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When Toni came down stairs from her flat to work at the bar she worked in she didn't expect to spend her night being flirted with by a group of pretty girls.
The bar was her aunts, and it was a relatively busy place, usually packed, on most Fridays and Saturdays there would be a line of people outside waiting to get in.
So, for the most part, Toni was busy, that doesn't mean she doesn't take note when a group of pretty girls enter the bar.
She spotted Leah first, with her being the tallest, then Fatin and Shelby followed her in, and Toni found herself watching them as they made for one of the few empty tables.
Toni took note but didn't expect anything to come from it, she knew better than to think people would flirt with her over her cousins Luke and Nel.
But then Fatin draped herself across the bar with a cheeky smile. "Do you wear sleeveless shirts so people know you work out or so they know you're gay?"
Toni grinned, at least that was a new first line. "You gotta make sure girls know you're gay, gets you the most tips."
Toni leaned her elbows against the counter, leaning into Fatin's space.
"Well, you definitely caught our attention." Fatin fluttered her eyelashes in a so obviously practical gesture.
Toni would probably have just rolled her eyes and walked away, but it was slim pickings for something to keep her entertained tonight, and this girl was hot.
"Our, is it? Not gonna lie, if you three are together, that's fuckin' hot." Toni said, her eyes flickering back to the group to see both the other girls watching them. "But I actually feel like you're trying to wrangle free shots by fluttering those pretty eyes at me."
Fatin's eyebrows raised in surprise, and Toni smirked.
"And I reckon you've got money on it, too, by how your friends are watching. So let's make a deal,"
That made Fatin tilt her head curiously, little grin of her own appearing on her lip. "Oh, I like you."
"You're not my type," Toni shot back.
"Rude, I'm everyone's type." Fatin scoffed. "What's the deal?"
"Tip well and I'll make it look like you got them for free." Toni offered.
"Include your name in that and we can talk,"
"Smooth." Toni hummed, impressed. "Toni."
"Good lesbian name," Fatin nodded, holding a hand out to Toni. Toni rolled her eyes and shook it. "Fatin."
"You can pay for these next time you come up, along with that tip."
Fatin flashed a smile and a wink before turning to head back to her table.
Toni chuckled to herself, moving to stand against the back bar beside Luke, Nel busy with a customer.
"Looks like your nights gonna be fun," he said, nudging his chin toward the table of girls, but it wasn't all three of them watching her now.
Leah and Fatin were hunched over a phone, looking at something, but Shelby's eyes were on Toni, even if she was leaning into Leah like she was paying attention.
Shelby didn't look away when they made eyes contact, her chin resting on her palm as a lazy smile pulled on her lips. Toni had to wonder if they'd done a bit of pregaming.
"It's always fun to have pretty girls to flirt with." Toni shrugged, tilting her head up to peer up at Luke. "They just wanted free shots."
"Ah," he nodded. "Well, it'll make the time pass faster either way."
And it did.
Next up was Leah; tall, pretty, confident in this bashful kinda was that was endearing if you were into that kinda thing. Toni wasn't, but it still piqued her interest enough for her to playfully flirt back.
Leah was nowhere near as full on as Fatin had been, sitting at the bar, little smile on her lips when Toni approached.
"What can I get ya?" Toni asked, tone purposely neutral.
"Two whiskeys and a beer, please."
"Hope you're not here to flirt your way to getting them for free, you'll bankrupt us by the end of the night." Toni teased and Leah laughed, eyes falling to the bar, tucking hair behind her ear.
It was endearing.
"No," She shook her head, peering at Toni through her eyelashes. "I fully intend on paying, even if you have cost me enough money already, falling for Fatin's lame moves."
"What can I say, I'm a sucker for pretty eyes." Toni shrugged, turning to sort out the drinks. "Never seen you girls in here before."
"Are you gonna use a line like 'that's definitely something I would remember'?" Leah flashed a teasing grin.
A little smile tugged on Toni's lips as she leaned against the bar.
"That would be lame," She said. "But now that you mention it; three pretty girls in a country bar, it kinda demands attention from the older dudes who aren't happy with their wives anymore. Their wives who are hugely repressed and have never been satisfied in their marriages."
"And the bartender?" Leah asked quietly, coming across almost shy. Toni had to wonder if it was an act.
"Well, she's easy," Toni tilted her head, leaning forward into Leah's space. "Like I said before; sucker pretty eyes."
"Fatin said you were charming," Leah smiled, sweet, with a little hint of something. "How do you feel about blondes?"
That made Toni frown, her eyes flickering back to the table, but neither girl was looking over at them.
"Don't favour any particular hair colour," Toni shrugged. "Seven fifty."
Leah held up her phone and Toni went to grab the machine.
Toni had expected the blonde to come up next, figuring each of them were taking turns, but was surprised when she peeked her head up from leaning under the bar to see Fatin smiling back at her.
"You look disappointed,"
"Just a little confused, was expecting blondie, figured you were taking turns annoying me." Toni hit back, and Fatin laughed.
"You're loving it, freckles."
Toni rolled her eyes, though Fatin wasn't wrong, she was enjoying it. "What can I get ya?"
"You make a good cocktail?"
"They're decent." Toni shrugged.
"Three whiskey sours, then."
"Sure thing," Toni nodded, Fatin watching her carefully as she started making her drink.
"You're a confident lesbian," Fatin said, and a surprise laugh burst from Toni's lips.
"I can tell I'm gonna love where this is going."
"It's just-our friend, she's just got outta the grip of a cult-like family and needs to be introduced to the lesbian life style." Fatin said. "That's you, you can show her a night of lesbian shananagens."
"I so hope you realise how ridiculous every word coming outta your mouth is, dude." Toni laughed, shaking her head.
"Is it that ridiculous?"
"Let me get this straight, you want me to show you're repressed friend a night of lesbian adventures?"
"Exactly,"
"Yes, it is that ridiculous." Toni nodded, pouring the nose mixed cocktail into three glasses. "But I'll bite. I'll ask for the early finish, come join you guys."
Fatin beamed at her, so clearly proud of herself. "Perfect,"
Next up was Shelby, not a minute after Fatin had left and Toni had gone back to cleaning.
"Hi," Toni smiled, straightening and leaning into the bar. "I was wondering when you were gonna show up, how did you manage to get out of buying a round?"
"It's my birthday and my friends insisted on buying all the drinks tonight."
Toni smiled at that. "Well, you should've said it was your birthday, blondie."
"What are you doing?" Shelby asked, a curious smile on her lips as she is watched Toni move around the bar.
"It's a surprise," Toni said, entirely focused on the liquor she was mixing. "How old are ya?"
"Twenty two," She answered. "And I'm Shelby, by the way."
"Toni, but I'm sure your friend already told you that."
"She did," Shelby nodded, watching as Toni grabbed a martini glass and lined the tin with rainbow coloured balls. "She also told me about them bullying you into coming to hang out with us."
Toni laughed at that, "If you would rather I didn't just say, I won't be offended."
"No, that's not what it is." Shelby rushed out. "I just don't want you to feel like you have to."
"I can think of worse things to do with my time," Toni finally poured the white mixture into the glass, the rainbow balls at the bottom leaking colour, the streak of colour stark against the cloudy white of the drink. "Happy birthday."
Shelby gave the drink a once over as Toni slid it toward her. "What is it?"
"Birthday cake martini."
Shelby's eyebrows raised curiously as she picked the drink up and took a sip, crunching the little balls as she nodded. "This is really good."
"And on the house, consider it a birthday gift from my aunt to you." Toni grinned that charming grin that she knew had a certain effect on girls.
And Shelby was no different, giving a little bashful laugh. "Well, tell your aunt thank you."
"Will do," Toni nodded, placing the dirty dishes in the skin before turning to Shelby, resting her forearms against the bar. "So, what made you want to spend your birthday in some country bar? Is it to remind you of home?"
"It was one of the better things about home, sure. We didn't know it was a country bar, we just picked somewhere on google and went." Shelby shrugged. "I like the place, though. The company ain't bad."
"You mean all these strapping men?"
"Definitely not," Shelby shook her head, her eyes dropping, the feeling of her fingertips against the skin of Toni's forearm almost starling Toni. "I like this."
She was ghosting her fingertips over the tattoo on Toni's forearm; a silhouette of a forest landscape that wrapped around her enter arm from her wrist up to her upper forearm where it faded into a stary, moonlit night, in the first there were various silhouettes of animals.
For the first time that night Toni felt herself get a little flustered. "Uh, cheers. You got any?"
"A few hidden, yeah." Shelby hummed, her fingertip tracing the silhouette of the wolf just by Toni's wrist bone. And Toni could only watch it happen, too thrown by how this whole encounter was making her feel to say anything. "But nothing as beautiful as this, they were just done by friends at parties, mostly those two over there."
"Maybe I can see them sometime,"
"Does a line like that usually work?" Shelby lifted her eyes to Toni, her fingertips still tickling her wrist.
Toni chuckled, ducking her head. "Would you believe me if I told you that was the first time I've used that particular line?"
"I suppose I could feel special," Shelby hummed, smile threatening her lips but was so clearly shining in her eyes.
"Oh, incredibly so. Being the first to hear a Great Toni Shalifoe line? That's like being there when Shakespeare was written." Toni smiled, a little lopsided when Shelby laughed, eyebrows raised as she nodded.
"Is that right?" Shelby leaned a little closer, hand resting on the bar beside Toni's arm, and Toni could feel her close enough to tickle her arm every so often.
"Totally, so, you're welcome."
"Thank you," Shelby nodded, faux serious.
"So, how would you rate that line?" Toni tilted her head, playfully curious.
"Oh, a solid seven I'd say."
"So, number worthy, then?" that seemed to fluster Shelby, who giggled and looked away.
"I'd give that one a nine."
Toni found herself laughing at that, large smile on her lips as Shelby looked up at her.
"So, what's a Texan doing all the up here in Vermont?"
"Homophobic parents and I'd had enough of not being able to be myself." Shelby shrugged.
"But why here?"
"It was the first bus out." Shelby reasoned, "I was planning on leaving but I made friends, got a job."
"Sucks about your parents, fuck them."
"How did yours take it?"
"Fine, but I was raised by two woman, so." Toni shrugged. "And the rest of my family were fine with it, too. I was lucky."
"Definitely seems like it," Shelby nodded. "Honestly, I'm not even that upset about it, I actually feel like it's - it mean, I dunno, easier to breathe or something."
"Fuck I can only imagine how sufficating that shit must'a been, having parents like that." Toni frowned sympathetically at the thought. "Good for you for getting out, though. You coulda been some of these ladies, unhappily married, living a lie."
"You see that a lot in here?"
"Oh, yeah." Toni nodded, leaning a little closer and motioning over a group of four tucked away in the corner, two girls, two guys. "Those two women, right? Both are into women, into each other from what I've seen. However, they're married to the two dudes."
"And they men have no idea?" Shelby asked.
"Doesn't seem like it," Toni shook her head, she didn't know how they couldn't know, with how the woman tucked themselves away in the corner, like nothing else mattered other than the two of them. "And quite a few of these women, well, they just want a quick fumble in the back with someone who knows what they're doing."
Shelby turned her head to look at Toni. "You?"
"Mm, you'd be surprised how older, rich house wives enjoy a very unclassy fumble in public toilets with a bit of rough bartender." Toni shrugged.
"And you're just happy to do them a favour?" Shelby teased.
"I'm nothing if not selfless." Toni grinned.
"Thanks, for the drink." Shelby smiled. "See you soon?"
"Anything for the birthday girl." Toni flashed a charming smile, and gave a little two finger salute before Shelby turned to leave.
Toni headed over to her cousins then, both leaning against the backbar chatting. "Hey, guys, any chance I-"
"Yes," the twins cut in at the same time.
"You don't even know what i was gonna ask,"
"I think we have a rough idea," Nel narrowed her eyes at Toni as she tilted her head.
"Oh, okay, how much?"
That made the twins frown. "What?"
"You said you'd lend me money, how much?"
"That's what you wanted? We thought you wanted to finish early." Nel frowned, and Toni grinned at them.
"I did, and thank you." Toni laughed when Nel batted a hand at her, Toni skipping away.
"You're doing the close, though." Nel called after her, and Toni gave her a wave over her shoulder.
The rest of the night seemed to melt away, every so often one of the girls, usually Fatin or Leah since they were buying all the drinks, would come up to the bar, and they would teasingly flirt with her. But the more Toni watched, the more she saw the way Fatin and Leah leaned into each other, the looks, and the smiles, and it was so obvious what was happening there.
"So," Toni glanced up at Shelby as she poured her whiskey. "Do your friends know they're in love with each other or?"
"Huh?" Shelby frowned, glancing back at Leah and Fatin, giggling in the corner, Fatin's fingers running up and down Leah's arm as Leah spoke, Leah's foot running up Fatin's bare calf. "Holy cow."
That made Toni cackle, her head thrown back, her hands clapping together. " You didn't even know?"
"No, I thought-" Shelby frowned, shaking her head as she whispered, "That makes so much sense."
Toni found herself watching Shelby while Shelby watched her friends with a curious head tilt, drunk little frown on her brow, and, oh fuck , she's cute.
"So, I'm guessing they aren't dating, then?" Toni asked, busing herself with making herself a drink.
"Not that I know of." Shelby shrugged, turning her attention back to Toni. "I'm sure they're big enough to figure it out on their own."
"Can't believe you didn't know," Toni grinned, shaking her head. "It's so glaringly obvious."
"Well, you're a bartender, those are known for seeing and knowing everything." Shelby shot back with a playful little scowl.
"Whatever you say, Texas." Toni leaned against the bar. "So, what brings you up?"
"Was going to pee, thought I'd see if I could wrangle another cocktail, surprise me?" Shelby requested, her hand landing on Toni's forearm, her grin loose and carefree, infectious in a way that Toni couldn't not mirror it.
"Cool, yeah." Toni agreed, suddenly flustered.
"Perfect, thank you." Shelby squeezes then bounces away, and Toni is left to watch her go, her cousins watching her.
"What was that?" Nel asked, eyebrows raised at Toni.
"What?" Toni frowned, busing herself with grabbing the ingredients to make a Sweet Manhattan.
" That ," Luke motioned toward the bathroom door. "With her."
"It's her birthday," Toni shrugged, and the twin scoffed but let it go at that.
Shelby came out just as she poured the cocktail, sliding the glass toward her.
"This is a sweet Manhattan," She said.
"What's in it?" Shelby asked as she gave it a sniff.
"Bourbon, rosso vermouth, bitters, cherry juice, dash a lemon." Toni rhymed off, as Shelby took a sip, and Toni watched attentively for her reaction.
Which was immediate delight, almost as soon as it touched her tongue. "This is really good,"
"Thank you," Toni smiled.
"Is this a god given talent or is it taught?" Shelby asked, leaning into the back, closer to Toni, who immediately sank down to Shelby's height, leaning against the bar.
"Taught, unfortunately. My big cousin, Theo, she used to work here, taught me all the cocktails and shit."
"So, is this a family run bar?" Shelby questioned, and Toni was momentarily distracted by the way her fingertips rimmed the glass.
"Uh, yeah. The other two behind here are my cousins, my aunt owns the place, next door is my Ma's shop."
"The flower place," Shelby said with a soft smile, shuffling to the edge of her seat. "I've been.in a few times.
"Yeah, I worked there when I was too young to work here. It's great, really, we've all done it, worked in the florist until we're eighteen, by then there was a younger kid ready to take your place."
"A cycle of child labour," Shelby said, crooked little grin on her lips, and Toni chuckled.
"Exactly," Toni's nodded, and for a second they just smiled at each other, before Shelby ducked her head, bashful, hiding her smile behind her drink. And Toni watched her; pretty, too pretty to be spending her night with Toni. "You know, you've had the attention of so many people this whole night."
Shelby raised her eyebrows, not in surprise but in acknowledgement. "Okay?"
"I'm just trying to figure out what you're doing spending time with me."
Shelby watched her for a second, her fingers slipping from her glass and gliding across Toni's hand and wrist, her touch cold from the drink.
"I'm getting to know someone who piqued my interest," Shelby admitted quietly, tilting her head a little to the left. "Is that okay?"
Toni nodded, fighting off the stupid smile that was fighting its way onto her lips, straightened, that bartender bravado slipping back into place. "Right, well, twenty questions it is, Texas. Fire away."
"Oh, great." Shelby perked up, straightening herself, eyes narrowed toward Toni. "If you could go anywhere right this minute; no questions asked, money is no issue, where would it be?"
"Mm," Toni hummed thoughtfully. "The cave of swords."
Shelby frowned. "What's that?"
"It's like this dope cave in Mexico, right, with these huge ass crystals, and when I say huge I'm talkin' thirty-nine feet." Toni explained, digging around in her pocket for her phone. "Two secs."
Then she turned her phone toward Shelby, both leaning in as Toni showed Shelby photographs of the large crystal.
"Yeah, okay, that is cool." Shelby agreed.
"It's crazy, though, because it had no water in it, it was drained when it was first discovered." Toni explained as she swiped through the photos. "But the humidity is at a hundred percent, so if you spend more than ten minutes in the place it's dangerous. It's so hot and so humid that you'll either cook or the humidity will cause your lungs to fill up and you'd drown in your own cells."
"That's grim," Shelby hummed, and Toni looked to her to see Shelby watching her with a little smile.
"Cool, though." Toni shrugged. "What about you, Texas?"
"I'll answer but this doesn't count as your question." Shelby said and Toni nodded in agreement. "I wanna see the northern lights in Iceland."
Shelby spoke so quietly, her touch so soft, peering up at Toni through her eyelashes, entirely too cute, Toni felt that little stutter in her chest.
"That's on the bucket list for sure," Toni hummed in agreement. "How about we talk about going to any point in time? Where would you go?"
"Oh," Shelby's eyes lit up at the question, leaning forward still as she glanced away thoughtfully. "I think I would want to go back and see each of the wonders of the ancient world."
"You know, I don't even think I could name the current wonders of the world." Toni admitted, her sweater covered elbows slightly closer to Shelby. "What's so spectacular about the ancient ones?"
"Well, so much." Shelby frowned, "You have the Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Colossus of Rhodes, and Lighthouse of Alexandria. All these beautiful structures built all those centuries ago-"
Toni settled in when Shelby took in a deep quick breath and went off on a drunk ramble about each of the wonders, just letting the girl rant on for a whole half an hour after she was due to finish.
"Can you fuckin' imagine?" Shelby's accent was thicker now that she was drunk, her sigh almost wistful. "Getting to see the Statue of Zeus with your own eyes, that'd be incredible."
"Yeah, I'm sure." it was probably the third thing Toni had said in the last half hour, but Toni wasn't bothered by that at all, she was quiet for the most part anyway. That's all it was, it had nothing to do with the fact this girl was fucking cute , and Toni was kinda into how this girl was talking about these wonders, like it was the coolest thing in the planet.
And the more she talked the more Toni was starting to agree with her, purely because of how into it this girl was.
Shelby blinked, shaking her head with a little frown. "Sorry, I've been talking for, like, three hours." Shelby gave a nervous laugh, but Toni shook her head.
"I don't mind," She said with a little smile.
"It was supposed to be twenty questions," Shelby squinted down at her watch. "And you finished ages ago, I'm sorry."
"How about I grab a drink, park there," She motioned to the seat beside Shelby. "And you can tell me what's so wonderful about the current wonders."
That made Shelby smile, big and shy, head ducked as she nodded. "Okay."
"Okay," Toni flashed her a smile and little eyebrow raise before heading toward the back, where Nel was having her break.
"You finally stopped drooling over the pretty blonde, then?" Nel said, her mouth part full of chips as she watched something on her phone. "I thought she'd hypnotised you or some shit."
"She was talking about something interesting."
"Yeah right," Nel scoffed, "I know exactly what you were interested in."
"Well, who knows, I might get it." Toni grinned crookedly at Nel as she grabbed a few bottles of cider she had in the back, back pedalling out the door as Nel fake gagged.
When Toni slipped out to the bar again Leah was ordering from Luke while Fatin was whispering to Shelby.
Fatin spotted her almost right away, flashing her a smile before walking over to Leah.
"If that didn't look like trouble I dunno what does," Toni commented cheekily, sitting down beside Shelby.
"She was telling me about the guys that tried to use the fact his daddy had a yacht." Shelby said with an eye roll, turning her entire body toward Toni, their knees pressing together. "What he didn't know is Fatin could buy everything he owns with pocket change."
"White men, don't get the hype about'em." Toni shrugged, standing to peer over the bar for a bottle opener.
Shelby must have noticed, reaching for the bottle, her fingertips barely touching Toni's, stopping her dead.
"I can get it," Shelby offered, and Toni nodded, letting the bottle slip from between her fingers.
Shelby popped the cap with her ring, in a move she'd clearly done a load of times before.
"Is that how you get the girls, impress them with your alcohol opening skills?" Toni grinned around the bottle as she brought it to her lips.
Shelby laughed. "Yeah, that's exactly it."
"Well, I have to say it works." Toni put the bottle down on the bar, her nail picking at the label. "So, how about those wonders?"
"How many can you name?" Shelby asked, head tilted, part flirtatious, part challenging.
"How about if I name all eight I get your number?" Toni countered, chin tilted up as she slid a little closer to Shelby.
"I mean, there are seven, but sure."
"Oh," Toni blinked twice before pulling on a charming chin and leaning in a little. "Well, I was counting you."
Shelby did blush, but she also rolled her eyes and pushed Toni's shoulder, her hand falling to her forearm afterward, over the tattoo.
"You name all seven and you'll get my number,"
"Okay," Toni wiggled in her seat, straightening. "Pyramids, the wall of China, that dude in Rio, Taj Mahal, Colosseum, Machu Picchu- fuck."
The sudden cuss word made Shelby chuckle. "You are so close."
"I've got nothing," Toni shrugged. "Mount Rushmore."
"Nah, Petra in Jordan or Chichén Itza, it isn't universally agreed on."
"I would never of got'em," Toni shook her head.
"Well, I'd say six out of seven is a pass," Shelby held a hand out toward Toni.
Toni understood immediately, fishing out her phone and handing it off to Shelby, who put in her number.
"I expect you to actually use it." Shelby pointed Toni's phone at her playfully before handing it back.
"Yeah, no, I will." Toni nodded, finding that she actually meant it because this girl was cute, and she was very clearly interested in Toni. "But who knows, you might wake up tomorrow and regret giving me it."
"I don't see that happening." Shelby shook her head. "But I'm sure this is probably your tenth number of the night, so you might not want to use it."
"Nah, I will."
"Yeah?" Shelby asked, shy and a little coy.
"Yeah," Toni found herself smiling, motioning toward Shelby. "Take the floor, Texas, tell me about why these wonders are so wonderful."
And Shelby did, though the conversation was a little less one-sided. Toni felt this odd feeling of pride burn in her chest every time she made Shelby laugh.
She genuinely wondered if she'd be duped, that Shelby wasn't this baby lesbian who needed help because she was fucking charming.
Toni had never been charmed by anyone the way Shelby was charming her, captivating her.
So much so that the final three hours of the bar being open flew by.
"Last call, ladies." Luke interrupted the girls, who were laughing at Toni's lame story about her fight with a trucker on her first ever shift.
"What?" Toni frowned, looking down at her watch. 02:45. "Fuck,"
"What?" Shelby frowned, handing her card to Luke, who set about making their final drink.
"I just didn't realise it was so late." Toni admitted. "Time flies when you're talking to a pretty girl, I guess."
Shelby rolled her eyes at the playful flirting, but she was blushing enough to tell Toni she was at least somewhat charmed.
Shelby glanced over at her friends, who were still tucked away in their corner, still wrapped up in each other.
"You think they'll kiss?" Toni questioned, thanking Luke as he said the glasses down, Luke flashing her knowing grin before going to deal with the customers up for last call.
"I dunno," Shelby shrugged, turning back to Toni. "I hope it doesn't go wrong, we all live together, so it would be really awkward."
"I think it'll work out fine," Toni assured.
Shelby nodded, and for a second she just stared at Toni, before sliding closer again, her knee pressing against the chair between Toni's legs. "I dunno if this is a little too forward or whatever, but I don't want the night to be over."
That made Toni's heart rate spike, her stomach twisting at that admission.
"I honestly want nothing more than to say let's take this somewhere else, but the condition of an early finish was that I clean up at the end of the night." Toni said.
"Another night?" Shelby's fingertips traced her tattoo, her eyelashes fluttering.
Toni nodded, whispering; "Definitely,"
Toni walked Shelby and her friends out, both Toni and Shelby watching as Leah tucked Fatin into her side, holding her close.
"Keep me updated on," Toni motioned toward the duo. "That."
"Will do," Shelby agreed, taking Toni completely by surprise as she stepped closer and pressing a lingering kiss on Toni's cheek. "Goodnight, Toni."
There was no way this girl had no experience with girls.
"Uh, yeah, night, Texas." Toni smiled, and Shelby smiled right back, staring over at Toni like she had something to say, but didn't say anything, instead nodding once before heading off toward her friends.
Toni watched her go until she rounded the corner, then she disappeared back inside, the twins watching her with arched eyebrows.
"Oh, shut up and go home." Toni grumbled.
Toni waited for the twins to leave in Nel's car before turning the music on and began cleaning, a little skip in her step and a grin on her face that stayed in place so long her cheeks were starting to hurt.
It wasn't until she reached the table the girls had been at that she noticed the hand bag tucked into the corner.
Toni found herself smiling as she picked it up, wondering if it was an accident or if Shelby, or one of her friends had left it on purpose.
She put the bag behind the bar, and was almost done with the cleaning, drumming her fingers along the bar as she walked, when the door to the bar opened.
Shelby peeked inside, Toni leaning against the bar as she grinned at her. "I'm sorry, but we're closed."
"Thing is, Fatin left her bag behind." Shelby looked sheepish as she stepped inside, slowly making her way toward Toni, who reached behind the bar.
"This one?" she held it up, and Shelby nodded, about to reach for it but Toni pulled it back, head tilted as she looked at Shelby. "You can only get this back on one condition."
"Oh yeah?" Shelby gave a coy little smirk, moving closer to Toni, leaving about a foot between them. "And what's that?"
"Dance with me," Toni said, setting the purse down on the bar.
Shelby tilted her head curiously, her eyes moving to the ceiling, as if she was just letting herself hear the song playing.
Blessed by Thomas Rhett, perfect.
"Dance with you,"
"Mm," Toni took a step toward Shelby, who stepped back to let her out from the bar she had been all but caged into.
Toni turned back to Shelby, standing in the middle of the hardwood floor, one hand behind her back, the other outstretched as she dipped at the waste, grinning over at Shelby with a charming little smile. "What'd you say, Texas? Your friends told me to give you a night of lesbian adventures, what's more lesbian than slow dancing with your bartender at a dingy country bar after just meeting her."
"This place isn't dingy and you know it." Shelby said, but she took ahold of her hand, allowing Toni to pull her in flush against her.
Toni took the lead, because she'd learned how to slow dance for her moms' wedding a few years prior, so she wasn't bad at it.
"So, was the purse left on purpose or?" Toni asked, her breath washing over Shelby's cheek as she spoke in a quiet whisper.
"I think so," Shelby laughed softly. "I think-I mean, I was going to come back on my own anyway, I think."
"Yeah?" Toni asked, pulling back enough to smile at Shelby, who smiled bashfully, her eyes dropping to the space between them.
"Yeah. I just didn't feel right ending the night like we did, it was so-"
"Abrupt," Toni answered when Shelby
trailed of.
"Exactly," Shelby nodded, and her face was just so fucking close.
Toni could kiss her now, if she really wanted to, and there was no doubt in her mind that Shelby would kiss her back.
"I'm glad you came back,"
They danced to the song, slow and far too intimate for people who hadn't known each other more than five hours.
The story of her mom's flashed into her mind, how when they met it was almost instantly like that's how life had always been for them, that they hadn't known life without each other.
She quickly pushed those thoughts away, because that was a dangerous slop she wasn't going to go down.
Even after the song finished they stayed close, Shelby's temple resting against Toni's.
"Do you wanna come upstairs when I'm done locking up?" Toni asked.
"Is this a proposition for sex?" Shelby asked, pulling back to look down at Toni, and there was clear insecurity shining in her eyes.
"No, this is me asking you to hang out where it's warmer and smells less like sweaty dude." Toni said. "Jeez, you slow dance with a girl once and suddenly its all about sex."
"Shut up," Shelby laughed, gently shoving Toni's shoulder, and Toni took a few steps back, motioning toward the bar.
"Take a seat, Texas, I shouldn't be long."
"I can help," Shelby offered. "Just tell me what to do."
"You can spray and wipe the tables, if you really wanna make yourself useful." Toni said, reaching for the rag and throwing it at Shelby, who managed to catch it.
They worked mostly in silence, though Toni found herself glancing at Shelby every half a minute or so, and some of the times Shelby was looking right back, giving Toni a shy little smile before getting back to work, only to do the same thing moments later.
"You like whiskey, right?" Toni asked when they'd finished, her back to Shelby as she locked up.
"Yeah," Shelby hummed, and when Toni finally turned to look at her she was suddenly struck by how beautiful with woman was; sitting at the bar, legs crossed, elbow on the surface, her fist propping up her cheek. She was staring over at Toni with a soft, drunk smile.
"My uncle Henry brought back this stupidly expensive whiskey from the Highlands of Scotland." Toni said. "Want a glass?"
"Sure, yeah."
Toni led Shelby upstairs through the back of the bar and up the backstairs. "I would say excuse the mess but I know it's clean, so." Toni shrugged, flashing Shelby a playful smile.
"It is really clean," Shelby commented as she looked around the hallway, which led directly into the kitchen. Her bedroom and a spare bedroom branching off to the left, the living room and bathroom off to the right.
"Mom was a nanny in her early twenties for two young kids, she had to be clean, got passed on, I guess."
It was such a trivial piece of information, but one that Toni wasn't sure she'd told anyone about.
"God, I done babysitting when I was, like, sixteen." Shelby groaned, following Toni into the spare bedroom and over to the cabinet with a few different kinds of whiskey.
"You definitely seem the babysitter type." Toni chuckled as she peered inside.
"You really like your whiskey, huh?"
"Ma took me to a distillery in Scotland when I was eighteen, legal over there. Mom wasn't happy, but my ma, Jamie, she's English, been drinking since she was twelve, didn't see the issue." Toni chuckled, setting two whiskey glasses on the surface that jutted out from the cabinet, taking out the Dalmore 64 Trinitas and poured two fingers into the glasses.
"How much is this glass worth?" Shelby questioned, skeptical, eyeing the pretty Amber liquid.
Toni laughed as she placed in back in the cabinet. "Put it this way, is Henry hadn't wanted to taste it I would never have opened."
"Jeez, okay."
"We drink it, then will tell you how much the bottle was."
"Is this how you get pretty girls into bed? With the expensive whiskey."
"Okay, one; Creepy," Toni laughed. "And no. No girl ever comes past the bar threshold."
"Really? You've never brought a girl up here?"
"Outside of girlfriends, no." Toni shrugged, holding her glass up toward Shelby. "Cheers."
"Cheers,"
Toni hadn't really expected the eye contact as each of them brought the glass to their lips and took a sip, but she certainly wasn't about to shy away from it.
Shelby's eyebrows raised as her eyes moved to her glass, licking her lips. "This is good."
"Yeah," Toni hummed, well aware she was just blatantly staring at Shelby's lips as she licked them again.
"How much?" Shelby asked, seemingly not noticing or didn't care.
"Guess the year it was distilled, first." Toni challenged.
"What do I get if I get it right?" Shelby narrowed her eyes, teasing.
"What do you want?" Toni asked, and almost subconsciously, Shelby's eyes moved to Toni's lips. "You can have that whenever you want."
Shelby's eyes jumped back up, seemingly embarrassed at being caught.
"Whether you get this right or not."
Toni watched as Shelby swallowed, nodding slowly. "Uh, nineteen ninety two."
"Not even close."
"Jeez, okay." Shelby frowned. "How far back we talkin'?"
"Post-world war two, pre-viatnam."
Shelby's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Nineteen forty six."
"Bingo," Toni grinned, pointing over at Shelby as she took another sip. "Now have a go at the price."
"A hundred grand,"
"Close, Henry bought it at auction for one twelve."
"Jeez," Shelby whistled.
"Yeah, which is why I would never have opened it had Henry not wanted to try it."
"Why did he get you it, cause you like whiskey and he's rich?"
"Graduation," Toni answered. "Do you wanna chill in the living room?"
Shelby nodded, following Toni through the house to the living room, Toni setting her glass down and motioning toward the sofa. "Can I get you another drink while you sip on that?"
"Do you have beer?"
"I live above a bar," Toni answered, going to get them both a beer.
They settled into the sofa, both facing each other, one leg up on the sofa, arm against the back, Toni's phone softly playing music through the speakers.
"I know what my friends asked you to do," Shelby said. "I hope you know you didn't actually need to so this."
"Do you think I would bring someone up into my own space because two girls asked me to show a pretty girl a lesbian adventure?" Toni laughed. "You're not here because your friends asked me to bring you here."
"Then why am I here?"
"I was having a lot of fun downstairs, I didn't want it to end." Toni shrugged. "I dunno, I guess you're good company."
That made Shelby smile, somewhat reserved but entirely too sweet.
"How's it feel? Getting to be yourself?" Toni asked, resting her temple against her fist.
"So good," Shelby signed, sounding relieved. "I spent so much of my life feeling like I wasn't breathing properly, and I didn't even know it until I got here, and I met Leah and Fatin, they've helped me through what would've been an awful time in my life."
"I can't even imagine how that must've felt." Toni let her hand fall to Shelby's forearm, giving it a squeeze.
"You know when you were younger, and you'd be playing and someone would sit on your chest and you were just pinned? You couldn't get a good breath in, you're panicking?"
Toni nodded, remembering a time Steve had wrapped her and Nel up in a blanket and sat on them, and that suffocating feeling stuck with her.
"Like that but you don't know where the pressure is coming from."
"Fuck," Toni breathed. "Do you talk to them? Your family."
"No, none of them." Shelby shook her head. "I miss my little brother and sister but no one else."
"Fuck those guys,"
Shelby laughed softly. "Fuck those guys."
Toni just watched Shelby, as she took a sip of her beer, her eyes straying to the window, not that she could see anything other than darkness it of it. Then she turned back to Toni, smiling when she noticed Toni staring. "What?"
"I don't know,"
Shelby frowned, a little laugh slipping from her lips. "You don't know?"
"I don't," Toni shook her head. "Do you wanna get breakfast later? My treat, for your birthday."
Shelby looked like she hadn't expected that, but she was still smiling, even as her eyebrows raised. "Breakfast?"
"You don't need to stay the night, we can meet somewhere, or-" Toni trailed off when Shelby placed a hand entirely too high on her thigh.
"Do you want me to stay?"
Toni swallowed, nodded, eyes moving from Shelby's hand to her face. "Yeah,"
"Do you want me to wait so you can kiss me when you walk me home after breakfast or?"
Toni was surprised by the brazen comment, chuckling. "You're ballsy."
"Do you not want to?"
"Oh, I do, have done since you walked into the bar." Toni admitted, moving to place her beer on the table and pushing herself up onto her knee, arm along the back of the sofa behind Shelby. "You're sure, though? I'm sure you could find a better girl to kiss you."
"I think you're pretty great," Shelby said, her tone so sincere, her fingertips tickling Toni's cheek, her eyes fluttering closed.
Toni could have said something to that, prolonged something that felt enviable, but she didn't, instead blindly leaning in and kissing Shelby, just barely catching her mouth but Toni was quick to realign herself.
It started off slow, Toni letting Shelby get into the swing of it, before she tangled her hands in Shelby's hair and pulled her closer, and Shelby reacted immediately, pushing Toni back and into the cushions of her sofa.
"Wouldn't have pegged you as a top, Blondie." Toni murmured against her lips, grinning slightly when she felt Shelby's hand press against her hip.
Shelby just hummed, diving back in to kiss Toni, rushing and almost desperate, like Toni was going to stop this any time now.
"Hey," Toni breathed against her lips, slowing the kiss down, taking Shelby a little by surprise. "We've got all night, all day if you aren't working tomorrow, we don't gotta rush."
"Really?" Shelby tilted her head a little, her arm braced against the arm of the sofa by Toni's head.
Toni nodded. "Take your time, enjoy the lesbian adventures."
Shelby rolled her eyes. "My friends are morons." She said, cutting Toni's chuckle off with a kiss.
It went pretty much like that for the rest of the night, Toni pretty much letting Shelby take control, set the pace now that she knew there was no rush. They would alternate between kiss, talking, and sipping on their drinks.
It wasn't until Toni's phone buzzed on the table that she realised it was morning already, her curtains doing a good job of blocking out the orange hue of the sunrise.
"Do you wanna go get breakfast?" Toni whispered, her fingertips tickling the skin at the base of Shelby's spine.
"Yeah," Shelby hummed, sounding tired, looking tired when she lifted her head from Toni's shoulder.
"Breakfast and a nap?" Toni offered, finding herself smiling when Shelby smiled a soft, sleepy smile.
"Do you not want me to leave, Toni?"
"Don't see the point in you leaving if we're still having fun." Toni shrugged. "You not having fun?"
"I am, but I didn't think watching TV with a girl on the sofa was your idea of a good time."
"Just shows you know nothing about me," Toni grinned, teasing.
"Is that going to change?" Shelby asked, trying to play it off but Toni could hear the weight to her words.
"If you want it to?" Toni tucked an arm under her head and peered down at Shelby. "I have a feeling you have me pinned as some kind of player?"
"Aren't you?"
"Not really, I will sleep with the women who come into the bar, but that's just sex, I don't date often, I certainly am not a heart breaker, if I'm not interested I make sure they know."
Shelby nodded, pulling her lip between her teeth thoughtfully. "So, if you aren't interested you tell them?"
Toni nodded, ghost of a grin on her lips, like she knew what Shelby was thinking.
"Okay." Shelby nodded. "Like, right away, or?"
"I'm interested, Shelby." Toni said with a laugh.
That, for some reason, seemed to surprise Shelby. "You are?"
"I had fun tonight -last night-, I wanna get to know you better." Toni shrugged. "Might turn out we hate each other, but that's the point of hanging out, right?"
Shelby nodded, smiling.
"Plus, you're mad hot, so," Toni laughed when Shelby tutted and gently batted her arm. "Right, let me up and I'll get you something to wear."
They headed out half an hour later, Shelby giggling at a story Toni was telling her of her attempting to get up the stairs drunk and ending up just falling asleep on them.
"What're you doing up this early?"
Toni peered over her shoulder as she locked the door to see her mom standing outside the flower shop.
"Getting breakfast," Toni answered. "Do you want anything brought back?"
"That's okay," Dani answered, giving Shelby a little smile. "Dani,"
"Shelby," Shelby smiled, polite, someone with experience charming adults. "The shop is beautiful, I've gotten flowers from here a few times."
"Thank you, Jamie will be delighted to hear that." Dani smiled big, and Toni could tell she was a little charmed by Shelby right off the bat. "Well, I will let you go get some breakfast, remember dinner tonight."
"I know, mom." Toni said, rolling her eyes when Shelby smiled sweetly at them. "Right, okay, let's go."
Toni gently pushed Shelby away, Shelby waving goodbye to Dani as they went.
"Fatin and Leah are going to be so smug about the fact I spent the night with you." Shelby chuckled, pulling out her phone. "I'm not even gonna bother opening the group chat."
"Just so we don't start off with lies hanging over us," Toni gave Shelby a little smirk. "Fatin totally paid for those shots last night."
"What?" Shelby laughed, eyebrows furrowed.
"At the beginning of the night, you made a bet about Fatin getting free shots offa me." Toni explained, and Shelby nodded. "We made a deal, she'd tip well and I'd pretend she got them for free to win the bet."
Shelby gasped, playfully shoving Toni, who laughed, taking a few steps to the side. " Toni, you lost Leah and I twenty bucks each."
Toni shrugged, "Shouldn't've sent your friend up to annoy me."
"You were eating that shit up." Shelby tutted.
"Not from them," Toni shook her head.
"Yeah, right, like you didn't notice one of those two first."
"Sure, I noticed Leah because she towered over everyone, and Fatin because she threw herself across the bar, but you had me intrigued from the get go, and I waited for you to come up after your two friends had been up to the bar."
"Fatin said you looked disappointed the second time,"
"I was a little," Toni shrugged. "But your friends made it plenty clear they were playing wingman so I figured it was only a matter of time until you came up."
"And you charmed me into staying the night,"
"I don't think I was the one doing the charming," Toni side eyed Shelby, hand stuffed into the pockets of her sweats. "Like, had I not known you had no experience with women I would never have guessed."
"You were charmed by me?"
"Entirely too much for someone who wasn't even trying." Toni admitted, eyes downcast toward her feet for a few seconds before her peered up at Shelby through her eyelashes.
Shelby was smiling, not something smug or cocky, but something sweet, soft, and a little confused.
They ended up talking about Toni at the diner, which Toni wasn't entirely thrilled about but she answered Shelby's questions about her degree and parts of her childhood.
They had just got back into Toni's place when Shelby's phone started ringing.
"It's Leah,"
"Do you want me to answer?" Toni grinned, not expecting Shelby to agree.
Shelby eyed her for a few seconds, before handing over then phone.
"Shelby's phone," She greeted, and the line was quiet for a few long seconds.
"Toni?" Leah sounded confused. "Is Shelby there?"
"She's chained up in the cellar right now, is it urgent?"
" Toni," Shelby scolded through a laugh, snatching the phone back from Toni, who cackled, pointing over her shoulder toward the bedroom.
"I'll be lying down when you're finished."
Toni was messing around on her phone when Shelby knocked a few minutes later.
"You don't gotta knock, Shelby." Toni called, and Shelby took that as a green light to enter. "I know you were comin'."
"It's still polite," Shelby shrugged, moving to lie down alongside Toni, facing each other.
"What were they saying?"
"They were asking for all the gory details, didn't believe we just kissed and watched TV." Shelby rolled her eyes, and Toni chuckled, smile still on her lips as she stared over at Shelby. "What?"
"How do you still look this pretty, after staying up all night?" Toni whispered, and Shelby blushed, pressing her face into the pillow. "How do you feel about dinner?"
Shelby gave a confused little smile at the question. "I eat it daily, usually."
"With me." Toni clarified. "Dinner with me. Monday."
That made Shelby smile big. "Like a date?"
"A date," Toni nodded. "If you want?"
"I want," Shelby nodded. "Monday it is."
"Cool, now, you kept me up all night, let me sleep before I need to open up the bar at four."
"You don't mind me staying?" Shelby asked as Toni turned her back to her.
"Who else is going to spoon me?"
Shelby laughed, shuffling in behind Toni, slinging an arm over her midsection.
"You can take off whenever you need to, the door locks on its own." Toni mumbled against the pillow, smiling when she felt Shelby pull her in a little closer, forehead pressed against the back of Toni's head. "Don't steal anything from the bar."
Shelby chuckled behind her. "I won't."
Toni let herself sink into the warmth, falling asleep shortly after.