Chapter Text
It was early in the day. José wandered through the town as there were only a few people in the streets, the sun shining as the clock slowly hit noon.
He needed a drink.
He walked to the closest bar around, entering. The bell of the door rang faintly as he entered the bar. As it was still early in the day, it was empty except for the barmaid.
It was dark inside, the only light source being candles and the dim and orange lanterns.
Demi was cleaning a glass with a hand cloth, the material of the glass squeaking as she rubbed the cloth against it. When she heard the bell ring she turned around, looking at José from behind the bar.
She didn't say anything, just watching him walk towards bar quietly. She had a small smirk on her face as he sat down.
"Pretty early for a drink, ain't it?", she murmured with a smirk on her face.
For a second he studied her few strands of white hair and her green eyes. The dim light cast an orange glow on her features.
" 's never too early for a drink.", José said, his British accent sharp and apparent.
She smiled. He was right. The first thing she noticed was his accent.
Demi kept wiping the glass clean as she gave him a small yet warm smile.
"Strong?", she said. He nodded in response and her smirk widened.
She turned around and set the glass and cloth on the counter, heading towards the shelves of alcohol. Her back was facing him as she was going through the bottles.
He studied her carefully. She looked around his age. Pretty, he thought.
"So yer not from here?", she asked as she looked at the bottles of alcohol and reached up for one.
He sighed and muttered "No." under his breath.
"Yeah, figured. Ya know, the accent.", she said with a wide smirk as she turned around abd grabbed two clean glasses, setting them down in front of him on the counter.
She poured the scotch in the glasses carefully but quickly as he watched, a somewhat smirk tugging at his lips.
"Here for business." He murmured and she nodded.
She set the bottle of scotch down and looked at him. She rested her chin on her palm as her elbow was on the counter. She raised a hand to him.
"Call me Demi.", she said.
He took her hand, slowly shaking it. Her hands were cold, he noted.
"José." He said simply.
She nodded and smiled. He kept her hand in his for a bit before letting go and grabbing the glass. She put her hand over his glass, stopping it mid air as he was about to take a sip.
"Ah-ah, what are ya drinkin' for?"
She asked. He looked at her, a bit taken aback.
"For the pretty lady I just met today." He said with a small smirk. Her face lit up and a warm smile tugged at her lips. She grabbed her own glass and clinked it against his.
"Drinkin' for a pretty lady, it is."
She murmured and they took a sip from their drinks. He enjoyed the scotch, the alcohol burning his throat slightly. He set his glass down as she watched him with a smile.
"So, business man. What's yer deal? Drinkin' at noon?"
José smiled and looked down a bit before looking back at her.
"A man can't have a drink, no?"
He said with a playful smirk.
"He can. But for what? Valid question, eh?" She said back in a sarcastic tone.
A small chuckle escaped his lips. He smiled warmly at her.
"Loneliness. Valid reason, isn't it?"
He said and she gave him an understanding smile. Loneliness, huh. She could understand that, oh, she could understand that very well.
"Make that two." She said softly and his smile widened.
"How come someone as gorgeous as you is lonely?" He asked in a quiet tone.
Demi looked slightly surprised at his compliment and his flirtatious tone.
"Gorgeous? That ain't me, c'mon now." She said with a small chuckle, averting her gaze away from a second.
He smiled and shook his head no.
The two kept chatting and joking around over drinks, the two of them alone in the bar. Time passed without them realizing ; words exchanged, glasses emptied and refilled.
A small flush was on her face, the alcohol taking effect. She was sitting next to him as they chatted. His eyes were on her face as she spoke. He liked listening to her ramble about random stuff. She looked pretty.
"Yer funny, y'know. I like ya, business man."
She said, her words a bit slurred. He smiled softly.
"Yeah?" He murmured.
"Yeah." She replied.
His gaze flickered between her eyes for a moment.
"I like you too, barmaid."
He said with a quiet rumble.
Her smile widened, a dumb look on her face. Her green eyes lit up with joy at her words.
"A little music?" She asked as she stood up, taking wobbly steps towards the cassette player. To be honest, he didn't like music. But if she wanted music, they were gonna listen to music.
He smiled as he watched walk, off balance. He stood up and walked towards her slowly, putting an arm around her and walking with her to keep her from falling. A small giggle escaped her lips.
"No need, I can walk ya know." She said with a small chuckle and his smile turned into a smirk.
"Yeah? Why don't I let you go then?" He said and let go of her. She was wobbly and giggling. Losing her balance and tossing herself against him.
"Bloody hell.." He said with a chuckle, holding her waist gently to keep her up. She stared up at him and giggled. He walked her to the cassette player as she put something in.
'Piano Man' started playing, the harmonica casting a melody in the bar. She smiled as she listened to it and he just admired her in silence. He gently took her hand and placed his other hand on her waist.
Demi looked up at him with a surprised look on her face. A dumb smile settled onto her face.
"Oh I dunno all'at fancy stuff.." She mumbled nervously and he smiled down at her.
"Put your hand in my chest, yeah?" He said softly. She obeyed and did as he told.
"Now just follow my lead." He mumbled as he started slowly moving. She looked down and at gim, watching his feet now and then and carefully following his steps. A small smile tugged at her lips.
'And the waitress is practicing politics, as the business man slowly get stoned.
Yes they're sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it's better than drinking alone.'
Said the lyrics. He looked down at her with a warm smile.
"You chose this on purpose, didn't you?", he said with a small smirk.
"She let out a small mischievous chuckle and smiled at him.
He pulled her closer by her waist and she sighed, resting against his chest as they danced to the song. He was a bit surprised but liked the gesture. José gently rested his chin on top of her head.
"I like this.", she mumbled quietly and he hummed in response. She closed her eyes with a warm smile on her face.
She hasn't felt this alive since forever. And neither has he.
After a few hours of dancing around, drinking and chatting, the sun was slowly setting. The bar was getting more crowded. And her shift was about to be over.
She looked at him with a smile as he told another joke.
"Mm.. ya know, my shift is about to end.", she said.
José looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
"We could go back to my place?", she added and he smiled softly at her.
As soon as the door was shut, he pushed her against it and started kissing her neck. She closed her eyes with a soft hum, wrapping one arm around his neck and resting the other on his back.
He was biting and kissing her soft skin roughly.
"Yer actin' like a starved man.", she murmured with a small smirk.
"What if I am?", he mumbled against her skin, his voice a bit muffled.
She sighed as he kissed and nipped on her collarbone.
"Hey. Hey.." She murmured, grabbing his face between her hands.
He looked up at her and she pulled his face closer to hers.
"I wanna kiss ya." she whispered softly.
His breath hitched in his throat and his eyes flickered between hers. She smiled up at him softly.
She closed her eyes and softly pressed his lips against his. God, it was so sweet. Not full of lust but.. affection.
He exhaled through his nose and cupped her face in his hands, kissing her back with the same softness. They held it for a while and when they broke the kiss, he opened her eyes and looked down at her, their faces still close.
Her gaze flickered between his eyes and she smiled softly.
"I have a strange request.", he whispered, making her raise an eyebrow.
"I want to hold you. I don't want to.. act on lust and.. y'know. Fucking isn't that special."
She giggled at his words quietly.
"Yer sweet. Yeah. Yeah we can do that.", she whispered back.
She grabbed his wrist and led him to her bedroom, the dark room barely lit by the moonlight outside.
He followed after her to her bed. She slowly lied down and pulled him down with her.
He crashed on top of her body and sighed, closing his eyes and resting his head next to her neck. His arms snaked around her waist and clung onto her like a vine.
She sighed and closed her eyes, resting her hands on his back.
"When will ya be leavin'?", she asked quietly.
He opened his eyes and stayed quiet for a bit.
"In a month, I think."
She sighed.
"Okay.", she simply replied. She wished he could stay.