Chapter Text
“We suck,” Cali concludes, twirling their drumsticks in their hand. Their band’s instruments have been moved off the stage to make room for a standup comic. The audience of a handful of locals and drunk students seem almost relieved, which is all the proof anyone needs that Cali is in fact correct.
“We do not suck,” Tatiana says. “The audience sucks.”
“I think they were about to start throwing tomatoes at us,” Cali says. “I don’t think they have tomatoes in this bar. When I asked for a Bloody Mary, I almost got spat on.”
Curt indicates a nearby table. “I dunno, that girl seemed to be into us.”
“Barb doesn’t count. Girlfriends are supposed to pretend you’re good.”
“Not Barb. That girl. The brunette.”
Tatiana looks at the girl in question and shakes her head. “She does not count either. She wants to fuck you.”
“I think she wants to fuck you,” Cali says.
“Or she liked our music!” Curt insists. He looks back at the girl. She catches his eye and smiles, bites her lip, and waves. Curt stands his ground. “Music can make people very horny, you know.”
“Not our music,” Cali says. “Our music makes people more…tomato-throwy.”
Tatiana throws her hands up with a groan. “This guy sucks!” she hisses, gesturing at the comedian onstage. “Listen to them all laughing at this garbage. I cannot do this. We are leaving.” She stands and pulls her leather jacket back on.
“Don’t be upset, Tati,” Curt says placatingly. “We’ll get another gig and perform for a real crowd next time.”
She huffs and gestures for Barb to join them at their table. The blonde whispers something to her own table before jogging over, a brilliant smile on her face. She throws herself into Cali’s embrace and regards the rest of them while they kiss her cheek.
“Hey, guys! Great show!”
“You're a terrible liar, babe,” Cali tells her.
“We are leaving,” Tatiana says.
“But you’re gonna miss trivia.”
“No, we are going to miss trivia.”
Barb stares at her for a moment, then realises. “Oh,” she says, pouting. “I respect the principle, but…it’s Doctor Who night.” She grimaces. “And Cali promised to play with my group.”
“I did,” Cali confirms. “It’s technically date night.”
“But…” Tatiana gestures desperately. “This place sucks!”
Someone at the next table shushes her angrily.
“I know,” Barb says guiltily. “But it’s trivia night and all my other friends are here.”
“It is admirable that she has other friends,” Curt says in an attempt to help. “She’s the only one of us.”
“I have other friends,” Cali says.
“So do I,” Tatiana turns to him. “Are we your only friends?”
Flushing, Curt pulls Tatiana towards the door. “I thought we were leaving.”
Barb and Cali wave them goodbye as Curt and Tatiana make their way out of the bar through the backdoor, dragging heavy instruments with them. Tatiana is muttering something in Russian under her breath the entire time as they stock up the van and get ready to leave. Curt would be concerned if he didn’t know his best friend is just being dramatic.
It's actually kind of adorable. Tati is not usually the one to freak out over little things. She must really care about the band.
“Hey.”
Curt blinks, startled, and looks around for the source of the sound. It’s coming from a tall, long-haired guy leaning against the service entrance and smoking an e-cigarette. He gives a little wave when they look in his direction. The dim light catches his face and Curt recognises him as one of the cute guys in Professor Houston’s PoliSci class, the one who was always debating with the instructor, but the name escapes him.
“Hi,” he says, approaching the figure even as Tatiana pulls him back by the arm.
“You guys played in there earlier, right?” the guy asks, gesturing vaguely at the bar with his cigarette. He has a nice accent. It’s subtle, yet unmistakably British. Curt thinks it’s kind of hot. “You were pretty good.”
“You’re probably the only one who thinks so.”
The man smirks. “Does that make me special?”
Before Curt can flirt back, Tatiana is pulling him in the direction of the driver’s seat with all her might. And though she be but little, she lives at the gym, so it doesn’t take much effort.
“Thank you,” she says flatly to the guy. “We must get going now.”
“I’m Owen.” It’s said over Tati’s head to Curt, who tries in vain to push past her and shake this Owen’s hand. “I work here.”
“I’m Curt. I drink here.”
“And we are now leaving here!” Tatiana announces. “Good night!” She successfully manages to push Curt into the car and climbs into the passenger seat. She all but growls at him until he starts the car and begins to drive back to their apartment.
“Okay,” he starts once they’ve driven far enough that she seems to be calming down. “What’ve you got against the hot bartender?”
She glances at him quizzically. “You don’t recognise him?”
“I mean, he’s in one of my classes?”
“Ugh, this is so embarrassing.” Tatiana groans. “We went to prom together.”
Curt laughs. Tati throws him a death glare which cuts it right off.
“So were you guys, like, a thing?”
“No,” Tatiana says definitively. “I was the new foreign girl who transferred halfway through the last year of high school. He was class president. He took me to be nice.” She pauses. “Also because I suspect he needed a beard.”
“So he’s definitely into guys?”
“Curt! Is that all you are hearing?”
“Sorry,” Curt says, not sorry at all. “Did you have fun? At the prom, I mean.”
From the corner of his eyes, he can see her blush crimson. “Maybe. But we’ve been Facebook friends ever since and I’ve had a few classes with him and he gives me the…how you say? Heebie jeebies?”
“Elaborate.”
“He was arguing for a surveillance state in our Ethics class.”
“Well, did you hear him out?”
She shoves him, never mind that he’s driving. “Curt!”
“Kidding, kidding! Jeez!”
“I forbid you from sleeping with him.”
“You can’t forbid me from sleeping with people.”
“I just did.”
“You know what? I’m definitely going to sleep with him now, just to spite you.”
She sticks out her tongue at him.