A Bar Tender Tale
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Auryn didn’t acknowledge the remark, still talking to Nathan. “Sam Raimi was the producer, you see. He cast Campbell and also his brother Ted Raimi in recurring roles.
They’re also in his Spiderman films too, doing cameos.”
“You trying to outnerd me again?” Nathan laughed. “I know all about Raimi! Do you know where Ted Raimi’s cameo is in Drag Me To Hell?”
“He was the doctor,” Auryn said confidently. “I love that film.”
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“Yeah.” Nathan smiled, swept along with Auryn’s enthusiasm. “Me too.”
“You know my favorite?” Sean chipped in. “I liked that one where Bruce Campbell was playing an old-age Elvis.
What was that called?”
“Bubba Ho-Tep,” Nathan and Auryn said at the same time, catching each other’s eyes.
Gary had placed Auryn’s drink on the bar and was waiting to be acknowledged, let alone paid. A frown appeared on his face as he was ignored. “Hey, Auz,” he said. “Nathan wanted to know if you’re a bit queer like him.” Nathan looked at Gary in shock, not believing his ears.
When he dared to sneak a glance to his side he could see Auryn was also looking at Gary in surprise. Sean and Leigh were trying to stifle chuckles into their pints. Nathan grasped for his own drink, starting to feel hot and flushed.
“Thanks, Gaz,” he muttered.
“Oh,” Auryn said quietly. “Are you…?” Nathan stalled for time by taking a swig of his drink.
Sean answered for him by muttering, “Is the Pope Catholic?”
“Oh, right,” Auryn said. “So am I. Gay, I mean, not Catholic.”
Nathan choked on his drink. Sean and Leigh also halted midswig as Gary’s jaw hit the bar.
“What?” Gary stared in surprise. “Are you joking?” Auryn shrugged easily. “No.”
“But… you never told me!”
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“Sorry, Gaz. I didn’t realize I had to write you a memo. I mean, you did meet Tony before.”
“Yeah, Tony…. Your old house mate, Tony?” Auryn gave him a look. “Oh, Gaz. You plank. Tony was my boyfriend.”
“Oh.” Gary seemed at a loss. “Does Graham know?”
“Your brother? Yes, he’s aware.”
“Don’t tell me he’s gay?” Gary looked panicked.
“No, Gaz,” Auryn said in good humor. “Pretty sure he’s straight.”
“Oh right,” Gary nodded. “Well….”
A customer had approached the bar and required serving, and so Gary was forced to move away.
Nathan had been watching the exchange almost as stunned as Gary was. His hopes soared high upon hearing those two magical words, I’m gay. Unfortunately that meant his stomach was now twisting itself into knots.
Auryn turned to look at Nathan who quickly dropped his gaze, feeling an unusual wave of shyness come over him.
“So… um, that’s interesting.” Auryn was obviously trying to make light of the situation. Nathan wasn’t sure what to say. He nervously twirled his glass in his fingers.
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Auryn said softly. “If you were… that way inclined, so to speak.” Raising his eyes curiously, Nathan searched Auryn’s face, trying to decide if he was being serious.
Was he hearing right? Auryn was interested in him? The man was simply gorgeous, and though he seemed confident, A Bar Tender Tale | Melanie Tushmore 54
Nathan saw those brown eyes drop briefly, looking away.
Surely he couldn’t be nervous too?
Nathan’s pulse started to thrum at the possibilities.
“Well,” he said, attempting to sound cool and relaxed. “Now you know I am.”
Auryn looked back at him almost instantly, a small smile edging onto his lips. “Yes? Then I suppose my next question would be, are you single?”
Oh God, yes! Nathan reflected the smile on his own lips, turning his body slowly towards Auryn.
“Yeah,” he said, feeling like his skin was tingling all over. “Actually, as of yesterday, I am very single.”
“Oh right.” Auryn shifted on his seat, his knee brushed against Nathan’s. He looked like he was about to say something more when everyone was distracted by the reappearance of Tazz bursting out of the gent’s, declaring he’d won the battle against his bowels.
“Disgusting,” Gary stated, moving away from the bar to inspect the gent’s. “If you’ve made a mess….” Tazz ignored him, already telling the tale of woe to Leigh and Sean.
Auryn leaned closer to Nathan and said quietly, “My next question would be, would you like to go for dinner?” Nathan felt like he was going to blush again. “Er, sure.
When?”
“How about now? Or would you rather stay here and listen to this?”
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“No, no,” Nathan picked up his drink and downed the last of it. “Let’s go. There’s a great little restaurant around the corner.”
“Sounds good,” Auryn said. They caught each other’s eyes as they slid off their bar stools together.
“Where are you going?” Gary called to them as they reached the door.
“Just nipping out for a bite to eat, Gaz,” Auryn waved at him.
“What?” Gary was incredulous. “You can get a curry next door!”
“See you in a bit!” Auryn called, striding out the door.
Nathan flashed Gary and the others a mischievous smile as he followed.
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Chapter 3
“I THINK we’ve upset Gaz,” Nathan said as they walked down the quiet road, past the various cafés and shops that were just starting to close.
“No, I’ve upset him,” Auryn said. “But don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll get over it.”
“He can take things to heart….”
“That he can. He’s a gentle giant.”
Nathan laughed in response. “Gentle? ”
“Well… sometimes.” Auryn appeared to agree. “I find with Gaz, his mood depends on two things.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, if he’s seeing a girl, and how Wales is doing in the rugby.”
“Sounds about right.”
They had reached the end of George Street and now the bustling hub of St. James Street was laid out before them.
“I take it you’re leading me somewhere appropriate?” Auryn asked.
Nathan felt sure could hear a flirtatious edge in his voice. He liked it but also found he was battling with his nerves over what was happening. He hoped it wouldn’t ruin his appetite.
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“If you like Indian—” Nathan pointed at a restaurant almost directly opposite. “—they're pretty good. Or there’s more places up the road.”
“Is it better than the Indian next to Gaz’s?”
“It’s much better,” Nathan assured him. “It’s got a buffet as well, all you can eat. Except they put a limit on Gaz
'cause he kept coming in every day and eating too much….” Nathan pressed his lips together to stop himself babbling.
“I’m happy if you’re happy,” Auryn said.
“Okay,” Nathan mumbled, leading the way.
The restaurant was blissfully quiet, as was usual this early in the evening. They were still offered a table at the back, however, seated in the far corner.
“Sorry,” Nathan said to Auryn after the waiter had left them with their menus. “I forgot they always shove me in the back here. I think they reckon anyone with tattoos will put off other customers.”
Auryn placed his menu down and looked at Nathan, who promptly averted his eyes.
“Are you sure that’s it?” Auryn asked. “What they were probably thinking was, uh oh, here’s Gaz’s mates. Better get them away from the food, quick.”
Nathan smiled. “Yeah, well. Sorry anyway.”
“I don’t mind. T
his is nice and cozy.”
“Er, yeah.” Nathan was immediately nervous again. He studied his menu intently instead of making eye contact.
Their table seated four, but it was still small. Nathan had sat first and was equally thrilled and nervous that A Bar Tender Tale | Melanie Tushmore 58
instead of sitting opposite him, Auryn had taken the seat to his side so they were close together. Just one wrong move under the table and their knees would be touching. Or right move, Nathan considered, depending how the meal went.
They had a fast turnaround in this restaurant, which caused the waiters to be prompt. Nathan was relieved when their waiter came for their drinks order. Auryn fell into the usual trap all new customers had when trying to find a recognizable drink on the menu. After asking for one beer after another while the waiter simply shook his head, Nathan suggested they have the Kalyani Black Label. He remembered that Auryn liked strong beer.
When the waiter departed with their order, Auryn smiled like he was trying not to laugh. “I feel like a dumb tourist!”
“Don’t worry,” Nathan said. “They’ve hardly got any regular beers here, but the ones they do have are great.”
“I’ll trust your judgment.” Auryn frowned at the menu.
“Maybe you could recommend something to eat? I… er, didn’t bring my glasses.”
Nathan’s eyes darted up to glance at Auryn’s face, wondering what he looked like with glasses on.
“Oh, um, sure,” Nathan reached a hand over carefully and pointed at one section of Auryn’s menu. “The set meal is actually pretty good. It gives you a selection of different stuff.
Unless there’s um… something you’re not keen on.” He drew his hand back and pretended to look at his own menu.
“No, I’m not fussy,” Auryn gave up on his menu and placed it on the table. “Like Gaz, I’ll eat anything.” A Bar Tender Tale | Melanie Tushmore 59
A smile tugged at Nathan’s mouth. At least they were clearly comfortable talking about mutual friends, for now. “I hope not as much as Gaz,” Nathan teased. “Or we may get shown the door.”
The lightning-fast waiter returned with their drinks and stood poised. Nathan was about to order; he was so used to being the one who did everything and paid for it all too that he had to remind himself he was with a different date. An older man. He stopped himself and looked at Auryn.
“Um, do you want me to order?”
Auryn simply nodded. “Please go ahead.”
“Okay.” Nathan ordered the food. And a few extra side dishes just in case Auryn really did eat as much as Gary.
In the back of his mind he was chiding himself over having two curries in one day, but arguably this was a special occasion. He was on a date after all. Nathan’s fingers were itching to text Danny a smug message about that, but he didn’t want to tempt fate just yet.
“It’s all right in here, isn’t it?” Auryn commented after the waiter had left again. He was looking around at the décor and the traditional Indian paintings on the wall. “Kinda quiet though?”
“Yeah, it is now. It’ll be packed later on.”
“Oh right. Good timing then?”
“Yeah… it’s been a day of that,” Nathan joked, deciding to test the water.
“It certainly has,” Auryn picked up eagerly. “It was a pleasant surprise to see you behind the bar today instead of Gaz’s grumpy face.”
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Nathan could feel every inch of his skin start to heat up.
He discreetly placed both his hands over his cold beer bottle, hoping to level out his temperature. “I don’t think I’ve ever been called pleasant before,” he said, hoping his nerves didn’t show in his voice.
“No?” Auryn asked quietly.
A silence passed where Nathan wasn’t quite sure what to do. He panicked for a moment, then almost at the point of babbling said, “Um, so you’re saying I’m pleasant compared to Gaz?”
The barest breath of a laugh came out as Auryn smiled.
“Yes, I suppose I did say that. All right, I’m going to retract that last part. I’d better take Gaz out of the equation, so that just leaves you and me.”
Nathan dared a glance up. Pulse racing, he smiled at Auryn. “Okay.”
“How old are you, Nathan?” Auryn asked. “If you don’t mind me asking?”
Nathan was a little taken aback at the sudden question.
“Um, twenty-two. As of last month.”
“Ah, right.”
“How old are you?”
Auryn took a sip of his beer before answering, “I’m thirty-one.”
There was something about the tone of his voice set off a warning bell in Nathan’s head. Did Auryn mind that he was younger? Dammit! Why hadn’t he considered this before?
Nathan thought this had to be the first time since he turned eighteen and was old enough to drink that he was wishing A Bar Tender Tale | Melanie Tushmore 61
he was even older. Did Auryn think he was too young?
Nathan was desperate to ask but felt far too shy to form a question about it.
Time had dragged on since Auryn had told him his age and Nathan hadn’t answered, caught up in his worries. What must he be thinking? Just as Nathan opened his mouth to say something—anything—he was interrupted by the waiter wheeling in a trolley of steaming food.
Typical, Nathan thought. They both stayed silent as the waiter placed dish after dish in front of them, asking if they wanted more drinks. Nathan wasn’t sure what to do.
“Um, do you want another?” Auryn asked, eyeing Nathan’s half empty bottle.
In that moment Nathan was in two minds about everything. He did want another drink—in fact, he wanted several. But what about Auryn? Had they already established a problem with their age difference? Was Auryn going to skip out as soon as the meal was over? Nathan didn’t want to order a drink if Auryn was on the verge of leaving.
Nathan shrugged. “I will do, sure, but it’s up to you.” Auryn nodded, but Nathan couldn’t help but notice he’d averted his eyes.
“Two more, please,” he told the waiter.
Nathan was pleasantly surprised. He had been expecting no more drinks. Although he supposed just one more wasn’t anything to get excited about yet, seeing as their food had only just arrived. Nathan felt his appetite waning, which was very rare for him.
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After the waiter had left, Auryn examined the food on a dozen different plates and dishes. “God, Nathan, how much did you order? I don’t know if I can eat all this.”
“Sorry.” Nathan felt his cheeks grow hot. “I thought you’d like to try a mix. I’ve got cash on me—”
“Oh no, don’t worry about that!” Auryn said quickly. “All right, let’s try it all. Whatever we can’t finish we’ll chuck in a bag and take back to Gaz.”
Nathan smiled in answer but his hopes were definitely sinking. Going back to Gary after their meal wasn’t what he’d had in mind for the rest of the evening.
As they began to eat, Nathan waited for Auryn to say something, but when nothing came he decided it was up to him again to get them talking. He still didn’t have the courage to bring up the age issue yet, so he tried to find something different.
“So… Gaz said you’re a solicitor?”
“Indeed I am. Why, do you need one?”
When Nathan glanced up he could see Auryn was joking. He smiled. “If I do, I’ll call you.”
“You need my number first,” Auryn teased.
Now they were back to flirting? It was on the tip of Nathan’s tongue to answer in his usual flirtatious way but he stopped himself. He wasn’t sure coming on strong was a good idea right now. Are you going to give it to me? said with a wink and a smile might not be the wisest move.
Not yet anyway.
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“Hmm,” Nathan answered, giving all his attention to the food instead.
“Rainbow’s, mostly. And Tequila Mocking Bar.”
“Oh right.”
“You know them?”
“Er, no,” Auryn shook his head. “Sorry. I haven’t been out much yet. Gaz keeps tempting me over to his place with game nights.”
Nathan teased, “You make it sound like you’re a couple.”
Auryn chuckled. “Yeah. It’s been good for both of us, though. We haven’t seen each other for such a long time.
And his brother was one of my best mates.”
“He said you only just came down here?”
“That’s right. A lot happened at once. I didn’t like the people I was working with, and I also broke up with my boyfriend.”
“Oh,” Nathan felt bad. “Sorry.”
Auryn waved his hand. “It’s fine. We weren’t getting on for a while before that. Then I inherited a place down here, so I thought I’d make a new start by the sea.”
“What do you think so far?”
Auryn looked at him and gave a small smile. “It’s not bad.”
Dinner slipped by quickly. Nathan didn’t eat much; he was still running on nerves. That, and he didn’t want to risk A Bar Tender Tale | Melanie Tushmore 64
getting food stuck in his teeth. He didn’t need anything like that spoiling the evening, thank you very much.
Still sticking to relatively safe topics, they talked about Auryn’s move to Brighton and his new job in a law firm down here. Auryn explained how he’d had to give up a more senior position in London, but the temptation of never enduring the underground again was worth it. His office was in the center of town, above a restaurant on New Road, which was where all the theatres were. Nathan branded each new fact into his memory, curious to know every detail about the man next to him. The very desirable, very gorgeous man next to him.
Nathan was dying to flirt with him, but he tried to hold back. What did Auryn think of him? The man hadn’t made any sort of move at all, and now they were talking about films again. Had he changed his mind? Did he think twenty-two was too young? Perhaps he was bored and had simply asked out the first gay guy he’d met since moving to Brighton?