forum what no I'm not in too many one on ones

Started January 06, 2019 by @SaltyLasagna

tune

Which would you prefer? The second option would definitely speed things along)

Right, and sure)

Kk

Julian sighed, wiping his forehead as he leaned against the counter. Tonight was a very busy night. He had spent the past few hours making drinks, wiping counters, and even separated a couple of bar fights. He'd been so busy that he hadn't even gotten the chance to greet his favorite cute guitar-playing regular, Sebastian. He felt kind of bad about it, too. The guy didn't seem like he was having a great week, and today looked like it had been pretty bad. Julian glanced around the bar, making sure he had no other customers to take care of before making his way over to Sebastian, a smile on his face. "Hey. You need anything to drink?"

A familiar voice cut through Sebastian’s sluggish thoughts, prompting him to force a convincing smile onto his face. “Hey, Julian. And yeah, that’d be great, if it’s alright.” His tone was languid enough, but in all honesty, he was too tired and empty to stop the defeat from leaking through. The dark circles under his eyes probably didn’t help his feeble act either, not that they mattered anymore. Not long now…

"Yeah, sure. You doing alright?" He asked, turning to make his usual drink. Julian couldn't tell if Sebastian was really drunk, really tired, or emotionally drained. He didn't know him well enough. But he could tell he was in bad shape.

“Yeah, just a little tired.” The lie rolled off his tongue smoothly, one he’d used so often it was beginning to become instinctual. “How are you?” He forced himself to glance up at the bartender, trailing his fingers over the surface of the guitar.

"Also tired," he admitted, finishing his drink and handing it to him. "Though my shift is almost over, so I've got that to look forward to. Are you going to be playing tonight?" He nodded toward Sebastian's guitar.

“Yeah,” Sebastian sighed, rubbing at the nape of his neck, were a partially hidden scab had formed. “In a few minutes. Probably shouldn’t get too drunk…” He accepted the drink, thanking the bartender. “Thanks.”

Julian saw what seemed to be either a scab or just a dark spot on his neck, but quickly looked away. He knew how uncomfortable it was when people stared at his wounds and scars, and he didn't want to do the same to somebody else. Though he couldn't help feeling worried about Sebastian. He'd definitely noticed his scars, and every time he walked in looking exhausted like he did now, Julian worried. He knew how difficult escaping depression could be, and how easy it was to fall into bad habits again. "Got any songs picked out for tonight?"

Shit. That was a no. Scrambling to come up with a list, Sebastian managed a secretive smile. “Ah, that’s a surprise. Something I wrote by myself, to start.” Shit, shit, shit. He lifted the glass to his lips and drained it in almost one go, shoulders sagging in relief as he began to relinquish control to the alcohol now in his system.

Julian smiled. "Really? I don't think I've ever heard you play anything you wrote yourself. What's it called?" He grabbed a towel and began to wipe the counters down, though he didn't really need to. He just needed to look like he was working so his boss wouldn't be up his ass about being productive all of the time.

Normally, the sight of Julian’s smile would have brought a faint blush to his cheeks, but tonight, there was no reaction. “It’s called— it’s called ‘Nevermind’. I’ve, uh, been working on it for a while.” Not nearly drunk enough, he tapped his glass. “Could I have a refill?”

"Yeah, sure," he said, grabbing a bottle to refill Sebastian's drink. "Are you nervous?"

“No,” he replied simply. Because I won’t be alive long enough to perform. Even now, chatting amiably with the cute bartender, Sebastian could feel the weight on his shoulders, the constant pain, the need to escape. He couldnt do this anymore. Couldn’t fucking do it.

Julian stopped for a moment, looking over Sebastian for a moment. He wasn't always super bright and happy, but he was usually more talkative than this. "Are you sure you're okay?"

“Yup. Like I said, tired. I’m getting ready to move.” This wasn’t a total lie, he was doing so, in a way. Won’t be seeing you for a while, Julian.

He raised his eyebrows. Moving? Why hadn't he heard anything about this before? "Wait, you're moving? When?"

“Tonight, if all goes well,” Sebastian replied evenly, offering a slight smile. He raised his refilled glass again, practically inhaling its contents.

"Tonight?" Julian repeated, sounding shocked, and even a little hurt if you listened closely to his tone. "Where to?"

“Not very far. A couple streets down from where I live now.” The bar was a few streets away from his house, so the half-lie Want too bad.

Julian sighed softly, somewhat relieved. "Well, I hope all goes well."