Intermission - Get together (part 3).

It was true for Eric and it seemed to be true for the others as well. It was their first time coming to a place like this and their first time being served such elaborate and good-looking drinks. Then again, places like this weren’t exactly common. When Steven said he wanted to go out for drinks, Eric didn’t think this was what he or anyone else had in mind, but damn, it was an experience.

Steven’s eyes widened more and more as he saw what a Long Island Iced Tea.

“H-How many liquors are in there?” Luna asked, having lost count just like Eric.

“Vodka, white rum, silver tequila, gin and triple sec, so five,” Diana said, garnishing the drink with a lemon wedge. “Add some simple syrup, lemon juice and cola and you have a Long Island Ice Tea.” She added a straw and gently slid the Collins glass towards Steven. “I hope you enjoy it.”

“I think I will…” Steven said, smirking. “Thank you.”

“Who even comes up with a drink like that?” Ruby asked.

“There are theories,” Diana said, putting back bottles and getting everything ready for the next drink as she talked. “Some say it was born during prohibition to disguise illegal drinking, others that it came from, you guessed it, some bar in Long Island. Nothing’s certain, though.”

She next made Ruby’s Tequila Sunrise, and while Eric had never seen one, he understood why it had that name immediately. Tequila, orange juice and grenadine, which sank to the bottom after pouring it on top of everything else, really gave it the look of a sunrise, and the twisted slice of orange and two cherries on top made Eric want to try it, too. It looked tasty, pretty and elegant.

“Your Tequila Sunrise, miss,” Diana said, carefully sliding the drink towards Ruby.

“Thank you…” It was difficult to tell if she was impressed by the drink or still in shock from how gorgeous Diana was.

Next was Eric’s Chocolate Martini. She dipped the rim of the cocktail glass in a plate with a small amount of chocolate liqueur, then into a plate with cocoa powder. Then, in a mixer with ice, she poured more chocolate liqueur, creme de cacao and vodka. She took it in her hands, stepped away from them and turned to her side before she started shaking the drink with perfect skill and rhythm.

“Haha, that could be an instrument," Eric said.

“Ha! Like maracas, right?” Steven agreed with a soft laugh.

Diana strained the clean brown, frothy drink into the prepared cocktail glass and slid it towards Eric. “Here. A Chocolate Martini. It’s sweet, so be careful not to drink it too quickly. You’ll get drunk without noticing.”

Eric appreciated the advice and nodded in acknowledgement.

Lastly, she started on Luna’s drink, the fancily named Hera’s Crown. She added grenadine, lemon juice and orange juice into a new mixer and shook it with ice just like she had before. She then added club soda to it, but instead of shaking, she gently rolled it to mix it before straining it into a cocktail glass and garnishing it with an orange twist. The result was a beautiful, crimson-colored drink that made Luna’s eyes sparkle.

“A Hera’s Crown,” Diana said, sliding the drink towards Luna.

“Thank you!” Luna said excitedly.

The four classmates had waited for everyone to have their drinks, then tried their own at the same time.

It was like a shock to the brain, and not because of the ****. In fact, Eric was surprised at how tasty this thing was. Sweet, very sweet, yet not like drinking soda or straight chocolate milk. It was… complex, strong, yet soothing. Given the others’ reactions, their drinks had also left an impression.

“Fuck me…” Steven muttered, eyes on his Iced Tea. “How am I supposed to drink cheap beer after this?”

Ruby swallowed. “I always try a Tequila Sunrise at a new place if they serve it, but… Holy crap, this is different. How? Why?”

“The quality of the drinks, the quality of the juice we squeeze just before we open the bar, the quality of the ice, the way it's stirred, the way it's shaken… Everything is of the highest quality. Using those and mixing them in proper proportions can elevate even the simplest drinks,” Diana said.

“I can see that,” Luna said, grinning. “My dad used to make me a sort of… What did he call it? A drink you have after a meal?”

“A digestif?” Diana offered.

“Yeah, that! He used to make me a kid’s version of that with grenadine, water and ice and I loved it. This… this is like that, but infinitely better.”

“Thank you. I’m glad you like it. Please, relax and enjoy,” Diana said with a short bow before going over to another customer.

“Oliver wasn’t kidding, huh?” Steven said, looking at his glass. “This place is fancy.”

“I… can also understand why he didn’t really want us to come here,” Eric said, trying to sneak glances behind himself.

“Yeah, this… isn’t really the vibe for loud university students, is it?” Ruby said.

The couples behind them were all super into each other. Flirting quietly but openly. And not just that, but everyone was fairly older than them, at least 30 and over.

“Well, our university has plenty of bars nearby that would be more up our alley,” Luna said. “Most people our age are going there. Hell, we wouldn’t be here if not for Oliver mentioning it.”

“And I’m not sure how often we’ll be able to come here,” Steven said with a chuckle. “It’s not ridiculous, but it is pretty expensive.”

Eric had another sip of his drink, tasted it and felt it go down, with the faint burning of **** being smoothed down by the coolness of the drink itself. He smiled. “It’s kind of worth it, though.”

“Oh, for sure,” Ruby said, taking another sip. “And the bartender’s super hot, so sitting at the counter makes it even better.”

“I’ll toast to that,” Luna said, smirking and clicking her glass with Ruby’s.

“I’d toast to that, too, if I had a drink,” Oliver said with a deadpan tone, walking over and grabbing the mixers, plates and glasses Diana had used before moving over to the nearby sink to wash them.

“Uh… S-Sorry…” Luna and Ruby said.

Oliver sighed with a small smile and shook his head. “She’s gorgeous and skilled at what she does, so it’s no wonder everyone looks at her. Just… don’t make her uncomfortable, okay? That’s all I ask.”

“No, that was out of line,” Ruby said. “Luna and I usually fool around saying stuff like that, but… she’s your girlfriend. We really are sorry.”

“Yeah, we’ll behave,” Luna said.

Oliver’s smile grew slightly. “Thank you.”

“Um… H-Hey, Oliver?” Eric began. “H-How much does a room here cost?”

Before Oliver could answer, the loud sound of a glass breaking silenced the bar.

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