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She wondered, all things considered, if this was a bad idea. Naturally, the interaction came easier, given the blonde's current state, and she had never been one to play with fire. Well, least not for the last four years.
That counted, right?
"You're bold enough for the both of us," she countered, with what felt to her like a feeble attempt. She looked down at his arm then, not sure what to really do with it.
Instead, Lux leaned over the bar table, signaling for one of the other bartenders to draw close. "I'll be heading out for a short while, call me if you guys need me back." The other bartender nodded then and Lux turned her attention back to Carter.
Eyebrows raised at him, she made a shoo motion with her hands.
His mood had dimmed somewhat, which was to be expected really. Though, not nearly as much as Lux had hoped. It seemed to come so easy to him, shrugging things off like that.
"Well, you did kind of ask for it," she said. Her hands dropped to her sides then and she glanced over to the other man; the bouncer had already moved him to the doorway.
His words had her immediately looking back at him. With a scoff, followed by a chuckle the brunette rolled her eyes. "Mmm-hm."
Rounding the corner of the bar table, Lux picked up her keys. "I'll drive you home." She frowned then, as if realizing something. "Alone."
A breath of relief passed the brunette's lips. She wasn't so worried about a fight breaking out as she was seeing Carter be a part of it. It was unfair of her, really. To hold him to such high standards.
Wasn't that the very same thing she hated people doing to her?
Offering the bouncer a grateful smile, Lux turned and walked towards the blonde. "Here," she said softly, her voice barely audible above the noise. She placed her free hand on the hand on his cheek. She lifted the cloth next; it had already started to melt.
Even Luxanna caught the surprise on his face, and that was probably the most surprising thing of all. She was experiencing a lot of new things with Carter tonight, it seemed. Though, unless she met him drunk again, she didn't think she'd ever see it again.
One corner of Lux's lips turned upward at the mention of her name and her eyes followed his movements. A chuckle escaped the brunette's lips at the flare and dramatics he showed.
She supposed the hit should have been expected, but even Luxanna, who worked around these kinds of people almost every night didn't realize it was coming before it had already happened.
Quickly, she grabbed a cloth tied around some ice and stepped outside the comforts of the bar table, right as one of the bouncers moved up to the two males. Meeting eyes, Lux nodded towards Carter and raised the cloth filled with ice, as if saying that unless Carter were to hit back, the bouncer could focus his attention on the other male.
Still, the brunette remained vary; she didn't want to get caught in the middle of something she shouldn't be.
He was as smooth as he'd always been and Luxanna found herself caught in a haze of remembrance. She'd thought she'd grown during the past four years, but here she was, finding herself buckling under everything that he was.
Quickly, she threw a glance around the room; Most people had gone from milling about in groups, to duos.
"Well," she said, voice soft as she leaned forward, elbows propped up against the bar table. "That would be quite the unflattering rumor," she added.
The countdown started, the bar filling with the echos of voices calling out numbers. Ten, nine, eight. The air seemed to fill with the excitement steaming from each individual. Even the lonely ones. Seven, six, five. There was a sort of thrill to be found in it, she supposed. It reminded her of why she liked her job. Four, three, two. She had but a moment to decide.
Leaning forward, Luxanna met his eyes for a split second. One. Tilting her head just as she moved in, Lux placed a kiss on the platinum blonde's cheek. "Happy new year."
Was it supposed to make her feel sad? In truth, she understood that the circumstances weren't the best, but then again, chances were, he wouldn't have remembered her regardless. It was fine, though. It would have been selfish of her to hold that against him.
Instead, Lux smiled. "You and your brother had quite the presence back at school. Crossing paths were inevitable," she said simply. Even she, whose presence had been next to zero had heard of the brothers before she met them. It couldn't be helped.
She chuckled then; barely able to stop her eyes from rolling in amusement. "Forgive me," she said then, head tilting. "Having the upper hand for once feels rather nice. I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to let that go yet." Perhaps it was coy of her, but it was honest.
She had never really seen this side of Carter before. She'd seen him serious and she'd seen him be gentle, but never quite this... Relaxed, perhaps. It was nice. It made her happy.
Leaning forward while resting her head against the back of her hand, Luxanna pursed her lips. Her eyes followed his movements, eyeing the people he seemingly found less than worthy of, well, anyone's attention.
She smiled then. He hadn't changed much. At least, that part of him hadn't. Even though he didn't seem to recognize her, he was still pushing her out of her shell. In his own way.
"You were always good at pressing me to make a decision," she said softly. The words slipping out of her before she could even stop it. "Hm," she mused, pulling back again.
"Fair enough." Although curious, she wanted to respect that. No point in souring the mood, after all. Still, it was strange seeing him without his brother. The two had always struck her as close and she rarely, if ever, saw the one without the other.
Well, she could think of at least a few occasions where that had happened.
The mentions of kissing brought her attention back to him, green eyes rolling to the back of her skull. There he was. Good old Carter. She had to fight the slight tint of crimson threatening to emerge on her cheeks; She might have grown older, but she was still that little girl that found the idea of kissing someone terrifying.
"Do I now?" she asked, looking over the room as if she hadn't even considered him. "Didn't realize it was a requirement." Past memories haunted the back of her mind; Her body pressed against a tree, one hand firmly on the nape of her neck, the other against the small of her back. Lips locked.
She knew she was supposed to do better, be better. She was supposed to do everything she wanted to do. Do all the things that made her truly happy and made her feel fulfilled. She was supposed to make the most of it, but somewhere along the way, she'd lost her sense of direction.
She wasn't unhappy by any means. She was content.
"A bit like me, huh?" She chuckled honestly at that. She sincerely doubted it, but she wasn't about to argue. "Do you at least miss them?" She didn't know how close he was to his family. Back at school, Carter had seemed very close to his brother. She wondered if that was still the case, but didn't dare pry.
Perhaps it was better that he didn't recognize her. Somehow, it made it easier. There was a lot of thoughts swirling through her head. Conflicted emotions she wasn't sure she was ready to deal with after having pushed them down for so long.
Still, it was an odd position to be in. She was so used to be on the receiving end of his might. The way he'd always pushed her buttons. This was nothing like that. This was easy.
Letting out a silent breath, Lux tilted her head at him. "Yeah, something like that." She offered him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. People told her to be grateful for the time she was given, but it only felt like she was clinging to a ticking bomb without knowing when it'd go off.
"Why aren't you celebrating with your family instead of being in a room filled with strangers?" she asked curiously.
There was certain things she'd never found the time, nor the place to ask him.
She supposed there was some comfort to be found in knowing that some people didn't change too much over time. A lot of time had passed and he'd notably grown older - as had she - but he still carried the same arrogance he had four years ago.
"I don't doubt it for a second," she replied, turning her attention back at him once she'd served a waiting customer. She didn't have many opinions regarding Carter's brother Dom. She didn't really know him, nor had she ever really gotten the chance to.
Looking out over the room filled with drunk people dancing and having the time of their life, Luxanna smiled. "I don't really mind it if I'm being honest." There was comfort to be found in that too; people enjoying life as if nothing else really mattered. She envied that.
"At least I won't be waking up in the morning with a killer headache," she offered, amused.
Out of all the people Lux didn't think she'd ever see again, Carter was at the very top of the list. Naturally, it wasn't as if it was unwelcome, but that didn't mean she particularly liked the surprise.
It struck her then, from the way he looked at her; He didn't recognize her at all. Had she been any lesser of a person, she might have felt offended.
She had to make a choice; Shrug it off and go back to her business, or she could take advantage of the situation. She was either so easily forgettable that he didn't know who she was, or he was simply that drunk.
"Mmm," she mused, voice nearly steady, "I've seen worse." She offered him a shrug. Grabbing a cloth, she swept it over the bar table. "But then again," she added quickly, glancing at him with one eyebrow raised in challenge, "The great Carter Chevalier doesn't need anyone telling him that. He already knows it - unless," she paused, turning her attention to someone else ordering a drink. "Unless he's lost his touch."
"Or was that Dom?" she added, thoughtfully, not to anyone in particular. "Ah, well." she shrugged.
A grin formed at his words; As if she was supposed to know. A shrug quickly followed then and her eyes dropped as he shifted. Brown liquor would have been her first guess, though, perhaps that was simply her being stereotypical. She didn't think it was the better option, considering the state of things.
Gathering the necessarily bottles, she filled the metal shaker. Ice, vodka, Pisang ambon, sprite and a little bit of sour mixed into it. Sour green - it wasn't too sweet, nor too bitter. It was the kind of drink one could drink all night long without feeling the need to throw it back up.
"Oh yeah?" she asked, head bopping as she shook the metal container. His words gave a lot away, she supposed, but that usually came with the trade. "Well," she added, putting the glass down in front of him, "I suppose a welcome is in order then," she added, looking up.
Green eyes narrowed at the recognition and her mouth fell into a hard line. "Fucking hell," she said with a sharp intake of breath.
At least someone wasn't acting like a douche, well, she could overlook entitlement. A quick glance at a platina blonde head of hairs and Luxanna accepted his help. "Thank you," she said, pulling herself upright.
"What's your preferred vice?" she asked, pulling the glass nearer.
There was something familiar about the voice, that accent, though, she didn't really think much of it. It wouldn't be the first time, nor the last, that she met someone she knew or had heard of around these parts. Most of the people she recognized she didn't even know. Or rather, they didn't really know her.
If someone had asked her years prior if she could ever see herself being a bartender, Lux would have given them a flat no. It wasn't a very luxurious job - or even that fascinating, but she enjoyed it. At least parts of it.
It made her feel a little safer, having the bar table between her and everyone else. It made her feel secluded and sheltered. The very same feeling people like Jack had forced on her years ago.
Before it had felt more like crutches, but now? Now it had grown comfortable.
"Hey!" she called out, brows furrowed as she leaned over the bar table, one arm waving. "Put that down, now." She'd never understand how some people could drink themselves so stupid they had no regard for other people's property.
