pungent, stale odor that suggested the carpet flooring had never once been cleaned. Second, the television screens only played sports, usually football, and never ever did they accept his request to change to something else. And finally, the clientele were all middle-aged men who looked like they had been drinking non-stop since they turned eighteen and would keep doing so until the day they died. Finn would have loved a random to flirt with, but that was as likely as finding a virgin in a brothel.
There was only one reason that Finn came to this bar, and that reason was a six-foot-tall redhead with porcelain white skin, suicide-girl tattoos covering most of her arms and legs, and piercings stuck into anywhere that could be pieced, and some places that couldn’t. Her name was Clarice and she was not only the head bartender, but also Finn’s best friend.
“... you’ll do better next time,” she assured Finn as she casually dried a stack of schooner glasses behind the bar with a dirty rag. “And barring that... the time after that.” She shrugged her apathy and adjusted one of her nose piercings.
“As always, you are a shining beacon of hope,” Finn mumbled into his vodka lime and soda. The main advantage to knowing the head bartender, and the real reason Finn came here, was the free drinks. He hadn’t paid for a drink from here in years.
“Fuck you,” Clarice snapped. “You’re the one that chose a dick appointment over seeing your own son.”
“It wasn’t a dick appointment.” Finn straightened up on the bar stool. “I was dropping the dude’s wallet off.”
“Because you’re such a nice guy,” Clarice cut in sarcastically. “No hidden motive there.”
“Fuck you,” Finn said. “I told you why I went there. I felt bad after embarrassing him. It was the least I could do.”
There was also that “question” that Finn had been desperate to ask Austin, about how he could fall so hopelessly in love after only a few weeks. The concept had been fascinating to Finn, and helped fuel his desire to go see Austin right away. Of course, Finn soon found out that Austin wasn’t so much in love with his ex as he was stuck in a crappy life with no way out. This in turn led to his securing him as a client. It was the result if his visit, but not the reason.
“That an a blowy, right?” Clarice then winked and chided. “Really make up for hurting his feelings.”
Finn glared at Clarice. “I was just doing the right thing. Besides, you didn’t see the guy. He isn’t my type.”
“Type?” Clarice blinked back her confusion, as if she actually were confused by what Finn had said. “I thought your type was breathing with a penis.”
“Ha!” Finn tried his best to keep his steely glare fixed on Clarice, but he couldn’t help but break. As useless as she was with advice, especially for a bartender, she could always get a rise out of him. “Ordinarily you’re right. But on this one... I’ll pass.”
“Wow.” Clarice furrowed her brow at Finn like she was seeing him for the first time. “Maybe you really are changing.”
“Do me a favor will you and tell Angela that. Or just drive her out to the woods and drop her off. Either one.”
Clarice was only half-right about Finn too. Where to the casual observer, it might have appeared that he had zero standards to speak of, this just simply wasn’t true. Finn had a ‘type,’ just like anyone else. It just so happened that this type was rather common and easy to come by. And when it wasn’t, a few drinks often changed that.
For proof of this, all one had to do was listen when he said he wasn’t into Austin. The guy was nice enough, and clearly the two had some things in common, but Finn just wasn’t in to it. Austin was way too desperate and sad and lonely. His total lack of ambition and confidence was also huge turn-off. And that wasn’t to even mention that the whole twink thing wasn’t really for Finn.
“You keep saying that, but I’m yet to see the evidence.”
“How do you mean?” Finn asked.
“Well, you tell me time and time again how all you want is a boyfriend. You’re desperate for a boyfriend. A boyfriend will solve all your issues blah blah blah.”
“I never said it would solve all my—”
“Yet the first thing you talk about is this Austin guy and his big old dick. How