Barmaid Girlfriend

I pulled my car up to the curb outside The Clock Bar, glancing at my watch as I did so. It was 7pm and I was dropping Lily, my girlfriend, at work for her shift. I had to run back to the office to finish a presentation. It would be a late night for me tonight. I thought to mysels. The car door opening brought me back to reality. I couldn't help but admire Lily in her short black skirt and tight black top.

Lily was 24 and beautiful, I had to stop and admire her sometimes. We had been together since school, almost 10 years and counting. I watched her in awe, I was just as attracted to her as the day I met her. Her long blonde hair fell in loose waves down her back. She was petite and tight and stood around 5'7. Her piercing blue eyes were always sparkling, and her lips looked plump and inviting when she smiled. As she climbed out of the car, she turned around and winked at me, giving me a quick peck on the cheek before jumping out and closing the door behind her. "Don't wait up too late," she said, flashing me her signature smile. "I'm going to have some drinks after my shift."

I watched her walk away, her hips swaying subtly to the beat of whatever song was playing inside. It always amazed me how she could make such a simple action look so damn sexy. I shook my head slightly, trying to clear my thoughts. There was no point dwelling on our problems now; we'd done enough of that already. Instead, I started my engine and pulled back onto the road.

As I drove back to the office, my mind began to race. Our relationship seemed to be in a constant state of flux - one minute we were madly in love, the next we were barely speaking. It didn't help that I worked long hours and had to travel, and Lily worked such long hours at The Clock Bar. It sometimes felt like we hardly saw each other anymore. Whenever I tried to talk to her about us, she would just laugh it off and say that things were fine between us. But deep down, I knew she was holding something back.

The ride back to the office felt like forever, though it was really only ten minutes. My mind kept drifting back to Lily, and all the arguments we'd had recently. I knew I needed to work things out with her if our relationship was ever going to survive. But honestly? Right then, I didn't even know if I wanted to keep fighting for her. We had lost a lot of our passion.

She could be so aggravating and, to be honest, I think she enjoyed the fighting. It was sweet when we were younger but now everything felt strained. I simply didn't have the energy to argue anymore. We used to spend all our free time together, go on adventures, explore new places—now it seemed like our paths rarely crossed outside of work. That's why tonight, when I finished writing my presentation and walked out of the office, I had decided to take matters into my own hands.

I grabbed my keys from my desk and made my way to my car. I knew I shouldn't go straight home; I needed some air first. So, I drove aimlessly through the streets. Until I found myself pulling up outside The Clock Bar. I thought I'd join Lily for a drink.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and stared at it for a moment, debating whether or not to text her. I noticed the time, it was a little after 12am. I sat there for a few more minutes deciding weather or not to go in.