Chapter Text
Sunny's POV=
“Turn left at 200m.” Waze said on my phone, keeping an eye out for the upcoming turn. Fal sighed, leaning back in the passenger seat and folding their arms. The car was silent apart from the quiet hum of the engine and the wheels, something claiming compared to the cars surrounding us.
“So, you’ve been to this bar, right?” I asked, turning the corner and continuing down. I saw Fal turn his head to me, an almost fed-up look plastered on its face before turning back to look at the road.
“Will you stop being a baby and listen for once? I’ve told you before, I live here and I’ve been to this place a good few times.” There was irritation in their voice, and it reminded me why I preferred to stay in New Zealand. “We’re almost there. Just keep heading straight for a bit then another right.” They gave directions, pointing up ahead.
“Yeah, I can see that. I have my phone to direct me, Fal.” I stared up ahead, not wanting to see the look that gave me. The way Fal spoke to me always seemed to irritate me, and yet we’re still friends. “I know what I’m fucking doing, too.” I grumbled under my breath, grip tightening slightly on the wheel.
“I heard that, shithead.” Fal responded, bitterness lacing heavily on his tone. I rolled my eyes, turning into the parking lot of the bar. There was a neon sign with two words, labelling the name of the bar. It read Atomic Liquors . I found a free space, placing the car in reverse and parking.
“We’re here-” I said, voice cutting off by the sound of the passenger door slamming shut. “Well then, temper much.” I grumble, killing the engine and unlocking my door, leaving the car. I locked it, turning to face an impatiently waiting friend at the back of the car.
“Well c’mon. Let’s get going.” He said, walking off in the direction of the bar. I double checked the car was locked, the sun nearly gone in the late afternoon. I sighed, putting my keys in my pocket as I followed after Fal.
I could already hear the noise from the people inside, and I could see them from those sitting by the windows. I also heard the sounds of a small band playing from somewhere inside, probably a small stage. Fal pushed the door open and I followed suit, shutting it behind me.
I was instantly bombarded with noises and smells, people talking loudly all around me, cutlery clanging on plates and tables, the band playing as more background music from a speaker than a proper live group, and the strong scent of beers of all kinds – ale, stout, IPA, etc. – and the distant wafts of food cooking in a kitchen out back, it overwhelmed my senses. I had to shake my head slightly to regain my composure.
Fal turned back, and I quickly caught up, following behind until we reached the bar. Fal sat down, and stared back at me when I just sorta stood there awkwardly. “Sit down, you loser.” Fal said, motioning to the chair beside me. I nodded, pulling it out and sitting down.
“Ever had beer?” Fal asked, reading the menu for drinks. I turned my gaze to see it, appalled by such a question. Unfamiliar names were written with chalk, and it was a little hard to distinguish some of the beers labelled.
“Of course I have. I’m not fucking 12, idiot.” I replied, not leaving my gaze from the board. Only, it was snapped away when Fal slapped a hand on the counter, the bartender making his way over. He was young, no older than 22 I assume, with blonde curly hair that looked like a grown-out mullet, resting just above his shoulders, with green eyes and soft features.
“Wonderful. We’ll get one Cool Runner and one Temecula Sunrise, thanks.” Fal offered a quick smile at the end of the order, and turned to half-lean against the counter, gaze set on me. “You’ll like the beer. It’ll be good, promise.” There was something off in his tone, something I couldn’t quite place my finger on.
“I’m trusting you on this, Fal. I didn’t come here to have a shit time.” I grumbled, trying not to focus on the loudness of the place. I placed my hands on the counter, fiddling around with my fingers and picking at the skin around my nails.
Soon enough, the beer that was ordered came, and I sat up in my chair. Fal offered a smile to the bartender, and passed mine over. I stared at it, the hazy, pale dark yellow seemingly indifferent to most beers I’ve had, and I could smell the aromas of candied fruit and coconut within the makings of the beer.
“Well go on, drink up.” Fal urged, and I blinked, taking the beer and pulling it up to my mouth. The scents of the fruit wafted even stronger into my nose, and I took a sip. It was different than expected, very different than expected, and I did my best to keep my expression changeless.
It was sour, so so sour, and my jaw clenched up. I did my best not to spit it out, the taste full of fruits like some sour candy with slight cream. Fal let out a chuckle, slapping me on my back. “I’m heading to the bathroom, I’ll be back.” And he left. Thank god, I thought, putting the glass down heavily and swallowing hard. That is TERRIBLE beer. I let in a much-needed breath, regaining air into my lungs.
Then I heard someone walking up beside me–well, more felt them– and I turned my gaze to see who it was. Maybe Fal had returned already. But when I turned to see who it was, it was certainly not Fal. Instead, it was a woman–roughly my age I’d guess– with brown, curly hair that was pulled up into a messy bun clipped with a sunflower, and bangs pulled out the front. She had green eyes–something that reminded me of nature– and soft features. She’s pretty, seems nice too.
She wore a maroon long-sleeve turtleneck with a pale green jumpsuit over the top, except it had a skirt at the bottom rather than shorts. The jumpsuit had two sunflowers embroidered on a pocket up the top, and smaller sunflowers around the linings of the skirt. She had shin-high brown boots with pale lighter maroon socks peeking up from underneath.
She leaned against the counter, putting her drink down beside her. “Not a beer person?” She asked, my attention snapping back up to her face. I pushed my drink away, and she took a sip of her own.
“Oh, no I’m more of a whiskey person.” I forced a small laugh, shaking my head as I spoke. She placed her drink back down, peering down the bar for the bartender, tapping on the counter to call him over. When he did, she offered a smile then ordered another drink.
“Just a whiskey, thanks.” She flashed a smile again, before turning back to me. “I’m not a beer person either. I prefer more spirits or just a simple juice.” She said, pointing to her drink. It was clear-yellow, almost like urine, but smelt of artificial apples. “Apple juice.” She said, and I looked back at her.
“Who even are you?” I asked, confusion seeping into my tone and mind. She let out a chuckle, and the whiskey arrived, the bartender pushing it towards me. “Thanks,” I said, taking a sip of it, relishing the familiar taste of the beverage.
“The name’s August, and you are?” She asked, and I took another sip before responding.
“Sunny.” I said blandly, and she hummed a response, gaze turning away and back to the rest of the bar. “Why are you even talking to me? We don’t know each other.”
“Yet.” August said, side-eying me slightly before snapping her vision back to the public around. “Yet,” She repeated. “We don’t know each other yet , but I think you’re a pretty chill person, and so I’m talking to you.” A small smile grew on her face, eyes pointed at something particular, and I turned to see two people sitting at a table nearby with food and their respective drinks.
One seemed a good few years older than August, with brown hair cut short– not short enough to be right to his head, but not long enough to be down to his shoulders with a small braid going down– who raised a hand in a wave towards August and I. August returned it, and the other one seemed to be about the same as August and I. The younger one of the two was holding a coke, dyed-white hair cut just about to their ears.
“That’s Kai and Ollie.” August said, my gaze turning back to her. “Kai’s the older one, Ollie’s the one who seems about our age. They’re both with me in our band” She smiled again, before turning away to continue her apple juice.
“Wait- you’re in a band?” I asked, brows furrowing. She nodded, a muffled ‘mhm!’ as her response as she took another sip from her straw.
“Yeah, I am. And you should come watch us perform tomorrow night. We’ll be at some bar, I can’t remember where exactly, but I’ll send you the place once I ask them.” That seemed to snap something into her brain, and she turned to face me. “Speaking of, I’ll need your number. If you give me your phone, I can plop mine in and you can do the same to me.” She smiled, pulling out her phone.
I blinked for a few minutes, trying to process everything that was said. “I- okay, yeah alright.” I said, pulling out my phone and opening up to Contacts. “Here you go.” I said, and she handed me hers. We both put in our numbers, creating a contact for each other before switching back. I read the contact, and noticed she had put her name down as “Auggie <3” . I shut off my phone and slipped it back in my pocket.
“But I seriously do hope you can make it tomorrow night. I’ll send over the details when I get home, and I can introduce you to the whole band tomorrow too.” She offered a sweet smile, something that made my heart skip a beat, warmth rising to my cheeks slightly.
“Uhh- yeah, I’ll try. I’m here visiting a friend actually, can I bring him too?” I ask, flicking my gaze to where the bathroom was. Fal was spending a bit too long there. Probably taking a shit , I thought to myself.
“Oh, the white-haired kid?” She asked, and I nodded. “Yeah I can ask if he can tag along.” She offered another smile, this one a bit more polite than the last, and my gaze caught Fal in the distance.
“Well, I’ll get out of your hair. Kai and Ollie are basically begging to go home now. Cya tomorrow night.” She said, placing a hand on my shoulder as she walked past, drink in hand. And then Fal came over, eying August a little suspiciously before returning to me.
“Why were you talking to August?” He asked, taking his seat and beginning his drink finally. My gaze, that was following the brown-haired lady, turned back to Fal at the question. I blinked, finding myself dumb-founded, and thinking about her contact name. Did they know each other?
“You know her?” I asked, brows furrowing as Fal’s gaze dropped to place his drink down. Then, he nodded before tipping his head slightly one way.
“Ehh- sorta. I know Rima, who’s in her band.” Fal returned their gaze on me, and by the expression plastered on his face, I assume I still looked confused. “Rima’s their bass player. Pretty nice guy, you’ll probably get along well.” I turned my gaze back, taking another sip of my whiskey that was now a quarter gone.
“Maybe you can learn a bit more bass skills from him.” Fal smiled, hitting me on the back just as I was taking another sip, causing me to choke on my drink and begin a coughing fit. Accidental or not, it was annoying and I shot him a glare which only got returned by a smug smirk. I kept coughing, my throat burning along with the heat rising to my cheeks.
After a good few minutes of coughing and trying to regain my breath after a fiasco like that, I shot another glare up to Fal and sat up properly. “What did you do that for?” I hissed, anger beginning to fume and redden my face, more so than the choking previously. Fal’s smirk dropped instantly, coming in closer and grabbing my shirt, pulling me up slightly.
“Don’t try to make any connections with her. It won’t work out in the end.” His voice was a low growl, intimidation creeping into my mind with a cold shiver up my spine. I pulled away, not tearing my eyes off Fal’s until he moved back. And once again, my mind drifted back to August and her contact now on my phone, in my pocket, as the remainder of our time in the pub died down into small-talk and silence.
>>>>
<<<<
The car ride back to Fal’s apartment was quiet, prickling tension up my spine in the streetlights of the 10pm Las Vegas roads. Fal sat silent in the passenger seat, and I listened to the directions from my phone, my mind going plenty of directions but all leading back to her, to August. And the invitation she gave me to arrive at her performance with her band tomorrow night.
I turned into the car park, and we left and headed up into the building, taking the lift and calling for the 5th floor. Once we got in, I finally decided to break the silence and ask what was really on my mind–why I shouldn’t be keeping contact with August.
So, when the doors closed, I asked. “Fal, why did you say I can’t make any connections with August?” Fal crossed his arms, not even bothering to look at me. I could tell he was annoyed, and the sigh, long and hard, that it let out displayed it even more.
“I told you earlier, Sunny. It won’t work out in the end.” Fal said, and the elevator dinged, signalling the trip to our floor was over, and clearly the conversation too. “It’s late, and I want to sleep, so leave me be for the rest of the night.” Fal took out the keys to the apartment, walking over to our door. “And don’t ask that question again, got it?” He slid the keys in, a click signalling it unlocked and Fal barged through, forcing me to close it behind me.
“Fine, sorry I asked…” I replied, more of a mumble than anything as Fal went and turned on a few lights before walking down the hallway to his room. The place was open, and it seemed to be my duty to shut the curtains of the place and make sure everything was locked.
I slid off my shoes, the tiles cold even through my socks, though it was nice compared to the warmth outside. I walked over to the living room, its sliding doors open wide and I could clearly see the floor-to-ceiling windows Fal had on one wall. I walked over to them, watching the neon signs and lights, the bustling cars below me, and the sounds of blaring horns and the distant thumping of a beat to electronic music.
The moon was too high to see, but stars littered the distant sky by the mountains, flickering within the faint light they held up against the dark blue sky. The scene was oddly peaceful to me, hearing the bustling nightlife of a city like Vegas, but from inside a comfortable apartment.
I let out a content sigh, slumping down on the couch beside me and pulling out my phone. When I turned it on, I saw a few messages from August. Curious, I opened up my messages and read through them.
Auggie <3: Hey! I checked with my band and you can come :)
Auggie <3: Here’s the details! It’s got the address of the bar, and apparently its pretty popular
Too!
Auggie <3 sent a link
Auggie <3: Also feel free to bring along that friend of yours, Fal, right?
Read at 10:36pm
You: Yeah, that’s his name, and I’ll let them know we can both go.
Auggie <3: Great! Apparently they’re friends with Rima, so everything’s chill :D
Auggie <3: But I gotta head to bed for tomorrow’s performance, Can’t wait to see you there!
You: Oh- alright! Ni ni!
Auggie <3: Nighty-night!
I switched off my phone, placing it down on my chest as I stared up at the ceiling. My mind began racing, and it soon returned to the thoughts of August. She was pretty, like really pretty. And smooth- like I can’t believe that’s how she got my number, by needing to send details over.
I let out a small chuckle, almost shaking my head at the memory of the moment. But my mind returned to the way August’s face looked–soft features with the faintest freckles, beautiful green eyes, pale pink lips– it made my heart flutter even thinking about it.
Wait- what am I even talking about? I just met her like- not even an hour ago, and I’m already thinking about her. I don’t like her. She’s just one of the many people who I’ve met and have thought they were pretty. I sighed, lifting a hand to place the bottom of my palm just above my eyebrows. I’ll go home and completely forget about her by the end of this trip. Only a couple more weeks. I reminded myself, letting my hand down and staring back at the ceiling, a long, heavy sigh escaping my lungs.
I decided it would be best to just try to get in some sleep, figuring thinking straight was too much of a task for me to do properly at the moment. So, I sat up and moved to shut the curtains of the living room, finally blocking out the sounds and images of the world outside. The sounds of blaring horns and revving engines mixed and blended into the faint, but noticeable, consistent thumping of a beat to some up-beat song. Probably a club down the road, I thought to myself, walking to the wall and turning off the lights.
As I walked back towards the kitchen, I felt the familiar buzz of my phone in my pocket. Who the fuck is calling me at this hour? I thought to myself, pulling it out and seeing the name “Sammy” written at the top. “Oh” I said aloud, swiping to accept the call and putting it up to my ear.
“SUNNYYYYYY!” Sammy instantly greeted me, the volume so loud that I had to move my phone away from my ear before they settled down. I let out a small chuckle, a smile instantly forming and most of my worries leaving at the sound of my best friend.
“Hai Sammy,” I responded, warmth in my tone as I walked over to the kitchen to grab some water.
“How are you?” Sammy asked, and I could imagine them laying on their bed, fiddling with something in their free hand.
“I’m alright, you?” I responded, opening the cupboard for a glass, filling it up with icy cold water from Fal’s fridge.
“I’m good! Dawn and Sunstar came over to visit, so we’ve been hanging out a whole bunch lately.” They replied, and I could hear the faint shouts of ‘hello’ and ‘Hi Sunny!’ from my two other friends. It was nice to hear the three of them together, all hanging out together.
I took a sip of my water, soon moving towards my room. “That’s great to hear, Sammy, but I’m actually really happy you called.” I said, shutting my door behind me. I heard shuffling coming from the other end, and then the soft click of the door and then more shuffling.
“Wait what? I mean I’m happy you’re glad to hear from me, but you never say that when you’re away.” Sammy paused, and I could almost picture the look of contemplation and confusion on their face. “So, you want to talk to me about something. What did you do this time?” Sammy said, a teasing sigh that went with the last question. I smiled, shaking my head with small disbelief, a small breath of a laugh escaping me.
“I didn’t do anything, Sammy.” I paused, taking a moment to gather all my thoughts properly. “I just-” I cut myself off with a groan, already frustrated with my thoughts not properly becoming coherent sentences. “A thing happened earlier tonight, at the bar I went to with Fal.” I paused, my gaze turning to a blank wall, the lights inside the room illuminating the place well. How am I supposed to tell him about August?
Silence met the call as I tried to figure out how to word what I was going to say, and I was thankful for Sammy’s patience with me. “I was sitting alone because Fal went to the bathroom for an odd amount of time, and this woman walked up to me…” My voice slightly quietened, and I sat up on my bed properly. “And she’s really pretty dude.” I said it. I out-right said it that she was pretty.
“Like- She’s hot , dude. And her name’s August and she has brown hair and green eyes, and she’s also really nice.” I said, stopping myself before I began a rant. I could hear a small chuckle from the other end. “And she’s in a band.” I added, and Sammy let in a sharp inhale.
“What…” I said, cautious if I actually wanted to know. Sammy continued their stifled laughs, trying to compose themself as I waited, confused as to what joke I may be missing.
Finally, once Sammy composed themself, they said “Do you… like her?” and I fell silent. I began to contemplate what I experienced tonight, how I immediately thought she was hot, and got flustered when she said something nice about me. And how my heart rate picked up when she first came over and didn’t slow until we left. Maybe I did like her. No, no. I don’t have a crush on her. I just met her.
“I…I’m not sure, I mean I just met her, so I’m not sure if that’s even something I could possibly have so early on.” I said, now staring down at my floor. Elbows resting just above my knees, one hand holding my phone and the other freely resting on my leg.
“Well, there is such a thing as ‘love at first sight’ y'know. Yeah, sure, sounds cringey and all that, like it’s from some American high school movie in the early 2000s, but trust me it still does exist.” Sammy said, and it was so matter-of-factly that they said it, I was wondering if I was even still talking to the same person.
“And how can I trust you Sammy? I don’t see you with any bitches.” I replied, a chuckle following after. I enjoyed my usual sass I had with Sammy, gives me a break from all the grief I’d get with Fal if I tried to say something like that.
Sammy let out a sound that sounded a lot like a startled chicken in offence to what I said, and responded with “Excuse me, SuNnY , but I’ll have you know I’ve studied enough movies and people around me, thank you.” I giggled, and leaned back until I fell back onto my bed comfortably.
“Ah yes, because Samuel here knows the answers to everything in the world.” I rolled my eyes, even if Sammy couldn’t see me. “But regardless, she invited me and Fal to watch her band perform tomorrow at some pub, so hopefully I can get to know her a bit more.” I said, hating how I smiled at the thought.
“Yeah alright, just try not to get too ahead of yourself in thinking you have a crush on her. I don’t want this to get bad.” Sammy said, and a clear crunch from the other end told me he had found a bag of chips.
“Yeah, I won’t. Don’t worry.” I said, and turned to see the time. It was nearly 11pm, and Fal and I had made plans to go out for the day and see some things, a movie and some food probably. “Well, I’ve gotta head off to bed. We can talk more tomorrow, yeah?” I asked, and heard a ‘mhm!’ in response from the other end.
“Alright, talk tomorrow Sammy! Ni ni!” I said, and felt a smile crawl on my lips.
“Gnight!” Sammy replied, and three beeps told me they had hung up, and I switched off my phone, plugging it in to charge on my bedside table. I let out a long, heavy almost-sigh that was more content than stressed or frustrated. Just have a shower and try to sleep. You’ll figure it out eventually. I thought to myself, grabbing my pyjamas and walking over to the bathroom, ready to finally relax and have a shower.