Chapter 10   - What's Your Handle? magic

"I'm great. What about you?" she supplied unwillingly. She looked around to see her only savior, Lily, dancing away with some guy she had previously been flirting with. Katherine didn't want to bother the girl, so she turned back to the bartender and gave him a tight-lipped smile filled with disinterest. It evaded the other.

"I'm great. Happy to see you," he said with a smile on his face. Now, it wasn't that the man was unattractive. On the other hand, he was a very charming looking boy, one who screamed good-boy, certainly not the type of attractive Katherine liked. He ran his hands through his hair, looking at her shyly. He then looked over his shoulder to beckon another server. "End of shift," he informed her before going out back.

Katherine sighed in relief. She made sure to check that he had not seen her do so. She pathetically deflated on the barstool, deep in thought.

Just as she was about to down her second drink, she saw him come out from the back in different clothes. The new bartender looked at her with sympathy, understanding flashing in his eyes. But Katherine couldn't drive Nathaniel away. She was a polite girl who didn't like offending others, especially those that were nice to her under any false pretences and needs from her. She felt obliged to act the same way around them.

He came around to sit beside, much to her dissatisfaction. He ordered a beer for himself and asked for the same for Katherine. He didn't consider that she would like her own choice at alcohol.

"So, how have you been?" he said, placing his hands on her knee surreptitiously. Katherine startled and moved away from him. She was baffled by his forwardness.

"I thought I said I was doing okay," she grit through her teeth. Understandably, she sounded rude and as if she wanted to be left alone, which was true because she wanted to be as far away from the bartender as possible. She felt the treatment she had given the man was justified, given the situation she was in.

"I know about your boyfriend and how he cheated on you. I was asking if you were okay about that," he asked, unable to hide the curiosity in his eyes. Katherine was exasperated with the twisted conversation and couldn't help but want it to send as soon as humanly possible.

"That was years ago." She could taste the sourness of her words. Even though it had been a long time ago, it had taken away her faith from men, which was why she was so reluctant to date. Men like Nathaniel who tried to latch onto her and show her sympathy were made of the same soil as her ex-fiance, the nincompoop who had used his apathy as an excuse for his misdemeanour. "I moved on," she continued when the other didn't respond.

"That's good. That's good." The words were said with satisfaction. He took a sip of his beer and fidgeted as he nervously stared at Katherine. She, on the other hand, decided to stare at the glass in front of her and take quick sips from it. She would rather stare off into nothingness than look at his nervous face and whatever that came next.

"I have a proposition for you," he spoke up suddenly. Katherine gave him a curious glance, but her mind went to the words she had uttered to the online gamer the last night. A flurry of pleasant images flashed by her mind, making her lips tug into a smile. But this smile was taken in a different context. Nathaniel thought he had a chance. "Let's date."

She paused. Her head turned slowly toward his direction.

"I need more beer," she grumbled and raised her hand to call the bartender. The man came quickly as if to help her ease the tension in their conversation. "Beer," she told him and went back to her drink, ignoring Nathaniel.

She was desperate to be out of that situation, awkward as it was. She threw back the remainder of the contents of her cup and grabbed the newly placed drink in front of her. She was slightly buzzed, so she didn't notice the startled expression on Nathaniel's face as his eyes flitted from the peg in her hands to her beautiful face. She berated herself for not handling the matter better, but she just didn't know how to handle a proposal from someone she had zero interest in.

She was puzzled by what she should do next, so she pulled out her phone and started up the app version of Return of the Heroes on her phone. The music was loud enough for the noise from the phone to die out, and she started playing the game although the alcohol slightly impaired her.

She kept ordering drinks and playing, disassociating herself with the man sitting next to her.

"Return of the Heroes?" Nathaniel asked, shock clear in his voice. Was it that hard to believe that a girl could play video games? MMPORG ones at that? Maybe it was a bit of a cliché for being a gamer girl or whatever she could be called for being a bit of a nerd about such things.

She muffled her reply, but it was evident that she said yes.

"What's your handle? I'll play with you some time." His insinuation wasn't lost on her. She would have cringed if she remembered her first message to RayKon53, but her first instinct was to think the guy creepy.

"No." A surge of liquid courage flowed through her veins. In a moment of courage, she revealed her real emotions to the other guy. She was disinterested that much was sure.