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Dan tripped over his feet again, black dress shoes squeaking uncomfortably against the polished wood of the dance floor. Of course, the squeaking couldn’t be heard over the pounding music and various conversations being held around the crowded floor, but Dan could feel it and it bothered him.
“Dan, mate, you’re looking a bit sweaty,” Louise laughed at him, holding a third or fourth pink drink that swished over the rim of her glass as she swayed heavily to the beat of the music.
“I’ll get a drink, then,” Dan, who had only finished one of his friend’s unwanted drink, was much better off than Louise. He felt tipsy though, surrounded by drunk friends, and he pushed his way through the crowd slightly off-balanced.
The first thing he noticed about the bar was that the bartender was attractive. Not beer-goggles attractive, not squint and you’ll see it attractive, but twenty-dollar-tip attractive. Probably straight, Dan accepted it as soon as he saw the man, but hey, he could dream.
Of course, the man was so intensely good looking that Dan stumbled over his words, “Vodka, please, uh, with cranberry juice?”
The man nodded and Dan leaned his arms against the sticky bar top, brown eyes flashing in the dim lighting. He unconsciously swayed his hips to the music, and his suit jacket had been discarded before the dancing had even started- somewhere in the back of his mind he’d acknowledged that he looked pretty, and it’d given him quite the confidence boost. He’d usually never dance so ridiculously, but weddings were special occasions and he allowed himself to feel good.
When his drink was handed to him, Dan noted the distinct lack of a ring on the man’s finger. That could mean that he took it off to get more tips, which was plausible, and didn’t take away from the fact that he was probably straight as a board, but Dan had an imagination, and it wasn’t a crime to use it. He took a sip from his glass tentatively, the burn in his throat welcomed. It kept him from saying anything stupid.
“Is that your first?” The bartender asked, pushing a piece of black hair out of his face. His hands were quite nice, with long, slender fingers.
“Not quite,” Dan shouted over the music. He was level with the man, which was unusual- he was used to being taller than people. He mentally added that to the list of things he found attractive about him, right next to his voice, and the hint of smooth, porcelain skin not covered by his shirt.
The bartender turned to Dan, ready to reply, when his coworker interrupted him, “Phil! It’s your turn for a break.”
Phil walked out from behind the bar and Dan took a chance, “Wanna, uh, come dance?”.
Phil shrugged out a ‘why not’ and let himself be lead to the dance floor, where Dan introduced him to a crowd of bubbling friends. A dance circle quickly formed around them, people jumping in and competing. Most of them looked ridiculous, so of course Louise jumped at the chance to push Dan in.
Phil just so happened to make his way forward too, and they both started doing the robot before dissolving into giggles. Eventually, they got absorbed back into the crowd. Then, a slow song came on.
Dan and Phil, who were already dancing a bit too close to each other, wound up grabbing shoulders and hips and altogether looking like a couple at a middle-school dance. Their foreheads pressed together, sweat-matted hair tangling, but before anything could happen the song smoothly transitioned to the cha-cha slide.
“Shit, my break is over,” Phil frowned, being shoved by the mass of people dancing, “Let me see your phone?”.
Dan pulled his phone from his pocket and watched Phil put his contact name in. He added the little rainbow flag emoji next to his name.
“It was nice meeting you!” Phil smiled, “Hopefully I’ll see you again, yeah?”
Dan smiled to himself, having every intention of returning to the bar as quickly as he could.