| January 10 | Wednesday Evening |

I shivered as I hugged my winter coat tighter against my torso in hopes to retain any heat left in my body. As much as I enjoyed living in Missouri, the winters were always too much for me. Most people around here were fine, but I would much rather combat heat over cold any day.

Shoving my way through the back door of Jinx¸ I sighed in relief as the warmth surrounded me.

"Jas?" I called. "Danna?"

There was no answer, which meant I was the first one.

I slipped off my coat and hung it in storage, knowing they wouldn't be too far behind me.

Today we were having a few interviews for an extra bartender, which Quinton and Sara felt unnecessary, but help was needed now that Jinx was taking off. Although, I could understand their point.

We had a great team, and adding another person could potentially screw that up, but we had to keep a positive attitude about it.

I was stocking for about five minutes when Danna and Jas walked in together.

"Well, you're surprisingly early," Danna said. "What, Megan kicked you out?"

I laughed. "No. I'm just following my New Years resolution."

"Which is?" Jas inquired.

"Break my bad habits."

"Like being ten minutes late to every shift?"

I frowned. "Exactly."

"Hey," Danna said. "At least you show up."

I smirked. "You're right. I'm already above average." I set the last of the bottles I was stocking in the fridge. "So, how many interviews today?"

Danna scrolled through her phone. "Looks like three."

"Anything we're specifically looking for?" Jas asked.

"Fun, outgoing and personable," Danna answered.

I sighed. "Easy enough."

That's when the first interviewee walked through the door, a big smile on his face. I gave him an encouraging smile.

Then I joined Jas and Danna in the booth and got to work.

* * *

"Well, I'm hoping the last one works out because these two wouldn't be my first choice..." Danna looked over the first two applications. "Or my second, or third."

"They weren't that bad," Jas defended.

"Jas," I said. "The first guy was the most unrelatable person I've ever met, and the second girl looked like she's never drank a day in her life."

"They're just not what we're looking for," Danna added. "And they wouldn't be much help to Sara and Quinton. At least not right away."

"So, who's the last one?"

Danna scrolled through her phone. "Her name is... Mariah Caste."

The front door opened and all three of us looked up, only to be met with a light pair of eyes thickly outlined in black. Dyed blonde hair fell over her shoulders as she shimmied her coat off and approached us looking eager, but not too eager, like the first guy.

She reached out to Danna first. "Hi, I'm Mariah."

"Danna."

Mariah nodded. "You're the big boss."

"I am," Danna replied.

Mariah turned to Jas. "And you're a little boss?"

"Manager," Jas said. "Sam, too."

That's when we shook hands and I sized the girl up. She seemed personable enough, and like she would fit in just fine with Sara and Quinton.

"So, I'm gonna cut past the usual stuff and ask you what really matters," Danna started. "Our first two interviews were below average, and your previous work experience already puts you ahead."

"Cool beans," Mariah answered.

I smiled to myself at her choice of words.

"Reliable transportation?"

"Yeah. My car's only a year old."

"Availability?"

"Whenever I'm needed, I guess," Mariah said. "School's not really... in the way at the moment."

"Great. And you are aware this is a LGBT bar, so you'll be around a lot of different kinds of people?"

"I'm pan," Mariah revealed. "And I come here pretty often."

It seemed as if Danna was already liking Mariah more than the other two, and so was I. She was cool enough, and attractive, and laid back, or so she seemed. I obviously knew working with someone would bring out who they really were, but she seemed pretty level-headed.

We continued to have conversation with her, just to get an idea of who she is, and by the end Danna was ready for her to start tonight.

"We'll start training you next week, and if you can handle the weekend, we'll throw you into the schedule," Danna said as she stood. "I look forward to hearing how you do."

Mariah gave a confident smile. "I look forward to starting."

We watched as she slipped her coat back on and nodded herself out the door. In all actuality, I felt confident in her ability. She seemed nice enough, and I knew she would fit in just fine. We just needed to see how well she vibed with Quinton and Sara.

"Well, I'm glad she worked out," Danna said. "No bad feelings?"

Jas and I shook our heads.

"I think she'll be fine," Jas included. "Plus, she's bartended before, which is a huge plus."

"Great." Danna clapped her hands. "Let me know how she does next week."

I smirked as one of my hands motioned to my forehead. "Aye Aye, Captain."

Danna just laughed as she walked out the door.

Once the boss was gone, I looked at Jas.

"Maybe we should both come in next week?" Jas asked. "Just in case one of us misses something, the other can catch."

I shrugged. "I don't see why Danna would have a problem with that. Plus, we'll both have to work with her eventually."

Jas smiled. "Cool." Then she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "She was kind of cute too, right?"

"Yeah," I agreed. "But it's clear you have a type."

"I do not."

"Do too," I countered. "Pretty blondes."

Jas just rolled her eyes.

"I just don't think work relationships are all that smart," I finished as I grabbed my jacket.

A quick expression flashed across Jas's face, but not long enough for me to analyze it.

"Yeah, you're probably right," she agreed. "I'll see you Monday?"

I nodded. "See you Monday."

Then I was out the door.

* * *

January and February were down months for the bar, according to Danna, but there were nights where the cold wasn't too much for people to come out. Luckily, Mariah's first few nights of training went smooth because there were no serious rushes, but the weekend looked to be a promising one considering the weather would be more ideal.

"And so I made like, six hundred dollars because the idiot made a bet that he would give me fifty bucks per shot I took with him," Mariah joked. "He was shooting vodka, I was shooting water."

"That's genius," Quinton said with folded arms. "I'm gonna try that."

"Quinton, you don't even need to do that," Sara countered. "The guys that come in basically throw money at you already."

Quinton smirked. "Don't hate me cause I'm beautiful."

Jas was currently texting on her phone while Mariah, Sara, Quinton and I hung out and showed Mariah the basics. Things were slow, and the new girl seemed to be catching on quick, like we knew she would.

"Mariah," I said. "Why don't I run you through the closing work and you can go home early?"

She just laughed. "What? Quinton and Sara don't need help alphabetizing the beer in the cooler?"

"That's a good idea," I joked. "I'll have the next new hire do that... as a joke, of course."

"That's cruel and unusual punishment." Mariah threw me a mischievous grin. "But I hope I'm here for it."

We began going through the closing work, which was basic and easy. Maybe a little tedious, but nothing Mariah probably hadn't already done.

"So, you're – what did you say? – pansexual?" I asked. "What is that?"

Mariah raised a brow. "You live in a college town and don't know what pan means?"

"I mean, I have an idea," I said. "I just, don't really get it?"

"Gender doesn't really matter to me," she explained. "I'm attracted to attractive people, guy or girl, or non-binary or androgyne..."

This time, I raised my brow. "You'll probably have to educate me on all the others."

"Of course." Mariah smirked. "What about you? What's your sexuality?"

I realized we had fallen into a conversation and were no longer focused on the task at hand. I stood up straight.

"I guess I identify as a lesbian," I answered. "But labels are weird to me."

Mariah seemed to study me a bit longer, but the buzzing of her phone pulled us out of our conversation. She looked down, and then grinned to herself.

She looked up. "Anything else, little boss? Or can I run?"

"What? Got a hot date tonight?" I asked.

"More like a... booty call." Mariah blushed. "I don't really date."

I just nodded. "Yeah, go ahead. We'll see you this weekend."

She threw me a peace sign before disappearing out the back door. For some reason, I saw a lot of my old self in Mariah, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I remember vividly how I was and how it affected everyone around me, and most of the time it wasn't in a good way.

But I didn't know the girl, and maybe with more time she would prove my assumptions wrong.

* * *

When I walked into my apartment, Megan was typing away on her computer with Charlie curled up in her lap. She looked up with a smile.

"Thank God, you're home," she said. "I was about to die from boredom."

"You look pretty busy." I set my keys down. "What are you working on?"

"Résumé." She saved her document and closed her computer. "I'm thinking about applying to high schools again after I graduate."

"Where?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I haven't thought that far."

We both ended up on the couch and faced each other. With work and training and the new semester coming up, I wished we had more time to ourselves. Work also got in the way of that.

"Do you want to stay in Missouri?" I wondered.

Blue eyes found mine and grew soft, but there was something she was holding back. I moved forward and touched her knee.

"You know, if you wanted to move states, I'm not opposed," I informed. "I know the whole scare with Emma freaked you out, and you're right, more kids you know will move here for college."

"I know." She sighed. "But I really do like it here."

I gave her a sad smile.

"We don't have to figure it out now," I finished. "Besides, we have all of summer to think about that."

"You're right."

That's when she leaned in and kissed me. I smiled and savored every second like I normally did.

I knew after this semester, things might change again, and I was fine with that. I found my happiness lied within Megan's happiness, and if she wanted to move, we could certainly move. Of course, leaving Jinx and my friends would be hard, but I would cross that bridge when it came.

But for now, I just wanted to hold my girlfriend and enjoy this moment without worry of the future.

***A/N***

Guys. I'm SUPER sorry for being so absent, the past few months have been insane. With graduation and moving, writing has been on the back-burner.

But no worries, cause I'm trying real hard to crank out some more content for you all. Thank you so much for being so patient, and stay tuned, cause this season of "Everyday Adventures" is gonna get... messy.

Also, if you support me and this story, please don't forget to hit that little star at the bottom and vote for this chapter!

Much love,

Lauryn