“If I didn’t know you, I would think that you’re drunk.”

Hunter laughed good-naturedly in response to River’s jab. If drunk meant paying far too much attention to the smooth texture of someone’s skin or the brightness of their smile, Hunter was surely that. Only two sentences could leave his lips before he made some mention of River’s glowing appearance. Or, told some unreasonable joke in the hopes that it earned him a smile. Turns out compliments were the fastest way to make River flush pink, which Hunter was quick to point out as well.

“So you know me now? I’m glad to see that we’ve gotten closer,” Hunter shot back, grinning cheekily at the older man, his jaw resting on his palm. 

It was River’s turn to snort out a laugh, choosing to wipe at the counter instead of meeting Hunter’s eyes.

“You’re really pushing it.’

“I know,” Hunter replied easily. “I just like to see the look on your face when I do.”

In fact, ‘pushing it’ was a bit of an understatement. Hunter was flirting. Hard. It was impossible for River to ignore that playful tilt in his voice or that hidden meaning behind every word. It was bold in a way River had never seen Hunter before and he didn’t know what to make of it. His ‘no customer’ rule wasn’t new. Could he bring himself to make an exception for Hunter? 

River wasn’t so sure. What he was sure about is that holding back worked wonders in the past. But even if he tried to keep a firm exterior, a laugh or two could still fall out. Hunter was funny and he was trying so hard.

And Hunter savored every laugh that fell from River’s lips. It only spurred him on, pushing the young CEO to bring more out of him. River rarely laughed, but when he wasn’t smiling with his mouth he smiled with his eyes and that was enough.

After drinking his Gin and Tonic with an extra flourish that makes River cover a laugh by coughing into his sleeve, Hunter loudly brings his glass down to the counter.

“You know what, a drink every week is not nearly enough,” he stated plainly, as if professing a well-known fact. “I should come back tomorrow night so you can make me something else.” 

“Then you’ll get to laugh with some of the other people who work here,” River joked, grinning at the confused furrowing of Hunter’s brows. “Honestly, I would be impressed if you found me on any other day during the week.” 

“So, you only work Fridays?”

River just smiled in that confusing way of his, the smile growing wider when he gets called away. He truly enjoys seeing Hunter lost, at least that’s what Hunter was being led to believe.

River isn’t called very far away, taking just a couple steps to get close to a short white woman with night black hair and beautiful silver piercings in her nose and brows. He was so close in fact, that their entire conversation is still within earshot of Hunter. A man who has no qualms about eavesdropping. 

“There was an accident with the delivery trucks so our miller lite shipment is going to be delayed for about 3 days, maybe 4.” 

“We do have some other lite beers so there shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Just in case, we can offer 15% off one of the other lite beers. Anyone who was thinking of the miller lite will just go for the beer on sale, a win-win for everyone.”

“If you want to take a look at some of our other beer options, please select a less popular one so we can better diversify customer tastes as well.”

“And that’s why you’re the owner,” the woman laughed, closing what appeared to be a folder before heading into the back area.

River laughed along with her, the remnants of his laughter lingering when he got back to Hunter.

“You’re the owner.”

It was a statement, not a question, and River just smiled, shrugging a bit at the surprise on the face of the man in front of him.  

“That’s amazing, wow,” Hunter whispered in awe. He spoke the words so softly, he was talking more to himself than River. “How did you come to own this place?”

River paused in his work, pursing his lips for a moment in thought. He saw the easy option, avoiding the question, keeping the conversation light and impersonal like usual. It was all anyone expected of him these days. Yet Hunter still asked, again and again. For some reason, he believed that River would eventually open up.

And strangely, River wanted to prove him right.

“I didn’t go to school,” River blurted out suddenly. He felt his cheeks warm when Hunter stared at him with wide eyes and rushed to clarify. “University I mean. I just started working and when I eventually started bartending, I fell in love with it. My old boss was…kind. So, when I said that I wanted to have my own bar, he gave me the money I needed to start.”

River seemed nonchalant, putting away glasses and checking the ice but Hunter knew better. His chest warmed, thinking about how much love River had poured into the building he was currently sitting in. 

“And now you’re here,” Hunter added, smiling softly.

“And now I’m here.”

River met his eyes and the sounds around Hunter turned mute, his senses zeroing in on the man standing in front of him. Their bodies stilled while Hunter could do nothing but look back and forth between River’s brown eyes. He was transfixed and could see nothing but him.

Boisterous laughter from across the room broke through their gaze. River’s eyes snapped up from Hunter’s mouth, gasping softly as if he just remembered to breathe. Blinking rapidly, his mouth lifted up into a smile which Hunter struggled to stop staring at. 

Forcefully, Hunter sucked in a breath, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he rushed to swallow anything from his mostly empty glass. That has come out of nowhere and he struggled to make sense of it. Were they about to kiss? Was River going to kiss him? Because if they were supposed to be friends, this fell far outside of their contract. Hunter was confident that friends don’t have long staring competitions where one friend really wanted to kiss the other.

“So,” Hunter coughed, clearing his throat and trying to move past whatever that was. “As the owner, you only come in on Fridays?”

“Well…I never said that.”

“But you said-”

Hunter stopped himself mid sentence, chuckling as he remembered the exact phrasing. This guy really loved to toy with him. 

“Touche. Then I’ll just have to find another day that you work by myself,” he declared. The bar owner just smiled at his determination, his doubt and amusement both palpable.

“Good luck.”