"I am so done!" Mia slumped over the bar and resting her head on her arms, her tequila glass dangling loosely in her hand.
"What's with you?" the bartender asked while drying a glass before hanging it on the rack above.
Her name was Ailen. She's wearing a bartender's suit with her cropped boyish haircut and oversized earrings that slightly pulled down her ears. Anyone who didn't hear her voice might easily misjudge her appearance.
Ailen and Mia were close as Mia always planted herself at the bar instead of mingling on the dance floor. She always prefers to chat with Ailen and the other girls there rather than entertaining men at their tables.
"I was rejected by a man," Mia now swirling her glass and staring at the liquid blankly.
"What?" Ailen couldn't believe what she'd just heard.
She took a glimpse of the woman in front of her, the one she had been attracted to at first glance when she first came and ordered a Flaming Lamborghini. Who on earth could possibly reject a woman who, even in her slouching figure like now, still exudes allure? Not to mention her lips… She stopped the thought immediately.
Ailen had once confessed her feelings for Mia which obviously ended in polite rejection. But Mia had brushed it off so casually and kept Ailen close as a friend which earned her respect even more.
"There's no way. That guy needs his eyes checked," Ailen finally said while setting down the glass she'd been wiping.
"Yeah, he's this nerdy weird guy who's always too focused on his work," Mia sat up straighter now and took a sip of her drink. "But he's hot."
Ailen smirked, "There's no way I can relate."
"Let me order fish and chips and spaghetti."
"Who the hell eats that much in a club?" Ailen raised an eyebrow.
"I'm hangry, okay?!"
Ailen laughed and shook her head as she turned to pass the order to the kitchen and come back with her meals not long after. In just 15 minutes, she had devoured her entire meal.
"You eat like a pig," Ailen teased.
Mia sat up straight and wiped her mouth with a napkin.She closed her eyes ignoring Ailen's comment as she still focused on calming her racing heart.
"...A beautiful pig," She added. Sometimes she still slips in a playful flirt. She giggled and dashed away the moment Mia shot her a bombastic side eye.
After finishing her drink, Mia stood intending to head to the restroom before calling it a night. As she turned, a drunk man grabbed her wrist and twisted her toward him.
"Miss!"
His face was flushed and his breath reeking of alcohol. He looked strikingly handsome yet Mira wasn't in the mood for any hot man tonight.
She slapped his hand away. "I'm in a rush."
The music was so loud that the man leaned down and pushed his face uncomfortably close to hers to speak. His lips nearly brushed her cheek as he spoke into her ear. "I'm sorry, you just look so beautiful."
Mia turned her head away, ignoring him entirely as she walked into the bathroom. She had dealt with situations like this more times than she cared to remember and it no longer fazed her.
She wasn't surprised to find the man still lingering by the restroom door waiting for her. She sighed inwardly.
Handling men like him was a routine she knew all too well. Sometimes she'd share a knowing glance with another man nearby as if silently signaling for help then letting them square off and distract each other. Other times, she'd end it quickly with a swift kick to the ball.
"Where'd you go?" the man persisted.
"Back home," Mia replied flatly as she kept walking and ignoring him completely.
The man followed closely behind. "Let me take you home in my car," he offered while dripping with overconfidence.
Mia didn't respond but quickened her pace toward the entrance. She had to push through the crowd on the dance floor while the man stubbornly trailed behind her.
When they finally reached the tables near the exit, the man grabbed Mia's wrist and shoved her against the wall. Mira exhaled deeply as her patience wore thin as the man pinned her hands against the wall.
"Let me get to know you a little more."
"Oooooohhhhhh!" A group at the table beside them erupted into cheers, they were young men and women likely around their 18.
"Kiss her! Kiss her!" one of them shouted followed by the other.
Despite the chaos, Mira remained calm. Yet her expression grew more irritated and stared at the man with a look that screamed enough already.
"You make me lose it…" the man murmured, his lips now brushing dangerously close to her ear.
Mia's patience snapped and she began to lift her knee ready to put an end to it with a swift kick. But before she could, a hand suddenly yanked the man away and a fist connected with the man's face.
As the man stumbled to the floor, Mia's eyes widened as Adrian's face slowly came into view. Adrian stood gazing down at the man that was now clutching his face on the ground.
"Don't touch my woman," he said.
The man Adrian had punched was clearly no ordinary drunk. His athletic build and height matched Adrian's. After being knocked to the floor, the man quickly stood back up and launched a series of punches at Adrian. Adrian was falling back under the assault as the man straddled him on the ground while raining down punch after punch.
Mia watched helplessly from the side but she stayed out of it. Adrian's face was already showing signs of swelling and bruising. The crowd around them had turned into a mix of gasps and drunken cheers and created a chaotic backdrop to the brutal fight.
Adrian fought back as best as he could throw punches of his own. The two men grappled and exchanged blows and blood streaked their lips. After what must have been fifteen grueling minutes, the club security finally stepped in and two guards pulled the men apart.
Mia quickly helped Adrian to his feet and slipped her arm around his waist to steady him as she guided him outside to a nearby convenience store.
"You fool," she muttered. "Wait here."
Adrian leaned against the store's wall, his hand pressing lightly on a bruise forming on his cheek. He watched as Mia disappeared through the glass doors and back with an armful of a small emergency kit and a can of cold soda. She knelt in front of him and began cleaning his wounds.
"Hishh," Adrian winced and sucked in a sharp breath as the pain flared across his face.
Mia chuckled softly while dabbing at his injuries with a cotton swab soaked in antiseptic.
"I can take care of myself, you know," she teased.
"Did you plan to kiss him?" Adrian suddenly asked while pressed a cold can of soda against his forehead.
Mia smirked but didn't answer immediately yet continued to clean the rest of his bruises. "My woman, huh?"
Adrian's face flushed crimson and he quickly avoided Mia's usual smoldering look. "I said I didn't know…" he murmured. "Doesn't mean I don't want to."
Mia's smile widened, she's the one flushing now. Her thumb gently brushed over a bruise on his cheek before she leaned closer then put her lips brushing against his skin in a soft kiss.
"That's because I was interrupted from kissing a guy today."