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talking about films again. Had he changed his mind? Did he think twenty-two was too young? Perhaps he was bored and had simply asked out the first gay guy he’d met since moving to Brighton?
    Nathan tried to push paranoid thoughts away. Thinking like that wouldn’t help. It was hard not to, however. He didn’t realize how very easy casual sex had been, hooking up with guys with little more than two words said. You got what you wanted and it was over. Easy as pie. But he was bored of that; he’d wanted to go on an actual date and have conversation.
    So… here he was! On a date. And Nathan didn’t have a clue what to do. He just wished Auryn would give him some kind of sign. He suspected the guy was shyer than he let on, but shyness wasn’t an invitation to jump in his lap. Until A Bar Tender Tale | Melanie Tushmore 65
    Nathan got some sort of indication, he didn’t want to risk getting knocked back.
    One positive outcome was that Auryn paid for dinner.
    He practically insisted Nathan didn’t spend a penny. If he was a solicitor, he was bound to have more money than Nathan’s meager wages brought in, so Nathan didn’t mind. It was nice to be treated for once, even if he wasn’t sure where this left them.
    A negative outcome was Auryn brought up Gary again.
    He made a joke suggesting that if he rang Gary and told him to wait at the end of George Street, they could throw the remainder of dinner down the short road to him. Nathan was at a loss to reply. He almost expected Auryn to suggest they go back to The Jury’s after they left.
    That was the last thing Nathan wanted to do.
    He stood on St. James Street in the early evening light and waited. When Auryn came out to join him, he wasn’t carrying a takeaway bag like Nathan had been expecting. He asked if Nathan fancied trying that new bar at the bottom of the road, the one with the themed décor and mood lighting.
    So now they were going for a drink? That was another positive outcome, right? Nathan was still confused, but of course he said yes. The new bar was called Adonis and was quite obviously gay. It had a plaster-cast imitation of a Greek statue in the window and was boldly decorated in red and silver tones with voluptuous seating.
    There was nothing like sitting in a new bar, before the seats got totally ruined. Nathan ran his hand over the plush velvet of the booth he sat in and thought that the new owners must be very brave to splash out on expensive covers A Bar Tender Tale | Melanie Tushmore 66
    like these. The bar was quiet, but it was early on a midweek evening. The music they played was ambient dub, a welcome change from the pounding pop music Nathan was usually subjected to in Kemp Town.
    Auryn returned to their seat with a pitcher of Long Island Iced Tea and two glasses. Nathan wasn’t sure what to expect from tonight, but if he drank enough of that cocktail, his impatient libido might steer the course.
    This had to be a good sign, surely? Auryn had to like him if he wanted to sit here after dinner, drinking in a gay bar . But he still hadn’t made a move. Maybe he was just shy?
    That left it up to Nathan to flirt.
    Well, why not? Surely this was worth taking a shot at?
    Right!
    Auryn asked him about drinks and tried to have a normal conversation while Nathan attempted to give him the eye. He asked about Nathan’s work and if he made cocktails the way they did in the Tom Cruise film. Nathan laughed, his flirting momentarily forgotten while he described his best efforts at glass throwing ended up in black eyes for his colleagues at best and a lot of smashed glass on the floor at worst.
    It was easy to laugh and make jokes with Auryn, but Nathan began to feel frustrated at their lack of progress in anything else. He drank quickly to take the edge off. Nathan didn’t usually need alcoholic assistance with flirting, but he did tonight. He didn’t really get much chance to drink these A Bar Tender Tale | Melanie Tushmore 67
    days, and that sinfully