Now Percy was at a nearby bar with her girl best friend and RIO, Reyna Parsons. This bar was popular, always buzzing with people and the pilots often went there. Tonight was another one of those nights. The music was loud, the bar was full, and the pilots were rowdy.

"Did I really have to come here with you?" Percy whined. If it wasn't obvious already, Percy hated going to bars. Always drunk people, someone flirting with someone or making out with someone. She doesn't really like to go out to places like this. It's just not her scene. Why go to the bar when you can read a good book at home all comfy in your pjs?

Percy and Reyna sat at the bar, wearing their white uniforms slightly similar to the boys' white uniforms, but they were still different. The main difference was that the women had to wear skirts while the men wore pants. Of course, if Percy and Reyna had a choice, they would prefer pants, but they didn't have a say in their uniforms. They were glad that their normal uniform included pants because they figured it would be weird to fly with a skirt on. Percy had her brunette hair up in a cute but messy bun, and Reyna braided her brunette hair into a French braid.

"Yes," Reyna rolls her eyes, chuckling lightly. "'Cause otherwise you would already be in your apartment getting ready for bed." She smiles. "Don't worry, you'll thank me for this."

"Or I'll regret everything and blame you for it." Percy mumbled. She had a feeling that things would get out of hand and that she'd end up regretting this night.

Reyna chuckles, an amused smile tugging on her lips. "Yeah, that's more like it." Her gaze scans the room before her gaze fell on the door as she noticed someone walking in. "Ooh, hey, there's you-know-who."

"Pete's here?" Percy raised her eyebrows, glancing in the direction Reyna was looking at. She perked up a little at seeing her best friend walk in. Maybe with Pete there now this night won't be so bad for her.

Her cheeks heat up after catching the look Reyna sent her. She looks at Reyna, rolling her eyes. "What?"

Reyna smirks. "The fact you knew who I was talking about just proves you have a crush on him."

"Just 'cause I want my other best friend to be here doesn't mean I have a crush on him." Percy argued, ignoring her cheeks continuing to heat up.

"Sure." Reyna dragged out the word, not believing a single word Percy said. Percy sighed, shaking her head. She knew that Reyna was right, but was she going to admit it? Not at all. At least not yet.

"Hello, ladies." Nick Bradshaw, otherwise known as Goose, greeted once he and Pete walked over to the two women.

"Hey, guys." Reyna smiles at the two men. "Nice of you to join us." She teased.

Pete sat down next to Percy, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. She automatically leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. A smile formed on her lips as she listened to his heartbeat. The familiar sound helped her relax and she needed that in a place like this.

"Hey, Petey." Percy murmured. She looked up at him and he smiled, making her smile widen. She had always loved his smile. It was one of the reasons why she was crushing on him.

"Hey, Sephy." Pete grins. "Hope you don't mind I'm crashing your girls' night." He knew she didn't mind at all. He could tell by the way her eyes brightened up and her lips curved upwards into a smile.

Percy rolls her eyes as she smiles at him. "Of course I don't mind, idiot." She playfully punched his shoulder. "I'll always want you around."

Reyna and Nick were watching the two, smiling. They knew that the two pilots had crushes on each other, but they were just too stubborn and blind to see it. They both hoped that they would get together sometime soon.

"If it wasn't for me, Perce wouldn't be here," Reyna replies with a small smile. She throws her arm around Percy's shoulders with a teasing smirk on her lips. "I literally had to drag her out of her apartment to get here." Percy rolls her eyes at hearing that. It was true that Reyna had to drag her out of her apartment, but she didn't actually drag her. Reyna was being a bit dramatic with explaining. "I promised her I would give her one of my books she likes." Reyna added.

Nick laughs. "Yep, I'm not surprised."

Nick and Pete look at Percy with amusement. "In my defense, I don't have that book, and it's just another great one to add to my collection." Percy grins. "Plus she does owe me after forcing me to go here. Speaking of which," She turns to Reyna with a pleading and leans over to lean her head on Reyna's shoulders. "Can we go now? I'm bored."

"We've been here exactly five minutes, and you already wants to leave." Reyna chuckles. She pats the side of Percy's head. "Try to stay a lil longer. Preferably more than five minutes." She suggested.

Percy groans and buries her face into the crook of Reyna's neck, her words coming out muffled. "Fine. But if we stay here any longer than an hour, I'm leaving without you." She threatened.

Reyna sighs. "Alright, deal. One hour. That's all I'm asking for." She smiled.

The two men chuckled as they watched the exchange between the two women. They two had gotten close over the time they had here at Top Gun. Reyna had been assigned to be Percy's RIO, and they had gotten along pretty quickly. They were practically sisters.

Percy pulls away from Reyna, giving her a pout. "You owe me."

"Yes, I know." Reyna chuckles. "Don't worry, you'll get it." She reassured her.

"Good." Percy nodded.

"Well, if you want to leave in an hour, better start dancing and having fun." Pete told Percy, pulling away as he stood and outstretched his hand to her with a smile.

"Pete, you know I'm an awful dancer." Percy reminded him.

"So? I'm an awful dancer too, and yet I still dance." He grins. "Come on, Sephy. Dance with me." He gave her a charming smile, one he knows she can't resist.

"Fine," Percy huffs, placing her hand in his. He grins and helps her stand up. She rolls her eyes at him, but she had a smile on her face. "But only for a few songs."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see about that." He teased, knowing fully well that she'd dance the night away with him if he asked her to. He pulled her over to the dance floor, the two of them laughing as they started dancing to the upbeat song playing. Percy was more reluctant with dancing, but she eventually gave in and even laughed when he suddenly twirled her around at one point.

Reyna and Nick shared a look, and Reyna smiled as she shook her head, watching their best friends dance. Nick chuckles and shrugs. "Those two will get together someday." He said, knowing fully well that their two friends will get together. It's just a matter of time.

"Yeah," Reyna nods. "But they're both so stubborn, and they're also blind. It's so annoying." She complained, but her eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Tell me about it." Nick agrees with a chuckle. "I hope they'll realize their feelings sooner rather than later."

The two friends continued talking as they watched their friends have fun and dance and laugh and smile. Reyna was grateful that Pete was helping Percy have a good time. They all knew Percy needed to get out more, and she could use a break from worrying and overthinking. She'd rather have a quiet night at home, but at least Pete is there to help her relax and have a good time.

After a couple more songs, Percy follows Pete back over to the barb with a smile. "Okay, that was kinda fun." She admitted, a bit breathless from dancing.

"Ha! Knew you'd have a good time." Pete says, grinning proudly. "You're welcome." He teased.

"Oh, shut up." Percy rolled her eyes and her cheeks flushed a light pink. She's grateful that Pete had made her stay a little longer and enjoy herself. If it wasn't for him, she would have left. She and Pete got themselves a drink and went back to talking with Reyna and Goose before the question of who was the best came into conversation.

"Mav, you want to know who the best is?" Goose leans against the counter, looking over at where Tom Kazansky stood with a pretty blonde girl by him. "That's him. Iceman."

"I hate to say it, I really do hate to say it," Reyna mutters with a look of disgust on her face and she earns a giggle from Percy. "But Iceman is the best of the best." Reyna never had gotten along with Tom, and it's clear that he was her least favorite of the pilots. He was too cocky and arrogant, and it annoyed her.

"His callsign is Iceman 'cause that's the way he flies, ice-cold, no mistakes. Just wears you down. You get bored, frustrated, do something stupid, and he's got you." Nick explained.

"One time Sunny messed up, and Iceman wouldn't stop teasing her about it for a whole week." Percy chuckled, smiling sweetly at Reyna when Reyna glared at her, most likely upset with Percy for telling someone about her mistake.

"It was a simple mistake." Reyna defends, crossing her arms over her chest and huffing. "Besides, he was the one that kept distracting me." She pouted.

Percy giggles a bit. "You were the one that couldn't stop staring."

Reyna rolls her eyes, her cheeks flushing a light pink. "Can you blame me? He's hot."

"So you hate him but thinks he's hot?" Nick chuckles, raising his eyebrows. "How does that make sense?"

"Hey, I never said I liked him." Reyna argues. "I like the way he looks. Not his personality." She corrected him.

"Right, sorry." Nick rolls his eyes a little. "My mistake."

Slider, Rick Rossovich, Iceman's RIO, then walks over to the group and talks with Nick for a bit before Iceman himself joins the group. "Blaze, surprised but delighted to see you here." Tom smiled at Percy.

"I was forced to be here, but now I'm glad I came." Percy admitted with a shrug.

"Well, you look beautiful as always, Blaze." He complimented.

Yep, Percy's callsign is Blaze. And yes, while it is a cool callsign the reason she got it is not so cool. She had been cooking in the kitchen when she had accidentally caught something on fire and that's how she got her callsign. But, in her opinion, the reason how Reyna got her callsign is much better than her reason. Reyna received the callsign Sunny because of her golden retriever personality. She was loyal, energetic, protective, and easily distracted; the list went on with how similar she acted to a golden retriever.

"Thank you, Iceman. You're not looking bad yourself." Percy replies with a polite smile. "Though, I can't say the same about your ego. I think it's still growing." Pete and Nick chuckled, trying to hold back their laughter, while Reyna didn't bother holding back and was openly laughing. She always laughed whenever Percy made a jab at Tom.

Tom chuckles lightly, not seeming to be phased by her comment. He was used to getting these comments from her and Reyna. "Ah, you wound me, Blaze." He pretends to be hurt, pouting a bit. Percy just rolls her eyes at him and takes a sip of her drink. Tom then turns her gaze to Reyna and his lips curl up into a charming smile. "Nice to see you too, Sunny."

"Wish I could say the same." Reyna replies dryly, not bothering to look at him. Her eyes were trained on her drink. "Don't you have a girl you should go back to and bother?" She asked, gesturing towards the blonde woman he had been standing next to.

Tom chuckles a bit and shrugs. "She'll be fine. I've seen her dance with a few people already."

"Hey, Mother Goose. How's it going?" Tom said to Nick, and the two men shook hands.

"Good, Tom." Nick responded.

"This is Pete Mitchell." Nick introduces Pete and Tom to each other. "Tom Kazansky."

Tom shakes Pete's hand. "Congratulations on Top Gun."

Pete smiles. "Thank you."

"Sorry to hear about Cougar. He and I were like brothers in flight school." Tom admits. "He was a good man."

Percy frowned at the mention of Cougar, casting her gaze to the floor. Cougar used to be in Top Gun until Cougar quit. Cougar was great at what he did, but after one mistake that almost got him killed, he decided to quit. He wanted to be with his family and Percy understood and respected his decision. But she still missed him on the team.

Pete notices Percy's sudden mood change and frowns, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. He knew that Percy was close with Cougar, so he couldn't even begin to imagine how she must be feeling about him quitting Top Gun. "Still is a good man." Pete corrected Tom, looking back at him.

"Yeah, that's what I meant." Tom nodded.

Pete nods slowly. "Thought so." He murmured, taking a sip of the beer he had gotten from the bar.

"Say, you need any help?" Tom asked Pete, raising his eyebrows at him.

Pete looks at him with confusion. "With what?"

"You figured it out yet?" Tom questioned, a smirk tugging on his lips and Reyna wanted so badly to wipe that smirk off his face.

"What's that?" Pete inquired, tilting his head to the side.

"Who's the best pilot?" Tom answered as if it was obvious.

"No, I think I can figure that one out on my own." Pete told him.

Tom nods. "I heard that about you. You like to work alone. Well," His gaze flickers over to Percy, who was talking with Reyna now and sipping on her drink. "Sometimes." 

 Pete stayed silent, not liking the way Tom was looking at his best friend. His jaw clenched and his fingers tightened around the glass in his hand. It wasn't that he didn't trust Percy—he knew she could take care of herself—but there was something about Tom's gaze on Percy he didn't like. 

Tom looks at Percy and Reyna with a smirk. "Hey, ladies. How about a dance?"

Reyna scoffs. "Hard pass."

"Yeah, no thanks." Percy agreed with a shrug.

"Alright, your loss." Tom shrugged and he sent a wink to Reyna, who scowled back at him. 

"Mav, you must've soloed under a lucky star, huh?" Rick asks as he joins the group. "I mean, first the MiG, and then you guys slide into Cougar's spot."

"They earned his spot fair and square. It was theirs." Percy chimed in and brought her gaze from the floor to look at Slider, defending Nick and Pete. Nick and Pete shot her a thankful glance for standing up for them.

"Yeah, well, some pilots wait for their career just to see a MiG up close." Rick said. "Guess you guys are lucky and famous?"

"No, you mean notorious." Tom chuckles. He smiles at the group of four pilots. "I'll see you later."

"You can count on it." Pete responded.

After Tom and Rick left, Nick remarks, "They were abused children."

"Who were dropped on their head many times." Reyna added, nodding in agreement. Percy smiled a bit since she was amused by Nick's and Reyna's remark, and Reyna shared a laugh with Nick, who leaned on the counter beside her.

"We're gonna have a good time." Pete smiled, clinking his beer bottle with Nick's.

"Always." Nick agrees. "Alright, I guess it's my turn." He said, glancing at Pete with a small smile.

"You guys are still doing that stupid bet?" Reyna sighed, looking annoyed while taking a sip of her drink. Percy didn't blame her, she wasn't a fan of the bet either. The two young men often had a bet that whoever hit it off with a girl on the premises they would win twenty dollars. Percy didn't get why they would bet on such a thing. It wasn't exactly something to be proud of.

"Hey, don't judge, Sunny." Nick says as he looks around the room, trying to spot a woman. "I gotta have my fun somehow. Alright, the bet is twenty dollars." Percy shared a look with Reyna and they both chuckled as they rolled their eyes.

"Twenty dollars. Right." Pete nodded, looking around the room as well.

"You have to have carnal knowledge of a lady this time, on the premises." Nick added. Percy chuckled, amused by Nick's wording of the bet.

"On the premises." Pete repeated, his gaze landing on a blonde-haired woman across the room. Percy followed his gaze, seeing a blonde-haired woman sitting at a table. She looked back at Pete, noticing his gaze lingered on her. She didn't know why she felt a pang in her chest when she realized that Pete was interested in the woman.

"I think I'm gonna head out." Percy decided after checking the clock on the wall. The hour she promised Reyna was up and she was able to go home. She didn't want to stay around and see Pete hook up with some girl.

"Wait, you're leaving?" Nick questioned, looking at Percy as he frowned. 

"Yes, I'm leaving. I've been here long enough, and I want to get out of this outfit." She said, gesturing down at her outfit. She was wearing a tight red dress that hugged her curves. She usually doesn't dress up, but she thought it'd be nice to wear something different for a change. Plus Reyna had been very persuasive.

"No, don't leave yet." Reyna pleads, grabbing her arm with a pout. "You can't leave me alone here alone with them." She ignores the offended looks that Nick and Pete sent her. "Stay. Just for a little longer, please."

"Sorry, Sunny, but you'll have to survive without me for the night." Percy says, placing her empty drink on the counter. "I've had a long day, and I just want to sleep. Plus, I've been here for an hour, like I promised you." She reminded her. They didn't see Nick and Pete sharing a look before he had went to grab a mic of the stage in the bar.

"Excuse me, miss." Percy glanced over her shoulder when she felt a tap on her shoulder, raising her eyebrow at Pete at seeing him holding a microphone. What was he planning?

"Hey, hey, hey," Nick cuts in, smiling reassuringly at her. "Don't worry, I'll take care of this." He turned to face Pete, the two pretending to have a conversation before Pete patted his shoulder and Nick turned around as Pete started singing.

"You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips."

Percy chuckles when she heard that first lyric, glancing over at Reyna to see if she knew what was going on. Reyna looked just as confused as she did but also very amused too. She knew that this was Nick and Pete's plan to get her to stay.

"There's no tenderness like before in your fingertips." Nick sang.

Percy's cheeks flush a light pink as she watches him continue to sing, and she's suddenly aware of everyone staring at her. "You're trying hard not to show it." Pete continued.

Her eyes widen when everyone joins in singing, even Reyna, who grins at her and leans her head on her shoulder, hugging on her arm. "Baby, but baby, believe me I know it. You've lost that loving feeling. Woah, that loving feeling. You've lost that loving feeling now it's gone, gone, gone. Woah, woah, woah. Ba-doom, ba-doom, ba-doom, boom, boom, ba-doom..."

Percy looks at Pete, seeing the puppy dog eyes he was now giving her. She mentally scolds him. He knew she couldn't say no when he gave her those puppy dog eyes. Stupid puppy dog eyes. "Okay, okay," She sighs, sitting back on her stool. "I'll stay a little longer." Her face was still red and her heart was pounding, but she couldn't help the small smile that formed on her lips.

"Yay!" Reyna cheered, hugging her. Percy giggled a bit, hugging her back. 

Nick and Pete smile triumphantly at each other and Pete put the mic back and everyone went back to what they were doing. "You're buying me another drink though." Percy told Pete when he walked back to her, sitting on the empty stool by her.

"Deal." Pete smiles, getting the bartender's attention and ordering her another drink. He leans over to her so she could hear him over the loudness of the bar. "Thanks for staying longer, I know you didn't want to. But I'm glad you did."

Percy gives him a small smile. "You're lucky you have those stupid puppy dog eyes." She murmurs. "Otherwise, I would have said no." She wasn't completely lying. Yes, she couldn't say no to those stupid puppy dog eyes, but she would have stayed longer even without the puppy dog eyes. She was having a nice time hanging out with her friends, and it's been a while since they all got together and hung out like this.

Pete smiles smugly at her, and she playfully rolls her eyes, shoving him a bit and making him chuckle. He places his hand on her knee and her breath hitches, her gaze immediately darting to where his hand was. Her eyes flickered back to his eyes, noticing he didn't even seem to realize his hand placement as he turned to the bartender to order her drink. Maybe he did notice, but maybe he didn't care. She was thankful it was dim in the bar so he wouldn't be able to see how flustered she was. 

She looked back down at his hand when his thumb began to lightly stroke her knee, and she was surprised to feel a fluttering feeling in her stomach. Was that normal? She wasn't sure, but she did know that his hand felt nice there and she didn't want him to move it. They were usually affectionate like this so this shouldn't be making her act like she was, but her fast beating heart and butterflies going wild in her stomach were betraying her and it was confusing her. 

The bartender sets a beer down in front of her, interrupting her thoughts. She was grateful for that. She needed something to distract her. She grabbed the drink, thanking the bartender before she took a big gulp of her drink. Her heart fluttered and she couldn't help the small smile on her lips when she realized something. Pete had ordered her favorite drink, he knew her so well.

"How'd you know what drink to order?" Reyna asked him, her eyebrows furrowing together.

Pete smirks a bit, his thumb absentmindedly rubbing circles on Percy's knee. Percy tries her best not to let her reaction show despite butterflies going wild in her stomach, and she takes a long sip of her drink. "You forget, Sunny, I've known Percy for a long time. I know a lot of things about her. Like how her favorite color is red, her favorite flower is a water lily, she's scared of clowns, and she secretly enjoys cheesy romance movies and cheesy romance books even though she pretends not to."

Percy's cheeks flush a deeper shade of pink, and she looks away, pretending to be interested in the other patrons in the bar. "You really know everything, don't you?" She murmurs, taking a sip of her drink. "You're annoying like that."

Pete laughs, squeezing her knee gently, which causes her heart to jump in her chest. She almost choked on her drink, and she coughed a bit, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "Yeah, I guess." Pete replied with a grin. His thumb continued to lightly stroke her knee, and Percy found it hard to focus on anything but the warmth spreading through her. She took a long sip of her drink, praying to any God out there to give her the strength not to make a fool of herself in front of her best friend. It wasn't a hard task, right? It shouldn't be. 

This was her best friend. Why did he have such a strong effect on her all of a sudden? What changed? Was it the alcohol? No, she couldn't blame this on the alcohol. She realized she had been starting to feel like this recently. She had just ignored it. Maybe because it was easier to ignore it than to accept it. But she couldn't deny the fluttering in her stomach and her racing heart any longer. She was falling in love with her best friend, and she didn't know what to do about it.

****

As the night continued, Percy maybe felt a little tipsy. She had gotten some more stronger drinks to try to forget about her feelings, but they kept coming back. She was starting to regret that decision because she was now a bit drunk. She was stumbling in the hallway, trying to find Pete, frowning when she spotted Pete talking to that blonde-haired woman he looked at earlier in the girl's bathroom. They were standing close and they were smiling at each other. Percy felt her stomach drop. She didn't know why she felt jealous, but she did, and it was a horrible feeling. She had no right to be jealous. Pete wasn't hers. She wasn't his. They were best friends, that's all they'll ever be.

She made her way back to the bar, almost falling when she had trouble climbing on the stool. "Get me the strongest drink you have." She told the bartender, slamming her hand on the counter. 

She grimaced at how hard she hit the counter, She grimaced at how hard she hit the counter, her hand now throbbing. She rubbed her hand, groaning quietly. Maybe the alcohol wasn't a good idea after all. But she wanted to forget. Forget about the sudden jealousy and the butterflies and the fast beating heart. Forget about the realization she was in love with her best friend. So a drink or two more wouldn't hurt. Right? 

The bartender looks at her with surprise but starts making her drink. "Rough night?" He asked her as he poured her a drink.

"Something like that." She mumbled, resting her head on her hand after resting her elbow on the counter. She took this time to look at the bartender while he worked. He looked a little bit older than her, probably a couple years older, with short dark brown hair and bright green eyes. He was fairly attractive, but he didn't do much for her. Not like Pete did. D*** Pete. Even when she tried not to think about him, her mind still found a way to go back to him.

The bartender finished her drink, setting it down in front of her. She murmured a thank you, and took a big gulp of her drink, wincing a bit as she swallowed the bitter drink. "You know, this drink isn't exactly a good solution for your problems." The bartender remarks. "What's wrong? Do you want to talk about it?"

Percy scoffs. "If I wanted to talk, I wouldn't have come here. I came here to get drunk, not to talk." She grumbled, finishing off her drink and grabbing the bartender's bottle, pouring herself a refill.

The bartender chuckles, raising his eyebrows. He was impressed that she could drink one of the strongest drinks at the bar and barely react. Most people couldn't even handle that. "You're a feisty one, aren't you? You're pretty good at handling your liquor."

"It's a gift." Percy deadpanned, taking another sip of her drink. She glanced behind her shoulder when she hears laughter, looking at Nick and Reyna dancing with a group of people. She sighed, wishing she could be as carefree as them.

"Are you having fun?" The bartender asked her.

"Oh, I'm having the time of my life." Percy sarcastically responded, rolling her eyes as she took another longer sip this time.

He chuckles. "Okay, clearly you don't want to talk about what's bothering you, which is fine. But, it'll be a shame if you were having a bad night and didn't get any fun out of it." He pauses. "I'll be off in about an hour, and we could go out and do something."

Percy's eyebrows furrow together, not expecting him to ask her that. "Like what?"

"We can go somewhere private and you can take all your anger out on me." He smirked a bit, raising an eyebrow.

"Is this what you do? You work at a bar to flirt with girls and get in their pants?" She questioned, looking unimpressed. She was annoyed that he thought he could just easily get her into bed with him.

The bartender's smile falters slightly but then he shrugs, his expression shifting to one of casual indifference. "Not exactly. I just figured you could use a distraction, and I'm offering one. If you're not interested, that's fine too."

Percy's gaze softens as she looked at him, feeling bad for snapping at him. "Sorry if I came off harsh. I'm just...Having a rough night."

He nods understandingly. "No worries. Sometimes it helps to just talk it out, even if it's with someone you just met. But if you'd rather drink and let loose, that's okay too."

Percy sighed, feeling a bit more relaxed. "I think I just need to figure things out on my own. Thanks for the offer, though."

The bartender gave her a sympathetic smile. "Anytime. If you change your mind, I'm here."

As he walked away to attend to other patrons, Percy took another sip of her drink, her thoughts drifting back to Pete and the jealousy she felt earlier. She knew she needed to confront her feelings eventually, but for now, she was using the alcohol as a temporary escape. Her heart still ached, but she felt a small sense of relief that the bartender had been kind and understanding, even if she didn't take him up on his offer. At least not yet.

****

A few more drinks in and Percy was definitely drunk. She couldn't think straight and she was swaying on the stool. She was pretty sure that if the bartender didn't catch her, she would have fallen off the stool. She had been talking with the bartender, learning his name was Luke, for a little while now. He was surprisingly easy to talk to, and she found herself spilling her secrets and her heartache.

She was rambling to Luke about how she was falling for her best friend and that it scared the h*** out of her. And he had been patiently listening to her, offering support and understanding. Luke listened attentively, nodding occasionally and offering gentle reassurances. As Percy continued to pour out her feelings, she found a strange comfort in confiding in him, even though she knew he was essentially a stranger.

"And I just, I don't know what to do." Percy slurs, leaning on the counter and resting her head in her hands. "I've never felt this way before, and it's scaring the h*** out of me."

"Have you considered telling him how you feel?" Luke asked.

Percy's eyes widen, and she immediately shakes her head. "No! I can't do that."

"Why not? What's the worst that could happen?" Luke inquired.

"The worst that could happen? Well, for starters, I could ruin our friendship." Percy began, ticking off the reasons on her fingers. "And he could never speak to me again. Or, or he could laugh in my face and tell me that I'm being stupid. And that's the best-case scenario!"

Amusement gleamed in Luke's eyes as he watched her, but he also noticed how distressed she was. He decided to offer her some advice, since she had been doing a lot of venting. "I think you should take a chance, even if it scares you. You never know what could happen if you don't. If he does laugh at you, you'll know how he feels and he's not worth it. But if he feels the same way, then it's worth it. You'll never know unless you try."

Percy stared at him, her drunken brain trying to process what he was saying. She sighs, resting her chin on her hands and looking at Luke. "Yeah, maybe. Thanks for listening, by the way. I know I kind of rambled on, but I appreciate it."

Luke gives her a warm smile. "Of course, anytime."

Just as he was about to walk away, she grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "Don't leave me." She complains, her bottom lip poking out. "You're fun to talk to."

Luke chuckles, amused and he couldn't help but find her pout adorable. "I'm sorry, Percy, but I have to get back to work. Don't worry, I'll keep checking on you. Make sure you don't end up passing out at the bar."

Percy groaned, reluctantly letting him go. She watched him walk away, sulking a bit. She glanced around the bar, frowning when she didn't spot her friends anywhere. Great. She was alone again and Pete was probably off having a great time with that blonde girl. And now she was thinking of him again. She crossed her arms on the counter and laid her head down, shutting her eyes. Maybe she should just take a little nap. She was getting tired. Yeah, a nap seemed like a good idea.