Friendship Distilled: Craft Beer

shadowspun

“I cannot believe you talked me into this.”  Gwen shook her head as she sat down at the table closest to the badly lit stage in the dive bar known around the neighborhood as The Rising Sun.  “I hate you so much right now.”

Merlin grinned and hung her jacket on the back of his seat.  “It’s the mark of a true friend that you’ll come here with me so I can ogle my future husband without looking like a truly pathetic loser who hasn’t any friends.”

“You had better buy me the top-shelf booze, just saying.  When does he get on stage, anyway?”

“The website said the show started at 8.  I wanted to make sure we were able to get a good seat and some food.” 

Gwen looked at the bar and the bored-looking bartender.  “Dare we trust the food here?”

“I think so.  Well, I hope so.”  He shrugged.  “I’ll order us something they can’t screw up, don’t worry.  Be right back.”

Gwen fiddled with her cell phone as she waited for Merlin to return.  “Should we run away together now that your boyfriend has left?”  She looked up at the smiling face of a shaggy-haired brunette.

“He’s not my boyfriend, but that’s such a terrible line it still won’t work.”

The man sat down in the empty chair at the table.  “So, if he’s not your boyfriend, does he have one?”

Gwen snorted, amused at the roundabout way the man went about trying to figure out Merlin’s relationship status, and not really hers.  “No, but sorry, he’s in lust over some singer.  It’s why we’re here, actually.”

“Oh?”

“Yep, he’s here to watch him perform and he dragged me along with him.”

“Interesting.  Guess I’ll be off then.”  The man winked and stood, heading toward the back of the bar, passing Merlin with a more than casual glance at his rear end.

Merlin, never noticing the ogling he’d received, returned to the table with chips and a couple of the good beers.  “Here, you are, milady.  Chips, which are hard to kill, and one of the most expensive beers I’ve ever paid for.  I need a sugar daddy to pay for my drinks.”

“You almost had one.  Some bloke pretended to hit on me to figure out if you were available.  If he hadn’t been so charming about it, I’d actually be offended.”

“Really?”  Merlin looked around.  “Where is he?”

Gwen motioned toward the back of the bar.  “He went that way.  Maybe to the loo?”

“No, the loo’s over there.  Oh, well.”

A few minutes later they had decided that the chips were actually really good, and that the beer they were used to drinking was swill and they were never buying it again, even if it was cheap.  “I wonder if we should try the burgers?”, Gwen asked.

“I don’t know if we should risk it.  It might have been a lucky shot with the chips.”  Merlin dragged the last chip through the ketchup.  “Maybe I should just go get more chips.”

The lights of the bar flickered a few times and they looked up at the stage.  There, with his back turned to them, was the brunette from earlier, setting up on a padded stool with a guitar.  “Um, Merlin,” Gwen stuttered a bit as she watched him play a few chords and check the microphone and speakers.  “I may have done something stupid.”

Merlin sighed as he ogled the man’s butt with as much pleasure as the same man had seemed to feel ogling Merlin’s earlier.  “What, Gwen?” 

Before she could say anything, the man turned and grinned at them.  “Welcome to The Rising Sun, folks.  My name’s Gwaine, and I’ll be your entertainment for the evening.  I think I’ll dedicate most of my songs to the gorgeous brunette at the table in the front.  Have dinner with me later, yeah?”  He winked and launched into a song before Merlin could do more than feel his jaw drop. 

Merlin slowly turned to Gwen.  “Gwen, what did you do?”