A new first day of work (Part 2).

I remembered my very first date with Diana. That double date we had with Maria and Thomas, where she and I arrived at the proper time and had to wait for those two to show up. I remember getting the faint feeling that Diana was nervous that time, which in turn helped ME relax a bit.

Other than my mother, Diana is my model of what being a proper adult looks like. No, Maria doesn’t count because, while she IS a proper adult, somehow I can’t see her that way. She’s almost like… a weird older sister, kind of. Diana, however, is always cool, rational and responsible. But even she doubts herself. If someone so capable and confident in her own abilities can feel the pressure get to them, then no wonder my insecure ass feels about to throw up.

But Diana is not only someone I look up to. She’s also someone I deeply love, and seeing her, FEELING her nerves inside my very being is worse than experiencing my own.

“Well… The day has come,” I said, with a soft chuckle. “We were talking about it for so long, but we’re finally working together. And on that note… I guess it should go without saying, but I’m not your boyfriend here.”

Diana turned around, looking at me with eyebrows raised.

“I’m here to learn and work, so don’t worry and order me around as much as you have to. You’re the expert, so I’ll do as I’m told as best as I can. I won’t hold it against you if you have to yell at me,” I told her, smirking.

I said that in a joking tone, but I meant it.

Diana smiled, stepped closer to me, then held my face and planted a soft kiss on my lips that made me all sorts of uncomfortable.

“H-Hey…!”

She didn’t let go of me. “I get what you mean, but you’re my boyfriend here and everywhere. That won’t change. That said… Thank you. I admit, I’ve been worrying about how working together will affect our relationship. I’m… not the easiest person to work with, so…”

“I promise you I’ll do everything I can to learn and improve. I’m here to work, after all.”

“I know. It’s not you I’m worried about. This… This is my first time being in charge of a bar. People answer to me this time. And you know I’m… not the best with people.”

“Then we’ll both have to learn as we go.”

Diana nodded. “Help me out, okay? If I’m being too cold or rude or tactless… Just pull me aside and tell me.”

I nodded. “Let’s cross those bridges when we get to them.”

Diana smiled. “Yes. Now, let’s get to work.” Diana stepped away, but her mood had definitely improved. “You won’t be mixing drinks today. At most you’ll pour drinks straight from the bottle. I showed you how to pour beer to avoid foam. Do you remember?”

“Yes.”

Diana nodded. “Plenty of people also order drinks straight or with ice. Some will use crushed ice instead of cubes. Here, look,” she waved for me to follow and led me to the fridge. There was a laminated sheet fixated to the door with a magnet with photos and tips for a plethora of drinks. A cheat sheet, basically. “This should be enough. If you have to do something beyond this, just ask me. Doesn’t matter if I’m busy. Only wait if I’m talking to a customer, but that shouldn’t take long.”

“Got it.”

“You’ll mostly be waiting tables here,” she continued, eyeing the few tables in the bar. “That and you’ll take orders to the restaurant. Now that the bar is open, we’ll be in charge of making the drinks for them, too. Someone from the restaurant will come through the back door, give us the order, we make it and you take it to the kitchen, not the table that ordered it.”

I nodded.

Then Diana let out a heavy, tired sigh. “That’s pretty much it. Whenever you’re free, stand close to me so you can watch how I make the cocktails. If we have time, I’ll have you practice the basic skills. Beyond that… Well, we’ll have to see how well you get along with the other bartender.”

I swallowed. “What’s he like?”

Diana groaned. “Cocky, but with good reason. Remember, it took time to open this bar because Luke wanted to find the best bartenders he could. This guy is young, about to start his senior year of university. He’s flashy, too. He likes to do tricks as he mixes drinks.”

“And you don’t like that.”

“I don’t, not for this kind of place. Keep quiet about this, but I have a bad feeling about him.”

I grimaced. “In what way?”

“I don’t mean he’s a bad person, even if I’m not particularly fond of him. I mean he’s… probably not a good fit for this place. But he IS good at mixing drinks, so it’s all up to whether or not he can adapt to the situation.”

“And… Shouldn’t he be here already?”

“He should.”

Well, he wasn’t starting on the right foot, that was for sure. The bar wasn’t open yet, but that was because we were supposed to be here an hour early to finish setting everything up, and tardiness was high on the list of things Diana disliked in people.

“Okay, so… What do we do now?” I asked her.

Diana smiled wryly at me. “We wait. I have everything ready. Juice squeezed, ice crushed and shaped, syrups and garnishes ready… I was here early to make sure we had everything.”

“Then if we have free time now…”

“You catch on quick. I’d like to continue working on your stirring, but for now familiarize yourself with the bar and where we keep everything.”

Diana started showing me everything bit by bit. The tools, the liquor bottles and how they were organized, the glasses, the garnishes, the path to the kitchen from the door behind the counter…

It was only 10 minutes before opening that the second bartender arrived with ragged breath.

Taller than me but slightly shorter than Diana. He was wearing the same outfit as I was, showing he was on the lanky side. He had very short, reddish hair with the sides shaved off and had a fairly handsome face that made me think of some pop stars.

“Sorry! Sorry! I…” He stopped to catch his breath for a moment. “I’m sorry I’m late, ma’am! My bus had a little accident.”

“An accident?” I asked.

“Yeah, look.” The guy brought out his phone and showed us a picture. It showed a small crash between a bus and a car. Nothing major, by the looks of it.

Diana let out a soft breath. Her expression already hardened. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it wasn’t too bad,” he said, grinning. “But I had to run the rest of the way here because those damn buses only pass like once every 30 minutes. I’m real sorry. I know it’s an awful look for my first day here.”

“It’s fine. Go clean yourself up and come back.”

“Alright. Be back in a jiffy.”

Well… He seemed cheerful.

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