Chapter Text
It was just like any other Friday night; Zora was at the club drinking whiskey and had her cousin for company. She would much rather drink at home after getting off duty, but somehow Perona always managed to convince her to go out nearly every week. On the bright side, after dragging her out of the house, Perona always left her alone once there were a few drinks in her system and tonight was no different; after Perona took a couple shots of vodka, she went out on the dance floor and let loose.
They always came to the Thousand Sunny because they had the best music, the best drinks, and Zora happened to know the owner, Franky, from college. Most of the people who came here were in their twenties or thirties, but sometimes older people would wander in for a few rounds of drinks.
The place had two levels, the first floor had a large dancefloor and a long bar with room to sit. There were booths and tables around the dancefloor, and the upstairs was a wrap-around balcony that had a view of what was happening down below. The place would be dark if it wasn’t for all the colorful lights flashing above the dancefloor.
Zora always chose to sit up at the bar and watch people in the club make fools of themselves. She has always been observant, a watcher, taking in her surroundings without participating in the rowdiness. It wasn’t her style to get crazy drunk and grind up on anyone within touching distance, but it was always fun to see other people doing it.
She didn’t mind being alone, in fact, she preferred it. Zora was never the type of person to make friends easily, much more of a loner type. No one ever bothered her as she sat by herself, if anything they avoided her. Most people would call it an occupational hazard, but Zora knew it was just her.
The place was packed, just like any other Friday night. Zora was on her second drink when someone sat down next to her and asked, “What does it feel like to be the most beautiful woman in this room?”
She nearly spit out her drink but brought her hand to her mouth to prevent such a tragic thing from happening. Zora turned to stare at the man who was hitting on her and asked, “You think I’m dumb enough to fall for that stupid line?”
The man wasn’t deterred like she’d hoped and instead smiled, “Do you have a name, or can I call you mine?”
“I’m not yours,” she told him flatly.
“I don’t know, you look a lot like my next girlfriend,” he spoke in a deep, raspy voice that gave her the impression he smokes.
Zora rolled her eyes, “Do I look like someone who seems interested in you?”
He chuckled, “I know how to show a woman a good time.”
“I was having a good time until you showed up,” she muttered under her breath but still loud enough for him to hear.
Thankfully, that seemed to shut him up, but he still was sitting beside her. Zora took the opportunity to study his features. He was tall, his body lean, his blond hair covered the right side of his face and he wore a pale blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. As she was looking at him, he turned his head to face her again and Zora found herself staring into the bluest eye she’s ever seen. His eyebrow was strange, there was a curl on the left side, but Zora couldn’t say it looked bad on him.
He gave her a half-hearted smile and asked, “Can I at least buy you a drink?”
She sighed loudly, giving in only for the promise of alcohol, “Fine.”
That seemed to make him happy, because his smile grew and he waved the bartender over, “Will you get the lady another drink? Put it on my tab.”
Although Zora was annoyed by the man’s cheesy pick-up lines, she was happy to get a free drink out of it and decided the least she could do was talk to him while she drank it.
The bartender placed a fresh drink in front of her and Zora quickly finished her old one before taking a sip. She set down her glass and turned to the man beside her, “Thanks.”
He gave her a grim smile, “It’s the least I can do after ruining your night.”
Zora was starting to feel a little bad for rejecting him and assured him, “You didn’t ruin my night.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” he sounded reassured.
She took another sip of whiskey and licked her lips, “Do some women actually fall for such cheesy lines?”
A soft chuckle escaped him, “Usually.”
“That’s hard to believe,” she told him honestly.
He shook his head, “You’re the only woman to reject me all night.”
Zora raised an eyebrow in amusement and teased, “The only one, eh? Guess that makes me pretty special, huh?”
The man scratched at the small goatee on his chin, “Yeah, it does.”
She scoffed, “I was just kidding.” Zora took a swig of whiskey and turned her body to face him, “You aren’t used to getting rejected I take it?”
He took a sip of his wine and shook his head, “You’d be the first.”
That made her laugh, “Sorry, curly, I’m not here to meet anyone, I’m just here to drink.”
The corner of his mouth twitched up into a smile, “Curly?”
She pointed at his eyebrow with a smirk, “Yeah, curly.”
His pale cheeks turned pink and he turned away, taking another drink from his wine glass.
Zora laughed, “What—you’ve never been called that before?”
He blushed further and shook his head.
She smiled at him and let it slip, “You’re cute.”
Immediately, he turned to give her a bewildered look, “What’d you say?”
Rolling her eyes, Zora repeated herself, “I said that you’re cute. Don’t let it get to your head.”
He chuckled, “Do you really think so little of me?”
She shrugged, “I don’t think of you at all.” Zora finished off her drink and got up from the barstool, “Anyway, thanks for the drink, curly.” She gave him a small smile and walked away to leave. She knew Perona would be going home with whoever managed to catch her eye and wasn’t worried.