She never imagined a great story for herself, and while others always told Natalie that she could be someone great if she just put her mind to it, she never really believed them. Not everyone can be great, and maybe this was the best she would ever achieve. She found some solace in that thought as another shift started just like it had any other night.
No one would ever think that Natalie had such doubts about her own shortcomings. She was bright to look at. Not that Natalie glowed, but she seemed happy, and that happiness was infectious. She had nothing to worry about with no greater goals beyond getting through the day. Natalie went with the flow, and that made her popular at every job she had ever had.
Natalie stood behind the brightly lit bar with her apron tied tight around her waist and doubling back to a bow at her hip. The button-up shirt was allowed to stay open to show off her minimal cleavage. The shirt’s v-shaped neckline revealed a single teardrop necklace decorating her throat. The black jeans were tight on her thighs, almost like a second skin, but she took great care in ensuring no panty lines were showing. All good waitresses knew that tipping was easier when you cared about your appearance and made your customers feel like the only important person in the universe. You add a rough pub atmosphere, and somehow, it meant zero hints of undergarments. Natalie didn't make the rules and just used them to her own benefit.
The only part of her uniform that ruined the illusion was on her feet. The shoes that Natalie wore were simple black flats, but she didn’t need the heels that other bar bitches wore just to appear tall and to reach the bottles on the top shelf. Natalie’s almost freak-like height which been the source of a lot of bullying in middle school, had finally become an asset.
Everything she wore, besides the necklace and shoes, was the official uniform for The Rhythm Fox. The bar's name was stitched into her collar and back pocket as if she would dare to wear these things in public, outside work hours. The Rhythm Fox was not exactly a place to be bragging about. It was barely a club, and really just a tiny little throwaway place that seemed to attract the over forty crowds.
The people who frequented the place were getting too old to keep up with the bar-hopping lifestyle and the clubbing madness of their youth but were still looking for a good place to have a drink. Natalie didn’t hate working there. She had once worked at a trendy club where every other order was some overpriced cocktail. Here, it was beer and wine. The most complicated drink she ever had to make was a cosmopolitan, and usually, after one sip, the faux Sex and the City foursome would go back to wine like everyone else did after a few attempts.
“Behind.” Came a voice, and Natalie almost yelped as a hand swatted at her arse. Turning quickly, she came face to face with Ryan. Immediately, her features lost their stern edge, and Natalie could feel the warmth of his skin as he pressed up against her. He loved to sneak up on her, and it was widely known that Natalie was far too easy to shock. It was all the truer for Ryan. Ryan was just never on her radar until suddenly, there he was, and Natalie was happy to see him there.
“Ryan…” she laughed as she pretended to push him away. Half of her mind was on the people standing behind the bar, but she knew they were all ok for now. Even at their busiest, there was never a crowd waiting at the bar. “You know work means work.” She reminded him, and yet she did not want him just to leave her. Dating your co-worker was something the boss frowned upon, but Ryan was too cute to ignore. They had been together for almost a year, and Natalie was very happy with him. With bright green eyes and a well-muscled form, she knew she was lucky to have him.
Ryan was also a safe option for Natalie. He talked a big game, and like right now, when he was tempting her with a quickie right here against the wine rack, she knew he didn’t mean it. Underneath all of that bravado, Ryan was just a sweet country boy. Ryan grew up in a city where he knew absolutely everyone, and the smallest dramas became town-wide gossip. He had adopted this intense masculine persona long before she met him, but she didn’t seem to mind. It was like dating one of those leads from a tacky Christmas Hallmark movie.
Natalie didn’t even mind when he talked up their experiences to their friends, so it seemed far more exotic than it was. In reality, they had missionary sex a couple of times a week, and the one time he had pulled her hair had been a complete accident.
“Are you on until close?” Ryan asked, toying with her tied-off apron strings, pretending he needed to lean in closely so that he could be heard over the noise of the busy bar when really it was just an excuse to be in close with Natalie. They hadn’t been alone in a long time, and he was starting to miss her. Natalie would never guess that her cute boyfriend was considering how to edge towards making things more official. Ryan was toying with the idea of asking her to move in, but he didn’t think Natalie would agree. Ryan might be a simple country boy, but he knew that he was into her more than she was into him. Ryan didn’t want to lose her, so he tried to give her space. She probably didn’t even realise how carefully he watched her, hoping to keep her without being overbearing.
“Only until two.” Natalie looked at her watch, glad to see it was closer to one than she thought it was. “What about you?”
“Close.” Ryan frowned.
Natalie ran a hand back through his hair and quickly kissed him before slipping out of his grip to return to work. “We both have Tuesday off.” She reminded him, and immediately Ryan grinned, completely unaware of how it lit up his face. This was the boy that Natalie loved. The one whose whole face lit up because they got to spend the day together soon. Even if it was nothing more than watching Netflix and walking his dog around the same beaten path.
“I guess I have to wait for Tuesday then,” Ryan smirked, leaning in for a hard kiss that didn’t promise to go any further than a kiss. Ryan’s hand went to her hip, but he didn’t linger, and as he walked away, he pulled on the belt of her apron, and the whole dropped to her feet. The promise was clear, and the imagery made Natalie blush.
Ryan walked away laughing, and Natalie had no choice but to retrieve her apron from the floor. She barely managed to do it back up before she felt the room’s attitude shift. She didn’t need any warning to know exactly why. No one focused her attention more than when Armand entered a room. She spotted him first from the corner of her eye, but it was like her whole body was aware he was approaching her. Natalie didn’t understand it, and it seemed like no one else in the room even realised it, but when Armand was there, it gave her whole body butterflies.
He wasn’t a very tall man, almost her equal at five foot nine. His clothes were not fancy, and Natalie knew they were not tailored for him. He just seemed to wear them so well you assumed they were. Jeans, a comfortable-looking button-down shirt and a jacket, were his usual attire, which was exactly what Armand wore tonight. He never seemed to dress up for her, but that didn’t make him easy to miss. Her eyes followed his path as Armand dipped in and out of her sight. The crowd didn’t move to let him through, and Natalie barely held back a smile as she watched him struggle just a little as he approached the bar.
“I wasn’t expecting you here tonight,” Natalie said, and it seemed to be the same line she used every time he came into The Rythem Fox. Natalie never knew when to expect him, which may have made her reaction to his presence all the more mysterious. “You know that Ryan has been keeping tabs on you.” It was a half-teasing remark and a subtle reminder to them that this magnetic man was off-limits.
Ryan had noticed that she was 'flirting' about a month ago, and at first, Natalie thought he was paranoid, but when Mary mentioned it as well, Natalie did have to admit that maybe they were both onto something. She didn’t think she had led Armand on. He knew all about Ryan, and Natalie felt like she had made it clear that she was happy to be his friend, but it couldn’t be anything else. Why did Armand keep visiting the bar during her shifts? Personally, Natalie thought it was to make himself feel more comfortable. He didn’t seem to have a lot of friends, and she was a familiar face in the city.
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She kept saying she wasn’t leading him on out load to anyone who had accused her of it, but that wasn’t how Natalie felt. Armand was difficult. She wasn’t sure how any of their interactions were supposed to make her feel. She didn’t love him like she loved Ryan, but he wasn’t just a friend either. Armand had come into her life so unexpectedly that Natalie had trouble just trying to make sense of it herself. She never thought of trying to explain it to someone else, and looking into his face now; she felt that desire to reach out and tug on a strand of his hair that had fallen loose and put it back behind his ear. But she didn't. Instead, she just smiled.
Armand shrugged, looked towards Ryan, and gave him a short nod. Ryan’s smile was stiff, but he couldn’t stay there looking daggers at the pair when he had his own customers to look after. “Your boyfriend is jealous over nothing,” Armand said.
Natalie nodded. “Of course.” She responded automatically, watching his dark eyes and admiring the tan that stained his skin, which seemed to be illuminated by the world around them. Even though she was sure it was just a trick of the light, it didn’t mean it still wasn’t mesmerising to look at. “It is just a coincidence that you are here only when I am here.”
Armand shook his head. “Oh no, Natalie, that is entirely on purpose.” He said, and Natalie felt her pulse quicken as he stared at her. Maybe that was why Armand got under her skin. He looked her in the eye and never at her body when they were talking. After having most patrons stare at her body while working, no wonder it felt strange to be looked at directly. “No one can pour a beer quite like you do.” He smiled, and the fleeting tension was gone, and Natalie found that she could laugh at his joke. Armand chuckled along with her as she poured his beer.
“You don’t mind that I come here, do you?” Armand asked and hid the smile as Natalie eagerly shook her head. She was a strange kind of girl. Armand knew many different kinds of girls. The Giggle types and the sharp humour types. The ones who spent just enough time on their make-up to use it well, and the ones who didn’t understand makeup at all. And then there were girls like Natalie. The ones who didn’t realise that they were beautiful. She was aware enough to know that she wasn’t entirely unfortunate-looking, but Natalie had no idea just how her skin glowed. Even when she was forced to wear that ugly shirt and show too much skin in hopes of selling liquor, Natalie still seemed approachable and fun. Armand supposed that was part of the selling, but he had a feeling that Natalie was also just one of those personalities.
She called to him in a way Armand did not understand. From their first chance meeting at a crowded train station, where he had stood on her hand, he knew Natalie was different. It had been entirely accidental. A note had fallen out of her bag, and Armand had tried to secure it from blowing away at the exact same moment she reached for it. How she smiled and let him apologise let Armand know she was someone he needed to know. Even finding out about Ryan had not stopped him. He would be her friend if he couldn’t be with her intimately. The world was just brighter with her in it.
“You might want to start seeing Ryan. I bet he can pour beer just as well as I can.” Natalie did not want to get rid of Armand, but if he was going to be a friend, then he needed to be Ryan’s’ friend as well. They had initially started off on the wrong foot, but maybe she could fix that. “Hey, babe”, she called out to Ryan, waiting until he could join them.
“What is wrong? This man bothering you?” Ryan asked and hoped it was true. He didn’t like Armand and had no reason to believe that he was looking for a friendship with Natalie. Why would any man want to be friends with a girl? Natalie laughed as if it was all a big joke, and Ryan forced a smile on his face. He didn’t want to have this fight with her again while at work.
“No, can you pour him a beer?”
Ryan raised his eyebrow and gestured to the one already set in front of Armand. “How many beers does he need?” Ryan asked.
“I am just trying to prove a point.” Natalie stood back so Ryan could get the beer taps.
Ryan looked at Armand, and while Natalie would tell him he was just silly, Ryan could only see the challenge in Armand’s posture. He seemed to sit far too comfortably at the bar, but Ryan knew he wasn’t here for the atmosphere. The only thing that brought Armand to The Rhythm Fox was Natalie. Ryan was willing to bet everything he owned that one of these nights, Armand was hoping that maybe something could happen between them.
Ryan’s fist wanted to clench at just the thought of that, but he forced his hand to remain calm. Armand had been a source of arguments since his sudden arrival into Natalie’s life, and Ryan was desperate to prove that he was an open-minded man and not the country boy. With a long sigh, Ryan just shrugged and grabbed a glass.
Holding it at an angle, Ryan let the beer flow and counter-measured the foam-to-drink ratios by righting the glass as it got fuller. The end result was a picture-perfect beer. He set it in front of Armand, who didn’t seem all that impressed with the result. Ryan tried not to look smug as his beer sat side by side with Natalie’s and appeared to be the perfect mirror image of what she had just poured.
Natalie just smiled, triumphant in her moment, unwilling to communicate with the boys about their petty staring match. Ryan needed to back off, and Armand needed to be more aware of Ryan’s feelings. She was willing to blame them both for this weirdness but didn’t think now was the time to do it. She was supposed to be at work, but she found it funny that she was somehow the mature one here. “See Armand. Ryan can perfectly serve you just as well as I am.”
Armand grinned and grabbed the beer that Ryan had pulled for him. It had been a deliberate choice, in his opinion, to take Ryan’s glass as a show of his gratitude. Ryan didn’t seem to read the movement like that at all as his eyes narrowed on Armand as he brought the glass to his lips. In Ryan’s mind, Armand had taken the glass as a show of defiance to remove Ryan from Natalie’s life, physically removing his glass from being beside Natalie’s. The whole exchange was lost on Natalie, who was all too focused on Armad's mouth, the way his throat worked as he swallowed down the chilled brew.
A fine stubble covered Armand’s lower face, and when he finished the glass, the foam clung around his mouth. “An elegant drink,” Armand commented as he placed the glass on the bar top. "Seems you have shown the boys everything you know." One eyebrow raised, and Natalie chuckled softly, although she didn't know what was funny. The good mood faded as Ryan put his hands down suddenly on the bar.
“You need to leave,” Ryan said, the words a threat that didn’t need to be vocalised more than it already was.
Armand looked at Natalie instantly for confirmation, but she seemed to have come over as a frozen witness to the scene, and Armand was alone in defending himself against Ryan. “I was just looking for a good place to drink after work,” Armand said, wiping his mouth with his hand and, at the same time, trying to keep the smile from appearing on his face.
Ryan shook his head. “No, you were looking for a way to get close to my girl.” No matter how hard Ryan tried to be a man, deep down, he was apparently the country boy who would fight any man who dared try to catch his girl's attention, and it showed now as he mentally prepared for a fight. It was the only way this kind of guy would get the message. “Even after you knew she had a boyfriend, that didn’t stop you.” Before Armand could object, Ryan went on. “You need to get out and never come back."
“Ryan, stop it,” Natalie said, tugging on Ryan’s arm, but he would not budge as he leant heavily into the bar top to get as close to Armand as possible.
“He needs to learn his place, Nat,” Ryan said, ignoring her pleas. Really, his only focus was the man in front of him.
Armand did not seem threatening at first. He was fit, but it appeared to be dumb luck and not from weight training. He dressed almost too casually, and his hair was always slicked back and looked greasy to Ryan. Clearly, Natalie did not see Armand with that same disgust because she kept inviting him into their lives.
Ryan knew he should have done this earlier before Natalie and Armand got closer. Now, he looked like an overly jealous boyfriend. Natalie’s voice rang in his ear; the bar was silent as they watched this unravel, but Ryan had crossed the threshold. There was no turning back, and even if Natalie would talk with him about this later, he didn’t care right now. He could handle that when it happened.
Armand stood up from the chair and put his hands up. He wasn’t a violent man by nature, and even though he thought that Ryan was overreacting, he wouldn’t bait him further.
“Armand, don’t go.” Natalie tried to pull Ryan back, but he was stuck in this pose that was meant to intimate the other man. It seemed like it was working as Armand slowly removed his wallet from his back pocket and placed money on the bar between them.
Ryan might have forgotten where they were, but Armand did not, and he would not be the one to cause a scene. Instead, he replaced his wallet and slowly backed away from the bar. “I’m sorry, Ryan, that you felt that it needed to come to this.”
“Leave.” Ryan felt hot, adrenaline pumping through his body and begging him to act. As Armand backed away and left via the front door, his senses slowly returned to him, and the death-like grip Ryan had kept on the bar was finally released.
“What the hell Ryan?” Natalie demanded before quickly getting out from behind the bar.
“Where do you think you are going?” Ryan demanded. Natalie didn't respond to Ryan's question and instead hurriedly followed Armand out the door.