My Little Love Story #2- Getting To Know One Another.

Read Part One- The Day we met here.

That Thursday evening I nervously drove into town to start my trial shift at BRB- then a very cool bar in Leeds city centre.  I had no idea what to expect as I had never done any bar work at all and I was terrified when I opened the door to find that Thursday was in fact a two for one student cocktail night.  I was useless and didn't even know how to pour a pint let alone make a Cosmopolitan, but I soon found that I loved the buzz of working there- there was always about thirty people queuing to get a drink and the music and the DJ's were amazing.

The blondy/brown haired manager wasn't working that evening but a couple of days later he rang me to say that they were pleased with how I got on and they would like to give me more shifts.  I soon became a fully fledged member of the bar team and I loved it- initally working a couple of nights a week, generally the weekend where it was always heaving.

Looking back the things we used to get away with when we were working were funny, I doubt that it would happen now.  Every hour or so all the bar staff would have a shot, and the customers seemed to love the fact that we were all happy and having a good time so generally bought us lots more drinks as well.  To this day I haven't found another bar like it.  

As I got to know the other staff that worked there, I soon found myself making great friends and I got absorbed into the social life of working in a bar.  To anyone who hasn't, it really is great and so much fun when you are young, we would finish work at 3 am and then go to an all night club or party and not roll into bed until 11am the next morning.  I was young, single and didn't have a care in the world.

The first time I remember properly speaking to the blondy/brown haired manager again was on one of those such nights- we had all gone out after work and we were sat in a bar talking.  I don't remember how the conversation started but I remember us both talking about our ex's.  I had just come out of a two and a bit year relationship with my first love and it turns out that he had just recently moved to Leeds to run the bar after splitting up with his girlfriend as well.  We chatted for ages and I ended up sharing a taxi home with him and another girl from work.  I remember thinking he was nice, but he was a little older than me and not really my type, so didn't think anything of it at all.

I don't remember when I started to realise that he had feelings for me.  Lookng back it was always apparent but I don't remember when it started.  I just remember it was a known fact that the blondy/brown haired manager liked me- he even told me himself and when he was tipsy he used to ask me back to his house, but deep down he was kind of joking and I would never have taken him up on the offer so we just used to flirt back and forth.

Soon a few months had passed and it was time for me to make the decision about what I wanted to do now university was over.  Most of my housemates and friends were moving to London or moving home and I really was at a crossroads at what to do.  With my friends gone there wasn't really much in Leeds but at the same time I couldn't see myself moving quite yet.  Luckily, a gay friend of mine decided he wanted to stay as well and we rented the most amazing flat right in the city centre- it was incredibly modern and fully furnished, with a balcony over looking the canals.  I adored it and it was perfect for my new social life!  I started working in the bar full time.

Around this time I remember the blondy/brown haired manager and I became friends.  Conveniently we always seemed to be working together on the quiet shifts at the same time (funnily enough he was the one in charge of the rota) and so there was a lot of sitting at the end of the bar chatting and getting to know each other.  We had a lot of fun and there were always whispers that there was something between us, but there wasn't.  I remember the first time he invited me to his house- we rented a film 'Coach Carter' and I was so bored I fell asleep on his shoulder.  I adored his company and I know deep down he had stronger feelings for me than just friendship but I just enjoyed being around him.

We used to flirt outrageously and people used to say that they could feel the sexual tension fizzling between us.  I remember sitting at the bar one evening with one of our mutual friends and he said 'I bet one day I will be coming to your wedding...you mark my words.'  I remember laughing and thinking he was insane...