Twenty Six

She arrived at La Lune around 8 PM. She had her dinner by the beach, contemplating on her own, then she decided to have lots of drinks. She took a spot on the bar and ordered vodka martini. She was going to have a lot of those for the rest of the night. She was minding her own business, but after a few drinks by herself, some guy thought she was looking for company.

Lucas watched her from afar. He hadn't seen her since that night at the club. It was impossible for her to be at La Lune and not be seen by Lucas. He was entertaining important guests but he never let his eyes off of her.

She was acting weird that night, John was nowhere in sight. When a strange man approached her, he watched them more intently.

"Hey ... please get the lady another drink of her choice ... on me," the guy said, as he leaned on the bar and smiled at her.

She smiled back, "Thanks ... that's very nice of you."

"I'm Eric ... what a lovely lady like you doing here by yourself?" a classic pick-up line.

"Drinking ... obviously," she lifted her glass and sipped her martini.

"I hope you don't mind if I join you ...." he was fishing for a name.

"Sandy."

"Sandy ... a lovely name for a lovely face." A guy with a booty call in mind and a cheesy pick-up line.

Sandy laughed at the gesture.

He kept buying her more drinks and warmed her up with shallow conversations pretended he was interested in her stories. She was just enjoying her drinks, and was happy enough that someone was buying them for her.

He started to lead the conversation to another direction, looking for a possibility of taking her home, or just get out to find a little privacy. She laughed at his assumptions that it was what she wanted, so she challenged him to a drinking contest instead.

People cheered for them, she was making a scene. Lucas was still watching from the sideline to see how far she would go. More people stood around and cheered her on, Eric started to get frisky as the night progressed. It was almost 12 and it looked like she had a little too much to drink.

The guy was standing so close to her and whispered in her ear. She was laughing and holding her drink on one hand. The guy then put his hand on her hip and slid it to her waist, his face was grazing on her cheek, he looked like he was about to kiss her neck.

Lucas was burning from watching their flirtatious gesture. He went over to them and tapped the guy on the shoulder, “You need to go buddy,” he said.

“What?? Who the fuck do you think you are?” He confronted Lucas with his chest.

Lucas kept his cool, “I own the fucking place, if you so much touch this lady again I will beat the crap out of you.”

Eric looked at Sandy, she shrugged and raised her hands, “He’s the boss,” she said with a smile.

The guy looked pissed, “Bitch!” He muttered and left.

Lucas leaned on the bar next to her looking serious, “What are you doing?”

Sandy didn’t answer, she asked the bartender for a refill.

“You come here drinking your socks off and making a scene with random guys, trouble in paradise?” He asked again.

Sandy exhaled, “Wouldn’t that be great? If you were right?”

He sighed, telling her ‘I told you so’ is not something he would take pride in. He leaned to the bartender, “We’re closing early today, could you please let all the guests know their bills are on the house and please extend my apologies to them,” he whispered.

The bartender nodded and went on his way.

“Let’s go upstairs,” he took her hand and lead her to the stairs. She took the opened bottle on the counter with her.

The second floor was already closed for public an hour before, Lucas wanted her to have her privacy and sulk in her misery rather than drinking her ass off on the bar.

He went behind the bar and poured himself a drink, “What did he do?” He sipped his whiskey.

Sandy sat on the stool and brood. “Nothing ... I guess I was just stupid to think it would work out."

“You’ve broken up?” There was a hint of hope in his heart.

“No, we had a fight, ... I don’t know, what’s the point to continue if we can’t be together ... the shooting is wrapping up in two months."

He started to understand the problem, he didn’t say any more. “He’s going to leave me in two months,” she said on the verge of crying. She covered her face with her hands, she couldn’t hold her tears.

Lucas was a calm and controlled man, but when it comes to consoling a crying woman, he had no idea what to do. He poured her another drink, she took it and engulfed it in one go. She was already drunk. He couldn’t find the right words to say to her, at least none that might calm her down.

“Put on some music, Lucas,” she said.

“Okay?” It was an odd request.

“Your favorite, let’s just dance ... I don’t wanna talk about it anymore,” she said.

Lucas walked over to the player and searched a song, his favorite. He looked at her, she was a mess.

He put on his ultimate favorite song that constantly reminded him of Sandy, a slow dance might do her good to burn off the excess alcohol in her blood.

“Oh my God, this is my favorite song,” she said smiling.

“Enjoy your dance,” he said and poured some drink for himself.

She took his hand and pulled him to the dance floor, “Dance with me.” She held him close, he was taken aback with her gestures. She was drunk, he wasn’t ready for her behaving like that.

She leaned her head on him, he was afraid to touch her. She lead him to sway along with the song. He looked away, knowing that she was so upset that she would let herself be close to him like she did. “I’m so drunk, I can’t even feel the ground,” she said with a laugh.

He didn’t say anything, he was afraid of what this could lead to.

“Say something, Lucas,” she said.

"What?” He asked.

“Anything, how stupid I was to think it would work, that I was wrong ... I can’t think straight ...” she said as she held her tears with everything she had left. She looked up to him and kissed him.

He closed his eyes, to have her lips touching his, it was painful to taste her tears. Tears that was not for him, tears from how much she loved another man and hurt by her own affection towards John.

She snapped out if it and startled herself, “I’m sorry...” she said and walked away from him. 

Lucas grabbed her hand, “Sandy! Don’t go!” he said.

“I didn’t know what I was doing, I’m sorry,” she was crying, now of guilt of what she had done. 

“Stay, ... please, calm yourself down first ... he doesn’t have to know,” he knew she was a wreck and she needed to wear off the alcohol in her blood. He held her hand tightly, he’s not letting her go.

She fell into his embrace and cried. He would never took advantage of her, it was her doing, he was just there to help her ease the pain. He held her tight, somehing he had wanted to do so badly for years, he finally got it but for all the wrong reasons.

“I’m still in love with you,” he said.

She was crying, she might not have heard it. 

“You love him, it’s why you’re such a mess ... but I do, I’m still a mess for you ... he doesn’t have to know, and you don’t have to be sorry,” it was so hard for him to say that.

He sat her down on the seat against the wall, and he sat beside her. He kissed her forehead and ran his fingers through her hair. He let her cry herself to sleep. He found himself alone in the dark of his restaurant, the woman that he loves broke down on him for another man, he dwelled in his thoughts for a moment and decided to take her phone and called John.