Your heels click on the tile floor as you walk from your office. It's late and you've been burning the midnight oil again. Most of the lights on the floor are out. You push the button for the elevator. Perhaps you'll stop at the bar downstairs for a drink to unwind.
DING! The elevator door slides open. Empty. You sigh. Not like you can expect to see anyone. Human company isn't the sort of thing you can expect as a senior executive. The doors close and the elevator drops. You feel a moment of reduced weight as if falls several stories. Then, it slows, increasing your weight slightly and with another "Ding!" the doors open to the second floor.
You step out and cross the hall to the upper entrance to O'Flanahan's Pub. You enter the din of conversation and laughter. Irish music fills the air, lending to the atmosphere they try to cultivate. It's an upscale pub, the barstools have backs. You hang your overcoat across the back of the stool and take a seat.
"What'll it be?" the barkeep asks.
"Coffee and Bailey's" You might as well be wide awake if you're going to get tipsy. It's just a few seconds before it arrives. You sip it. MMmmmm, just the right blend of coffee with the creamy sweetness of Bailey's. You smile. You can feel yourself unwinding already. You relax in the atmosphere. Before you realize it, you've finished your third. Good thing you don't drive. It's nice to have a condo just a few blocks away.
"Jack and Coke, please." says a voice next to you. You look. He's cute. Dark hair, dark eyes. Roman nose. Probably Italian. Nice suit. He looks good in it.
He's over a seat or two. That's nice, no need to crowd. You smile. He looks at you and smiles back.
"Working late?" he asks with an odd tone. Is he insinuating something?
"I was, finished up my presentation for tomorrow. Just relaxing a bit before heading home."
"Oh" Is that disappointment? He must be looking for a one nighter. The two of you make idle chit-chat for a bit then as you finish your fourth Coffee and Bailey's announce, "That's it for me. Good night." You stand and put your coat on.
He finishes his drink quickly. "Can I walk you to your car?"
"Uh...you can walk me to the building I park in." Why did you say that? He smiles.
You turn and exit the bar. He follows close behind you. You press the elevator button. A few minutes pass. Your heart is beating fast, you are suddenly nervous with butterflies in the pit of your stomach.
The elevator dings and a couple exits after the doors open. You and your new friend enter and hit the button for the lobby. The elevator doors close.