Does he have a cell phone?"
"Yeah,..."
"Call that then."
"Okay... yeah... I'll try that." She paged through the address book in her phone and chose a number.
She waited a few minutes listening to the sorrowful rings of his cell phone.
She slammed the flap down and shoved it back into her purse.
"Was it busy?" He asked her.
"No... it just rang and rang." She sighed. "Do you think something happened to him?"
"Yeah, another pair of nice, round..." Inuyasha stopped himself. She was just a little girl, barely in her twenties. Poor thing was young and stupid. No need to be cruel. "I don't know. Call some people he knows... some places he might be."
She made a few more calls. It seemed more and more hopeless with every call. In the latest one, she could have sworn that she heard him in the backround, there was a lot of 'shh'ing and female giggling.
"Maybe... he's... in the hospital." She suggested to Inuyasha.
"Who are you trying to convince, me or you?"
"I dunno... You really think he's not coming?"
"It's been two and a half hours. Face it, girl. He's not coming... he must have better pe... uh... things to do tonight."
"This really sucks... you know? I was going to stay home tonight and study. He ROPED me into coming here... and he didn't even bother to show up himself."
She sighed and lay her head down next to her mug.
"Don't worry, sugar. There are other fish in the sea." He told her drolly.
"I know..." She sighed. "I sure can pick-em, huh?"
"Everyone has their moments, girl. The fact is that people don't show their real selves while they flirt. That comes later, when they spring it on you that they really are a horrible person. Then you have to go through breaking up and all of that mess. It's not your fault."
"Was I maybe being too clingy?"
"Nah." He consoled her.
"By the way, you can call me Kagome. It's a step up from girl I should think."
"Alright, Kagome." He yawned. "It's two 'o clock in the morning. Why did he ask you to meet him so late at night?"
"I guess he was trying to fit me into his busy dating schedule." She laughed a sad little laugh, the same laugh that she saw that other woman doing.
"Well, miss. I'm sorry to say, it's closing time. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."
She sighed. "Can't I stay a little bit longer?"
"I guess you can hang out here while I put things up." He conceeded.
She watched him collect the glasses and bottles from the tables.
"I wonder if he's single." She mused. "He didn't seem too gung ho about dating and flirting... so maybe he is... even so... he probably doesn't want to date. I guess there couldn't be any harm in asking..." She got a pen from her purse and wrote her phone number on a napkin.
He finished stacking all of the chairs on the tables. He then took to sweeping and mopping the floor.
She watched him... he wasn't all that bad looking. Now that she was looking at him that way... who was she kidding. He wasn't bad looking at all. His eyes were so fiery and serious, and he was very well muscled. His hair was cute... a pretty color on him... what if he was gay? Oh no... that could be embarrassing. Nah...
He put the mop away.
"Now you definetly have to go home." He told her as he flipped off the lights.
"aww.."
"You know..." He looked thoughtful. "The city is no place for a girl like you to be walking around at this hour."
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked indignantly.
"It means I'm offering to walk you home."
"Oh! Great!" She declared.
As they headed out the door together she stuck the napkin in his pocket.
"What's that?"
"My phone number."
"Silly girl." He said and patted her on the head. It was a "silly rabbit, Tricks are for kids!" voice.
He locked the door and they walked towards her dorm. He put his arm around her waist, and she blushed.