It was a regular Wednesday night for most people. The May air was unseasonably warm, and all over the city couples took advantage of the pleasant night to go out. A light breeze carried the salty smell of the ocean with it, blowing gently across the streets.
It wasn't a regular night for Melody, however. It was a night of celebration. It was the night that marked the end of Melody's time at college. After four years of studying elementary education, she had submitted the final draft of her bachelor's thesis that very afternoon. Almost ninety thousand in debt, more expensive books than she knew what to do with, and no semblance of a social life later, she had finally reached the end of her student years. Of course, the thesis might get rejected—which she doubted—or they discovered she was missing some credits—which she was sure she didn't—but overall, the brunt of her work was completed.
To celebrate this momentous event, Melody's best friend, Grace, dragged her out to a bar. Melody had whined and complained a lot, at first, but Grace kept badgering her until she relented. Grace's overall motto had been: "You've been cooped up in your apartment for way too long, you need some serious dicking to relieve all that stress."
Melody didn't necessarily disagree with that. She had taken her studies seriously, and that left her with very little time to, as Grace liked to call it, "slut around." Grace, who graduated with the same major a year before Melody, had no such problems. It seemed like there wasn't a week that went by where Grace didn't gush about her latest conquests.
Their destination on that Wednesday night was The Curfew, a moderately upscale bar in their neighborhood. Despite Grace's motives, Melody wasn't planning to be there to pick up guys. She just wanted a nice, quiet night, with her best friend, getting drunk to celebrate to end of her school years, and the start of her career.
It felt like decades since the last time Melody had dressed up to go out, but fortunately, her friend was there to help. Grace picked out sexy, black briefs, and a scandalously short, midnight blue miniskirt. The outfit was completed by a white tank top, and a denim jacket, just in case the night turned out to be colder than anticipated.
According to Grace, wearing a bra was a mortal sin, and there was no way Melody would ever manage it in life if she kept hiding "those puppies." At some point, Melody gave up arguing, and just let Grace take over completely. It wasn't that she was ashamed of her body, but she didn't have the time to go to the gym as much as she liked. Months of neglect, combined with a love for cheap junk food, had left her with a body that was more plump than fit. Grace insisted that she was curvaceous, and that guys would go crazy over her large tits, but Melody envied her friend's slim, toned physique.
The one thing Melody truly loved about herself was her long, waist length, ash blonde hair. She took good care of it, spending more money than she should have on excellent products. It was smooth, and when the sun hit it just right, even shimmered. To her, it was worth the additional time every day. Grace, on the other hand, kept hers short: "So those brats can't pull on it."
After they finished dressing up for the bar, Melody thought she looked more like an expensive hooker than a soon-to-be respectable elementary teacher. Grace had even forced three inch heels on her, completing the look. Her friend's outfit was much simpler, and consisted of skinny jeans, and a simple, red, sleeveless blouse. Covering Grace's dark curls was a knitted beanie. Melody's mother had knitted it as a Christmas present three years ago.
During the short drive to the bar, the male Uber driver snuck more than one obvious glance at the two of them, and Melody wondered what he must have been thinking. Probably that he had just been giving a ride to two high end hookers. He dropped them off in front of The Curfew, and Melody caught him staring at her ass when she exited the SUV. She actually enjoyed the attention, and discovered how much she had missed the dating life.
"So, have you changed your mind yet about wanting to hook up?" asked Grace, standing in front of the brick facade of the bar.
"No, I'd much rather have a quiet night out," Melody insisted, although she was less sure of that than before.
Grace shrugged, and responded, "Are you sure? That Uber guy was checking you out the entire time."
"How do you know he wasn't looking at you?" Melody countered.
"Honey, he wasn't looking at my ass when I got out of the car." As if to emphasize her point, Grace quickly pinched Melody's ass, causing her to yelp.
"Hey!" she protested. "What's gotten into you?"
"Dressed up like you are, I feel like I'm kinda your pimp, tonight," Grace giggled.
"You are most definitely not."
"Just watch out, or I'm gonna sell you to the first guy who asks. Five bucks for your pussy, ten for your ass."
"I told you, I'm not interested in 'slutting around' tonight. I just wanna get hammered, ok?"
"Speaking of, let's go."
They entered The Curfew, and Melody looked around the joint. She'd been in the bar a few times before, although not nearly as often as Grace. The place was dimly lit, providing a rather cozy atmosphere. The bar took up most of one side of the room, providing ample seating space at the counter. For a Wednesday night, it was actually pretty full, but on any other night it would have been considered empty. Soft jazz music played in the background, softening the buzz of conversation.
"Hey, D," Grace greeted the bartender.
The bartender, Dustin, was an older gentlemen, in every sense of the word. He co-owned The Curfew, and had been serving drinks for longer than Melody lived in the city. As far as she was aware, Dustin had worked in the bar his entire life. Well dressed, well kempt, with graying hair, he greeted the two of us with a cheerful smile.
"Nice to see ya again, girls. The usual?"
Melody was surprised he even remembered her, but attributed it to the virtue of being friends with Grace—popular by association. She didn't even remember herself what she had ordered the last time.
"Yeah," announced Grace.
"No," disagreed Melody. "I'd like a pina colada."
"And a double rainbow for each of us," added Grace. "We're celebrating tonight."
Melody didn't even have time to ask what the hell a double rainbow was supposed to be, and decided to just let herself be surprised. Grace seemed to be making all the decisions anyway, she might as well make another one.
"Oh? What's the occasion?"
"Melody here just finished college," revealed Grace. As she talked, she grabbed me by the shoulders, and turned me towards Dustin. If it had been anybody but her, I would have assumed it was innocent, but the way she pressed into my back, making me subtly push out my tits was no accident. Fortunately, Dustin truly was a gentleman, and pretended not to notice.
"Oh that's wonderful," he boomed with a genuine smile, reminding Melody of her own grandfather. "Congratulations!"
"Thank you," squeaked Melody.
"Your rainbows are on me," he announced grandly.
"Thanks, D, you're the best."
Dustin turned around, pulling bottles off the shelf, and the two women went off, searching for a place to sit. There were many options available, and they ultimately settled on the stools at the end of the bar. It was far away from everyone else, and the closest thing to a private booth the bar offered.
Melody's heels tapped softly on the carpeted floor, and she admired the rows of colorful bottles standing behind the bar. She took the second-to-last stool available, just around the corner of the counter, with a great overview of the entire bar, and the doors to the bathrooms at her back. Grace sat down on the other side of the corner, and it was like they had their own little private table between them.
"Here's your double rainbow," announced Dustin, who had finished the drinks in record speed, and placed two tall, thin glasses on the counter.
"Cheers, D," thanked him Grace, while Melody marvelled at the mixture.
The glasses were filled with an incredible array of colors. At the bottom was a layer of red, followed by orange, yellow, including all the colors of the rainbow, until it finally ended with a layer of purple, topped by a dash of whipped cream. Melody dragged one glass closer, inspecting the veritable work of art.
"Wow," was all she managed to comment.
