#kyalinzolt

Her snort caught his attention, and he frowned as she turned away to grab her bag. He closed the fuse box and put away his tools quickly, trying to remember which restaurant had the bar she liked better. 

Underground has that one bartender she likes to ogle. Maybe a little eye candy will help her feel better.

He shrugged on his jacket. She might like the cold weather, but he sure didn’t.

“Underground. Just around the corner. You can pay for this service call with just a couple of drinks.”

Her laugh was so surprised, he had to smile. 

“Besides, I got dinner last week.”

Her playful shove against his shoulder pushed him enough to get the door open, and with a turn of her key, they were off. 

The wind was light, and the snow was, too. Kya snaked her hand into his elbow. They spent the whole walk over scanning the pedestrians in the far side of the street, trying to find the woman that the other would find most attractive. One woman’s topknot was so tall it was covered in snow. Another was wearing heels that exposed most of her feet to the elements. 

They reveled in the game of it, laughing and jostling each other the whole way. 

Once at the bar, they greeted the bouncer and shrugged off their coats. A quick peek in the dining room showed a busy night, and they were forced to choose between the table by the bathroom or the last two seats at the bar. 

With a shrug, they finagled their way over to the bar. 

“I hope Limeng is here tonight,” Kya commented. “I could use a nice stiff…”

When she choked on her words, Zolt turned to follow her line of sight. 

At the far end of the bar sat a striking woman in a green suit, whose shoulder-length, steel-grey hair caught all the colors of light from above the bar. She held her shot out in front of herself, staring at it like it held all the secrets of life. 

Abruptly, she downed the drink and knocked the glass down on the bar. 

Limeng looked up from her current customer, nodded, and refilled the glass. 

Zolt heard Kya swallow hard. 

“I’m going to… fresh…”

And she was gone. 

He looked back at the woman in green, and realized: Yuyan! That’s the one. A little older, strong, confident. Just Kya’s type.

Limeng wiped her way over to where Zolt sat, making note of the empty chair. 

“I saw Kya, didn’t I?”

“Yeah. Listen. When she gets back, give that lady in the green the best shot of whatever she’s drinking and tell her Kya sent it. She had a bad day, and I think her last date didn’t go so good.” He glanced over his shoulder to see his friend returning. They exchanged a wave, and he turned back to Limeng. “And our usual, please.”

He snorted when he saw she was already pouring for the two of them. He slid off his stool as Kya took back her own seat, and headed off to the washroom. 

Except he passed it by and stepped back outside into the early evening darkness. The snow was heavier, and the chill deeper. He stomped his feet and blew into his hands. 

Under the dim light in the alley, he hoped he was giving Kya enough time to strike up a conversation with that woman. She rarely reacted so strongly to just looking at a woman. 

But, spirits, did that woman light a spark in him, too. One glimpse, and he felt like he could hear her voice. He just knew her hands were rough, that she had the kind of gentleness that came from controlled strength. That suit looked so clean-cut, all the way across the room.  

He stomped again, not enjoying the cold as much as Kya did. The breeze shifted, landing a clump of snowflakes in his face. That was enough to send him back inside. 

He approached the spot the mystery woman had occupied when they spotted her, but she wasn’t still there. He glanced down the length of the bar, and sure enough, Kya was bent forward, twirling a finger around the rim of her drink.

He smirked to himself. 

He wouldn’t be dropping her off at her place tonight. At least he could go say hello, and make sure this mystery woman knew someone would check on Kya in the morning. 

And then Kya turned, spotted him, and waved at him to hurry up and get back.

As he slid up behind her, he leaned on her shoulder with an elbow. “I promise I won’t call your place before lunch. Want to meet at Peaceful Garden? Table for three?”

The woman twisted in place, picked up a drink and took a sip. “Thank you for the drink.” She paused, twisting the glass in her fingertips.

“I’m not sure what to think when two people I thought were together each send me a drink, saying it’s from the other one.”

Slowly, she drained the shot, looking from Zolt to Kya and back.

His breath caught.

Zolt looked at Kya, who was just as surprised.