The Love Story Between Water and Fire
Scolding hot, steam, sweat, burning, tinglingly warm on my face. The hot Florida sun baked on my face as I sat in the car outside this dive bar Superior waiting on my once again non considerate social butterfly who really can’t help it best friend, as she continues to mingle inside the bar. They call her Houston, real name Katie. She came here from Texas with a thick accent. I was the first person she met down here. I bartend down the street at Munch and she came in my bar and basically hasn’t left since. I start to swirl the straw in my cup from the watered down rum runner that Houston left while I anxiously wait for her to get back to my car. She walked in with 100$ of my hard earned drink slinging cash to get me my bag of coke for the night for us to party with. I was ready to go. I stare without blinking at the bar door waiting for her to walk out and I start to swirl the straw faster and pick it up and suck down the rest. The water on the outside of the cup starts to drip down my hand, it’s refreshing. I play with the ice in my mouth while I wait. Nothing is worse then waiting on drugs. Here she comes out the door with some random guy I have never seen. To me, he wasnt my type, or Katie’s so I figured this was someone we had to go thru to get the stuff. They walked up Katie laughing away as if I haven’t been sitting outside for 20 mins waiting for her. Her eyes dart quickly from my gaze because she knows I’m pissed and frankly I want what I came for. “This is Brendon, Brendon this is Amelia.” I unamusinly said “hi” back and Brendon hopped in the back and Katie got up front and I looked back at Brendon and I could see he was a little older then us in his early 30s and dark scruff all over his face, he smiled at me like I was staring to long and I awkwardly turned around and asked “where to?” “Not to far up, give me your phone I’ll put in the address” He said. I hesitated but gave it to him he punched in the address and off we went. There is no such thing as a silent car ride with Houston. She immediately sets my air to her likening and turns the radio knob all over til she finds a song she likes. She settles on heavy metal which I happen to hate. Most people probably wouldn’t put up with this but it doesn’t bother me. Houston knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to ask for it, I admire that. Everything about Houston has you pulled into her. The thick accident, her contagious laugh she’s funny as shit and everyone wants to be around her. I am more quiet. I know a lot of people but I’m not a magnet like her. We pull up to the house and Brendon gets out and goes right inside. I looks at Houston and say “where did you meet this one?” She rolled her eyes and said “he’s really cool and he’s a new connect, shut the fuck up would you?” A few moments later Brendon emerged out of the house and we head straight back to the bar to go drink and party. And that’s where the night started. One shots two shots three shots four, after that we were all over. It was a blur of laughs, food, ugly aggressive men and lots of selfies to prove it happened. Brendon was still hanging with us I was sitting at the bar talking when last call was called the bartender yelled “drink em up or dump em it’s last call!” We paid the tab and stumbled out laughing and then Houston says come on Brendon we’ll drop you off and I look at Houston and I say “Katie where am I bringing this dude now?” Her eyes got big and she smiled and said to get more coke and she poked my nose and skipped to the passenger door. I smiled and got in Brendon got in the back and I turned and said alright where to? He said we’re going to my boy Theo’s house.
