Erin walked up to the bar, gently, shyly, nervously. Behind it, a tall, broad, and muscular young man stood, wiping the inside of a glass. His blue eyes and brown hair seemed like a mismatch, as did his orange bow tie. Erin knew that she needed this bartender's number to get out of this situation, and that anything less would only further her humiliation.
"Evening, miss, love the outfit!" The man said, cheerfully, not seeming to care that she was dressed like an anime slut - just with fewer undergarments. "What can I get for you?"
"Oh!" She said in actual surprise, "you like it?"
"Totally. Looks great! You hear for Folsom?"
"I guess, indirectly," she mused. "But I'm actually here to get your number." And with that she flashed him a cautious smile. "Or your name for starters."
She had always found that the direct approach worked well with men, and it would certainly save her time.
"Haha, well I'm quite flattered, but I'm taken." He replied, his deep voice echoing all the way to the table where the rest of the party sat spectating rather conspicuously.
"Taken?!?" Erin exclaimed, "but my... *friend*... said that you were single!" Her eyes betraying her as she glanced back towards the table. As she did so, the spectators went back to chatting and averting their eyes, attempting to remain unnoticed.
"Oh. Well I guess you caught me. Haha," he replied awkwardly, "I am single. That was just an excuse. But the answer is still no."
"Well, you haven't given me a chance yet, and you already mentioned that you liked the way I looked," she retorted playfully, not willing to accept rejection, nor give up, so easily.
"Babe, you are a looker, especially wearing what you are, but I just don't play around with married folks," he spoke bluntly.
Erin screamed internally, realizing that she was trying to flirt with this man while wearing her wedding band and engagement ring. She kicked herself for forgetting to take it off with the rest of her clothing. To be fair... why would she have taken it off earlier? She wasn't trying to cheat on Austin or hide anything from him - she just needed a way out of San Francisco and a fresh set of clothes.
"Oh, no," she said weakly as she played with the ring in an attempt to remove it. "I'm not married, this is from a friend." Her mind was racing for ideas to use as an excuse. "And my ring finger on my right hand is just abnormally small - so it didn't fit." She managed to rip the rings off her finger and pocket them.
"How nice of your friend to get you such a big diamond," the bloke responded.
"Yeah, she's a great friend," Erin meekly replied, hoping to salvage what was left of a botched attempt. "Listen, what do I have to do to... at least get your name, or your number?"