One week later, Hunter once again found himself standing outside of Adonis. His navy blue jacket and black slacks, minus the typical waistcoat, were more fitting for the environment because he’d planned them to be. He tried to deny the truth when he woke up this morning, picking clothing items he thought would look good in the low bar lighting. He tried to deny it as he went through his day, critiquing design choices and managing time off requests. He even tried to deny it for most of the drive here. But before Mike had to make another strenuous and annoying U-turn, Hunter finally said it aloud, directing the man to a now familiar bar.

It was an impulsive decision, Hunter told himself, ignoring the way he’d been privately preparing for this visit the entire day. It was strange that a man so accustomed to buying expensive bottles of alcohol he could finish alone at home was so drawn to purchasing a single cup at a bar. His efficiency-driven mind screamed at him since, over time, it would be far more expensive to go out for his drinks than to stay home, but his hand still reached out, pushing against the glass door to walk inside.

It seemed as if his logical arguments consistently fell away when faced with Adonis and the handsome man inside. Hunter sauntered up to the same seat from last time, preparing once again for a night of casual drinking and, hopefully, riveting conversation.

To his pleasant surprise, the familiar older man with his full head of wavy, brown hair spotted him, his eyes lighting up in recognition. He put down the glass he was wiping, walking over to Hunter and leaning his elbows against the bar counter as he spoke. 

“Hey again. I guess you liked my drinks from last week, huh?”

Hunter nodded quickly, agreeing to the more socially acceptable answer. Hunter thought that was a great excuse to keep coming back and noted it for later. 

“Yeah, they were pretty good, to be honest,” Hunter agreed, rubbing his chin in what he hoped was a casual manner. “I was thinking of them all week.”

Hunter regretted the comment as soon as it left his lips, his cheeks warming quickly. The words just got too close to the truth and River must have thought the same judging by the cheeky grin that widened his mouth.

“I’m just … excited to try some more,” Hunter tagged on, the heat now spreading to his ears and neck.

“I’m happy to hear that,” River chuckled, and Hunter’s entire face was now verifiably on fire. Hunter felt completely exposed, naked even in his layers of expensive linens and fabrics. But River, on the other hand, was perfectly hidden, his exposed chest giving nothing away to his inner thoughts.

Except amusement, of course. He was visibly amused by Hunter’s embarrassment. 

“I’m hoping this means I can make a suggestion for your next drink.”

Hunter blinked stupidly for a moment. Was River trying to encourage conversation? He was finding a reason to stick around? Giddily, Hunter wondered if this could be the way he flirted with customers.

“Of course, what do you recommend?”

And that was essentially the end of their conversation that night. With a mischievous grin, River had gone away and made Hunter a Martini. It was delicious, of course, and surprisingly cheaper than the Gin and Tonic he’d chugged the previous week. River didn’t even return to Hunter’s side to ask if he liked it, keeping himself busy on the other side of the bar. He and the female bartender working there that night switched places at some point, making it completely impractical for River to come his way again. 

Embarrassingly, Hunter’s interest in hanging out waned considerably when he no longer had River’s attention to look forward to and, after paying in cash once again, he quietly made his way out of the bar.

—————

This week, Adonis was once again graced with the sight of Hunter’s 3-piece suit. For some reason, Hunter enjoyed the way the thick fabric hugged his chest and stomach and how mature the full suit made him appear. Whether others agreed or not, he did notice more looks directed his way once he wore the vest. 

And that attention helped him feel more confident this Friday. Last week had been mostly uneventful, except for River’s singular attempt to continue the conversation. Hunter took that as encouragement. Maybe he did have a chance. He assumed that his crush was super obvious and if River still wanted to talk to him, maybe he wanted something to come of it.

“Hunter,” River said as a way of greeting, veins prominent as he gripped the bar counter, leaning toward the other man. “It’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to be back.”

“What are you ordering tonight?”

“Surprise me.”

River’s brow raised just slightly, a change from his usual go to expression. Possibly, Hunter had surprised him. Either way, he nodded in agreement and left to prepare something for him. A few minutes later, River returned with an Old Fashioned and set it down quickly, turning to leave again.

Hunter saw this playing out the same way as it did the week before—disappointingly. He would have a delicious new drink but no one to talk to about it. For a moment, time seemed to move in slow motion, River moving at half speed as he began to turn away from Hunter and ignore him for the rest of the night. 

“Will it be as good as last time?”

River’s step faltered and he faced Hunter again, smiling politely.

“Better, I hope,” he chuckled, eyes flickering between Hunter’s face and the drink in his hand. River didn’t even try to leave this time, Hunter speaking before he could make the attempt.

“Maybe you should stick around while I check,” Hunter suggested, his mouth quirking up in a smirk that he couldn’t hold back. “Just to be sure.”

For a split second, River’s smile completely dropped. He looked at Hunter carefully as if seeing the younger man for the first time. Questioning Hunter’s efforts to keep him from leaving, most likely. River then glanced away from him, and Hunter followed his eyes to notice him looking at the other bartenders on shift. 

Seeing that they’re handling the patrons just fine by themselves, River relented, turning back to Hunter with a soft sigh. By that point, Hunter was already taking a sip. River turned back just in time to watch him release a deep, contented sigh.

“Wow, that is good. Arguably even better than last time.”

Hunter was far too pleased to hear River’s soft laugh, the sound more genuine than any of the chuckles he’d heard him make before.

“Thank you.” 

Hunter went to take another sip when he saw River turn to leave. Somehow, when he planned this all in his head, he expected it to be easier to get River to stick around. Hunter choked down the small amount of liquor in his mouth and rushed to blurt out the first thing he could think of. 

“Are you passionate about it? Bartending, I mean,” he asked. His body, wound tight from the urgency, became more relaxed when River’s focus returned. “You’re clearly good at it.”

“You could say that,” the older man easily agreed. He was leaning against the bar counter at this point, a sure sign that he’ll be staying in front of Hunter for more than a couple of seconds. Hunter grew silent, waiting for River to elaborate. For a moment, he didn’t, content to leave that as the simple contribution to their conversation. But Hunter’s lack of response grew so long, River was forced to finally hum in thought.

“I’ve just been doing this for a long time and I enjoy it. So sure, you can say that equates to passion.”

It was more about himself than Hunter had ever heard the other man say. This was certainly an improvement. But the answer still felt so vague and impersonal. For some reason, Hunter just knew that it didn’t properly reflect how River felt. 

Or maybe it did but River was so emotionally distant from anything he said, Hunter couldn’t tell the difference. As Hunter tried to process how much he believed River’s answer, his expression grew calculating, eyes raking over River’s form as he analyzed the man in front of him. It was as if River could physically feel where Hunter’s eyes traced him and tightened his grip on the sleek black surface in front of him, fighting against how uneasy it made him feel. 

Then, like a flip of a switch, River’s expression changed, eyes narrowing and his mouth lifting at the right side.

“You seem to be asking a lot of questions tonight,”  the older man drawled.

“Am I?”

“Yeah, like I’m someone interesting,” River explained, his words slow, deliberately bringing Hunter’s attention down to his mouth. Then, if he wasn’t already terribly distracting, he put his elbow down on the counter, resting his chin on his open palm. The action brought River’s face within a foot of Hunter’s and the younger man’s brain turned to mush. “Do I interest you, Hunter?”

Huh?

Hunter never felt more exposed in his entire life and was practically overheating with how hot his face felt. His brain searched through every corner and crevice for something to tell River but the words eluded him. Instead, his mouth foolishly opened and closed like a fish.

“Well- I. It’s just- um-”

Despite finally landing upon some sounds instead of miming the words, the handsome bartender wasn’t able to hear the rest. A higher pitched voice yelled “River” from across the room and the man pulled away, his body heat no longer warming the space in front of Hunter, which at last gave him a chance to breathe.

“Sorry, duty calls.”

The quick two-finger salute River threw his way as he left felt almost inappropriate considering what just transpired but now, unless he yelled, River was out of earshot.

And, as Hunter feared, that marked the end of their conversations that evening. When the young business owner returned to his two-bedroom condo less than an hour later, he felt tired but accomplished. That was the longest conversation the two of them ever shared and for once, Hunter led it. 

But, as he shrugged off his suit coat and began unbuttoning his shirt, his self satisfied smile dropped. He hadn’t imagined River flirting with him at the end of the night: that was done on purpose. The moment that Hunter began digging into his life, he had flirted with him, effectively pulling him away from any more probing questions he could have come up with. 

It was the perfect distraction. 

Hunter gnawed on his bottom lip contemplatively. A part of him, which grew larger and larger the more he thought about it, became curious about this reaction. Could he make River do it again? Should he test him, see how true the theory was? 

Hunter wasn’t sure if this was nearing some barrier he wasn’t meant to cross. But he knew, at the very least, that he had to get to the line first.