The Funny Game Called Love

R

Rufiya

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Original poster
Austin stood in the center of his warehouse/humble abode quietly, his hands slipped into the slits of his old jeans. The warehouse itself was not too large but it was certainly enough to house his large unfinished canvases along with assortments of different desks with disheveled notes and books placed atop. A bed was off to the far corner along with a nightstand where Austin's Android beeped, signalling a message along with catching his attention.

His eyes darted to the clock that was also on the nightstand as he strode over. It was about six in the evening, that was about right he guessed. He grabbed his phone and unlocked it quickly by tracing a intricate pattern he most likely memorized. One message was left in his inbox.

NEW MESSAGE> Guys, lets go get some drinks?

Austin thought quietly to himself before typing his reply quickly and effortlessly on the touch screen.

SENT MESSAGE> Alright, I'll meet you all at the usual.

Austin slipped the phone into his pocket and he grabbed the leather long coat that was previously thrown onto the bed. Slipping it over his long-sleeved grey shirt he made his way outside. A fresh layer of snow had managed to find itself in the big apple, and he enjoyed the cracking that ensued with every step, the cracking continued as he got onto his motorcycle and drove off.

His house was most likely the farthest away from their favorite bar, Moe's and he wondered if he would be the last to arrive.
 
"Sorry sir, but you can't smoke in here." Eiden told a man. The man was probably around forty years old and reeked of alcohol. He had been in the bar for the last hour and had drunk around seven beers. The man didn't listen and lit the cigarette he was holding. "Sir, if you are going to smoke then you'll have to do it outside." Eiden tried again.

This time the man looked at him, but he didn't say a word. He only gave Eiden an angry look. Eiden turned around and filled a glass with water, then ha walked back to the man and threw the water towards the cigarette that happened to be in the mans mouth.
"What are you doing brat?" The man screamed and threw a fist towards Eiden whom dodged it easily. The old man wasn't fast and probably not strong either.

"If you are going to cause a commotion then leave." A threatening voice came from behind Eiden. At first it seemed like the old man were going to try and hit that man too if he got close, but as fast as he saw the owner of the bar he retreated. No one dared to go against Adam, he was tall, muscular, and almost looked like a mafia member. He scared most people, even when he didn't want to. But even though he looked threatening, Eiden had never seen him hit anyone, and rarely even being rude. And after having worked in the bar for three years he had understood that the man was actually a really nice person.

"Sorry for causing trouble." Eiden apologized but Adam just shrugged.
"If people breaks the rules then they have themselves to blame." He told Eiden before going back to his office to continue the paper work.

Some minutes later he heard his phone beep. It was a text message from one of the guys. He didn't answer the message since he knew that if they went out to drink then they would probably come to where he was anyways since they almost always took a drink there. It was very convenient to work at the place where all his friends came to drink at. It was just a pity that he often couldn't leave with them if they left before he had stopped working.
 
The college library was completely empty today just as Yin liked it. She had burrowed herself in her studies, books lying about on the table and her notebook filled to the brim with notes. She sat in the middle of the library, her favorite spot but hard to get to during the weekdays. Yin kept shaking her foot and tapping her pencil on the books with obvious irritation until she let out a frustrated sigh and harshly pushed her books back. "Agh, you've got to be kidding me! Why is this crap so hard to understand?" She yelled angrily before muttering more curse words under her breath. She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned back and forth in the chair staring at the empty book shelves.

Moments passed as Yin quietly tried to calm her frustration. Sighing, she stood up and started to pack her things into her book bag. She didn't really feel like leaving the library so unsatisfied but she knew she would get nowhere if she ended up tearing her books apart over a simple problem. As she put her bag strap around the shoulder, she noticed something glistening in the corner of a window. Yin couldn't help but jump in excitement and joy and rushed straight over to the the window, taking her camera out and readying herself to take a shot. She slowly approached it, letting the suspense do what it was best at, making her heart race to the point of it bursting. "Beautiful. Just beautiful." Yin breathed out as she leveled her camera. It was a rose. A young rose that had just bloomed, trickling in the sunlight with it's strong green stem and full lush red petals stretching out to welcome the world. Clicks here and there, Yin couldn't help but enjoy taking the same picture over and over again. To her, it felt anew every single time as if the rose was posing just for her. A vibration from her pocket scared the living crap out of her, breaking her focus from the rose. She reached in her pocket, and smiled to see who the text was from. Eagerly she replied saying she would be there. Before turning to leave, she glanced at the rose again. Smiling to herself, she left in a happy hurry knowing that today was going to be a good day no matter what.
 
"Peter, honestly, I just want to stay home tonight," Bonnie pleaded with him, "Leave me alone." She was sat cross-legged on the couch. Netflix was on, along with her laptop, and she had about 3 different books open on the coffee table. She was multitasking; Switching between studying (though she had jobs, she still wanted to do a couple more years of college), working on the design for a new character, reading a book on creative writing, reading les mis, and just dicking around on the internet. The 21 year old was extremely talented at doing a thousand things at once.
As she looked to her cousin, hoping he'd just back off and leave her alone, she tapped the pen in her hand impatiently on her lip. But Peter did not oblige. "You've been saying that for like a week. I'm surprised you even crawled out of your cave." Bonnie rolled her eyes at him. He sounded like a grumpy parent to her. Peter was determined to get her out of their small apartment. Lately the girl had been working a hundred miles per hour, giving herself very little free time between her work and school. Even on the weekends when she had less to do she still worked her ass off.
Trying to be clever, Peter quickly swiped up Bonnie's phone from where it sat on the table. Before she could react he'd shot of a group text. "Well if you stay home I guess you're going to be the only one not joining us to get drinks." Confused, Bonnie grabbed her phone from him and read the sent mass text.
She gritted her teeth, "Yeah okay. Fine." Standing up she went to her room to put on some acceptable clothes. Peter waited, standing triumphantly by the door, watching her phone buzz with replies. When Bonnie was dressed, she was still mad, and stomping about. "I wouldn't mind a little something to tide me over at work anyway," was the last thing she said before slamming the door.
When the two of them walked in the bar, she had her arms crossed like an angsty teenager, while Peter had a big grin, searching for familiar faces.
 
The shop was buzzing with customers looking over the latest fashions La Boutique had recently restocked. Women with too much time on their hands, and young girls with the same, scrutinized or squealed over the expensive clothing. Loraine sat behind the cash register with her legs crossed. She had worn jeans and a long sleeved grey undershirt beneath a thicker, sweater blouse. She loved the cold weather but she didn't favor the necessity of wearing heavy boots. A woman came up to the cash register holding a few blouses and accessories. "Hi, will this be all for you today?"

"Yes, sadly," the woman said with a sigh.

Loraine scanned the items and came up with the total. Her eyebrows shot up as she looked back up at the woman. "That will be eighty-seven dollars and fifty scents." The woman nodded and handed her a credit card. Loraine swiped it and waited for the okay before handing it back. She bagged her purchases and handed them off. "Have a nice day!" A line began to form as the customers either left or actually bought something. Once the last customer had been rung up she stood up from the stool she had been perched on for the last hour. Loraine went to the back and took her phone from her bag. As soon as she turned it on the new message ringtone played.

She leaned back against the wall and sighed. "Let's see..." She smiled as she read the text. I'll meet you guys there in a few minutes. The tiny letter was closed and floated away after she hit the "send" button. Her shift was almost over thanks to her early morning habits. Work started at eight and ended at three, just perfect for her schedule. She was always more creative at night. Another girl came in as she went back out to the front. "Teri!" Loraine exclained exasperatedly, "you're here a little early aren't you?"

She shrugged. "You can probably go a little early then. It's only a few minutes, no big deal, right?"

"Knowing Miss Boss Lady?"

The boss walked out of her office just as she finished and stood in the doorway. "Oh, you're here Teri. It's only a few minutes, so you can go if you want Loraine. I don't want you staying any more past your slot time- I am not paying over time here."

Loraine hugged Teri before running to the back to get her stuff. She reemerged with her bag and long fur coat. "See you tomorrow." She practically ran from the store through the snow. After a long day of work all she wanted to do was hang out with her pose. She made her way toward the usual spot with a little pep in her step.
 
Yin burst through the bar doors excitedly and almost jumped in glee when she saw the first two faces she recognized. "Bonnie, Peter!" She yelled enthusiastically rushing over to give them both a huge hug. Before she reached them, she stopped in her tracks almost a foot away from them. "Wait. I have to get this moment!" Whipping out her camera, which never leaves her side, she snaps the picture of the two unexpectedly with the flash on. Giggling to herself she shifts her heel forwards and backwards waiting for the picture to load. When it did, she couldn't help bursting into laughter so hard, she was nearly tearing. "Oh, no guys, I'm sorry. But this picture, I cannot let you see. This is definitely for my own happiness and personal use." She finally said after laughing herself to death. "Okay, I need something to drink after this. Be right back, and good to see you guys here!" She grinned from ear to ear. Before even catching any word from the two she ran to the bar signaling for a drink.
 
The first once to arrive was Bonnie and Peter. Eiden was busy making a drink at that moment so he simply waved his hand a bit before going back to his work. It wasn't that busy at the moment, there were only a few customers so he would have a lot of time to talk with the others. The busiest hours were often around nine to eleven.

Just as he finished with a young woman's drink another person came in through the door and almost jumped at Bonnie and Peter. 'Yin is as energetic as always' Eiden thought to himself and couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

"Hey Yin, what can I serve you today?" He asked her politely. "By the way, do you know if Austin and Loraine will co.. Oh never mind about Loraine." He said as he saw that Loraine had walked in.
 
Yin settled up on the bar stool, making herself comfortable. She looked at Eiden and smiled shyly while she set her bag and camera down on the counter. "Sorry for the ruckus," she said, "it's just been a while since I've seen those two. You too, Eiden. I don't usually come here unless it's with the others." She looked behind her and waved at Loraine happily, she then turned back to Eiden. "I'd just like a glass of water. Oh and about Austin, I-" Yin stopped mid-sentence when she heard the familiar churning of an engine. She chuckled a bit before saying, "Never mind. I think he's here."

Yin looked a bit nervous for a second. It's been a while since she's talked to Austin, face to face anyhow. She knows they both agreed for the benefit of the group, there wouldn't be hard feelings or any tension between them. Though, knowing herself, she's not sure if those terms would really work out in the end. Biting her lip, she hoped for the best and took a breath in when she heard the doors of the bar open again.
 
Loraine took off her coat as she entered the bar and folded it over her arm. She waved to Yin as she made her way to the bar. The sight of Peter and Bonnie stopped her dead in her tracks. "Oh my- Peter! Bonnie! Hey you two! It feels like It's been age since I last saw you. How have you two been?" She hugged them both tightly. "Now I need a seat because these boots are killing my feet." Loraine chuckled as she walked briskly to the bar where she found a stool next to Yin and plopped down. "I am so glad these aren't as hard as the one at the store. Hey Eiden, have been keeping busy?" She leaned forward on her elbows and looked at him.
 
"Don't worry about it, the ruckus will be even worse after the sun goes down. There's always someone that drinks a bit too much late at night." Eiden said as he filled a glass with water. He weren't surprised about her wanting water, he rarely saw her drink. Had she ever been drinking alcohol while he was there? He wasn't completely certain.

As he gave Yin the glass Loraine came to sit down. "This month has been very calm actually. But I bet that's just temporary. The silence before the storm as they say." He told her with a smile. It was never really calm in a bar, but after years of working in one he learned that calm was when they didn't have to throw out people, or call the cops, to make them leave. "Want a drink?"
 
Austin had arrived at his favorite bar after the six, sevenish minute tribute to there. Snow had managed to created a thin layer of white ice on his leather jacket and even in his dirty blond hair as he pulled to a stop, a little shaky considering just how snowy the roads have been lately, that also had delayed him a little bit as well.

It was most likely that everyone was already inside so he just walked casually onto the sidewalk, with his hand in the pockets of his jacket he pushed open the door with his right shoulder, the hard working heater of the bar warming his face as he stepped inside. He could see Bonnie and Peter near each other as usual and he acknowledged their prescence with a wave and a smile, more or less directed towards Bonnie. It was a random urge and he quickly withdrew afterwards by turning towards the bar,

Where his chocolate eyes saw Eiden, Lorain and Yin. Yin. Austin felt awkward being around her, but he tried his best to hide it, they were in a close knit group, a mere break up shouldn't mess it up right?

Trying his best to seem casual and slipped into the seat next to Loraine so there was some distance between him and Yin. Thinking about the memories stung a little but he decided to just throw it to the wind, for now at least.

"Ahh. It's so cold lately. Get me a miller will ya Eiden?" Austin spoke up, his deep husky voice filling the atmosphere, a small chuckle escaping his mouth after his sentence.
 
"Can I get on of your amazing Boston coolers?" she asked sweetly. "I am sooo ready to just chill." Loraine looked up when Austin sat next to her. She smiled at him as he made his order. She wondered just how in the world she ended up between him and Yin, but kept the curiosity buried. It never did any good to open up old wounds. Everything had happened, for the most part, before she had joined the group but she knew enough to know it was a sensitive topics.

Instead she offered a response to his obvious observation. "I love the snow we've been getting," she said as she hugged herself. "It's so pretty and light and wonderful to wake up to. Plus, I don't ever have to pick up a shovel- it's perfect. Anyway, how have you been Austin?"
 
Bonnie politely smiled and waved at everyone, saying much. Everyone never seemed to mind her not talking very much. Though they were her best friends, she was always relieved when they didn't call her out for being rude in her silence.
Peter took long strides over to the bar where the lot of them had gathered, and sat down on a bar stool by Austin. Twisting a bit in his chair he smiled at Loraine, almost pulling a weird face. He had one of those ridiculously boyish smiles the was a bit higher in one corner than the other and equally relaxed and lively at the same time. Usually his face had a warm and welcoming expression that somehow still seemed a bit intimidating. He turned his attention to Eiden, and communicated with a simple look of what he wanted. Peter stuck to beers, rarely venturing into unknown alcohols. A long swig was followed by it being firmly set down. "Yeah Austin, haven't heard from you lately. "
Bonnie had ventured off to wash her hands in the bathroom, which she probably would end up doing a few more times while they were there. With it snowing outside the likelihood of her getting sick, especially in a grimey bar, were doubled. And the last thing she had in her schedule was to start sniffling and sneezing. She meandered her way over to the bar, prominently inhabited by her friends. First, Bonnie approached Loraine, putting her hands on her shoulders, before wrapping them around her stomach and giving her a hug. She did the same to Yin, but whispered in her ear, "One day, I'm going to take pictures of you while you sleep and post them around the city." With a smile equally as lazy as Peter's but far less charming, she leaned against the counter. "I want the girliest fru-fru drink you have," she said, reeking with sarcasm.
 
Yin glanced over at Austin when he sat down and quickly looked the other away. She told herself, "It's all right. He's fine. I'm fine. We're okay. We're friends now so there's nothing to worry about.." Yin smiled a bit to herself feeling more reassured. She felt it was entirely okay, it wasn't like they had a nasty break up so everything was good. After feeling her emotions were set as they were, she leaned forward a bit to catch another glimpse. Looking at him now, she realized how long it really has been since she's seen him. She had almost forgotten what he really looked like, how seemingly perfect he appeared. Lowering her eyes to a glare she looked away as soon as she came to that realization. It always irritated her how easily carried away she can get when someone or anything entrancing, such as Austin, can almost make her rethink about the decisions she's made that she for sure thought was 100 percent the right one. She sighed with exasperation, thinking to herself what in the world type of judgement is going through her mind? Truthfully, she felt entirely confused with the situation.
Forcing the tiresome thoughts out before her mood could change into a brooding one, she picked up her glass of water Eiden gave her. Just as she was sipping from her glass, she couldn't help but almost choke on it when she heard what Bonnie said. Laughing while trying to control her coughing, she looked over to Bonnie giving her a small sly smile. "I'd like to see you try," Yin said, "heh, don't you know I already have a picture of you sleeping?" To Yin, Bonnie was one of the people in the group she just adored. By all means, she adored everyone in the group, but she especially cherished Bonnie. She wasn't sure why, but she always felt connected to her, as if she could tell her everything. Yin never said directly how she enjoyed her company and how she deeply wished they would become close friends, almost like sisters. She felt like it was asking too much, and would rather to have the friendship now than to possibly make it awkward with her strong wishes to be "bff's".
 
Loraine giggled at Peter's weird smile, which escalated into laughter when Bonnie hugged her. "Hey girl!" she said, patting her hands before Bonnie moved on to Yin. "Peter, what's with that face?" She leaned forward onto the bar. All of her friends were special to her, no doubt, and she could not find it in herself to pick favorites that way. However, Peter was probably was the most adorable. He had that "boyish charm" that made her smile every time she saw him. Actually Eiden got that response from her as well but she put it down to his awesome bartender skills. And maybe the accent that seldom showed itself. She was a sucker for men with accents. Anyway, she had managed to find a group of people she enjoyed spending any free time she had with and that was awesome in itself.
 
"Are you going to kill me if I actually make you one?" Eiden asked challenging to Bonnie while making everyone's drinks and handing them out. He loved his job, because he met so many different people from it. Some people started to talk about their families while they were drunk and others talked about how they got dumped recently, well most people simply talked about whatever had happened in their life. Even though some people became bothersome, a lot of people were fun to listen too. And most important, he met his best friends by working in that bar. Even though he would rather become a musician he still didn't want to quit his job since he liked meeting both strangers and his friends there. It wasn't like he had given up on the music though, he played sometimes now and then when he weren't working.
 
Bonnie leaned forward on the counter, "I'd do more than kill you if I got anything weaker than whisky." Though Bonnie had only recently come of age to drink, like most other people, she'd already had her fair share. It had became apparent very quickly that she had a stomach for booze. When Peter was drunk after a couple shots, she hardly felt tipsy. And as a girl who like the lulled, fuzzy feeling being shit-faced gave her, she always ended up drinking. A lot. It was the same with coffee. She could drink cup after cup and feel the same, and expreso even made her more tired. Peter often joked with her, as she downed things synonymous with hardy cowboys, "You gotta drink hardcore to be hardcore." To which she would always reply, "Metal to the bone."
Peter crossed his eyes in response to Loraine, and continued to make childish faces, "You don't like my face? Is this one better? How about this?" He started to giggle so he cut the crap, "You look nice. Boss-lady hasn't made you pull out your hair yet I see."
 
Loraine accepted her drink gratefully. "You're a mess," she laughed. "Oh no, that is not going to happen. She can do whatever she wants but I am not about to go crazy trying to please her. I am far too old for all that." She took a sip of her drink and shook her head. It was amazing, as always. She started to sway in her chair to a song that started in her head. It was an inevitable reaction to that amazing blend of ginger ale and ice cream. Loraine took another sip, humming over the straw a song she remembered from a couple years back. The name escaped her, but she knew some of the words. She kind of felt like singing, but it was a little to early for all that. Decent little drinks like that were just enough to get her excited without all the side-affects of alcoholic drinks. Besides, she was a woman of class and style, she didn't have time for all that. Bonnie managed to drink enough to make-up for her lack anyhow.
 
Eiden laughed melodic when Bonnie warned him. Or threatened him depending on how you looked at it. "What if I give you a whiskey with a pink parasol. Would you only half kill me then?" He asked as he gave her a whiskey. His Swedish Accent shined through a bit, but he didn't feel embarrassed over it as long as it was around his friends.
 
Smiling at the conversations that were bouncing about, Yin enjoyed listening quietly in the background. She took out her camera again, this time making sure to hide it. She flipped through the pictures trying to stifle in her giggles every time a funny photo showed up. She often took pictures, sometimes too much every now and then. She liked the fact that her friends didn't mind her taking so many, it was her favorite hobby to do besides baking that is. But there is one person she didn't have a photo of in her camera, and that was Eiden. He was part of the group but she never really took it upon herself to take one of him. It felt too intruding, being as she hardly talked to him unless everyone else was around. This time though, she felt like it was time to break that wall and start to know Eiden a little bit more. Starting at first, with a photo of course.
"Eiden," Yin said in a singsong like voice, "I realized, I have no pictures of you. Heh." She raised her camera up slowly and angled it toward him. Putting on an innocent face she said sweetly, "I know you know me as a camera whore, but I must have at least one. Though, before you make up your mind if I'm allowed to do so, be reminded that I am actually warning you that I'm going to take one instead of my infamous off-guard shots." She smirked after she said that and waited for a response.
 
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