Chapter Text
Three kids puked in your class today and one of them was ON YOU. That stain was never gonna get out and oh boy did you need a drink. You decided to go to a bar called Shelby’s, it was a mid class establishment. One of the only nice and affordable places in Lexington. You had just gotten off work when you decided that drinking in your apartment alone sounded a bit too depressing tonight. You pulled up to the bar in your work clothes which consisted of jeans and a sweater (complete with puke stains) since the elementary school you worked at was pretty lenient on your dress code. Walking in you sat at the bar and ordered a jack and coke. A classic. If you got anything from your daddy it was his taste in alcohol.
It was a Friday night so there were quite a few other patrons. A couple in a booth behind you, a couple in a booth next to that one, and a couple sitting across the bar from you. Damn. When was the last time you had sex let alone a relationship? You inwardly groaned and tilted your head down as you swirled your drink. Being in your late twenties was not very glamorous. You were an elementary school art teacher who just finished getting her masters a year ago. The work was fun and you enjoyed being a role model as well as a friend to the students like you needed when you were their age. With that goal in mind you didn't have much room to date in college. Having one long term relationship a few years back made you steer clear of romance while finishing your degree. Kenny was his name and apparently all he was good for was cheating on you at least twice. You dated for almost two years and when one of his friends finally slipped up and told you about Kenny’s “exploit” the night before you immediately packed his shit and changed the locks. He was never the best boyfriend, but you thought he loved you. Now love seems like bullshit, yet you still somehow wish something would work out.
While you were reminiscing about your past loves, the bar started to fill up. You had gotten there at 5:30 and now it was nearing 6:30. You had nursed two jack and cokes before you decided you had to drive home eventually. You ordered water and a beer. You had been enjoying the nice hum of people talking, but as more people entered the bar it became a bit of a loud and jumbled mess. You enjoyed the ambiance, but you decided that you should probably head out before it got too crazy. You decided to people watch before you did leave. An old guy in a bass pro shop across the room was on his 4th beer, bad fishing trip or good fishing trip and mad wife, you guessed. Another guy sitting a booth alone dressed in a suit on his third glass of whisky, divorce or a bad business deal. A group of barley legal looking kids packed into a booth only meant to fit four, all had beers and were laughing hysterically. Oh that was why it smelled like weed, they are high. You were so absorbed in the lives of others you hadn’t even noticed a guy sitting next to you.
It was one of the only seats left at the bar, the other two empty seats being next to each other he thought he’d leave those open since he was alone. Tim had just got off of work and he needed a drink. Shooting people he could handle, but crying men who begged not to be shot. That was not up Tim’s alley and it stressed him the fuck out. Now all he wanted to do was drown his life into the practice of borderline alcoholism. He ordered two beers to start with and drank as he looked around. Nothing out of the ordinary. The same stories like every other day. Those who were with coworkers or friends, those who are drowning sorrows, and couples who seemed absorbed into each other. Tim liked to think that he was not a part of any of them, but he knew he probably fell into the “drowning of sorrows” club. The woman next to him though might actually not be a part of any of them. He had noticed her when finding a seat, but he didn't think much of it. Now that he was actually looking at her, she seemed mildly entertained as she watched a couple across from them. The couple was seeming to be in a heated discussion about… huh was that Star Wars. Tim hadn't ever gotten around to watching the movies, but he thought that was a pretty good guess. He looked back to the woman next to him, she was wearing a green sweater with sheep on it, that’s interesting. She also had a pair of jeans. There was a stain on her left hip, it covered both her sweater and her jeans.
“Hey, you got a stain on your shirt and pants.” he looked at you and muttered into his beer.
You jumped, completely absorbed in the conversation across from you. You turned your head to look at him and hummed, “ hmm?”. Oh, he’s pretty.
“ You have a stain,” he nodded to where the puke stain that you had tried to get out during your lunch break was.
“ Oh yeah,” you looked down at it. It wasn’t terribly noticeable, but definitely a weird looking thing. “A kid puked on me today,” you laughed. It was a bit of an airy giggle. You looked up at him. He furrowed his eyebrows as took a sip of his beer and looked at the stain.
“That sounds fuckin awful,” he drawled, “ Well that’s a stain i have never had to clean, good luck.”
It was your turn to quirk your eyebrow, “ It sounds like you deal with a lot of stains?”
“ Yeah, blood stains aren’t too hard to clean.” he spoke nonchalantly, but your eyes widened a bit.
He took another sip of his beer then stuck out his hand, “ U.S Marshal, Tim Gutterson.”
At that you relaxed and smiled while shaking his hand, “ Y/N Givens, Elementary School Teacher.”