The bartender frantically paced in front of them. His eye was drawn to the melting ice at the bottom of her empty cup. He caught her gaze as she pushed her glasses back up her long nose. “Care for another drink, miss?”
She nodded. Her companion raised his empty glass clanking the ice to alert the bartender of his desire for another one too. The bartender signaled him with a thumbs-up, and she smiled.
“This one’s on me,” he winked while reaching for the cigarette.
In the morning he awoke thinking the following night must have been a dream. He didn’t have the hangover that should have come with the memory of the good time he had. He didn’t recall how many rounds of drinks they had, alternating payment on each one, but round by round it seemed both their inhibitions melted away slowly. Ice-breaker talk became pillow talk, and soon they’d decided to leave the bar, hoping the cool fall air would tamp down the heat growing between them. “What trouble should we get into now, while we avoid getting into trouble with each other?,” he asked.
“I have an idea,” she said as her face lit up. Into her pocket she went and pulled out a small key ring. One key in particular, was a unique shade of gold, and larger than the average key. She grabbed his hand and began to run, pulling him alongside her. The lights of the city blurred by as they ran hand in hand down 5th Avenue.
Suddenly she stopped, and he almost ran into the back of her. He looked up and found himself standing in front of FAO Schwarz. While the clock was close to 2 am, the store was glimmering and a whimsical looking duck peered through the window at eye level, with it’s gaze pointed down at the grand door’s lock. It was then he realized that the lock on the door had the same unique shade of gold as her key.