Chapter 9 Bar

MIA POV

"Get your act together!" Lorena gave me a slight shove.

"Help me look for them instead of just sitting there," Lorena said irritably.

We've been here for a while, and she's been searching for the person she's looking for.

"You know how big this bar is and how crowded it is. It's impossible to find them. And ask around if you know where they might be."

"Well, they're not replying, right?" she snapped at me, angrily typing on her cell phone. She's been upset since I didn't help her search.

"Let's just go home, Lorena, the mistress." I calmly suggested. "I don't know where you get the audacity."

She's the mistress herself, and yet she plans to barge in and cause a scene during her husband's bonding time.

"You know, if you have nothing nice to say, just keep your mouth shut." Lorena was annoyed, trying to call someone who didn't want to answer her calls.

"You know, have nothing anything good to do, just keep quiet." I retorted.

She didn't bother engaging with me anymore and just pulled me along.

"You know what, let's go home. We won't find them, and who knows, maybe they're in a VIP room." I said. I’m so bored.

A woman accidentally bumped into me.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry."

I just smiled at her to let her know it was okay.

"This is so frustrating."

I didn’t mind Lorena who had been complaining and frustrated in searching.

We went to the farthest and slightly dimmer corner of the bar.

"There they are!"

I looked at where she was pointing, but I couldn't see them.

"Isn't that Ethan?" She pointed at someone, but I couldn't make him out because of the darkness and their position in the corner.

She forcefully pulled me and we almost bumped into someone.

"Hello, guys!" She greeted everyone cheerfully.

This woman has sharp eyes. Well, when you're looking for someone, you tend to excel in finding them.

Ethan didn't look at us and was engrossed in conversation with the man he was talking to.

There were six people at the table and one woman. Ah, that must be Kieffer's legal wife, but I didn't know which of the two men she was married to, as she was sitting between them. I’m sure about the face of Kieffer.

"Ethan, you're here, too." Lorena raised her voice to make sure Ethan could hear her, but even though he heard her, he didn't acknowledge her.

"Ethan... Mia is here looking for you. She's been searching everywhere, and you're right here." As she said that, all attention shifted to the other side of the table.

I stared at her with wide eyes.

The man next to Ethan elbowed him, and they both glanced at us. I smiled awkwardly at them.

"May I join you guys? My friend here tends to go wild when she's drunk, and her husband is here to keep an eye on her. If you don't mind, can I sit with you? It's just the two of us. I'd be lonely if I left my friend here."

Psh! She's good at making up stories and excuses.

"Sure, you can sit..." The man with the earring in his left ear was about to finish his sentence when Lorena suddenly pushed me and quickly took the middle seat. She pushed the legal wife to make room for herself, so she and the man ended up sitting on both sides of Kieffer.

The man at the end of the sofa got up and moved next to the man with the earring in his left ear.

My eyes widened, and I almost fell, but Ethan caught me just in time.

Face to face. Nose to nose. Eyes to eyes. I swallowed hard. His face was so close to mine, and I could smell the scent of alcohol on his breath and his masculine perfume that smelled like dollars.

I stared into his eyes, which seemed to sparkle every time I looked at them.

I flinched as he lightly tapped my forehead, and suddenly I heard the click of a camera and saw the flash.

"How sweet," teased the man in the white coat, grinning widely as he looked at the screen of his cell phone.

"You're not yourself again," Ethan commented, observing my behaviour.

"H-Hi," I stammered nervously.

What should I say when I see someone I left behind during our travels?

He didn't reply or react, but instead gestured for me to sit where he was seated, placing himself in between me and the man in the long sleeve.

"Hey, is that the dog you bought, Ethan?" the man in the white coat asked.

Yes, I brought the dog here. I couldn't leave her alone at home without anyone to take care of her. Lorena and I figured out a way to bring her along. Ethan even got mad at me for bringing the dog.

Poor thing, she would have been all alone at home.

"Why did you bring her here?" Ethan whispered to me.

"No one would look after her at home," I smiled at him.

"How did you manage to bring her in here? Damn," commented the man with the earring in his left ear.

"Can I carry her?" asked the man who made space for himself due to Lorena's actions.

I looked at him, happily seated in the middle, and couldn't believe his audacity. No one offered him any alcohol, yet here he was drinking. He had some nerve!

"This Shih Tzu is so cheap, Ethan. Why didn't you buy the only Labrador dog?" the man holding the dog asked.

"That dog is already 1 year old. Besides, I'm still considering if she'll like it," Ethan replied, trying to save money.

"Do you like this dog, Ms...?" He asked, inquiring about my name.

"Mia," I answered.

"I am Toirdhealbhach," he introduced himself.

"Huh?" I couldn't understand.

He laughed at my reaction. "Toirdhealbhach," he repeated.

"To bu healla chank?" I asked, confused.

They all laughed, except for Ethan.

"Just call him 'Tan,'" he instructed the person next to me, shaking his head and laughing. Ah.

I redirected my attention to Ethan. "What did he say?" I asked.

"Toirdhealbhach," he quickly replied, leaving me even more confused.

"What?!" I raised my voice, unable to comprehend.

"Just call him 'Tor'," he said, trying to hold back his laughter.

"Tor?" I raised my voice even louder so he could hear me clearly, as the music was so loud.

He nodded at me in response, still laughing.

I turned to the guy next to me.

"What was his name again?"

"T-ERiy," he guided me. "all."

"aa-l?" I made sure.

"Vaa."

"Vaa." I wanted to know his name.

"Toirdhealbhach," he repeated the full name.

"Teraraya back?" I repeated.

They heard me again, which made them laugh even more. I frowned. They were making fun of me.

"Mia," Lorena called my name. "Teriyaval," she pointed at me. At least she got it.

I nodded and gave a thumbs-up sign.

"What's the spelling of that?" I asked Ethan again.

"Don't ask, you won't be able to memorize it," his companion interjected.

"I am Adagio," he introduced himself. "And that's Moonraker. Like Moon," he pointed to the guy with the earring.

"And that's a Thunderball." The man in the white coat just nodded at me, busy with his cell phone.

"That's Kieffer. The one being sandwiched between the two girls. Got it?" I nodded in response. He seemed a bit grumpy. Maybe that's why he and Ethan were sitting together, as they both seemed grumpy.

"Why are you laughing?" the guy next to me asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just thought of something," I smiled broadly at him.

It turns out there were seven of them, not six because I didn't see Adagio since he was in the dark.

"Have you eaten?" Ethan asked me.

As I was about to hold the glass of alcohol, he suddenly took it away from me. I smiled sweetly at him.

"Not yet. Lorena woke me up to come here," I complained. His eyebrows furrowed.

I leaned closer to his ear, and he lowered himself so I could reach it. He's so tall that even when he's sitting, I still can't reach him.

"She's Kieffer's mistress," I revealed. He didn't react to what I said.

"Don't you care at all?" I asked, but he just shrugged.

He ordered food for me to fill my stomach before drinking, he said.

He didn't talk to me anymore, and I was just busy listening to their conversation about some alien topic—I didn't know what it was about.

I just laughed along whenever they all laughed, pretending like I knew something.

I looked at the three of them sitting in front of me. Lorena was already leaning towards the man.

Why did Kieffer decide to replace someone beautiful with someone ugly?

I sighed and shook my head.

My gaze shifted away from the two of them as a man suddenly arrived.

"Damn," he murmured.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I had to finish some work, and then I got stuck in traffic." He adjusted his hair, holding his phone in his well-lit hand. I looked at him from head to toe. Hmm, he wore a gold watch and pants, along with a casual outfit that suited him. His hair was styled in a slightly tousled manner.

He exchanged fist bumps with everyone and kissed Queen on the cheeks. Hmm, they seemed to have known each other for a long time.

"Damn it! It's already crowded, and you're squeezing yourself in," Moonraker grumbled as he moved to make space for him.

"Where should I sit then?" He rolled his eyes.

They all made a slight adjustment, squeezing and cramming the four of them together. They were all quite large individuals.

"Toirdhealbhach, why did you choose this spot? You should have reserved a VIP room. It's not like you're paying; you're so frugal," Adagio commented.

"Sorry, just chill," Tor replied, sounding relaxed. "We could have gotten a VIP room."

Thunderball is busy on his phone, and my dog is settled comfortably in Tor’s lap. The dog still doesn't have a name.

"Ethan, is that your wife?" the newcomer pointed at me when he noticed me looking at him.

Thunderball responded instead, "Yes, why? Are you jealous?" Thunder teased.

Their names are so long.

"That's Mia," Adagio introduced me.

I felt Ethan grab hold of one of my hands tightly. He held it firmly.

"Look at that, as if holding hands like that means someone's trying to steal a wife," Tor Moon teased, looking at our intertwined hands.

“Ah, yeah. I am Russia with Love Goldfinger You Only Live Twice On Her Majesty’s Secret Service Diamonds Are Forever Live and Let Die The Man with the Golden Gun The Spy Who Loved Me Moonraker For Your Eyes Only Octopussy A View to a Kill The Living Daylights Licence to Kill GoldenEye Tomorrow Never Dies The World Is Not Enough to Die Another Day Casino Royale Bond,” he said and laugh after.

It seemed like they were teasing me because everyone started laughing, especially Moonraker, whose laughter was quite boisterous.

I joined in the laughter too, even though I didn't understand what he said.

"Just call me Russ or Ru if you find it too long," I felt silly at this point. Ethan's friends were extraordinary, and they loved teasing. It was evident that this Russ guy was making fun of me.

"Damn it!" Tor exclaimed.

Tor the Tornado.

I looked at them.

"You're such a mess, Moon Raker!" Tornado clothes were all messed up.

He took off his coat and threw it at Moon's face.

I had no idea what was happening.

"Don't drink too much," Ethan reminded me as he handed me his glass again. I was using his glass.

"Yes, master," I even saluted him playfully.