The bar was rather busy that night. Loud music filled the room almost as much as people. The Devil’s Share was a popular stop for many who lived in this area of the city. It was a high end bar that was always lively. Daniel had visited it only a few times, all mostly in his college days. While he enjoyed the good—but expensive— drinks and music, bars weren’t usually his scene of choice. Namely because he disliked going to them alone. After college, it was always difficult to get schedules to align with his friends so the few times he did go out had dropped down to nearly zero. Tonight he was out for a special occasion.

“Alright everyone get a shot!” Jamie, one of Daniel’s friends from college, instructed grinning ear to ear. His face was already slightly red from the alcohol he had consumed. Raising the small shot glass in his hand, he looked over to the man besides Daniel. “This one’s for Trevor finally growing the balls to propose! And to Brandy for actually accepting!”

“To Trevor and Brandy!” Daniel voiced his agreement with a sly smirk as he raised his glass as well. With two of his closest friend’s getting engaged, it had finally brought everyone together for the night despite their busy schedules. 

“You guys are such assholes.” Trevor rolled his eyes before cracking a grin. His gaze shifted onto Brandy, the woman on the other side of him, and wrapped arm around her as he held the shot in his other hand. In response, Brandy smiled and leaned into his side as she grabbed her own glass. He leaned in and clinked the glasses with the rest of the group and then quickly downed the shot. 

Daniel did the same as he downed the shot before placing the now empty glass back on the table. He scrunched his face slightly at the harsh liquor. Shots had never been Daniel’s strong suit but somehow, he managed to force them down. The group had secured one of the bigger tables at the right corner of the bar. There were only four of them at the moment but they had about four more still coming to join them that night. He let out a small breath and leaned his elbows on the table. His dark gaze shifted to look around the bar, just beginning to take in the crowd when he felt someone nudge his side. Looking to Trevor, he raised an eyebrow as his friend leaned in. 

“Hey Danny,” Trevor began in a lowered voice. This conversation was clearly just meant to stay between the two of them and luckily Jamie was already wrapped up in a separate conversation with Brandy. “I don’t think I ever said it before but thank you for introducing me to Brandy. I really owe—“

“Save that sappy bullshit for your wedding day, Trevor.” Daniel cut in before his friend could say anymore. It didn’t feel like the time nor place for it. Plus he was far from drunk enough to give Trevor the reaction he wanted. Trevor was a more emotional person than himself and a simple ‘no problem’ would likely disappoint him. Daniel flashed him a teasing smirk. “You’re not already drunk are you?”

“Man fuck you.” Trevor scoffed and gave his friend a small shove. “I’m not drunk, you’re just an ass.”

Daniel laughed and shrugged his shoulders in response. “Never claimed not to be.” he grinned, patting his friend of the back. “I’m going to go grab a drink.” He slowly rose from his seat and straightened his attire. Physical appearance had always been important to him. With ambitions to one day be a congressman, he wanted to give off a feeling of importance even though he was only a measly field director. He was clean shaven and his hair was neatly combed back with a small amount of gel added to keep it in place. He wore a nice, dark blue dress shirt with black suit pants. As far as accessories, the only thing he wore was a Rolex watch he had received as a present from his parents. Despite the expensive brand, the watch itself wasn’t particularly eye catching. It had a toned down design, a simple but quality leather band with a golden center. Over all, he made sure his appearance was simple yet sophisticated. 

Stepping away from his group of friends, he turned just in time to catch a glimpse of the people just entering the bar. Among them was a rather attractive woman. Despite the distance and the low lighting, he could still make out her features just enough to cause his gaze to linger. Her jeans and shoulder-less top seemed to accentuate the curves of her body.  In the next moment, he turned away from her though and continued on his path to the bar. She had been accompanied by two other people, one of which was a man, so it turned him away from making any approach towards her. Besides that, he had come with the intent to celebrate his friends’ engagement. It’d be rude to merely leave them behind.

Daniel stepped up to the counter, squeezing into a less dense spot.  Leaning an arm on the counter, he waited for the bartender to finish serving another customer. “Jack and coke please.” he told the other man as he stepped over to take his order. The bartender gave a silent nod and stepped away to prepare the drink. Waiting patiently, Daniel let his gaze drift around the bar, entertaining himself by looking over the people around him.