Joel Flatt

[meetjoelflatt]

Kismet | Joel Flatt & Audrey McQueen

[audrey-mcqueen-blog]

While Joel left to fetch a pen and her drink, Audrey did her best to conceal the smile that threatened to spread cross her face. It was actually quite embarrassing if Joel were to catch her in the act, considering it was the type of smile that was neither sweet nor pleasant. It was big and weird and crazy looking all at the same time. He was back in no time, however, and Audrey’s lips immediately fell into a flat line. 

When he leaned in for the second time, she tried her best to remain calm. It was becoming difficult, she found, the more time he spent invading her personal space. Audrey also found that she didn’t mind it much, either. “Five, gotcha.” She was ready for him to hand her the paper, but when he didn’t, Audrey couldn’t keep herself from smiling any longer. 

"Are you gonna make me snatch it from you? Because that would be unladylike." She chuckled and reached for his hand, plucking the paper from between his fingers. "Thankfully I’m almost never ladylike." 

[meetjoelflatt]

When Audrey spoke of snatching the paper from him, a smile began to spread his features, as much as he tried to resist. He couldn't refrain from chuckling slightly as she plucked the piece of paper from between his features. "Yeah, you don't seem the type to pay much heed to the boundaries of society." He said with a wink, referring to her speaking of herself being unladylike. 

A short distance away, one of the barmaids came out from the back. "Hey Joel!" She called to him, but he couldn't hear her over the music. "However, I do say you like to be wined and dined like a Lady. How does Le Jardin sound?" He said winking. "HEY JOEL!" The barmaid shouted louder, which caught his attention this time. "What, can't you see I'm with a customer?" He shouted back to her, standing upright now. "You got to go down and change the barrels, all of them. I can't do it they're too heavy." The barmaid said, scowling at him. She knew what Joel was up to. With that, she grabbed a cloth from the bar and stormed off to wipe down tables. "Well maybe then you shouldn't be working here!" He shouted after her, before sighing. 

"I'm sorry Audrey, I got to go." He said, returning to his normal cheery self once more. "So call me tomorrow, about eight, I'll come pick you up." He said with a wink. Joel went to walk away. He didn't know whether it was the drink that gave him the confidence or what it was, but he turned back, leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Have a good night doll, and stay away from all these sleazeballs in here, ya hear'?" He said playfully, pointing out to where the people were seated. 

With a wink, he skipped off down to the cellar to deal with the barrels, a spring in his step. 

[meetjoelflatt]

Moving In | Joel & Ollie

[oxfordman]

"Yeah, I know you alright," Ollie said wryly, but the gaze he regarded Joel with was vaguely fond, in his way. He enjoyed giving Joel a hard time for the heck of it; he had to keep the balance of disdain and friendship somehow, after all. Joel knew well enough that Ollie liked him—it wasn’t every day he went apartment hunting for somebody. He didn’t need to prove it by acting nice.

He frowned at the revelation that, in fact, this was everything Joel owned. Ollie wasn’t a very material person, but two boxes did seem a little bit sparse. Well, he kept showing up to work looking respectable, and that was what mattered, right?

Still, Joel’s story sounded rough, especially considering the fact that he still had to deal with his parents. Ollie had shorn the weighty bonds of parental association long ago; they visited every few years on his birthday and that was the end of it. To be dealing with his parents even now sounded like torture.

"Didn’t know you didn’t get along with his parents," Ollie said vaguely, not wanting to pry. He was curious, though, so he injected enough interest into his tone that Joel would hopefully get the signal that he could talk about it if he wanted to.

He laughed lightly at Joel’s expression of gratitude, starting up the car once Joel was in and secure.

"Don’t go expecting some kind of palace or something," he said as he pulled away from the curb, heading toward the west side of town. "It’s not too big, but the neighborhood’s alright and the rent isn’t bad. I think you’ll like it."

[meetjoelflatt]

As Ollie pulled the car away from the curb, Joel instantly rolled down his window. His aim was to have a fresh breeze blow through the car as they moved, for the sun was high in the sky and the morning was already proving to be hot. "Yeah there has always been a bit of a rift between our parents and us." Joel began to say, referring to himself and Audrey when he said us us. "We just clash. It's as if they don't like the bond Audrey and I have, which is strange, because who wouldn't want their kids to be close-" He said, shrugging, but in that moment, with what he said. It made him think of his own child. His daughter. The daughter in New York whom he kept secret, even from Audrey. The daughter who he was struggling to provide for. The daughter who would probably never know the kids he would have in the future, or have a close bond with them. You're a hypocrite Joel Flatt, he thought to himself.

He quickly shook the thought of his daughter from his mind, and placed a smile upon his face. He was good at that. Pretending. His parents had taught him and Audrey well, for that was the game when you lived in the suburbs. Pretending everything was good behind closed doors, when in truth it wasn't. 

"Still though Oll, I'm very grateful. I'm just glad to be out of the Boarding House and into my own place." Joel said, giving Ollie a genuine smile. "Hell now I can finally start accumulating a bit of stuff, rather than travelling light the whole time." He laughed, referring to the boxes in the trunk of the car. 

As they pulled in, Joel looked at the place before him. It was a five-storey townhouse, in the middle of another five, and from the FOR RENT sign in the top window, he immediately realized this was the place. "Oll, man, this place is perfect!" He said in awe, opening the car door and jumping out, staring around the street. It was a side street off a busy street, but Joel didn't like it when things were too quiet anyway. He found the buzz of traffic and people somewhat soothing.

Grabbing two boxes from the trunk and leaving the other two for Ollie to take, excitement took over Joel. He ran up the stone steps leading up to the front door of the building, his shoes clicking against the stone. A woman sat upon the steps, her hair wrapped in cloth as she smoked a cigarette. "Hey there." Joel saluted her, walking into the building. It was old on the inside, but perfect. 

On the right as he entered were the mail boxes for each apartment, and he quickly glanced at a few of the names. The walls were painted a creamy yellow, and the stairs was light mahogany. On each floor were two apartments, however, on the fifth and final floor (where Joel was to live) there was only one. The reason for this was because it had been an attic room converted into an apartment. 

Unable to contain his excitement, Joel quickly flung open the door. Inside he was met by a small hallway which led off into three different rooms; the bedroom, the bathroom and the main area. The bedroom was quite large, and was fitted with a double bed and a large wardrobe. The bathroom was sufficient, with dark green tiles along the wall. The main area was large, with a huge open window looking out onto the street below. An island stood a little away, which separated the kitchen from the living area. There was two sofas and a coffee table in the middle of the floor. 

Placing the two boxes down upon the coffee table, Joel turned around. "Oll, I absolutely fucking love this place!" He said. He had to refrain from pulling him into an embrace, so instead grabbed his by each of his upper arms, squeezing them tightly. A more manly embrace. "Again, thank you so much for this." Joel said, beaming at Ollie. 

[meetjoelflatt]

Kismet | Joel Flatt & Audrey McQueen

[audrey-mcqueen-blog]

“You only live once, eh?” Audrey said as she smiled in the bartender’s direction. She watched as he worked to make her second glass of whiskey, his face content and focused on the drink at hand. It was interesting to watch, despite the fact that the act itself wasn’t terribly complex. Audrey was she sure she could replicate it during her own time, considering all it took was a bottle and a glass. Still, she smiled just at the excitement of receiving a new, full glass waiting to be devoured and used to numb her thoughts and troubles.

Audrey opened her mouth to say her “thank yous,” but stopped when Joel, she learned, boldly declared they meet for coffee. She was certainly taken aback, but mostly flattered that someone as handsome as him—which was something she couldn’t stop thinking about since meeting him—was interested in spending voluntary time with her. What’s more was the way he leaned forward, showcasing a mischievous grin that should have been a warning sign to Audrey. She was a police officer, for God’s sake. One should never fall for mischievous grins… “Oh. Uh, it’s nice to meet you, Joel. And thanks…your name is great, too.”

Audrey laughed to mask her nervousness as she contemplated her decision to accept his offer or to decline it. Coffee was safe. She loved coffee. Maybe it’d be a good idea to see Joel again, at least her mother could get off her back about not interacting with any men her own age that weren’t in uniform. “I like coffee. Sure, I’ll be needing your telephone number, though, and that drink while you’re at it.”

[meetjoelflatt]

Watching her all the while as she contemplated his offer, Joel's mind was awhirl. His tactics had intended to be ostentatious to her; and it seemed that they were working. He couldn't help but notice the excited nervous demeanour she had about her, and Joel began to speculate in his own mind what got this girl going. Was she some quiet girl who got a rush from being with 'bad boys', or was it all a ruse and beneath it all she was a player in the same game, ensnaring her own prey. Curiousity often got the better of Joel, and she was more interesting to him now than before, the more he thought of it. Little did Joel know that this young remarkably beautiful woman was infact a Cop. 

Once she agreed, Joel couldn't help but smirk with pleasure. He liked her, he knew already that he liked her, and he liked that he was going to be seeing her again. "One moment, I'll fetch a pen." He said, leaning closer with both elbows on the bar, smile still brightening up his features. "And that drink." He added, with a little snigger. She had been bold, and cheeky, by adding the bit about the drink. He liked that about her too.

Turning quickly from the bar with a bit of a spin, he fetched a notepad and a pen. He slid the ready made drink to her as he began to scribble down his number in his messy, rushed handwriting. He made a mistake on the first 5, making it look more like an S. Sliding the note to her, he leaned in close once again, inches away from her. Joel placed a finger on the 5 he made a mistake on. "See that there, that's a 5. I made a mistake." He explained, sounding out each word to her over the background music. The number was new, as it was the telephone he had purchased for his new apartment Ollie had found for him, so he glanced over the number once again to make sure it was right, before folding it and holding it between two fingers. He was still trying to be coy and charismatic, to draw her in. More often than not women would use this ruse in order to be left alone and then not call them back. 

He had to admit, he would be pretty disappointed if she didn't call back.

[meetjoelflatt]

Moving In | Joel & Ollie

[oxfordman]

Ollie was beginning to suspect that he was going soft.

Rarely did he find himself doing favors for people without some marked—usually business-related—benefit coming his way in return. Yet here he was on his merry way to pick up Joel, having found a flat that seemed suitable for Joel’s price range and moral character, as if it were somehow a normal thing for him.

He didn’t do people favors for nothing, especially not his friends. They were the most likely to take advantage of him, so why give them that power?

Not that he had ever been big on the whole friendship thing in the first place. He was bad at it, honestly; he’d always had a hard time letting other people in, and generally he’d had little need for the casual companionship of others. But things had been… different for him as of late. People had been tearing down his walls and he didn’t like it, not one bit.

And here he was. Picking Joel up. To help him find a new fucking house.

There was a pattern developing, he could feel it, but he chose to ignore it as he pulled up to the boarding house at which Joel was currently staying. Joel was leaning against a pole and in general looking not unlike a criminal, which Ollie filed away as something to poke fun at later.

He pulled up to the curb and hopped out, rounding the car so he could open the trunk.

"Thought you were quitting!" he called, smirking at Joel as he unlocked the trunk. He glanced at Joel’s belongings and raised an eyebrow. "That all you got?"

[meetjoelflatt]

Closing his eyes as he dragged on his cigarette, basking in the ambient rays of the sun. He could feel Mrs. Muller's eyes boring into the back of him from the drawing room window, glaring at him as he smoked. She herself never drank or smoke, and always judged Joel. The last thing she ever said to him was four days before, when she finally puzzled it together that he worked at the Stingray. I know what you do be doing all them nights your out late, she said, you are down in one of them sinful Speakeasies. Joel had merely sighed and rolled his eyes. He definitely would not be missing her. 

Hearing the engine of a car, he opened his eyes and seen Ollie coming towards him. Immediately his face brightened up, and butterflies fluttered in his stomach slightly. He was finally doing it. He was moving out of the Boarding House and into his new apartment, all thanks to Ollie. 

"Ah you know me Oll, I just like burn ears." Joel replied, equally matching his smirk. Placing one box on top of another, he gathered them up and made his way to Ollie at the trunk of the car. He handed them to him to place in the trunk. "I like to travel light." He joked, smiling at Ollie as he passed the two boxes to Ollie. 

Returning to get the other two, he laughed and called over his shoulder. "All the stuff from my last apartment I had to store at my parents' place. But a couple of weeks back we had an argument and from what I gathered from one of the neighbours they kicked all my stuff to the kerb." Joel told him, gathering up the last two boxes and moving to the trunk. He placed these ones in himself. 

"Thanks for doing this Oll man, and I know I've already said it, but thanks again for finding me this place." He said, moving around the car to the passenger door. He slid into the warm car, and as he sank into the chair he gave a long, smiling sigh; like a leopard finding a warm spot. 

[meetjoelflatt]

Welcome

To the

STINGRAY

[meetjoelflatt]

Moving In | Joel & Ollie

The sun breached at roughly around six that morning, rising earlier and earlier now that Summer was nearing. Despite never being much of an early bird, Joel rose that morning with a spring in his step. Nothing could put a damper on his mood that morning, not even one of his sister Marie's moods would take him out of his good form. The reason for his delight that day was because he was finally moving out of the Boarding House and into a new apartment - an apartment that Ollie found for him.

Joel had spoken of his displeasure to Ollie one night about living in the Boarding House, and being the good friend that he was, Ollie went in search and found one for him. Joel had still not seen the place, it was going to be a surprise, but he trusted in his best friend's judgement. 

Packing the few things he owned into boxes, Joel never realized how easy it was to lose things in one small room. The room merely consisted of a bed, a radiator, a chest of drawers, a sink, a mirror and a wardrobe. In his time staying there, Joel had come to lose items of clothing, money, papers, etc. Yet now that he was packing up his stuff, he was finding them behind the wardrobe and other similar places.

He even managed to find three empty bottles of Hooch. 

Deciding it best not to leave empty bottles lying around for the stout teetotaller Mrs. Thompson to clean up, Joel shoved them into the boxes with the rest of his stuff. 

After he showered, shaved and dressed, Joel set about bringing the stuff down to the sidewalk outside the boarding house. This didn't take him necessarily too long, as he only had four boxes. 

When it was only his last box to take down, he paused in the room, looking around. He had lived in this room for the past few months, and although he had disliked having such little space, he was going to miss it all the same. 

Balancing the box on his knee, he locked the door behind him and went downstairs in search of Mrs. Thompson. He found the plump little woman in the kitchen nursing a glass of water. She gave a smile when she seen him, but there was no happiness in it. She is sad to see me go, he realized.

"Well that's me cleared out, I'm off Mrs. Thompson." Joel said, giving her one of his big smiles. She pushed back in the chair, and stood, crossing the room to him. Joel put the box down on the counter just in time as Mrs. Thompson swung her arms around his neck. "You take care of yourself Joel, y'hear me?" She said in her thick Irish accent. Years in the land of promise hadn't stripped anything away from her accent, it was as if she had just stepped off the boat. "I will Mrs. Thompson, and you." Joel said, in which she kissed him on the cheek.

Stepping apart, Mrs. Thompson wiped tears from her eyes.

"You be sure to come back and visit me sometime, or else I'll redden your arse cheeks with a spoon. And don't think I won't, no matter how old you are I'll do it I tell ya!" 

She actually would do it, Joel thought to himself amused. 

He picked up his box and left the room, inclining his head to the other guests in the living room. Mrs. Muller, Mr. Jameson, Graham Forde, Jesse Conway, two others he didn't know. 

Placing the box with the others on the sidewalk, Joel took a cigarette from his case, lit it, and leaned against a pole while he waited for Ollie, lazily puffing on his cigarette...

[meetjoelflatt]

Kismet | Joel Flatt & Audrey McQueen

[audrey-mcqueen-blog]

“Yeah, yeah. I’m alright.” Audrey replied hurriedly. The stinging sensation was still fresh in her throat as she continued to recover from her coughing fit. When her eyes returned to the bartender’s, she stifled a gasp at how close he had come since she last took notice. He did pause, though; returning to a distance more favorable given the state Audrey was in. She offered him a smile in return; a polite thank you of sorts for not embarrassing her any further.

For a moment, Audrey considered his offer, but figured any other drink would taste as horrid. It was the immediate effect it’d have her that she was most concerned about. To her limited knowledge, whiskey seemed to be the strongest. So, she shook her head and cleared her throat, straightening her posture in hopes of regaining some semblance of calmness. “Actually, I think this is fine. I’ll just be a little slower.” She smiled and placed the glass down, folding her hands in her lap. “You can just refill this one and get another ready. I’m determined to finish two glasses by the end of the night.” She chuckled quietly, only to stop when he asked for her name.

Audrey wanted desperately to stop smiling, but his damn wink had her grinning from ear to ear. Biting her lip, she gave her lap a quick glance before returning her gaze to his. “Audrey. And what should I be callin’ you?” In spite of her nerves, Audrey wiggled her brows in an attempt to lighten the mood—and to redeem herself from hacking up his whiskey moments earlier. “Please laugh otherwise I’m going to look ridiculous.”

[meetjoelflatt]

After listening to her request, he raised his eyebrows, somewhat taken aback that she had decided to stick with the whiskey, and let them fall again. "Your funeral, dolly." Joel said, picking up the same bottle of whiskey and uncorking it. He refilled her glass up to the top again, and so he didn't feel emasculated, filled his own glass too. Joel really did not want to drink any more whiskey, but he decided to stick it out. If this young woman could choke on half a glass and battle on, so could he. 

"Audrey? That's a nice name." Joel said with a smile. But the genuine smile was short-lived, for it soon turned into one of his mischievous smirks as an idea came to him. "Well you can call me-" He began, pausing a moment for effect. "-tomorrow night about seven, and we go get a cup of coffee. How about it?" He asked, leaning both elbows on the bar now so his face was much closer to her own. Joel still had that playful, flirtatious glint in his eye. He liked this girl, despite only meeting her, but he knew he would probably like her more the more he got to know her. "But my name is Joel, Joel Flatt." He added coolly, giving her his name too. Give an inch, take a mile.

[meetjoelflatt]

Kismet | Joel Flatt & Audrey McQueen

[audrey-mcqueen-blog]

Audrey’s eyes tittered towards the direction of the man beside her, her face instantly curling into an expression of disgust. With reddened cheeks, she shook her head and smiled. “Nope, I’m not. Would there be a problem if I was?” Shocked by her confidence, Audrey’s eyes eyes brightened and she mentally gave herself a pat on the back; evident by the slight twist of her lips. She wasn’t normally that responsive when caught in flirtatious banter; it tended to make her more nervous than usual. “He’s not.” She blurted out, watching the way the man before her worked to replicate the drunkard’s drink.

“Thanks.” She muttered once the drink was finished and placed in front of her. Audrey examined the glass for a moment, predicting just exactly how strong it claimed to be. She looked to the bartender once more, as if to confirm that it was for her, before taking hold of it and downing her first gulp. As soon as the alcohol reached her lips, Audrey’s throat burned in discomfort. She nearly had a successful first taste, though, before “… she can get him in between her sheets.” was said, and Audrey’s state resulted in a fit of hunched over choking.

Her eyes began to tear immediately, and she quickly removed the glass from her mouth. It seemed to only get worse, however, because everything else that he said was far more crude, and far more blush-inducing. Audrey gasped and placed a hand on her mouth, hoping to both wipe away any excess alcohol that dribbled during her encounter with near death, and to remedy the heat on her cheeks. “Yeah? That’s neat.” She managed to mutter from behind her hand.

[meetjoelflatt]

The whiskey was a lot stronger than even Joel had expected. He knew it smelled powerful, from pouring glasses of the stuff, but he had never had a drink of this certain brand. It was said to have been shipped straight from Ireland, which meant that it was good stuff. Although Ireland had suffered a War of Independence from the British, and a Civil War, they still managed to produce the best liquors easily accessible to those across the Atlantic in America. 

He shook his head slightly as a tingling sensation moved up his jawline from the drink. Joel was glad though, that he didn't begin coughing and choking like the girl before him did. "Are you alright, Miss?" He asked, moving to lean over the counter but stopped himself as she regained herself. She really was quite different to the other girls in there.

Joel couldn't help but give a little laugh, his features lighting up once again. He didn't want to outright laugh, for he knew how bashful and embarrassed women could get. "Would you like to try something else instead?" He asked, giving her an uncertain expression to show that the drink wasn't too appeasing for him either.

Quickly setting about washing the glasses, he noticed that a man had come to the counter looking to be served. Joel was feeling reluctant about serving him. It was his job of course, to serve people, but he didn't want to leave the new beautiful addition to the Stingray. Women tended to be snapped up in a matter of seconds there. Thankfully for him, one of the barmaids served the man.

Placing two fresh glasses upon the counter now, he gave her a smile. "So what will you have now. It seems whiskey isn't your drink. How about a Vodka?" Joel asked, picking up the bottle of clear liquid to show her the label. "What is your name by the way, don't want to have to keep callin' you Miss all night." He told her, giving her a little wink. 

[meetjoelflatt]

Night Off | Joel & Ollie

[oxfordman]

You better. I put a lot of work into this place.

Yeah, she still botherin’ you? You need to get out of that place, Joel. Surely I pay you enough for a better place than that.

Can’t imagine giving them up. Practically grew up with the damn things. Besides, if I quit, people would start saying I’d gone soft, and I can’t have that. You gonna go cold turkey?

[meetjoelflatt]

Yeah you do Oll, it's just that I'm between places at the moment. Kind of ended up staying there longer than I should have, but hey, man needs somewhere to sleep. I could be doing worse. Could have to stay back in that hell hole of a house I grew up in. 

Yeah I know, been on these things since I'm a kid. Me and Marie from watching my Pops smoke 'um. 'Me Ma was never a smoker, too religious. Always telling me horrible stories about them and what they do to people. Still couldn't stop me though, and as much as I hate to admit it, I'm starting to think she may have been right. 

[meetjoelflatt]

[meetjoelflatt]

Night Off | Joel & Ollie

[oxfordman]

True. Up to something worse than usual, then.

You have a night off, and you decide to spend it where you work anyway. Incredible. I’ve really done well with this place. Yeah, busy enough. It’s an off night. You know how it is.

He pulled out his cigarette case and lit up, hesitating before offering one to Joel, too.

One-time offer. Don’t go thinking you can come cryin’ to me if ever you run out.

[meetjoelflatt]

What can I say I really like it here. 

I prefer being here than at the Boarding House. That Mrs. Muller does my nut in. 

Taking the cigarette, he smiled. He brought the cigarette to his lips, and lit it with a match. Taking a long pull, he exhaled the smoke and looked at Ollie. 

I'm going to try give 'em up soon, things are slowly killing me. Startin' to feel it in my chest lately. 

[meetjoelflatt]

[meetjoelflatt]

Night Off | Joel & Ollie

[oxfordman]

meetjoelflatt:

Ollie’s around.

He approached Joel from behind, sitting on the barstool so that he faced away from the bar and giving Joel a once-over.

You look like you’re up to something.

[meetjoelflatt]

Aren't I always up to something? 

He smirked at Ollie playfully Joel spun around, so now his back too was facing the bar, and rested his elbows on the counter. 

Nah, it's just my night off, said I'd pop in. Been busy tonight? 

[meetjoelflatt]

Kismet | Joel Flatt & Audrey McQueen

[audrey-mcqueen-blog]

Eventually things began to settle, and Audrey resumed to her awkward, drink-less state of deep thought. Her plan to not do that seemed to become futile—that was, until, the same bartender Martha had been hitting on began to approach her with a smile on his face. Instant panic coursed through her system and she immediately straightened her posture, making sure to look as not-bored as possible.

When he called her out for eavesdropping it seemed her whole being shut down in a perpetual embarrassment. Though he was still smiling, she noticed how his eyes traveled the length of her upper body, paying the least amount of attention to her face—which is where it mattered the most. To say she was blushing would have been in understatement. Audrey’s face had to have been redder than her hair, and redder than rouge she decided to put on.

What was even more surprising was the fact that he apologized; perhaps not exactly for staring at her breast longer than he should’ve, but it was still appreciated to some extent. Audrey shook her head and croaked out a reply, all the while trying her best to keep the color on her cheeks from darkening.

“Uh,” She wasn’t very well versed in the different types of bar drinks, so in an attempt to not make a fool of herself Audrey blurted: “I’ll have what he’s having.” She nodded towards the gentleman to her right who was going to town on his glass of whatever. “And sorry about that…I—she was very loud and I was very bored.”

[meetjoelflatt]

He couldn't help but notice at how she reddened when he had caught her out for eavesdropping, and found it quite amusing. From that alone, he could tell that she wasn't like the usual broads who frequented Speakeasies. They would have replied with a smirk, a finger curl of hair, or even some cheeky response, but this beautiful red head didn't. Instead she merely blushed. The broads who would usually hang around the Stingray would only be there with one agenda, and that more than likely would not be just to drink. Speakeasies filled with men with fat wallets were like hunting grounds for them.

Following her gaze to the man down the bar, Joel gave a little laugh and nodded. "Are you going to be buying him a drink too?" Joel asked playfully, picking up a bottle on the counter next to him. It was a bottle of whiskey, strong whiskey. "I didn't think he would be your type, but hey, every man to their own." He teased, unscrewing the cork and filling her glass. As he filled he raised the bottle up and down so the trickle from the bottle lessened, so as the glass wouldn't overfill and leak onto the counter. It was a knack he had managed to obtain from watching people pour drinks. His father used to often do it when pouring his own drink.

Screwing the cork back on the bottle and replacing it along with the rest, he looked at her once more, giving one of his signature cheeky grins. "Hope you like it. Joe here might put them away like water, but they are strong." He told her, laughing afterwards. The guy's name wasn't Joe, well, it could have been, Joel didn't even actually know him. It was just a habit he picked up from his mother. His mother, an Irish Immigrant, had a habit of referring to strangers as Joe when speaking of them. 

Joel was even more so amused at the fact this gorgeous girl was apologizing for eavesdropping. Laughing, he held up both his hands, as if in a defensive manner, or if he was surrendering to someone who had a gun. (Little did he know). "Hey don't be sorry, that's alright-" He said, his grin twitching up on the left side more so than the right, more like a cheeky smirk now than a grin. "-Martha is always at that kind of stuff. Her husband died a few years back so now that she got all this money, she thinks she can throw a few clams to a handsome young man-" He winked jokingly, obviously referring to himself when he said handsome young man. "-that she can get him in between her sheets." He finished; deciding to finish a little bit crudely to see what the girl's reaction would be. 

"I myself prefer them a little bit younger-" He said, unscrewing the bottle of gin he had drank from before and filling himself a glass, repeating the same trick he had performed when giving this young woman a glass. "-and a little redder on top." He said smiling at her now. Joel was ever the flirt. He brought his glass up to his lips, so as not to make eye contact with her too long and make her feel awkward. He then downed it in one, slammed it on the counter, and quickly began refilling himself another, but whiskey this time. If she downed his drink he would simply fill hers again. 

[meetjoelflatt]

Kismet | Joel Flatt & Audrey McQueen

[audrey-mcqueen-blog]

As soon as Audrey stepped foot in the Stingray she immediately wanted to step out—preferably many steps in the opposite direction, where the stench of alcohol and illegal activity was no longer decipherable. But, she was there for a reason, and knew it’d be a healthy experience to partake in. For it seemed the bombings had a larger effect on Audrey than she previously thought, and having not been able to stop thinking about the things she’d witnessed, the only logical solution was to get drunk.

Well, maybe not drunk, but tipsy at the least.

Audrey held her breath as she weaved through the club, knowing the bar was located in the back of the establishment. That’s where most of the crowd happened to be, which was both a relief and disappointment. Not that Audrey didn’t love to socialize, it was one of her only talents, but she wasn’t particularly in the mood to be chirpy. She wanted to sit and drink away all the bad images that were resolved to stay despite her attempts to rid them for good.

Reaching the bar, Audrey took the seat farthest from everyone else, unsure of what to do next. In a fleeting moment of panic, she caught sight of someone a few seats down. It was a woman, dressed louder than her voice was, flirting with the bartender. She knew she shouldn’t have been eavesdropping as obviously as she was, but their conversation was one of the most interesting things she’d heard all day. So much so, in fact, it was enough to cause Audrey to snort when the woman requested he’d refer to her as Martha.

As soon as the sound left her mouth, Audrey’s cheeks reddened and she quickly hid her face. That wasn’t enough to stifle her giggling, though, which seemed to get the attention of the few people around her.

[meetjoelflatt]

Although the Stingray was loud, especially at the bar, Joel couldn't have missed that snort of laughter from the girl at the end of the bar if a hundred elephants came stampeding into the room. Looking to her, he couldn't help but smile himself, somewhat abashed too. He knew she must have heard Martha. 

Joel tried to hide his own amusement, but couldn't. He tried to grinning, but his eyes and pursed mouth showed that he couldn't. Only moments beforehand he had been in foul humour, but now, he found himself smiling, and when he couldn't hold it any longer, he laughed out loud, still watching the girl at the end of the bar. Serving a customer, he gave the counter of the bar one quick wipe with his cloth and made his way down to where the petite playful beauty sat. 

"You know, some people would call it rude listening in to other people's conversation." He said playfully, his grin stretching from ear to ear. Joel leaned both hands on the bar as he stood before her, taking all of her in. Quick to analyse things, he took in her sleek red hair, beautifully round shaped face, cleavage.... and then he noticed she didn't have a drink before her. He thought she was coming from a table, or had been there all along and had just not noticed her while he was deep in his thoughts. 

"Sorry Doll, what you want to drink?" He asked, picking up one of the clean upside down glasses set before him. He spun it between his index finger and thumb so it was upright, and slammed it down on the counter. Joel had become accustomed to doing this without breaking any glasses over his time as a Barman, but he couldn't help but feel cocky when he completed the task without breaking any, so he gave her a playful wink and a click of his tongue simultaneously as if the trick was harder than it actually was. 

[meetjoelflatt]

[meetjoelflatt]

Kismet | Joel Flatt & Audrey McQueen

The Stingray wasn't particularly busy that night. Of course it had it's fair share of people, but mostly it was just the regulars, laughing and joking over their drinks.

There was no band playing tonight, earlier there had been a Magician putting on a show; The almighty Enzo, Master of all Five Senses. There was nothing at all mighty about the 5"5 middle-aged Italian, only the amount of alcohol he managed to intake before and after his show. People politely applauded, however.

Now, some flapper was singing along with a guy, who Joel didn't know, playing piano on stage.

Joel was a million miles, however, and wasn't particularly enjoying the music as he would have done on previous nights. The day before he had received a letter via his parents which had left a bitter taste in his mouth. Joel, avoided conversing with his parents as much as possible, because it always ended in an argument. Since Joel was between places and currently staying at a Boarding House, the post office brought a letter addressed to him directly to his parents house. He had distinctly asked them to hold onto any letters for him until he collected them, but the owner of the post office, who was a friend of Joel's parents, had personally brought it around one evening, along with some subscription magazines that Joel had meant to cancel. 

It wasn't just having to meet his parents, however, that put Joel in a foul humour, it had been the content of the letter. The letter was from one, Gillian M. Meyers, a broad he had had a thing with in New York. Joel met her in a Speakeasy in New York, where she was performing. Sometimes, whenever he ventured to New York he would meet up with her, and spend the night. One of these dalliances had led to her sending him this letter. She was pregnant!

Joel didn't want any children, well not yet anyway. He still did not feel right since he returned from the War, and besides, he was too taken up with watching out for his sister Marie. While all other men settled in with their wives or girlfriends and began having children, Joel moved around from town to town with Marie, finding work in any bar he could. 

He had not told anyone about Gillian being pregnant, not even Marie, and wasn't sure whether he would. Joel didn't want to start raising kids, or even to settle down with Gillian, she wasn't his type much. But he didn't want to bring a child into the world and not provide for it, so he had set up an account to transfer money to her. He wired through thirty dollars to her as a start, the remainder of his wages from yesterday.

As he stood there polishing one of the glasses, a woman he knew to be Martha James came up to him to order a drink. "A gin, Joel. You know how I like it." She said, dragging on the cigarette she held. Martha was the widowed wife of Mr. James, a man who had a steel manufacturers. He left her with a lot of money, and it seemed she spent most of it on nice clothes, booze, and cigarettes. 

When he handed her her gin, she smiled and paid him. "You look troubled, baby. Here, this is for yourself." She said, with a wink, passing him the money for the drink in one hand, and a wad of dollars in the other. Joel counted them. Twenty. Forty. Sixty. Eighty. One Hundred!

Joel was gobsmacked. "Mrs. James I can't accept this-" He began to say, like the foolish idiot he was. He could do with that money, he had responsibilities now. Thankfully, she cut him. "Oh hush now Joel, you know I got it. And please, call me Martha." She said playfully as she turned, returning to the table where she had been seated. 

He smiled from ear to ear as he stashed the money into his pocket. For now, he could last out some of this money to send Gillian some more money, especially when the kid was born. Of course, it wouldn't last forever, but for now, Joel felt like he had charted through a desert and struck oil. He needed a drink. 

Quickly, he cracked open the bottle of Gin he had bored Martha's drink from, and poured himself one. Joel drained it in one, and went back to his usual self, laughing and joking while he served Customers.