It had already been a long night for Casey and she was ready to get off her feet and go home. Unfortunately, the clock on the wall reminded her she still had 3 hours left on her shift. So, with a deep breath, she went about wiping down the bar and emptying the overflowed ashtrays. Casey had been working at the same bar for almost 8 years now. She had seen many people come and go, heard many sob stories, and had even played taxi cab on a few occasions.
But, one person always stuck out in her mind. His name was Billy Tanner, and he had, at one point, been the love of her life. Casey and Billy met one night when the bar was hosting a pool tournament. Billy won first place and walked out that night, not only with a trophy and $10,000 prize money, but with Casey on his arm, as well. They proceeded to have a very steamy, very violatile 4 year relationship, until one day, things just stopped being interesting.
The sex had become boring and the conversation redundant, and soon, Casey and Billy parted ways. It was on nights like this that Casey missed Billy, often wondering what had become of him. Had he accomplished his dream of becoming a world famous pool player? Or had he just settled into life, perhaps even marrying and having a couple children.
Just then, someone played their song. The song that Billy and Casey fucked to for the first time. Casey froze for a moment and scanned the bar, trying desperately to find the person who had just played J-13, also known as, Push, by Matchbox 20.
There was no luck in finding the person, everyone was either seated and drinking, or at the pool tables across the bar. Casey suddenly came face to face with the past, there was Billy, seated on the last bar stool, at the end of the bar.
"The person you're looking for is right here, baby," he said, giving a half cocky grin.
"Oh my God, Billy Tanner, I was just thinking about you," she said, wide eyed and grinning, "What brings you round here after all this time?"
"Well, I'm competing in a pool tournament about 20 miles down the road and I thought I'd drop in here and see if I recognized anyone," he answered, flicking his cigarette into the ashtray.
Casey felt like a nervous teenager. Words escaped her and her mouth was dry as a bone. Not to mention her heart was beating like a bass drum, she felt sure she would pass out any moment. Billy looked great, even more so then he did while they were a couple.
"Can I get you something?" she asked, barely able to speak without stuttering.
"Sure, baby, slide me down one of them beers," he said, pushing the filter of his Marlboro into the stained glass ashtray.
Casey's hands were shaking and her heart was still racing, but somehow, she managed to pour Billy's beer into a mug and slide it down to him.
"So," he said, "Have you replaced me yet?"
"I was wondering the same thing about you. I wondered if you had achieved your pool player dreams or had you just settled into marriage and fatherhood," she said, walking down to the end of the bar.
"No, no marriage, no kids, not that I know of," he said, grinning and sipping his Budweiser, "How bout you?"
"Well, definitely no marriage and no kids, not even a boyfriend, pretty sad huh?" she asked, wiping down the bar.
"Not sad at all, just means the door is wide open for me," he said.
"Oh, is that right?" she asked, grinning at him.
"Yeah, that's right, baby, I always did regret losing you," he answered.
Casey looked down at the bar, unsure of what her next words should be. She nervously wiped down the bar, wanting to say so much to Billy.
"It's not gonna get much cleaner, baby," he said, taking her hand and pulling the damp rag away, "What time do you get off?"
"Two, around two anyway," she answered, looking into his dark brown eyes.
"Okay, I'll be back then," he said, "Be ready, Casey, we got some catching up to do."
Two minutes later, he was gone. Casey took another long, deep breath and went to the back for a moment. She paced back and forth in the storage room, both nervous and happy that Billy had wandered back into her life.
The next few hours passed rather quickly, and true to his word, there was Billy, waiting for Casey to clock out.
"Goodnight, Ben!!" shouted Casey, "See you in three days."
"Three days?" asked Billy.
