Chapter Seven
DAN
The office is extra quiet for the rest of the afternoon.
Kallen’s usual antics with Blake are non-existent, and there’s usually – from what I’ve seen on my first few days at the job – at least some sort of banter every hour of the workday.
Tash came to visit me on my lunch break while she was in the city with little Archie.
I also embarrassed myself in the lift with Kallen.
He now knows I was being a weirdo by listening to his and Blake’s conversation about his date.
This is why I don’t join social situations often.
It’s better I just lie low, accompanied by a novel and my cat.
But the whole Kallen situation also makes me want to re-download the dating apps, to see any potential matches I have in Brisbane. Maybe I’ll hold off a little while longer – after all, I’m still getting settled.
Kallen and I seem to already have this unwritten rule that one of us leaves the office first, so we don’t have to walk home together.
Almost everyone leaves the office before I do today, except for Lisa, who’s been sighing for the past half an hour with all the content she likely has to schedule for tonight.
I say a quick goodbye to her before making my way out .
‘Dan, a quick chat, yeah?’ Christian calls out from his office, which is secluded from the rest.
Instantly, I spin around and amble to his door. ‘Yeah?’
‘How are you going?’
‘Yeah, good.’
But what I want to say is that I’m feeling damn frazzled and need a good break from the laptop screen tonight.
‘I want to take you for a welcome drink tomorrow after work,’ Christian says, standing from his desk. He walks with me out of his office. ‘You free? My shout.’
‘Uh, yeah sure.’
‘Good man. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?’
And with that, he disappears into the kitchenette.
‘See you tomorrow,’ I call back, then head out to the lift. I’ve never gone out for one-on-one drinks with a work boss before, but I guess that’s just how they do things at Untold Media.
When I get back to the apartment, Salem bites me.
In a bit of a mood, he is, probably because I’ve been out most days since we moved to Brisbane, and he likely still misses unemployed, job-seeking Dan.
But once I feed him, he’s back to purring, rubbing his face against my wrist. Even though Salem’s separation woes are a thing, he is getting better and learning to be okay on his own while I’m out for the day.
Hey Dan, whatcha up to tonight? It’s drag bingo night at Euphoria, wanna come with Chloe and I? I read the text from Ruby after my cook-up of steak and vegetables for dinner.
My plan tonight was to read my book, but I can always do that tomorrow morning.
Salem’s in a good mood again, and drag bingo sounds like the kind of fun I need in my life right now.
I reply, Count me in! and change out of my sleeping clothes, into some clothes that might attract a handsome guy at Euphoria.
On a Wednesday night, though – am I dreaming?
*
‘You’re dreaming if you think I’d ever join you on a multi-day hiking trip,’ Chloe says to Ruby as we sit at the quiet, wrap-around bar of Euphoria , the queer night club I’ve only ever seen packed with people on a weekend night.
Ruby groans. ‘That’s what Jake said. But think of the nature. And the Scenic Rim is so beautiful. Don’t you want to, like, see the hinterlands surrounding Brisbane?’
‘No. I don’t,’ Chloe concludes. ‘And if I did, I can drive through there and stop at a few lookouts.’
Ruby rolls her eyes, takes a sip of her drink. ‘You’re so lame.’
‘Scenic Rim hiking would be pretty epic,’ I say.
‘Agreed,’ the handsome bartender chimes in as he polishes glasses.
He and I lock eyes, and I think it’s a look of mutual attraction but can’t know for sure.
Ruby whacks me on the shoulder. ‘Thank you. We should go soon.’
‘That would be a lot of fun,’ I say, meaning it.
‘See, now you have someone to live out your nature girly life with,’ Chloe tells Ruby.
Although it’s for something that hasn’t happened yet, it feels nice to be needed, or to be turned to for a certain activity. And while I’m not the fittest person in the world, I do love hiking, experiencing new places, and doing natural things that don’t involve a phone screen.
But before I can imagine what it would be like adventuring in the hinterland with Ruby, her and Chloe start talking about a friend’s birthday party this coming weekend on the Gold Coast, and I, again, solidify my place as the new guy in town – the guy without these developed friendships.
So I order another vodka soda from the handsome bartender with bold green eyes and arms covered in tattoos.
It’s five-dollar basic spirits here until nine p.m. on a Wednesday, which is undeniably rare in a cost-of-living crisis.
But it’s also a Wednesday night. Gotta be careful.
‘So, are you a local or visiting?’ the bartender, whose name badge reads HARRY, asks as he makes my drink, side-glancing at Ruby and Chloe, who are deep in conversation about plans for the weekend. ‘Haven’t seen you here with the Wednesday night regulars.’
‘I just moved here,’ I force out, as though fearful I might be in a recurring nightmare of repeated words.
‘Nice, where from?’
And so, I relay a condensed version of how I got to Brisbane – albeit, the version I’ve nailed down to a tee after multiple attempts.
‘You single?’ Harry asks, his brow raised in a way that seems as if it comes almost too naturally, like he’s danced this routine many times before.
I say, ‘Yeah, I am,’ ready to rid myself of the Kallen Jeffries workplace crush.
‘Well, I get off right after drag bingo finishes and live super close,’ Harry then tells me. ‘If you’re keen on some fun?’
A rush of excitement runs through me, one that has me raising my glass. ‘Sounds good,’ I say before walking off.
As I do, a group of around ten people pull up at the bar to be served by Harry.
I return to Ruby and Chloe with a roguish smile.
They’ve stopped their conversation about the Gold Coast birthday I’m not invited to and are now talking – not as deeply – about a new heartbreaking romantic drama on Netflix and how much it destroyed them.
‘I’m guessing you’ve become acquainted with Harry,’ Chloe says in a hushed voice as I sit down.
‘Yeah, I agreed to hang out with him after drag bingo.’
‘Oooof, Dan, you little hoe you,’ Chloe says, high-fiving me.
‘I still think you should tell your coworker boy how you feel,’ Ruby interjects.
‘Dan, I disagree,’ Chloe says. ‘I think you should forget about him for now and live your best life. Safely, of course. Safe sex is important.’
I don’t say anything.
I’ve always been relationship-orientated and don’t usually get satisfaction out of random hook-ups. Tonight, however, might change that.
*
‘Twenty-five. Lucky number twenty-five!’ the drag queen calls out. She’s dressed in fluoro green tights, and her hair is styled into tentacles.
Twenty-five is the number to Kallen’s apartment building. And right next door, number twenty-six AKA my apartment. God dammit . I shoot Harry a curious look. He takes a moment to find my eyes before a smirk grows on his face.
‘Thirty-five, take a dive,’ a drunk woman calls out from the crowd of twenty who’ve shown up for bingo.
The queen giggles, then draws another piece of paper from the giant ball. ‘Okay, next number,’ she says. ‘Thirty-four. You know, that might just be close to the number of times I’ve been ghosted on Grindr this month.’
A wave of laughs rolls through the crowd. Even I chuckle at this one while I mark thirty-four off my bingo card.
‘Alright, next number.’ The queen pulls out another piece of paper. ‘Since a lot of us like to be on all fours, we now have twenty-four.’
‘Twenty-four, on the floor!’ the same drunk woman yells out, louder than last time.
The queen eyeballs her, lips pouted. ‘Listen, honey, you should drink some water, because you look like you’ll be on the floor otherwise.’
The woman looks down at her scoresheet, before erupting with a big loud, ‘BINGO!’ Her friends to her sides lift their hands and squeal in celebration. The queen claps, as do a few others from the crowd.
‘We have a winner,’ the queen says after checking the woman’s score card. ‘But there is no way we’re giving you the bar tab tonight.’
‘Don’t worry, we’ll save it for next time we’re in,’ one of the women’s friends says.
‘Good, well go see our lovely bartender Harry and he’ll put your name down,’ the queen says, gesturing her hand toward the bar. Harry’s been joined by an older bartender, both of them in conversation when I glance over.
Once they’re done talking about whatever it is they are, Harry catches my eye again, points toward the exit.
‘Another game of bingo?’ Ruby asks Chloe and I. ‘Wednesday Housewives starts up again next week, so no more bingo nights until the season is over. Which, by the way, Dan, if you want to join us for wine and Housewives on a Wednesday at my place, feel free.’
‘I, uh, don’t watch it, but thanks. Might have to give it a go.’
Chloe shakes her head at me. ‘You really don’t want to go down the Housewives rabbit hole. You might never stop.’
‘That’s the best thing about it,’ Ruby defends.
I nod, understanding what she means.
‘You’re not convincing, Rubes,’ Chloe says. ‘But I will do another game of bingo.’
‘I’ll see you guys later, I’m gonna…’ I say, standing from our table.
‘You sly dog,’ Ruby winks at me after twisting her head to see Harry standing by the exit. ‘I do hope he helps you forget about your little workplace crush.’
I go red in the face as I head for the door, to Harry, to my hope that this maybe-one-night-stand will do just that.