I woke up to the sound of mumbled voices and a soft grumbling sound coming from the kitchen next door. My alarm clock on the bedside table next to me read that it was only a little passed nine in the morning. I slowly untangled myself from my sheets and stretched myself out of the bed. I was only wearing an overly large dark grey t-shirt, that fell off my shoulders, and underwear to bed, so I quickly put on a pair of black tracksuit pants before leaving my room.

I walked out of the room and was almost blinded by the light coming in from the opened windows and quickly rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, before stepping into the kitchen.

Emmett and Burney were in the kitchen, Burney was at the stove while Emmett was busying himself with plates, mugs and cutlery.

"Good morning," Emmett said. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes, please!" I yawned.

He poured me a cup of coffee and handed it over to me.

"Two sugars?"

"Just how you like it," he responded almost immediately.

"You know, you're the best thing to happen to this world, nay the universe!" I exclaimed as I brought he mug to my lips to take a sip.

"I know," he laughed. "I can't believe you used the word 'nay'."

"Neither can I," I laughed.

"Hey, Ali!" Burney shouted over his shoulder. "Are you okay with a big breakfast this morning? I'm making, eggs, bacon, sausages, mushroom... just the works," he asked. My stomach grumbled in response.

"I will eat anything and everything!"

"I told you," Emmett said.

"I just wanted to confirm," Burney responded, with a shrug of his shoulders. He began flipping something in the pan.

"Did you need any help?" I asked.

"No, I'm all good. My mother's Jewish, so if she ever found out someone was helping me cook, she'd kill me," He said over his shoulder and I laughed. It wasn't until now that I realised, he was wearing a 'kiss the cook' apron. The sizzling of the stove grew louder as he placed bacon onto the stove.

"I'm surprised Zac isn't awake yet," Burney said, but just as he said it, a loud thud came from the back of the house, followed by the sound of running footsteps until Zac appeared in the kitchen.

"I smell bacon," Zac said, his eyes half closed as if he was still half asleep. He wore his white t-shirt and grey sweatpants. His brown hair stood up in all places on his head. God, he was really beautiful. I don't think I've ever classified a guy as beautiful before, but he was.

Emmett and Burney laughed.

"He's like a Rottweiler," Emmett laughed.

"Really? I saw him more as a German Sheppard," Burney added and the two of them laughed.

"Ha ha, very funny!" Zac responded. He walked further into the kitchen and went straight to Burney, cooking at the stove.

"I've got everything, Zac. Eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, even pancakes," Burney listed again, making Zac's face light up.

"I fucking love you, Bernard Gad, like so fucking much!" Zac whined, wiping away fake tears.

"I know, I know!" Burney smiled and swatted Zac in the arm with his spatula when he picked a piece of bacon from the pan.

"Coffee," Emmett stated, handing Zac a mug.

"I fucking love you, Emmett Reid, I love you so fucking much!" he laughed again as he took the mug and took a sip. Emmett only stood there shaking his head with a small smile.

Zac turned to me next, his eyes travelled my body before stopping at my face, making me nervous. His smile from earlier almost disappeared when he looked at me. He noticeably swallowed, and his jaw was bouncing underneath his skin.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said and leaned on the marble island I sat at, leaning on his elbows, with his coffee raised to his mouth. I could feel my face heat up when he called me beautiful.

He smelt really good, like rain and mint mixed with the coffee in the room.

"How did you sleep?" A smile pinched up at one of his sides, revealing a dimple.

"Fine and how about you?" I asked. I tried to keep my tone light.

"Like a log," his smile grew wider. He looked directly into my eyes and it was only then that I realised his eyes were the strangest shade of blue, with grey intertwined. He was honestly the most beautiful guy I had ever seen, and it hurt me to think that he would never be interested in someone like me. I could feel my face and chest getting even hotter with every second passing of our unspoken staring contest, the heat rising from my neck.

"Ali, can you help with the plates please?" Emmett asked, causing me to break our eye contact.

"Of course." I hopped off of the stool and quickly grabbed as many plates and cutlery as I could and brought them to the table, grateful for the distraction.

"Does anyone want juice as well or a top up on coffee?" Emmett asked, bringing out some plates of food.

"Both please!" I said, after setting up the table.

"You can get the juice and I'll do your coffee."

I went to the fridge and got a bottle of orange juice out, but as soon as I closed the door to the fridge, Zac stood in front of me, almost too close.

He coughed in his throat. "I'll take the juice and you can get the cups."

I nodded, and quickly moved away from him to a cabinet I thought had the cups in it and collected four glasses.

"Alright everyone. Dig in," Burney said, finishing up on putting the plates full of food onto the table.

Emmett handed me my coffee and we all took our places at the table and dug in.

I was already on my second plate of food before Burney interrupted me.

"You weren't lying, Emmett," Burney laughed.

"What?" I said with my mouth full, looking between the two boys.

"I told him that you could eat," Emmett said with an apologetic smile.

"Piss off!" I laughed. "I love breakfast food."

"I told him that too," Emmett continued.

"So, Ali, what have you got on for today?" Zac asked, he was also finishing off his second plate.

"I don't know, I may need to get clothes ready for work tomorrow night, but I would like to start looking for a car..." I looked towards Emmett, hinting at something. He laughed.

"I will take you to look for a car and I'll even throw in a little Emmett help!" Emmett said, causing me to giggle.

"Thank you!"

"Have you guys got any plans for today?" I added, swallowing the last of my coffee. I looked between the guys for a response.

"I'm doing whatever you're doing!" Emmett said.

"I have to complete an assignment," Burney added, pouting his bottom lip out.

"I have work at 12," Zac said, sharing a look with Burney and they both pouted together.

"Where do you work?" I turned to Zac.

He looked at the two other boys before answering. "I work at a Pharmacy," he said, a matter of factly. He kept his head down, so his brown hair fell across his forehead.

"How long have you been working there?" I asked, finishing off the last on my plate.

"Two years now I think," he laughed, shrugging his shoulders.

I smiled a tight smile at him. He smiled back at me for a brief second before he looked away.

"So, what is for dinner tonight?" Zac looked between the three of us. "I strongly believe we should get pizza!"

"You're literally the only person that I know who can eat a massive meal, like this, and still wonder what is going to be for the next meals to come," Burney laughed.

"I'm a hungry person," He shrugged.

"Okay, Ali," Emmett said, getting up and collecting the plates. "Start getting ready and then we can head out in an hour to look at some cars, okay?"

"Okay," I responded almost immediately with a grin and after placing my own plate at the sink, I practically ran towards my bedroom.

After putting on a quick application of makeup and choosing loose fitting black balloon pants, a polka dot shirt and converse sneakers on, I was ready to go. I put my hair into a ponytail on the top of my head and quickly looked in the mirror before I left to ensure I looked okay before grabbing my handbag and leaving the room to meet Emmett at the front door.

Emmett and I went to a couple different used car lots nearby, one place in particular only sold monster trucks, which Emmett suggested I wouldn't look too bad driving. After we looked for cars, we ended up going shopping for a little, but we ended up coming home empty handed.

"All I'm saying is that, you have an ass built for a truck," Emmett laughed.

"That is so not funny," I tried to contain a smile, but I broke when he continued to laugh. I sat at the island in the kitchen that I've become so familiar with, while Emmett made us a cup of coffee. "I would look good in a monster truck," I smiled, then grabbed my cup of coffee from Emmett with a smile.

"Are you excited about work tomorrow?" He asked, as he took a seek next to me.

"Surprisingly, yes."

"What time do you start?"

"I start at six."

"And what time do you finish?"

"I finish at two in the morning."

"Just try not to wake me up, okay?"

I laughed. "Only if you make me breakfast in the morning!"

"I think you'll be the one who has to make breakfast for me," he laughed. "Seeing as you're already up."

"Do you want breakfast at three in the morning?" I challenged.

"No," he smiled with his coffee to his mouth.

"Then shut up," I laughed again. I was worried that with me moving in, Emmett and I would become different towards each other, like maybe he would resent me for interfering in his personal life, but from today, I see nothing has changed between our friendship from when we lived next door to now living together.

I finished the last of my drink.

"I need to shower," I said, walking to the sink to wash my cup. "Thank you for taking me today."

"Not a problem," Emmett said, picking up a discarded newspaper left on the bench. "There towels in the first door at the back of the corridor." Emmett pointed down the far corridor to my room.

I walked to my room and gathered my shower supplies and put them into the bathroom that Emmett and I shared before walking down to the corridor to grab a couple towels and went to have a shower.

The shower was large, much larger than what I was used to living back at home. I tipped my hair back under the water and drowned my thoughts.

I washed my hair thoroughly and shaved, planning a to-do-list for work tomorrow and letting all the tension of the move to be washed away. By the time I was done, the sun had set leaving the bathroom settling in a soft light. I used one towel to dry myself off and wrapped it around myself like a strapless dress and used another towel to dry my hair.

I poked my head put of the door.

"Emmett?" I called and after a second later I decided that he wasn't there anymore.

I grabbed one too many towels and decided to put them back into the closet. I padded down the hallway, feeling a couple droplets from my hair fall around me. I saw a faint light at the end of the hallway and realised it wasn't Emmett's room, but the room at the end of the back corridor. I continued walking until I was at Zac's bedroom, his door left half open.

I put the left-over towels in the closet and leaned out to take a peek into the room.

Zac lay in his bed, wearing only grey sweatpants low on his hips, his chest bare. My heart skipped a beat as my eyes ranked over him. He had black beats covering his ears a soft hum came from music playing, his eyes down casted to something in his hand. He was reading a book. He held the book with the back half curled to show only one page, his other hand rested behind his head. The faint light I saw was a bedside lamp and it painted a very nice glow against his caramel skin.

His room was similar to mine, only his bed faced the front of the house, but it was hard to focus on anything else in the room when Zac was there.

I took a step closer, to peer deeper into the room to see what book he was reading, but when I did the floor creaked and Zac's eyes snapped up from his book to inspect the sound, or maybe it was because I was basically halfway through his door now.

He put his book aside and got up from his bed.

I tried to stop my eyes from wandering from his stare, but my eyes quickly dragged his body up and down.

He stopped at his door and raised his hand to put against the door. His eyes quickly dragged down my body that was naked apart from the towel, and my hair was down, soaking my shoulders and the top of the towel. My heart felt as if it was in my throat, it was beating so hard. His eyes ranked up my body and stared into my eyes.

He slammed the door in my face, leaving me breathless.

I woke up refreshed. Feeling more at home now, than what I did yesterday. After putting on some pants, I went to the kitchen and found Emmett packing a lunch in the kitchen.

"What time is it?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"It's a little past nine," He spoke, his mouth crunching into an apple.

"Where is everyone?" I spoke, putting on the kettle.

"I think Zac's at work and Burney's at university," he spoke, placing his lunch into his bag.

"I've got to go, Ali. I would offer you breakfast, but I've got to go to uni," Emmett continued, strapping his backpack around his shoulders and picking up another bag at the door.

"Are you still okay to drop me off at work later?" I asked quickly.

"Of course! I'll see you before five."

I shouted a quick goodbye as he was leaving and listened as his truck roared to life and drove away.

I made my coffee and brought it to my bed to drink while I watched a movie on Netflix. I planned my outfit for work tonight and let my hair out of its bun to airdry before straightening it.

By midday I had glossy pin straight hair that fell almost to my hip and by the afternoon I was starting on my makeup. I decided to do a dark eye with a bright lip, trying to make a good impression for my first full shift working at the Bar.

I went to the kitchen to hunt for something to eat and heated up left over pizza from last night. After what happened last night with Zac slamming the door in my face, having dinner was very quiet. We all took a share of pizza on plates to separate parts of the house.

Halfway through eating at the island, Burney came home.

"You look gorgeous," he said, as he went to the fridge to get a bottle of water.

"Thank you," I smiled.

"Were you at university today?" I asked to make conversation.

"Yes," he said.

"What are you studying?"

"I'm studying to be a nurse. It's hard work, but I love it."

"How often are you at uni?"

"I'm there four full days in the week, but sometimes I like to go there just to study," he said. "You'll soon know why I do after you live here for a while," he laughs a silent joke to himself. Before I could ask what he meant, the door opens and Zac comes in.

"Hey guys," he says, before seeing my plate. "Yum," he says, taking a piece of my pizza.

"Hey!" I yelped, pushing him away with my hand, and we laughed.

I noticed he was wearing a light blue buttoned up shirt with his name written on a nametag.

"How was work?" I asked, watching him finish the rest of the pizza, and I slide my last slice towards him.

"Okay." He took the seconded piece gladly. "The shift went quickly which is great," he laughed, and I smiled with him.

His laugh made me stop where I was to stare at him.

I left the kitchen area to get changed in my room when I saw the clock in the kitchen; Emmett should be home any minute.

I chose a black lacy bra under a t-shirt with whole strategically in the right places, and my tight black jeans that shaped my hips. The dress code was all black, but the last time I was there the dress code seemed lenient. I put on my black heeled boots and put my hair up into a tight ponytail when I heard the front door open.

I stepped out and saw Emmett at the front door.

"Five on the dot," I laughed at Emmett.

He placed his bag down at the front door and looked me up and down.

"Jesus, Ali!" He said shielding his eyes with his hands. "Couldn't you wear a singlet underneath or something?"

I laughed, but a slight hitch in my laugh caused his eyebrows to pull together.

"What?" he responded almost immediately.

"Is it too much?" I asked with my hands out.

"It's okay," he shrugged.

I groaned. "Leave in ten?"

"Sure," he said before heading to the kitchen.

I put on my leather jacket and grabbed my bag and headed out the front to Emmett's car. Emmett came out and jumped into the front seat and we headed off. The Bar wasn't far away, only a couple blocks away. Before I knew it, Emmett came to a stop at the front of the Bar.

"Alright, here you are," Emmett said. "That'll be fourteen dollars," he joked with a smug smile."

"Put it on my tab," I joked back. "Thank you for driving."

"See you at two?" he asked.

"Yes, please, if that's okay?" I asked, reluctantly. I would be fine if he said no and I had to walk, but if there was another alternative then that would be good.

"Sure, I'll be at the front a little after three."

I gave him a quick smile before jumping down from his truck. The front door already had a bouncer at it, a tall, muscular man with dark long hair tied up. He seemed almost taller than Emmett.

"Hey, I'm Ali," I spoke to the bouncer. "I'm a new bartender."

"I heard about you," he smiled, his eyes were kind. "I'm Koby, I'm the bouncer."

He stepped aside from the large black doors and opened one to let me in.

Th Bar was a large bar. The first thing you see when you walk inside is the large dance floor. To the left was a small strip of bar and at the back was a larger bar; both had black stools lined against the two bars. At the far back left was four pool tables and to the right was tables and chairs. The Bar already had a couple people inside with drinks; a small group were playing around the pool table.

"Hi lovely, how are you?" A lady with striking features asked. She picked up a spray bottle and a rag. She was wearing what appeared to be a black leather corset that accentuated her breasts and her long blond hair was curled around her shoulders to her waist. She looked as if she was in her early thirties.

"I'm good, thank you!" I smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm great," she giggled. "You must be Alison, our new hired bartender."

"Just Ali please," I smiled, taking her outstretched hand and shaking. I remembered seeing her when I was training here, but I never spoke to her.

"Well, hi Ali, I'm Stevie Rae, but just Stevie is fine," she smiled broadly. It was only then that I could hear she had a southern accent.

"I'm the manager at the Bar so I'll be in the back-office majority of the time that we're open. Follow me, lovely," She smiled and started walking towards to the largest bar that stripped the back of space.

She gave me a quick run through of where everything was, I dropped off my jacket and bag into the employee locker room and reminded me of the location of the drinks. Every employee that we passed she gave me a quick introduction and I waved at them quickly.

"We'll start you off at the smaller bar for tonight and you'll slowly work your way are to the larger bar," she smiled. "The smaller bar doesn't get as busy, but it's a start. After a while of working there, you can work your way up to the larger bar." She leaned into me as she walked. "The large bar gets the best tips."

She walked behind the smaller bar to where another employee was.

"Hey Maddie, this is our new bartender, Ali," she said between the both of us. The music was much louder here and I could feel the bass in my chest. "Ali, this is Maddie."

Maddie was cleaning some cup and leaving them on a rack to dry.

"Hi Ali, it's nice to meet you."

Maddie was very pretty. Her black lace top shaped her slim figure and was able to show off her tanned skin. Her short brown hair was curly and bouncy in a half up half down style. The ends of her hair stopped just below her ear and a small silver stud glistened in her nose.

Stevie turned to me. "Maddie is very good at her job and she'll be helping you if you need anything. She usually works the large bar, but for today she'll assist with you." She came in closer to me. "Cute top, by the way, but tits get tips." She giggled.

"Don't be a stranger, Ali" Stevie smiled and talked to Maddie before walking away to her office at the back.

"If someone asks you for a drink, serve them, but generally whoever is on your half of the bar is yours. You trained here, didn't you?" Maddie asked, she had a hard voice, but her smile was sweet.

"Yeah, but only once."

"If you need any help, just give me a shout..." her eyes wondered my body. "Didn't Stevie tell you that tits sell tips," she laughed.

"Yeah, just now," I smiled with her.

"Apparently, the more skin you show, the more tips you get." She smiled.

"I'm shocked," I said with sarcasm in my voice and I laughed.

"Hmm, you seem like you'd be fun to work with."

"Thanks?"

"The last couple new people we got in were so boring and they could never handle the heat of being a bartender." She looked my body up and down. "Can you handle the heat?"

"Yes," I said with more confidence than I felt and turned to see a customer taking a seat in front of me.

The girls and I walked out with Koby at our side. The night was cold, and we all clutched our jackets to our body. I met two other girls who work at the Bar, Mia and Holly, and we were chatting on the way to the cars. The employee parking was down the side of the Bar and Koby dropped us off before he walked me to the front of the Bar where Emmett was waiting in his truck.

"How was your first night?" He asked.

"It was great." And it was. The smaller bar did not get as busy as the larger bar, but it was busy. I dropped two bottles when doing a few tricks, but nothing shattered which I thought was a win.

Emmett walked me to the passenger door and waved at Emmett when he shut the door behind me.

"Thanks, Koby!" I shouted.

"See you tomorrow." He said before he shut my door.

"He seemed nice," Emmett said, driving off.

"He is," I laughed.

"How was work?"

"Great, I only dropped two bottles," I said making him laugh.

"That ten less than the last time you worked."

When we got home, Emmett said how tired he was and went straight to bed. My ears were ringing from the loud music and I smelt horrible from working, so I took a quick shower before heading to bed.

When I woke up Saturday morning, I felt as if I had been kicked by a truck. Starting work every night at six and finishing at two in the morning really took the energy out of me. I could hear talking and small humming of voices in the kitchen and went out to see who was there. All three boys stood in the kitchen and began clapping and cheering as soon as I walked into the kitchen.

"You owe me ten dollars," Emmett said to Zac, sipping his coffee and leaning against the counter.

"Why does he owe you ten dollars?" I asked, walking straight to the coffee machine.

"It's past ten," Zac said, sipping his own coffee.

I looked at Emmett with confusion on my face.

"We bet when you would wake up," Emmett laughed, responding to my unanswered question. "I bet you would wake up past ten," he continued.

"I bet you couldn't wake up until past twelve," Zac added.

"I didn't bet at all," Burney said with his hands up in the air as if he was about to be arrested.

"What time is it?" I asked, taking a sip of my coffee.

"Fifteen minutes past," Zac said and then laughed. "I like what you're wearing."

I looked down at my bare legs and realised that I forgot to put on my track pants before leaving my bedroom. I stood in the kitchen, making my coffee in only a loose t-shirt and underwear.

"More like, I like what you're not wearing," He laughed, smiling around his mug.

"Oh, shut up," I smiled and could feel my chest and neck heat up.

"Are you working tonight as well?" Burney asked.

"Yes."

I talked about working last night with the boys as we drank out coffee, leaning on the counter.

"I need a shower," I said, taking my coffee into the bathroom with me as I quickly showered.

Once I was finished my shower I got changed quickly into a clean shirt and track pants and went into the living room to see Zac watching TV.

"What are you watching?" I asked and sat down next to him on the couch.

"Some animal documentary," Zac said, his eyes remained on the screen.

"Looks good," I smiled.

I watched Zac's hand, as he changed the channel.

"Tell me about yourself?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"Like what?" he asked, chuckling.

"I don't know," I said, smiling.

"Where should I start?" he asked with a goofy smile on his face.

"What is your favourite colour?" I shrugged, making his head turn back on the back of the couch and laugh.

After a moment he answered. "Green," he looked at me and paused. "Or maybe a dark gold."

I looked away and he laughed a mocking kind of laugh.

"What's your favourite colour?" he asked.

"Orange," I said without hesitation.

He huffed and looked away back at the TV

"Any siblings?" I asked, trying to keep him talking.

"An older brother," He said. "Older brother and a lot of cousins," he smiled a soft smile, as if he was remembering them fondly. "And you?"

"Three brothers. An older and two younger brothers," I said. After a moment of watching whatever channel Zac landed on. We sat in silence and I got up to get ready to eat and get ready for work.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"Bed," I said after I grabbed some leftovers. "It was nice talking to you." I went into my room.

I started to get ready for work, drying and then curling my damp hair and applying my makeup. I thought about what Stevie Rae said about my clothes and decided to wear something more revealing. I chose a black leather singlet bra that had buckles at the straps; it almost looked like a harness. It looked like something that someone who was into BDSM would wear. It made my tits look good, which was what I was aiming for. I made my hair look similar to how Stevie Rae's hair did the first night I worked, with loose curls brushed out down to my waist. I looked good. Better than what I thought.

I stepped out of the room, remembering I left my jacket on a chair in the kitchen.

"Hey," Zac said. His eyes wandered over my face and body. "You look good."

"Oh... thanks." I smiled. Heat was already building up in my chest. My heels from my thigh high boots, clicked against the floor.

As soon as Emmett got home, I jumped into his car straight away and he was already dropping me off at the Bar.

"Thanks, taxi," I said with a laugh, when I left Emmett in the car.

I smiled at Koby when I stepped inside and went straight to the employee locker to drop off my things. When I arrived back out Stevie Rae was there to greet me.

"Hey, good-looking." Her hair was in a bun tonight.

"Hey," I smiled back.

"I'm putting you on the large bar today."

"What?" I looked at her deadpanned.

"You've proved to us for the past couple nights that you can handle the small bar. Maddie said you are really good, probably one of the best we've had in a long time."

I was extremely flattered, but at the same time the nerves from being put on at the large bar was getting to me.

"Are you sure, Stevie?" After a pause she looked at me with a question in her eyes. "Putting me on the large bar," I continued.

"The only way you'll learn how to swim is if we throw you into the deep end," she smiled.

"Hey, Ali," Maddie called out as she flipped a drink.

"Hi, Maddie," I laughed and got behind the bar with her.

Her short hair was in its usual half-up-half-down, but tonight she had on silver hook earrings and a mesh top with a bright coloured bra underneath.

"Same rules as before at the small bar. Whoever sits at your side of the bar is your customer and you serve them. When everyone is served and we're not as busy, you need to clean, otherwise we'll never get out of here in time," she laughed.

The bass from the music was roaring in my chest. I watched as the bar began to fill with people, some were already noticeably drunk, and others were just beginning. The night was still young.

"Dry Martini!"

"Whiskey Sour!"

"Gimlet!"

"I need more ice!" I screamed over the music to Maddie.

"Alex! Ice now," Maddie yelled to a busboy who wore a striped shirt as their uniform and then turned to me. "Don't be afraid to ask for what you need. Ask earlier otherwise it'll be too late."

Everyone was shouting drinks and I was making them just as quickly. I felt like I was in my element. I used to work at a local bar back at home, but it wasn't as large as the Bar.

I thanked Alex when he filled up my ice and flipped one of the bottles in the air behind my back at the same time. I got a series of cheers and claps afterwards which made me smile broadly.

Halfway through my shift, my tip jar was almost full. Working half my shift at the small bar, I would have only received a quarter of the tip jar to be full.

After a quick break out the back of the Bar in the cold air, I replaced Mia from my position at the large bar.

"Carlton Dry!"

I took the cap of the beer quickly and pushed it down the table to the customer.

Maddie served one of her customers quickly and then came up to me afterwards wiping her hand on her rag. She rested against the bar and leaned towards me.

"Don't look now- "

I began tilting my head around.

"Hey! What did I just say?"

"Sorry," I laughed which made her smile.

"Don'tlook now..." She paused with her eyes wide open which made me laugh again. "But there's a gu

I tried to be subtle when I turned my head, pretending that I was putting away a bottle on the shelves behind me.

I turned my head to the side and saw the only person sitting at my bar who was staring directly at me.

He was cute, very cute. A cute ginger, as Maddie put it. His hair was an orange flame, cut short with the front of his hair styled upwards. His face was defined with high cheekbones and a defined chin. He wore a grey hoodie underneath a black denim jacket, with the sleeves of his jackets folded up. In between his hands he held a Carlton Dry beer bottle.

He smiled at me, his eyes steady and staring directly into my eyes.

I turned back to my task, a smile creeping over my face and heat creeping up to my face from my chest.

I watched as the crowded dance floor began to die down just as last call was being called through a large bell at Maddie's side of the bar.

The bar began to crowd again like no one was ever going to be served a drink again. Maddie and I continued to flip drinks left, right and centre; people were ordering drinks just as quickly as we were serving them.

By the time the rush from last call died off, Maddie and I were wiping down our bar and putting back the drinks in their rightful place.

"He's still here," Maddie said, leaning into me, similar to how she was before.

I took a quick peak around my hair and she was right. The orange flame was still sitting in the same spot with an almost empty bottle between his hands.

"Get him another drink,"

"Last call is over," I replied back.

"Screw it," Maddie laughed. "I won't tell if you don't."

I shoved her with my elbow and smiled before slowly walking over towards the orange flame.

"What can I get for you?" I said, leaning my hands on the bar.

"That depends," he said, a smile creeping across his face.

"Depends on what?" His infectious smile made my own smile to break through.

"Can I get your number?" He said which made me laugh.

"How many times has that line worked?" I could feel that my smile was growing.

"Well, seeing as this is the first time that I've ever used it, then it depends on whether or whether not you give me your number," he said which made me laugh again.

"You have a great laugh," he said, smiling and staring directly int my eyes.

I looked away quickly and tucked my hair behind my ears.

"Uh thanks," I smiled.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"James. What's yours?"

"Ali."

"Is Ali short for something?" he smiled.

"Alison. Ali is short for Alison."

"It's nice to meet you Alison."

"Nice to meet you too, James."

"You're new here, aren't you?"

"Come here that often, do you?" I laughed.

"I come here enough," he smiled which made me laugh harder.

"Yes, I am new, I started Tuesday," I stated.

"Ali, it's fifteen to two!" Maddie called out.

"Sorry, James. Looks like I'm going to kick you out," I said, teasing him.

"Is that so?" He asked, smiling a little more broadly.

"I'm a lot stronger than what I look."

He laughed and swallowed the rest of his drink.

"Can I walk you to your car later?" he asked, once he finished his drink.

"I get off work at little after two. We leave by the back door if you want to meet me there?"

"I'll be there." He nodded his head and handed me his empty bottle.

I watched him get off his stool and head through the front doors.

Maddie and I finished wiping down the bar and setting chairs back in place, so by the time two came around, we grabbed our jackets and walked out as a group to the back door.

James was waiting with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. He was a lot taller than me, probably only slightly shorter than Zac.

I walked up to him, a nervous smile beginning to form on my face.

"Hey," I smiled.

"How was work?" James asked.

"Good," I laughed. "I met this strange guy tonight."

"Strange, am I?" he laughed.

"Only slightly," I held up my fingers in a pinch leaving a tiny space between my forefinger and my thumb. "The tiniest bit," I continued.

After a second I realised that the Koby and girls were waiting.

"Go ahead guys," I said around James to them and Koby began walking the girls one by one to their cars.

"Where's your car?" He asked, as we continued walking down the side of the Bar to the front.

"I don't have one... Yet," I said.

"How are you getting home then?" He asked.

"One of my close friends picks me up," I said.

"Must be one hell of a friend to pick you up at two in the morning. Why do they pick you up?"

"I don't have a car," I laughed.

"No car, huh..." He said, looking away as we walked side by side. "So, does that mean I'll have to pick you up for our first date soon?" He smiled down at me and I pushed him with my shoulder.

I shook my head and smiled. "You're so cocky."

"Cocky good or cocky bad?"

"I'm not sure," I laughed.

"So, what do you say? Can I take you out soon?" He asked when we stripped at the front of the Bar, but Emmett's car wasn't there.

"Hmm, it depends. I'll just have to message you?"

"Are you serious?" He said, laughing.

I shrugged. "Give me your phone." I held my hand out to him and he put his phone in my hand for me to quickly put my number in.

A black old looking car rolled into the front then. A car I faintly recognised.

"This is my ride," I said to James, turning to him with a smile.

"Okay, so I'll text you," He said, a little hope in his eyes.

"So, text me," I laughed and got into the passenger seat.

Zac looked at me and then looked out the window towards James.

"Who is that?" He asked, as I smiled out the window towards him.

"That's James," I said, and Zac began to drive home.