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He took a long drag of his cigar, letting the smoke slowly curl from his lips as he swirled his glass of whiskey, gaze fixed on the ring of condensation on the bartop. Cole enjoyed his time at the bar; there was enough noise to let him get lost in thought--not break him out of it--shared in the company of other like-minded souls looking for some relative peace among the chaos of every day.
He was stirred from his thoughts by the scraping of a bar stool against the wood floor, the sound of someone settling next to him.
“This seat taken?”
Cole let out an amused huff of breath through his nose before looking at the man, briefly wondering how much money he spent on his hair to keep it such a bright shade of green. He answered with a drawled, “Nahh. Yer more’n welcome to it,” before emptying his glass and motioning the bartender over.
“Hey Kate. ‘Nother whiskey for me.” He glanced back at the man next to him. “What’ll you be havin’?”
The man blinked in momentary surprise before a grin spread across his face. “A Long Island.”
He watched the man stretch forward, lean against the bar on crossed arms, and Cole’s eyes trailed from his shoulder down the curve of his back. Cole nodded and looked at the bartender, giving a charming smile. “And a Long Island. Thank ya kindly, miss.”
The green-haired man watched her leave before his eyes locked back onto Cole's. “How ‘kindly’ of you to buy a stranger a drink.”
Cole stamped out his cigar. The way this stranger spoke was almost musical, like he was the most carefree thing in the world, dark eyes sharp and sparkling with barely contained mischief.
“Well, only strangers ‘til I get a name. Cole Cassidy.” Cole tilted his head back slightly and raised his brows, motioning for the man to continue.
“Genji Shimada,” he answered, turning in the stool to face Cole. “My brother will be over the moon that I’ve made a new friend on our first day in America,” he said, smiling brightly. “And one so polite? Oh, he’ll love you.”
Cole chuckled as the bartender walked back with their glasses in hand, setting a tall glass in front of Genji and a shorter one in front of himself. He thanked her warmly, Genji chiming in with his own thanks as he handed the young lady a bill. Her eyes widened in shock.
“Oh, I don’t think you meant to give me this,” she started, holding the bill out to Genji for him to take, to realize his mistake.
Genji smiled, head tilted in amusement. “Everything I do is intentional, so it’s yours! You’re welcome,” he chirped, winking at her as she stammered her thanks before pocketing the bill and attending the rest of the patrons.
Cole watched the woman walk away. “Mighty fine thing ya did for Kate. I know she’s been through some hard times. It’s easy to worry about her.” He looked back to Genji, slightly startled to see those deep brown eyes already on him.
“I uh,” Cole stammered before taking a large gulp of the alcohol to collect himself. “I must have somethin’ on my face. Or are you just so enthralled by how ruggedly handsome I am?” he joked.
“The second one,” came that sing-song voice as Genji rested his cheek in his hand, elbow against the bartop.
Cole laughed then. “Damn. You didn’t even miss a beat.”
Genji smiled and shook his head lightly, turning in his seat to face the bar and addressing his watered-down drink. “Who would win if I were to play coy with you? Certainly not me. I know you’re hot, you know you’re hot.” Genji shrugged. “Seems like a waste of time to suggest otherwise, don’t you think?”
Cole wet his lips with his tongue before taking another drink, watching as Genji drained his own glass of alcohol. He was starting to feel pleasantly warm.
“You sure are different than most others I ever talk to, Genji. I can appreciate that.”
“Care to do more appreciating somewhere more private?”
Cole couldn’t help but smile, shaking his head lightly before finishing his drink in a gulp. "Well, when you ask so nicely," he started, voice like honey. He noticed Genji shift in his seat out of the corner of his eye, watched those dark eyes glance down his form. The actions made him nervous, excited.
"Lead the way, partner.”