The back area of the bar was set up to promote people to enjoy conversation and drinks. A secondary bar station was closed; typically only used for evenings, the bar had become something of a lean post for a group of men to chatter and place their drinks on. Heating lamps dotted the patio area though they were all turned off given the sunny afternoon. An awning extended over much of the back area providing respite from the heat of the day, but ensuring it was still warm enough for much of the clientele to dress in a little as they liked.
Many of the men out back were taking full advantage of that as a majority of them seemed to be without shirts today.
Around the periphery the patio space was lined with plants of all sizes to help further make the area feel like an outdoor experience. This of course drew in all sorts of insects and pests which explained the fly tape that hung from two corners of the space, and both sticky strips were heavily dotted with flying insects that had gotten too close and were never able to leave again.
Off to one side there was another restroom, one known for its use as a hookup spot, though that mostly took place later in the night.
All together the space housed at the moment 20 men gathered to cruise, flirt and converse. Their numbers swelled with the new addition of the trio of men that walked into the space, as well as one tiny insect that flew in the wake of the entering giants.
Hidden behind a sea of scantily clad men, Karam and Nathan had made their way to a table, situating themselves just at the edge of where sunlight streamed in, warming their skin and their dispositions.
Amongst all of this sea of activity Brad, who had been in this very bar a couple of weeks prior as Karam's guest, found himself faced with the constant movement of the bar patrons in his search for Karam.
A man that could only be described as fabulous crinkled his face as the black fly buzzed over his table. “Shoo!” He said waving his hand at the fly with no serious attempt to touch the disgusting creature, “Ugh! why do the outdoors have to be so… outdoors?" he complained to his standing companions who also chattered their agreements.
Karam noticed none of this over the din of conversations and the gentle thump of music that emanated from within the bar. He smiled at Nathan and the two casually discussed their weeks. Karam reported another great week running his shop, having sold a number of engagement rings to excited and nervous men.
His friend, rather than report on another boring week at his accounting firm, picked up on Karam's comment and teased.
“Oh, sounds like someone’s getting the marriage bug.” Nathan observed. “Is the gallant Karam going to settle down finally? Stop his sexual exploits?”
Karam chuckled his silken voice like honey. “You never know.” He said mysteriously, raising an eyebrow at Nathan, a seductive look spreading across his face. “Perhaps if the right man, or men, came along.”
This elicited a bout of laughter between the two, the sounds of their voices mingling drawing attention from those nearby, including a very panicked insect.
The two friends continued talking, taking long drinks of their beverages, and enjoying the overall glorious day.
Amid their relaxing fun, a buzzing sound drew Karam’s attention to a little black fly that circled around him. Ignored at first, the insect's persistence finally got Karam’s eyes to lock onto it momentarily. Fortunately for the bug, Karam's life experiences of the last couple of years had caused him to consider small life in a way he hadn’t before meeting Brad, or his little pismire, through a series of strange events.
Karam had no real inclination to destructive acts and having considered how one might just view someone as small as Brad during one of his shrinking episode, he now took more care with the smaller things the world had to offer. So, he didn’t wave a vengeful hand at the fly; instead, after the fleeting glimpse, he studiously ignored it.
Nathan, however, didn’t care for insects of any kind, and waved a hand in the insect's direction. “Gross,” Nathan commented, and stood. “Why don’t I go get us round two, huh?” Nathan wanted to escape back into the cool interior of the bar but, more importantly, he wanted to have a good buzz going as soon as possible.
“Of course.” Karam grinned, a touch of the alcohol having made its way into his system. “Please make mine a double, if you don’t mind.”
Nathan rolled his eyes. “Yes your majesty.” He bowed performatively drawing laughter from Karam before he departed.
Karam might have noticed the frantic fly that was moving around him and his table, if not for the fact that a very large man made his way into the back area drawing Karam’s eye.
That man entering the story was Bernard, having been the same individual that the tiny fly had bounced off of only minutes ago.
Bernard might not have noticed the fly, but he certainly did notice the impressive and handsome form of Karam giving him “the look." And beer in hand he returned the look and moved towards Karam’s table, unaware as to just how detrimental he was going to be for one of Karam’s little friends.
Getting past the door, as it turned out, had been the easy part of Brad's challenge.
The tiny fly had to scan dozens of enormous men all in the hope of finding Karam. Brad’s wings buzzed past a closed bar, dodging huge male bodies in various degrees of undress.
He hadn’t counted on the difficulty of locating Karam. He just assumed that someone as overwhelming as the jeweler would stand out like a sore thumb.
Unfortunately, when every person in the room looked overwhelming, Brad began to hope that luck alone might help. He landed on the edge of a vast awning, a perfect place to scan the crowd while staying out of their immediate proximity. He'd had enough of slapping hands lashing out to try to smack him.
He noticed waving fronds of potted palms as they blew gently from a breeze and then began to notice other containers of plants, flowers, small shrubs. To the tiny insect, the lush plantings might as well have been a jungle. Not finding Karam in his sights after a careful scan of the vicinity, Brad took flight again, heading deeper into the area. As he flew beyond the awning, something waved and fluttered.
His excellent vision sent a signal to veer off, which was fortunate. As he flew past the fluttering strips, he saw dozens of dead and dying insects. Gnats, other flies, small moths, winged ants… even a few wasps and small beetles. The vertical graveyard was more of a kill zone than the inside of the pool trap that he had endured overnight.
With a shudder of disgust, Brad flew away from the sticky pest-control strip and made a vow to remain vigilant. If he had blundered into the waving tatters of glue-covered paper, he would have been as securely snagged as all the other present and future bug corpses.
The fly wanted to detour down a long, shadowy corridor, drawn by some scent drifting on the air. Brad resisted, and flew down among the titans, adopting a plan to eliminate one giant at a time until he found Karam.
For such large creatures, the giant men moved with almost surprising speed. The constant movement of the bar patrons kept forcing detours and added to Brad’s growing unease.
He buzzed over the plateau of a patio table only to elicit a loud “Shoo” but totally ineffectual wave from one of the hands of a seated patron. The man’s otherwise attractive features had misshapen themselves into a grimace of distaste as his gaze fastened on Brad’s buzzing body.
A plume of thick smoke arose from within a crystal ashtray the size of a gymnasium. Someone had abandoned a log-sized cigarette, setting it aside, still smoldering. The acrid smoke repelled the fly’s senses.
“Ugh! Why do the outdoors have to be so… outdoors,” the man said in complaint to he his standing companions who also muttered in quick agreement with their friend’s assessment.
One of them went a step farther and waved a paper napkin in Brad’s general direction.
Brad veered off from the fluttering paper.
“Where can he be?” Brad hovered in a tight circle, fearing that perhaps Karam had departed the bar with his “friend” for somewhere more intimate.
Then he heard a loud, amused voice.
“Is the gallant Karam going to settle down finally?” A man asked, although his tone implied some sort of challenge. “Stop his sexual exploits?”
Brad hovered and tried to pinpoint the voice in the sea of other voices.
He heard Karam’s resonant laughter, which sent a shiver through Brad’s tiny body. Three words… “You never know…” boomed out in Karam’s thunderous, sexy masculine manner.
Brad dodged past a shirtless hunk’s shoulder, barely even noticing the mountain of sweaty muscle. He heard more laughter and then saw him! Karam!
He saw the bearded man lift a glass to his lips. His mouth opened and he drank a river of the beverage. That strong smell of coffee returned to torment Brad’s insect senses.
After his panicked, helter-skelter flight, Brad grew more bolder, more focused. He flew toward Karam’s massive features and circled the man’s huge head.
Success! He had found his savior!
Karam’s eyes locked onto him momentarily.
“Yes! It’s me!” Brad buzzed, convinced his goal had been achieved.
But the longer Karam stared at him, the more Brad realized that recognition wasn’t forthcoming.
Brad buzzed closer, desperate, circling almost inches from a cavern-sized ear on the side of Karam’s head.
But Karam ignored him.
Brad’s attention had been so focused on his friend that he had spared little thought to Karam’s companion.
“Gross!” A tall man waved his hand and almost elegantly thin fingers at the bug.
Brad dodged another half-hearted slap, but panic began to encroach on his thoughts.
“Why don’t I go get us round two, huh?” Karam’s friend asked.
“Of course.” Karam grinned, a touch of the alcohol having made its way into his system. “Please make mine a double, if you don’t mind.”
Brad greeted the other man’s departure as a bit of luck.
Brad flew down for a landing on the table's flat, vast surface and parked himself in front of Karam’s seat. He needed to do something…