5. Kiss a Celebrity

"I'm here to drink away my sorrows. This is a bar, isn't it?" Leo says, cocking his head.

I look around and notice that the bar is empty as usual. Thanks to Silas and his bad attitude, most of the regulars don’t bother showing up anymore.

Silas let out an awkward laughter. "It is, but I'm surprised. We never have any customers, talk less of celebrities, and an A-lister for that matter!" he says, practically bouncing on his feet.

"Oh. I'm sorry," Leo mutters, fiddling with his fingers.

"It's okay! It's okay!" Silas rambles, dusting a bar stool for him. "Please, sit."

Leo obliges and smiles enthusiastically as he watches me go behind the counter, wearing my apron.

I smirk. "You're smiling? You seem a little too excited for someone whose career —according to my roommate — is about to be destroyed."

"Should I jump over a bridge instead?" he jokes.

"Please, don't. Your fans cannot bear you getting injured," I tease as I wipe the counter.

"Well, all my fans hate me now so.."

"I'm sorry, Leonardo," I whisper. "But I bet in three months, the internet would have found someone new to hate. Nobody would even remember this little brawl."

"Three months is a long time, Lara. Too long for an actor to be out of jobs. No brand deal, no commercial ads. A tainted reputation. By that time, I'll be as irrelevant as... Josh Might."

"Wait.. who's Josh Might?"

He deadpans. "Exactly. He's irrelevant."

"Oh." There is an awkward silence for a moment, before I whisper again, "Isn't there anything you can do to make everyone know the truth about Roman Sinclair?"

He sighs. "In the eyes of the internet, I'm guilty. Anything I say now seems like a desperate attempt to fix my reputation."

In Leonardo's eyes, I see fear, anger, exhaustion, hurt and most of all, misery.

I never feel bad for rich people. But this particular one? I just want to give him a warm, long hug. Until the sun sets. Until the moon makes an entrance. Until I feel his sadness float away.

But there is a counter separating us. So I just put my palm over his and squeeze reassuringly. It's a simple gesture, but he looks up at me like I just saved his life.

"You'll be okay," I whisper.

"No, I won't," he replies, taking unsteady breaths. "You don't know the half of it. Nobody does."

His words scare me. I remember the man with blood-shot eyes and a bruised jaw that I saw in the bathroom. It's still hard to believe that it was Mr. Knight. Harder to believe that he healed... all on his own.

"What happened in the bathroom?" I find myself inquiring.

His demeanor changes almost immediately. He laughs, peeling his hand away from mine. "I can't tell you, Lara Bello. It's a secret. If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

"Fine. I really don't care." I look away, feeling flustered.

Leo bangs his hand on the counter playfully. "Now, isn't this supposed be a bar?! I still have no alcohol in me and that's so wrong!"

I roll my eyes. "That's because you haven't ordered anything, genius. What's your order?"

"Hmm." He places a finger on his chin, thinking. "What does the pretty bartender suggest?"

I smile, half-polite, half-flirtatious. "What kind of day are you having, Mister Knight?"

"A very weird, sad, strange day," he says.

"Then, you need something refreshing. I'll give you a gin and tonic with a fresh citrus garnish."

"Do your thing, Bartenda!" he bellows with an encouraging whistle.

I start moving behind the counter. I grab an exclusive wine glass, fill it with ice, add gin and tonic. Then, I rub citrus peels around the glass rims.

"Done!" I sing, sliding the glass to him.

He downs it in one gulp and it burns his throat.

"It's good, right?" My eyes widen, hoping he likes it.

"Damn right! How does this bar not have more customers, with a bartender like you? Funny, smart and pretty."

"Because it has an owner who is the opposite of all three." I chuckle, then check to make sure Silas is not near.

"Ohhh, that guyyy!" Leo drawls, the alcohol settling in. "Well, fuck him! People are such assholes! They make me angry."

"You got that right," I agree, bemused.

"Pour me another drink and put it on my tab!" he shouts.

"Your tab? You don't have a tab, Leo," I tell him, laughing affectionately.

"Well, create one for me. I think I'll be coming here more often."

"Alright then, Mister Knight." I make him another gin & tonic, and slid it over to him. But he slides it back.

"Drink with me. Come on, Lara.." he urges, murmuring my name like a dangerous addiction.

"I'm at work!" I give a coy, half-hearted rejection.

"And who says you can't have a little fun while at work? Your annoying boss?" he leans in closer, staring into my eyes. "You're really pretty."

"I know that." I move away, breaking the electric eye contact.

"Aw, don't leave," he grumbles, grabbing the cup and drinking. "I want to have some fun.. with you."

"Leonardo Knight," I say flatly. "You're drunk and out of your mind."

A drowsy smile forms on his face. "Not drunk enough to not know when I see a beautiful girl."

Wow. I almost blush. He really is a sweet talker. But since I have a Leo-crazy best friend, I know that his girlfriend is some actress named Lena Black. And he loves her.

"You have a girlfriend." I deadpan.

"I do? Who? Oh, don't remind me, I know who it is!" He gasps.

Before I can reply, he continues, "Lara! Her name is Lara Bello. And she's gorgeous.. but she's also no fun because she makes me drink all on my own." He gives an exaggerated pout.

I scoff amusedly. He's an interesting guy. And one drink can't hurt. Just one.

But somehow, one drink turns to two turns to us taking "shots! shots! shots!" and now we're laying comfortably on the counter. We're counting the dots on the ceiling and imagining them as stars in the sky.

So beautiful... So many stars.

"Kiss me," I say to Leo. "Just kiss me."

That's the last thing I remember before the entire night becomes a blur.

The next morning, I wake up with a pounding hangover headache. I'm still in the bar, but I don't see Leo anywhere.

Ughh. I'm too hangover to start thinking of anything.

I check my phone and see 13 missed calls from Alyssa and thrice more as text messages.

I call her back. The first thing she barks into my poor ears:

"You're Leonardo Knight's new girlfriend?!!"