The clattering of glasses and the laughter of people filled the air with soft jazz playing in the background. There, sitting in the back of the bar lounge, was a man in his late thirties. He was waiting for his old friend he knew from his high school years, they haven't talked much in recent years due to their jobs mostly consuming them all the time. Luckily, they manage to find the time to set up a place to unwind and enjoy each other's company. The man takes out his small notebook and starts to write while he takes a sip of his Americano and quietly listens to the music. Usually, he preferred to be in the comfort of his own home to do something like this but tonight he decided to change it up for once. The loud and classy atmosphere of the lounge was sparking a new idea for a certain scene he needed for his script and this was probably the only chance he got to get it perfect. As he was writing, he failed to notice the woman in a scarlet red dress approaching him, even though she didn't mind it at all. Thankfully because of the music that was blaring throughout the bar, she was able to move behind the man's back. She raised one finger to poke the center of his back, startling him to wake up out of his writing trance. He quickly turned around to face the woman and gave her a glare in which she returned with a grin upon her face.

"You know, that's your own fault for not paying attention to your surroundings. For all you know, some random person would've snatched your wallet and you wouldn't even notice until it was too late.", said the woman.

 The man replied, "I know I tend to space out now and again, but even someone like me would've known that a stranger was trying to pickpocket me."

The woman shakes her head as she sits down right next to him, "So you say Mal, but after that display earlier, I'm having my doubts." She playfully smirks at him as he pouts with arms crossed like a child who got scolded by their parents.

"Shut up, Beth.", he eventually says to her, which caused her to laugh so boastfully. "You're such a child, Malcolm! Are you sure you're a scriptwriter? I'm not seeing anything mature about you at all!"

Malcolm playfully gasps at her words, "I'm not mature? Excuse me, Miss Secretary, that little stunt you did wasn't mature either."

"Well, today is my off-day, I deserve to be silly now and again.", she said as she called the bartender over, he gave the menu. She scanned through her options before finally ordering, "Cabernet Sauvignon, please."

The bartender looked at her, "We have three different Cabernet Sauvignons, ma'am. Which do you prefer?" Beth quietly looked over the menu once more to decide which one she wanted. After a good minute, she looked to the bartender again,

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"I would like to have the Girard, Napa Valley, CA, good sir." She handed the menu back to him as he left to get started. Beth then looked back to Malcolm, who was once again writing in his notebook. "Well geez, sorry for being a bore to you, Mal. I thought you wanted to have one day of us catching up and NOT have anything to do work whatsoever." She said, feeling a bit upset with him.

Malcolm stopped what he was doing and saw her expression on her face. Looking ashamed, he put away his notebook, "Bethany, I'm so sorry. You took the time and effort to arrange this for us, and here I am, doing the thing I wanted to get away from for a while instead of chatting you up a storm like I used to."

"It's fine, it's fine. Just stop looking like a lost puppy, you're going to make the bartender take you home with him." She replied to Malcolm as the mentioned bartender returned with her glass. The bartender pushed his glasses slightly up as he spoke to the two, "Personally, I prefer kittens instead."

Beth laughed at his response, "Hear that, Mal? We just got to put cat ears on you and you'll definitely get adopted!"

"I prefer to be independent, thank you very much," Malcolm said as he drank some of his watered-down Americano.

"Might as well order another one because you and I have a lot of catching up to do!" Bethany said as she smacks Malcolm's back who almost spit out his drink.

"You are the worst, you know right?" He managed to sputter out to her, she grins widely at him, "Would you have me any other way?"

Malcolm looked quietly at his drink before a small smile appeared upon his face. "No, no I wouldn't," he looked up to the bartender and called out to him, "I would like to have another Americano." He looked to his old friend as he said this, "We have a lot of catching up to do after all."

"Damn straight we do! Let's start with your love life, anyone caught your interest lately?" Malcolm looked at her wide-eyed and began to fluster about.

"Why start with that?! You could've started with anything else but that!" Bethany started to laugh at him.

"I wanted to see your reaction, you make the most adorable faces!"

"You can shut up right now, Beth!" His face was beet red and it sounded like he was going to puberty again, which made Beth laugh even harder than before. The rest of the night was filled with laughter and joy of memories and current ones between the two friends, forgetting that they had work tomorrow for just this one night, and they wouldn't have any other way.