Feeling Human part nine

So I go into this bar lounge and buy a few shots of vodka and get a tiny bit buzzed.

The bartender is this pretty lady with blue hair, and she keeps flirting with me.

“What’s your name, cutie? You all alone?” She says with a honey voice.

“Ummm, no. I’m not. Someone’s meeting me,” I say, looking away.

“A friend? Or a girlfriend?” She whispers, and I frown.

“No, not a girlfriend..” I trailed off and her green eyes look at me with a flirtatious expression.

“Oh? Then a friend, maybe?” She pours an exotic looking drink with different types of alcohol and swirls it around as she looks at me.

“No. Well.. I don’t know.”

“You still haven’t told me your name..” she smiles, “Mine is Chandra.”

I roll my eyes and say, “Bender.” Honestly, I’m too upset to flirt with her, even though she’s very pretty.

“Bender? A cute name. I think you look like a Benjamin. So.. Ben. That’s a great nickname, don’t you think?” She hands me the drink she was making. It was blue and yellow swirled in the glass. “Here’s a concoction I created. On the house, sweetie.” She winks and I nod appreciatively. “Enjoy!”

I eyeball it and it looks luminous in the clear glass. I drink it and it’s like a bright lemony blast hit my taste buds, followed by a blueberry flavor and even a bit of mint and orange. It was so delicious, I was in awe.

“How… Chandra?” I ask, the slow burning of the alcohol hitting my stomach soothingly. She looks over at me, pleased.

“Yes, sugar?” She slowly says, melting my brain like sugar.

“I… how did you make this?!” I almost yell, and she laughs.

“It’s a secret. A big secret…” she leans and grins slowly, “wanna find out?”

“Ohhh, you’re very good, aren’t you Chandra?” I move forward and look into her bright green eyes, and feel a heat creeping up my neck.

She giggles, playing with her blue curls, “I am pretty good.”

“Hmm, you sound like it…” I wink back at her and she brightens with a large grin.

“Oh, you want my number?” Chandra asks me, and I nod. I haven’t been with a human woman as a human man, ever. So… this is my chance!

But… what about..

I close my eyes as I see her start to write down her number, and imagine that dopey faced red head… and his dreamy starry eyes… and his dumb laugh.. ugh…

“Hey, Bender! Hey!”

I hear a familiar voice and look over and see Amy.

“Ohh, hey? What’s up?” I say in a slightly slurred voice, the alcohol finally kicking in.

Amy walks over and looks at Chandra with an annoyed look, then at me. “Hey, Bender, I thought we heard you over here…where’s Fry? In the bathroom?”

I shake my head, saying, “He’s not here,” and Amy frowns, looking confused.

Chandra gives us what I perceive as a predatory look(like a hawk?) and says to Amy, “You want anything?”

“No thanks, I gotta table with drinks,” Amy says coolly. “In fact, Bender, why don’t you sit with me…. Leela is at my table too.”

I nod and get up, but not before Chandra hands me her number. “Call me, baby..”

I smile and wave, putting her number in my pant pocket. Amy takes my hand and roughly and hurriedly goes to the table.

“What’s with all you humans holding each other’s hand?!” I yell and Amy pulls me to the side.

“Don’t call her. She’s bad news, Bender. She flirts with everyone. I mean it.” Amy sighs and I frown.

“Everyone?” I scratch my head, and look at her confused.

Amy sighs, looking at me with a concerned look. “She’s tried to flirt with me, too. It’s like, she’s a real player. She is just.. I don’t know, the female version of you..” she laughs, and then puts her hand on my shoulder.

“Hmm, sounds pretty kinky, I might call…” I say and Amy chuckles in a nervous way.

“Hmm, I don’t know. It’s up to you. I warned you, either way, as your friend,”Amy says in a soft way and I nod.

“Thanks, Amy. You’re a real pal,” I tap her shoulder, and smile at her.

“Same to you, Bender,” she smiles back.

We walk to the table and she gives me another curious look. “Where’s Fry? I thought you two were going to the movies?”

I sigh. “We got into a fight.”

“Fight? Oh no…”

“Yeah. I told him I needed space. That I needed to see other people…” I sighed frustratedly. “He took it so weird.”

“How?” She stopped a moment and placed her hand on my arm, it felt reassuring.

“Ummm, it was like… I think he mistook our closeness. I don’t even know…” I frowned. “Like, I think I’ve been… thinking about him more recently… but still, I don’t understand these sort of things.”

“Do you think you… like Fry?” Amy asks with a direct and understanding gaze, and I sigh and nod slowly.

“Maybe… but I don’t understand what that means…” I furrow my brow, which feels weird but I am still trying to understand exactly what it’s like to be human, to really feel human.

Amy smiles at me with a soft empathy, and I feel so warm. “Let’s go relax and talk it out. I think we can figure it out together…”

And it’s true, feeling this way with my friends is how I’ve always felt.

At home.