In the several seconds it took for the fly to gain its bearings within the bar, the pause between two songs ended.
The bar itself was known to be a very good place to drink and dance a day away with friends in the interior of the bar that had a sitting area, dance floor, DJ booth, and the bar itself, with the bathroom down a hall between the interior and the “backyard” area meant for smoking and mingling with friends.
The place boasted a happening vibe and the music that came through the well-used speakers blasted into existence at a level of volume that the once-scientist had never heard in any of his altered experiences. The noise was a brutal assault the poor insect felt as well as heard.
None of the patrons of the bar took any notice of the panicked fly that was suddenly seeking shelter from the storm of noise. A new patron entered the bar, a very large brute of a man moved forward his hirsute form drawing the eyes of multiple patrons as he moved, partially due to his size and partially due to libido. He didn’t even notice as he walked directly in the fly’s path. He never noticed as it bounced off of his chest falling off towards the nearby bar.
At the far end of the bar Karam and a good friend of his chatted animatedly, as they awaited their turn with the bartender. Karam grinned at his friend as they spoke. He waved a gentle hand in the direction of the bartender who looked only momentarily annoyed before recognizing one of his regulars.
“Karam!” The bartender, a man in his early 30s, called out, “Be right with you!” He finished serving another patron a Blue Moon beer with a wedge of orange, leaving the fresh orange on the bar before making his way over to the handsome jeweler.
“Jeffery,” Karam greeted the bartender charmingly, “Looking devilishly handsome as always.” Karam’s words were like silk to the ear even when talking loudly over the sounds of the bar.
“Stop that,” Jeffery waved a hand coyly at Karam “I might just make YOU buy me a drink.” The bartender locked eyes with the taller handsome man and began preparing Karam’s usual afternoon drink. Coffee liqueur based, it wasn’t exactly Jeffery’s style but he didn’t mind serving it to the big guy.
Karam smiled enchantingly, as a fly suddenly buzzed by Jeffrey’s face, the back of his hand narrowly missing the insect as it had to change course suddenly.
Karam’s friend Nathan, ordered a beer, and was moderately irked that the bartenders never paid as much attention to him as they did Karam, but he wouldn’t complain as he still got the benefits by hanging out with the big man.
Drinks in hand, bill paid, Karam and Nathan made their way out towards the back area to find a place to sit and chat after pushing themselves beyond the swinging wooden door leaving a nearly impenetrable barrier up for one little insect that hadn’t been fast enough to recover from another near miss.
___
Everything that made the bar attractive to human clientele — flashing lights, music blared at intense volumes, sexy bartenders — worked to disorient and distract one tiny Brad Rivera, aka fly-man.
Brad flicked his wings and zipped over the heads of mammoth men seated in the sitting area, socializing, nursing drinks, listening to the music that pounded the poor little fly’s insides until they felt bruised.
Under the strobe effect of the lights, he didn’t recognize Karam among any of the people. With another flick of his wings, he veered off and cut across a corner of the dance floor, heading toward the mountainous bar on the other side of the massive room.
A truly atrocious dancer, all flailing arms and boundless enthusiasm, clipped the tiny flying insect with his hand, sending Brad screaming toward the DJ booth. His tiny body smacked painfully against a pane of glass, but he managed to right himself and soar upwards.
He blundered right into the path of an oncoming hairy behemoth making his way toward the bar.
Brad gave a little buzz of a scream before he smacked into a tangle of chest hair, but bounced off as the man’s momentum kept moving him forward. Once again, he smacked painfully against a hard surface, this time the polished dark wood of the bar.
His six tiny legs wobbled beneath him as he fought to regain his strength and equilibrium. Spinning his weird eyes to survey his surroundings, they fastened on a huge, sexy man in a tight white sleeveless shirt and tight black pants. His senses were going wild simply from the overwhelming scent of masculine musk and sweat that drifted through the air. Simply put, Brad was one horny little fly.
The man held a huge silver object between his hands, which he gave a powerful shake before pouring the contents into a spiraling tower that turned out to be a martini glass.
Brad’s proboscis pumped a few times in excitement. He remembered seeing the man on his last visit to the bar, but he couldn’t remember his name until a loud exchange of thunderous words pummeled his tiny body.
“Karam!”
Brad’s excitement rose as the bartender called out the name of his anticipated savior.
“Be right with you!” Brad watched as the man switched from pouring a martini to serving another patron a Blue Moon beer in a brown glass tower wrapped with the familiar label and a room-sized wedge of orange as the traditional finisher.
Brad’s senses went wild for the citrus scent of the rest of the fresh orange left at rest on the bar as the bartender worked his way over to the handsome jeweler.
“Jeffery,” Karam greeted the bartender charmingly.
Brad remembered the name once Karam spoke it. “Looking devilishly handsome as always.” Karam’s words were like thunderclaps as he was forced to raise his volume to be heard over the music.
The hungry fly, despite Brad’s protests that he didn’t have time to waste on food, landed on the orange half, extended its proboscis for a greedy sip of orange pulp, and kept its eyes on the looming titans.
The fly wanted what the fly wanted, its cohabiting human passenger be damned.
He listened as the bartender played a coy game with Karam as he began preparing another drink that tickled the fly’s senses with the strong smell of a coffee liqueur.
“I might just make YOU buy me a drink.”
Karam gave a hearty laugh at the bartender’s flirtation.
Brad felt himself go all squishy in admiration as he witnessed Karam’s enchanting smile light up the room from the length of half the bar. The big man always wormed his way right under all of Brad’s defenses.
Now wasn’t the time to go all googly-eyed, Brad admonished himself and sprang into the air, lifted by furiously buzzing wings. As he zipped past the massive bartender’s face on his path toward Karam, Jeffery’s hand, responding almost by reflex to an irritating buzz in close proximity, lashed out at the tiny pest.
Brad veered away from the bar and was barely grazed by a fingertip, but his out-of-control flight path caused him to stray toward an eerie blue glow from a plastic wall sconce. The fly trying to control things seemed attracted to the light, but Brad veered off desperately and landed on the bar in the shadow of a mug that a patron had emptied and left there for collection.
The fly had smelled the ozone, and Brad had recognized the odd structure in the nick of time. If he had flown too close, he would have met a powerful electric zap from the industrial strength bug zapper crafted in discreet fashion to control pests in bars and restaurants.
If he’d still been human, he would have been in a cold sweat. He had to get control over the fly’s instincts before they got him killed.
In the meantime, the man with Karam had received his drink from Jeffery, which saw Karam and friend move away from the bar toward the door to the backyard area.
Karam pushed the door open and held it for his friend. Once they made their way through, he released the heavy door, which swung slowly back into place.
“No!” Brad pushed his wings to move him faster, but he couldn’t keep pace before the door closed and presented a nearly impenetrable barrier for the tiny fly.
“Come back!” Brad pleaded by buzzing his wings and staring at the massive door.
He was still hovering in place when a trio of twenty-somethings stampeded toward the door. Brad flitted out of their path, but this time he was ready when the door swung open. He zipped past the shirtless young men, although his proboscis tingled at the smells of salt, sweat and body spray.
Now to find Karam…