I KNOW PLACES / THAISIE
𝐖𝐇𝐎: Maisie Rose & @theomcintosh with mentions of @xjonahx @dearjacobsamuel @billiepuckerman & Otis
𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍: Friday, July 23rd.
𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄: Rosalita’s Roadhouse.
𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓: Theo once again makes his way to Rosalita’s Roadhouse where the two once again have an exchange with each other that ends in Theo and Maisie doing that sweet devil’s tango.
𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 2,769
If there had been one thing that was on her mind, nagging at her like a child, it was Theo McIntosh. She had told herself for weeks since their first encounter that it was nothing. She was just blinded by a hot guy. It happens! Especially in the form of Maisie Rose. Maisie was the girl who romanticized everything in her head and she had taken to envisioning what could happen between them. There was the light flirting, the teasing, everything about it felt like she was finally the heroine in her own story, but she refused to act on the temptation. Maybe it was because a part of her didn’t know if Theo was ever serious. He seemed to actually take to her, but Maisie knew it’d be her luck that she’d give in, and then Theo would back out saying it was all just teasing and nothing more. But the words they had exchanged online rang in the back of her head. He said she had crossed his mind. What kind of guy would say that if he wasn’t interested in something? Maisie wasn’t dumb. She knew she was pretty and nice, but pretty and nice didn’t get you a McIntosh. It got you a sweet quarterback or a nice mechanic.
With a sigh escaping her, Maisie decided to take her focus off of Theo while she worked. It was a slow night, it seemed like nowadays, Rosalita’s Roadhouse was becoming slower and slower by the days. Not even the good drinks could keep people in the bar. Maisie had to stop thinking about Theo anyway. She had Jonah. Sweet, good, caring Jonah. They hadn’t sealed the deal, but anyone close to either of them knew it was only a matter of time before Maisie became someone’s girlfriend again. Jonah, Jonah, Jonah. Maisie just thought if she kept saying his name in the back of her mind, he would fester a bigger spot in her brain and Theo’s spot would grow smaller. And there was Jake. Jake who had ditched her last Friday, but took her out on the best make-up date and treated her like a princess. Jonah, Jake, Jonah, Jake. With the repetition of each name in her mind, she began to turn around at the sound of the door opening and yet, only one face seemed to plague her mind and the bar. Theo. “I thought I took my invitation back,” she said, shaking her head. “What are you doing here?”
there weren't many things about lima that theo was really drawn to, especially after having finally escaped and living in new york for the past few years. the coffee was worse, the neighbors were nosier, and well, it was just plain boring compared to the hustle and bustle that new york was known for. there was one exception to this, however. maisie rose. nothing has drawn his attention in this small town much like the bartender had, and after only one encounter. she was like a flashing neon sign in his mind that he couldn't get it to turn away from. maybe it was because there was an air about her that was refreshing, different from anyone else he had met in lima. and maybe it was because he just loved how much he got under her skin with a few little words, even though she tried to mask it with smart remarks. either way, he found her interesting and exciting and all he wanted to do was learn all he could about this person that had seemingly encompassed his mind in one night. his mind wandered to maisie more than he'd like to admit, and each time he had to remind himself that it was only a fascination. he could find her interesting all he wanted, but for all intensive purposes, he was considered engaged. but it was just a fun thing, nothing serious would ever come of it... right?
that what he told himself, at least, as theo wrapped up the last bit of paperwork he felt he had been drowning in all day to finally go to the one place he knew he probably shouldn't be going. and yet, not twenty minutes later, he was greeted by the same cheap club lights and lingering smell of booze he remembered from his first visit. and that voice. he suppressed the smug smile that threatened to break his cool exterior as he made his way to the bar, to the same seat he found himself in last time. "this place was closer than scandals," a lie, he actually had to go out of his way to get here. "and luckily, it seems this place has an open door policy. smart if you ask me, this place is really in no position to turn away a paying customer right now," he pointed out, glancing around the semi-empty building. "but don't worry, i'll sit right here and enjoy my drink, and you can pretend i'm not here if that's what you really want. but i have a feeling that's not exactly true,"
Maisie wished he didn’t haunt her mind like a ghost, but Theo somehow managed to stay in her brain and she couldn’t get rid of him. No matter how many names she repeated or how many dates she went on, the McIntosh heir seemed to linger like the way smoke did after blowing out a candle. And now here he was in her place of work just like mere weeks before. Every part of her wanted to run away, but the con of being clocked in meant it was either serve him or lose her job. Maisie didn’t know if Scandals was farther out, but she had really hoped he was telling the truth. But then again, she secretly hoped he had come to seek her out. Having his attention did make her feel slightly special. There were hundreds of girls in Lima who would crave to have him, but he had come to her instead.
“I can’t just ignore you,” Maisie retorted. She wasn’t sure if she meant it because he was one of the few in the bar or if it was because she couldn’t physically ignore him. How would she be able to ignore him? With his charming smile and mysterious exterior, it was virtually impossible. “Whiskey sour?” She asked, not waiting for an answer as she began turning her back to him to grab a slightly nicer bourbon and the ingredients she needed. It’s not like Maisie knew his usual drink order, but considering it was what she had made last time, she took a wild guess. Glass in hand, she passed it over to him. “If you’re going to annoy me for the next thirty minutes, could you at least leave a big tip? I know you’ve got some pretty Benjamins in that wallet of yours?” She joked with a slight smile appearing on her face. It's not like Theo annoyed her. In fact, as much as she hated to admit it, she loved talking to him. He could be arrogant, but Maisie always thought she saw a glimmer in his eye that was telling her 'Hey, he's actually a nice guy'.
from the moment theo sat down, he was hit with a wave of unease. he hadn't stopped to really let himself ask the question he was sure they were both wondering; what was he doing here? he could wave off the notion with the idea that he was just here for an after-work drink. but he knew that wasn't all. in all honesty, he had been trying to write off their whole first encounter for weeks. he had almost let himself forget about her entirely, letting himself believe it was just a fluke, whatever it was. but then she messaged him. and he had forgotten entirely why he was trying to forget her to begin with. but now he felt like it was hitting him square in the face. he hardly even knew this girl. she could be unavailable, uninterested. but in the back of his mind, the private message she sent gave him a sliver of hope, gave him the idea that he needed to at least try. what was the worst that could happen?
"you can't or you won't?" theo quipped with an easy grin, letting any thoughts of unease slip away as he resumed his usual cool exterior. he was just here for a drink and she was just his bartender, no harm in making conversation. he didn't respond to the drink offer as she had already turned, him instead pausing before continuing. "do you specialize in any other drinks or do you only know how to make whiskey sours?" the answer to that was obvious, considering she was a bartender, but any opportunity to tease or poke fun at maisie was one theo couldn't resist. her clearly emotions were painted across her features, and he liked watching them change as he got a rise out of her. slipping the glass into his hand, he gave a nod in thanks, arching an amused brow at her as he took a drink and she spoke. "i wouldn't use the word annoy. maybe, charm? amuse? entertain? at least more entertaining than anyone else in here," he joked, setting his elbows on the counter and resting his chin atop his clasped hands. "would you believe me if i told you i don't carry cash? would you take a tip in the form of a photo? maybe frame it behind the bar and get a plaque that says 'maisie rose's favorite customer'. " a pause. "or is there another form of payment you'd prefer?" he was entirely messing with her at this point, she had to know, but it was really just a game of how far would she let him go before he really annoyed her.
Maisie didn’t know where this night would take her. She wasn’t used to enigmas rolling into Rosalita’s every other week, essentially taking the breath out of her every time she looked at said enigma. It wasn’t like she was desperate for his attention and truth be told, she didn’t want anything to happen, but there was just something about him specifically that made her ache and quiver even when his name was subtly mentioned. “I don’t know,” Maisie wasn’t the world’s best flirter and she wasn’t the best at fully expressing what she wanted, which was more than likely why she couldn’t be in a perfect relationship. Really, she did know. She didn’t want to not talk to him.
"I can make other drinks, but whiskey sours are my specialty,” she bit back a small smile, shrugging her shoulders. Watching him quizzically, Maisie folded her arms across her chest, almost as her own defensive mechanism. As if she had her arms blocking her, she wouldn’t do anything stupid. Make a mistake. “Hm,” she hummed. “Can my annoyingly, charming, amusing, and entertaining customer tell me what he thinks?” She asked, biting her bottom lip, suddenly feeling like she was getting hit with an ounce of deja vu. This time, Maisie tolled her eyes. “I am not putting a picture of you over there. And —,” she couldn’t help but laugh, “are you trying to prostitute yourself out?” She knew it was all just jokes and teasing, but she couldn’t help but make a joke herself.
“By the way, it’s both,” she started, referencing his question from earlier. She didn’t want to mess with him, but she wondered how far her truth could lead her. “I can’t ignore you because you’re a customer but,” a pause as she swallowed a gulp before continuing, “I don’t want to ignore you. I guess I do enjoy talking to the annoying and charming Theo McIntosh," she admitted, moving towards the bar. "But I'll ask you again, why are you here? Surely, it can't be because of the drinks."
despite the thoughts that had been running rampant in his mind since he first arrived, as the pair’s banter continued on and as the alcohol slowly began to take effect, theo felt his renewed sense of confidence settle over him. a loss of his confident persona was not one he knew often, but in truth, it was all attributed to the fact that she made him nervous. nervous unlike anyone had before. he didn’t let this show, of course, neither in the way he continuously teased her or in his cocky remarks, but under all of that exterior front he was putting up, he was constantly questioning how far could he push until he went too far and ruined any potential he thought he saw shining behind the brunette’s eyes.
“if whiskey sours are your specialty, i’d nervous to see how anything else would compare,” he spoke, right back to the teasing nature, spitting things out simply for a reaction or a response. but as he watched her, memorized the way she pulled her lip between her teeth, it was abundantly clear his fixation had become much more than an appreciation for their banter. it had become an appreciate for her. “honestly?” theo asked, a smirk branding his face. “it was never bad the first time. i think i was just searching for a reason to be the name behind any of your curses, if only to have my name pass your lips at all,” and with that, a line had been drawn in the sand. one that could be taken in any direction, but one that would not allow them to go back. now it was just a matter of which would the night bring. “you can’t tell me my picture wouldn’t improve the decoration here. and i wasn’t, but i can’t say i’m not intrigued by where your mind takes you, miss rose,” he carried the joke along as well, but it was becoming blurrier and blurrier on if it was a joke at all.
throughout the night, the thing that caught him most off guard was her response to his earlier question, one he wasn’t expecting to get an answer to in the first place. one he wasn’t expecting to hear such a plainly truthful response to. “good, because i really didn’t want you to ignore me,” he paused, giving himself only a brief moment to decide whether he was about to cross said line drawn by answering her final, impending question. “especially when i drove to the other side of town, all but praying tonight wouldn’t be your night off,”
“Gonna be honest,” Maisie let out the smallest of laughs as she shook her head, “it’s probably best if you only had those. People never come in here for cocktails so I’m always serving the sours or beer. Can’t imagine I’d make anything super great,” she wasn’t the world’s most experimental bartender. She knew the basics and knew how to store a recipe in the back of her head and that was good enough to her if she came home with money.
There was something that was slowly pushing its way from teasing and flirting to something more between them. Maisie herself could feel the tension between them. At his comment, Maisie sucked in a breath. How could this guy sound so poetic? If they had been anywhere else, she’d probably be swept off her feet and dragging him home immediately. A part of her was saying to turn around, brush everything off as quickly as possible, but she knew that’s not what she wanted. She wanted to take this as far as she could. If Theo had drawn a line in the sand then Maisie was ready to dive into the ocean. Resting her fingers to dance on her lips, she decided to take a leap of faith. “Can you wait like... 15 minutes?” She asked quickly. Maisie wasn’t typically someone who would ask a customer to wait around for her to get off, but this was something she felt like he could wait for.
Apparently Theo McIntosh could wait 15 minutes because 15 minutes, one paid tab, and one ride home later Maisie was already against her apartment door with Theo’s lips pressed to hers, fiddling with her apartment door. “Wait, wait,” she pulled away, waving her hands around like a madman. “There’s a high possibility my roommate and dog might be up so just be like uber quiet,” it felt so childish, telling him that they practically had to sneak around Billie and Otis, but the last thing she needed was to alert someone and ruin whatever was happening.
THE END.