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asphaltcowgrrlTitle: Under Construction Chapter 2
Paring: Still gen
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2,110
Summary: Taryn and Delilah need to move past their awful day and decide to treat themselves to a little karaoke.
Author’s Note: I’m beginning to think these two might have been an early incarnation of Trish and Hilary. Thank the heavens these two aren’t armed.
Chapter 1: DW LJ
“Holy freakin’ guacamole,” Del exclaimed at the end of the day from hell. “Could today really have gotten any worse, Tar?”
Taryn shook her head. It probably could have, if they were being honest. They could have both lost their jobs or worse. Since nothing so drastic had happened, they had to be satisfied with bitching about what had gone down. Heaven only knew, they were both emotionally exhausted right then.
“Yeah, probably,” Taryn said, unlocking her truck and climbing inside. “But I think today was bad enough as it was. Who needs worse?”
“Agreed,” Delilah said, fiddling with the radio until she found something she didn’t hate.
Making a face when Del started to sing along with whatever newbie singer was coming out of the speakers, Taryn tried not to let her jealousy show. Delilah had one of those pure, crisp voices that was so rare. No weird inflections, no nasality or gravel in her throat. Just sweet, clean notes. While Taryn wasn’t horrible, she wasn’t any match for her friend’s vocal talents. “At least I can cook,” she muttered, winking when Del frowned at her.
“So,” Taryn interrupted. “I was thinking we could grab some nachos at Miguel’s before heading down to Toby’s. Does that work for you? I’m dying for a drink, but I know we’re going to need food first after a day like today.”
Nodding, Del settled back in her seat. “Sure, just as long as we can have extra sour cream –”
“And black olives,” Taryn finished, knowing those were Del’s two must-haves on any plate of nachos. “You got it.”
They’d made a habit of eating before hitting the bars years prior. Del had a habit of licking food off her hands and fingers and, while that was okay in the company of your bestie, it wasn’t always the best way to attract a man. And, if it did, he wasn’t necessarily one you wanted to keep. In an effort to keep their messiness and questionable habits to themselves, they always stopped for food first. Besides, it was easier to make a pig of yourself when you knew there wasn’t going to be some hot cowboy watching from the corner.
Never mind the fact that nothing compared to the food at Miguel’s. Toby’s nachos didn’t even come close and how hard was it to make a plate of nachos?
Toby’s Zoo was exactly what they wanted to avoid while eating. It was a bar stuffed full of the oddest, hottest, and loudest men on the planet. To date, not one of them had ever given either girl a second look that they’d noticed, but lady luck was a fickle creature. Who knew when their fortune might change? Until that magical day, Delilah headed to Toby’s for the karaoke, Taryn tagged along for the company.
The place was routinely packed and that night was even worse since it was Ladies’ Night. Every square inch of the dance floor was covered with couples attempting to line dance and mostly failing. That would change as soon as eight o’clock hit – that was the beginning of karaoke hour. It also meant that the men searching for women would thin out, but that could be a good thing, too, if the right ones bailed.
“We’re early,” Taryn said, tugging on Delilah’s arm. She’d spotted a table near the stage and was eager to grab it before someone else did.
“Better early than late,” Del joked. She slid into one of the chairs facing the stage and grabbed the laminated ‘music menu’ that held a list of every song loaded into the karaoke machine. “What do you think is best after a day like ours? Something up tempo or sad and sappy?”
“I think something along the lines of ‘girls gone wild’ might be more fitting,” a deep voice said from above them.
Surprised, the girls looked up at the stage. A pair of chocolate colored eyes and a bright smile met them halfway. “Hmm,” Delilah said, smiling at the handsome stranger. “I think you might be right. After the day we’ve had, ‘girls gone wild’ isn’t too much of a stretch.”
The stranger smiled at her and then turned his dark gaze onto Taryn. Hopping off the stage, he landed near the table they’d secured as their own. “I’m looking forward to seeing how wild a couple ladies like yourselves can get on a Tuesday.” He tossed them a playful wink before sauntering away.
“Holy crap,” Delilah laughed. “Did you get a look at that one?” She pretended to wipe the drool from her face.
“Oh,” Taryn sighed, fanning herself. “Yeah.”
A waiflike waitress approached their table. She was a fixture at Toby’s, having been there since the day the doors had opened. Her offer of food or drinks forced the girls out of their daydreams and back into real life. They settled on a pitcher of margaritas and a round of top shelf tequila shooters to start. It was bound to be a long night.
“Oh my god,” Taryn groaned. “Think it’s too late to get the whole bottle of tequila instead of just two shots?”
“What,” Del asked, narrowing her eyes at Taryn. “Why?”
She nudged Delilah’s arm with her elbow and pointed. “That.”
“Well, what do we have but Ms. I’m Too Sick to Work but Am Perfectly Fine to Karaoke?” Del shook her head. “What the fuck is Kelii doing here?” She clucked her tongue in aggravation. “Gotta admit, I kind of had a feeling that this was going to happen after I talked to her this morning.”
“Yeah,” Taryn admitted. “Me, too. Wonder if Geoff will listen to me now?”
“Probably not,” Delilah said, confirming Taryn’s fears. “Five dollars says she calls in tomorrow. Never mind,” she said, stopping Taryn before she could respond. “We both know she’ll call in.”
“For sure,” Taryn agreed. “I wish I knew how to approach Geoff about this in the morning. There’s no doubt she’ll not show, but can I make him believe that she was here, drinking and dancing? Sometimes, I hate my job, Del.”
“Fuck it,” Delilah said, slapping her hand on the table. “We’ll worry about that in the morning. After we’ve had some Tylenol and a couple gallons of caffeine.”
“I like how you think,” Taryn chuckled. “And nice timing, it’s almost showtime. Do you know what you’re running with yet?”
“Oh yeah,” Delilah grinned evilly. “Do I ever.”
“Uh oh,” Taryn said. “This can’t be good.”
With a glint in her eye, Delilah raised her shot glass of tequila and declared, “To Kelii and her ever-growing list of excuses to avoid work!”
“Oh hell, I’ll drink to that,” Taryn said, lifting her own shot glass up to meet Del’s.
“Heck,” came a voice from over Taryn’s shoulder. “I’ll drink to anything two lovely young ladies are celebrating.”
Resisting the temptation to look for the ‘lovely ladies’, Taryn knocked back the shot of fire, keeping her wince to a minimum. It wasn’t nearly as top shelf as they’d been led to believe. She made a mental note to be more specific next time. Turning to confront the interloper, Taryn discovered that their heaven-sent hunk from before had returned.
“Hey,” Delilah chimed in, breaking the silence. Her cheeks were touched with pink, the tequila already going to work on her. “We never caught your name earlier.”
Those thick, full lips spread into a smile lasting for a full heartbeat before the corners came crashing down into a frown of epic proportions. Something had caught his attention and he wasn’t too pleased about it either.
“There you are,” Kelii’s voice screeched, cutting through the noise of the crowd. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Eli!”
Kelii maneuvered herself into position beside Eli as if she belonged there. Unfortunately, Eli didn’t seem to be as pleased to be found.
“So,” Taryn said, trying not to rip Kelii’s throat out with her bare teeth. “It’s Eli then? Nice name, very fitting,” she said. “I’m Taryn and she’s Delilah.”
Del nodded at him in greeting, wary of taking her eyes off the dubious duo bookending Kelii. They’d heard many a tale of Kelii’s two BFF’s, Jylle and Lyllie, counterparts who constantly call and whine when they can’t get ahold of Kelii. Often, it’s because their friend can’t or simply won’t do her damn job and answer the phone.
“No,” the dark-haired stranger said, making a face. “Actually, it’s Elijah and,” he glanced at the trio of bleached blondes hovering expectantly, “I don’t really care for nicknames in general.”
“Okay, so,” Taryn said, noticing Delilah’s giddy grin, “we probably shouldn’t tell you that Del and I are the queen of nicknames. If we’re calling each other by our actual names, then someone is in trouble.”
Elijah chuckled. “No,” he said, holding out a pleading hand. “That’s not what I meant. You can call each other whatever you want, but don’t include me in the nicknaming is all I ask.”
“Ah,” Taryn grinned. “Good. I only started calling her Del because calling her Delilah gets that damn song stuck in my head every time!”
“Now, we just think of computers which is a lot less annoying,” Del added. “If you hear me calling her Mac? Don’t be alarmed. It’s an inside joke. I promise she’s not really a guy.”
“That’s what you think,” Taryn snorted.
Looking from one giggling woman to the other, Elijah shrugged. “Methinks the tequila has taken effect.”
“Maybe,” Taryn said at the same time Delilah agreed, “Absolutely.”
“Ugh,” Kelii sneered. “C’mon, Eli, come back to our table and buy us a round. We’re a lot more fun than these two duds will ever be.”
Her whiny, high-pitched voice grated on Taryn’s nerves. Each time Kelii tugged on Elijah’s arm, she wanted to smack the bleach out of her hair.
Gently, he worked his arm out of her death grip and shooed Kelii and her friends off. “How about I order drinks and meet you at the table?”
The hope that sprung into the girls’ faces was almost painful to witness. They were much too young and entirely too naïve to identify his obvious lie. Not that anyone could blame Elijah, but still. Eventually, they’d get the hint that this act wasn’t cute. To the contrary, it came off as desperate and needy and that alone was a huge turnoff.
Elijah watched the trio of blondes thread their way through the crowd and return to their table, their eyes fixing on Elijah the moment their backends hit their seats. He shook his head and turned away when he saw one of the bookends – either Jylle or Lyllie – flutter her fingertips at him in invitation.
“Sorry, ladies,” Elijah apologized. “I wish I could stay for the show but…”
“But,” Taryn said, finishing his thought. “You’re starting to feel like a lobster in a tank in a fancy restaurant? All these idiot women drooling over you?”
He let out a surprised chuckle. “Yeah, I think they might even be clarifying the butter as we speak.” He laughed again at the absurd accuracy of the comparison. “I hope to see the both of you soon. I need to get out of here, fast, before they come back.”
Damnit. This couldn’t get worse. “When will you be back?” Not very subtle, but she wasn’t very concerned with that at the moment.
“Thursday?”
She looked at Del who grinned back. “Yeah, Thursday. Tuesdays and Thursdays are karaoke nights, so we’ll be here.”
He nodded. “Great, it’s a date. See you both on Thursday. And now?” He looked nervously in the direction of the eager girls.
“I have an idea,” Delilah said, grabbing a passing waitress by the arm. “Hey, could you do this poor guy a favor?”
She looked him over and stopped just short of licking her lips. “Sure, what do you need?”
Del handed her a twenty, begging. “Take them a round of beers and say that it came from that table over there.”
The waitress, Angie, glanced at the table of unsuspecting guys and then at Elijah, his desire to flee obvious. “Will do. Those three torture anything with three legs, if you get my drift.” She stuffed the money into her apron and grinned. “And you had better get a move on while I distract ‘em, boy.”
Angie moved in the direction of the tipsy trio and Elijah turned to Del. “Thanks, I definitely owe you a round for that save.”
“Good night,” Taryn said, Del echoing her as he disappeared into the crowd.
“Damn,” Taryn muttered when he was out of sight.
“Ditto, babe,” Del sighed. “Ditto.”
Will continue on DW LJ
Paring: Still gen
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2,110
Summary: Taryn and Delilah need to move past their awful day and decide to treat themselves to a little karaoke.
Author’s Note: I’m beginning to think these two might have been an early incarnation of Trish and Hilary. Thank the heavens these two aren’t armed.
Chapter 1: DW LJ
“Holy freakin’ guacamole,” Del exclaimed at the end of the day from hell. “Could today really have gotten any worse, Tar?”
Taryn shook her head. It probably could have, if they were being honest. They could have both lost their jobs or worse. Since nothing so drastic had happened, they had to be satisfied with bitching about what had gone down. Heaven only knew, they were both emotionally exhausted right then.
“Yeah, probably,” Taryn said, unlocking her truck and climbing inside. “But I think today was bad enough as it was. Who needs worse?”
“Agreed,” Delilah said, fiddling with the radio until she found something she didn’t hate.
Making a face when Del started to sing along with whatever newbie singer was coming out of the speakers, Taryn tried not to let her jealousy show. Delilah had one of those pure, crisp voices that was so rare. No weird inflections, no nasality or gravel in her throat. Just sweet, clean notes. While Taryn wasn’t horrible, she wasn’t any match for her friend’s vocal talents. “At least I can cook,” she muttered, winking when Del frowned at her.
“So,” Taryn interrupted. “I was thinking we could grab some nachos at Miguel’s before heading down to Toby’s. Does that work for you? I’m dying for a drink, but I know we’re going to need food first after a day like today.”
Nodding, Del settled back in her seat. “Sure, just as long as we can have extra sour cream –”
“And black olives,” Taryn finished, knowing those were Del’s two must-haves on any plate of nachos. “You got it.”
They’d made a habit of eating before hitting the bars years prior. Del had a habit of licking food off her hands and fingers and, while that was okay in the company of your bestie, it wasn’t always the best way to attract a man. And, if it did, he wasn’t necessarily one you wanted to keep. In an effort to keep their messiness and questionable habits to themselves, they always stopped for food first. Besides, it was easier to make a pig of yourself when you knew there wasn’t going to be some hot cowboy watching from the corner.
Never mind the fact that nothing compared to the food at Miguel’s. Toby’s nachos didn’t even come close and how hard was it to make a plate of nachos?
Toby’s Zoo was exactly what they wanted to avoid while eating. It was a bar stuffed full of the oddest, hottest, and loudest men on the planet. To date, not one of them had ever given either girl a second look that they’d noticed, but lady luck was a fickle creature. Who knew when their fortune might change? Until that magical day, Delilah headed to Toby’s for the karaoke, Taryn tagged along for the company.
The place was routinely packed and that night was even worse since it was Ladies’ Night. Every square inch of the dance floor was covered with couples attempting to line dance and mostly failing. That would change as soon as eight o’clock hit – that was the beginning of karaoke hour. It also meant that the men searching for women would thin out, but that could be a good thing, too, if the right ones bailed.
“We’re early,” Taryn said, tugging on Delilah’s arm. She’d spotted a table near the stage and was eager to grab it before someone else did.
“Better early than late,” Del joked. She slid into one of the chairs facing the stage and grabbed the laminated ‘music menu’ that held a list of every song loaded into the karaoke machine. “What do you think is best after a day like ours? Something up tempo or sad and sappy?”
“I think something along the lines of ‘girls gone wild’ might be more fitting,” a deep voice said from above them.
Surprised, the girls looked up at the stage. A pair of chocolate colored eyes and a bright smile met them halfway. “Hmm,” Delilah said, smiling at the handsome stranger. “I think you might be right. After the day we’ve had, ‘girls gone wild’ isn’t too much of a stretch.”
The stranger smiled at her and then turned his dark gaze onto Taryn. Hopping off the stage, he landed near the table they’d secured as their own. “I’m looking forward to seeing how wild a couple ladies like yourselves can get on a Tuesday.” He tossed them a playful wink before sauntering away.
“Holy crap,” Delilah laughed. “Did you get a look at that one?” She pretended to wipe the drool from her face.
“Oh,” Taryn sighed, fanning herself. “Yeah.”
A waiflike waitress approached their table. She was a fixture at Toby’s, having been there since the day the doors had opened. Her offer of food or drinks forced the girls out of their daydreams and back into real life. They settled on a pitcher of margaritas and a round of top shelf tequila shooters to start. It was bound to be a long night.
“Oh my god,” Taryn groaned. “Think it’s too late to get the whole bottle of tequila instead of just two shots?”
“What,” Del asked, narrowing her eyes at Taryn. “Why?”
She nudged Delilah’s arm with her elbow and pointed. “That.”
“Well, what do we have but Ms. I’m Too Sick to Work but Am Perfectly Fine to Karaoke?” Del shook her head. “What the fuck is Kelii doing here?” She clucked her tongue in aggravation. “Gotta admit, I kind of had a feeling that this was going to happen after I talked to her this morning.”
“Yeah,” Taryn admitted. “Me, too. Wonder if Geoff will listen to me now?”
“Probably not,” Delilah said, confirming Taryn’s fears. “Five dollars says she calls in tomorrow. Never mind,” she said, stopping Taryn before she could respond. “We both know she’ll call in.”
“For sure,” Taryn agreed. “I wish I knew how to approach Geoff about this in the morning. There’s no doubt she’ll not show, but can I make him believe that she was here, drinking and dancing? Sometimes, I hate my job, Del.”
“Fuck it,” Delilah said, slapping her hand on the table. “We’ll worry about that in the morning. After we’ve had some Tylenol and a couple gallons of caffeine.”
“I like how you think,” Taryn chuckled. “And nice timing, it’s almost showtime. Do you know what you’re running with yet?”
“Oh yeah,” Delilah grinned evilly. “Do I ever.”
“Uh oh,” Taryn said. “This can’t be good.”
With a glint in her eye, Delilah raised her shot glass of tequila and declared, “To Kelii and her ever-growing list of excuses to avoid work!”
“Oh hell, I’ll drink to that,” Taryn said, lifting her own shot glass up to meet Del’s.
“Heck,” came a voice from over Taryn’s shoulder. “I’ll drink to anything two lovely young ladies are celebrating.”
Resisting the temptation to look for the ‘lovely ladies’, Taryn knocked back the shot of fire, keeping her wince to a minimum. It wasn’t nearly as top shelf as they’d been led to believe. She made a mental note to be more specific next time. Turning to confront the interloper, Taryn discovered that their heaven-sent hunk from before had returned.
“Hey,” Delilah chimed in, breaking the silence. Her cheeks were touched with pink, the tequila already going to work on her. “We never caught your name earlier.”
Those thick, full lips spread into a smile lasting for a full heartbeat before the corners came crashing down into a frown of epic proportions. Something had caught his attention and he wasn’t too pleased about it either.
“There you are,” Kelii’s voice screeched, cutting through the noise of the crowd. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Eli!”
Kelii maneuvered herself into position beside Eli as if she belonged there. Unfortunately, Eli didn’t seem to be as pleased to be found.
“So,” Taryn said, trying not to rip Kelii’s throat out with her bare teeth. “It’s Eli then? Nice name, very fitting,” she said. “I’m Taryn and she’s Delilah.”
Del nodded at him in greeting, wary of taking her eyes off the dubious duo bookending Kelii. They’d heard many a tale of Kelii’s two BFF’s, Jylle and Lyllie, counterparts who constantly call and whine when they can’t get ahold of Kelii. Often, it’s because their friend can’t or simply won’t do her damn job and answer the phone.
“No,” the dark-haired stranger said, making a face. “Actually, it’s Elijah and,” he glanced at the trio of bleached blondes hovering expectantly, “I don’t really care for nicknames in general.”
“Okay, so,” Taryn said, noticing Delilah’s giddy grin, “we probably shouldn’t tell you that Del and I are the queen of nicknames. If we’re calling each other by our actual names, then someone is in trouble.”
Elijah chuckled. “No,” he said, holding out a pleading hand. “That’s not what I meant. You can call each other whatever you want, but don’t include me in the nicknaming is all I ask.”
“Ah,” Taryn grinned. “Good. I only started calling her Del because calling her Delilah gets that damn song stuck in my head every time!”
“Now, we just think of computers which is a lot less annoying,” Del added. “If you hear me calling her Mac? Don’t be alarmed. It’s an inside joke. I promise she’s not really a guy.”
“That’s what you think,” Taryn snorted.
Looking from one giggling woman to the other, Elijah shrugged. “Methinks the tequila has taken effect.”
“Maybe,” Taryn said at the same time Delilah agreed, “Absolutely.”
“Ugh,” Kelii sneered. “C’mon, Eli, come back to our table and buy us a round. We’re a lot more fun than these two duds will ever be.”
Her whiny, high-pitched voice grated on Taryn’s nerves. Each time Kelii tugged on Elijah’s arm, she wanted to smack the bleach out of her hair.
Gently, he worked his arm out of her death grip and shooed Kelii and her friends off. “How about I order drinks and meet you at the table?”
The hope that sprung into the girls’ faces was almost painful to witness. They were much too young and entirely too naïve to identify his obvious lie. Not that anyone could blame Elijah, but still. Eventually, they’d get the hint that this act wasn’t cute. To the contrary, it came off as desperate and needy and that alone was a huge turnoff.
Elijah watched the trio of blondes thread their way through the crowd and return to their table, their eyes fixing on Elijah the moment their backends hit their seats. He shook his head and turned away when he saw one of the bookends – either Jylle or Lyllie – flutter her fingertips at him in invitation.
“Sorry, ladies,” Elijah apologized. “I wish I could stay for the show but…”
“But,” Taryn said, finishing his thought. “You’re starting to feel like a lobster in a tank in a fancy restaurant? All these idiot women drooling over you?”
He let out a surprised chuckle. “Yeah, I think they might even be clarifying the butter as we speak.” He laughed again at the absurd accuracy of the comparison. “I hope to see the both of you soon. I need to get out of here, fast, before they come back.”
Damnit. This couldn’t get worse. “When will you be back?” Not very subtle, but she wasn’t very concerned with that at the moment.
“Thursday?”
She looked at Del who grinned back. “Yeah, Thursday. Tuesdays and Thursdays are karaoke nights, so we’ll be here.”
He nodded. “Great, it’s a date. See you both on Thursday. And now?” He looked nervously in the direction of the eager girls.
“I have an idea,” Delilah said, grabbing a passing waitress by the arm. “Hey, could you do this poor guy a favor?”
She looked him over and stopped just short of licking her lips. “Sure, what do you need?”
Del handed her a twenty, begging. “Take them a round of beers and say that it came from that table over there.”
The waitress, Angie, glanced at the table of unsuspecting guys and then at Elijah, his desire to flee obvious. “Will do. Those three torture anything with three legs, if you get my drift.” She stuffed the money into her apron and grinned. “And you had better get a move on while I distract ‘em, boy.”
Angie moved in the direction of the tipsy trio and Elijah turned to Del. “Thanks, I definitely owe you a round for that save.”
“Good night,” Taryn said, Del echoing her as he disappeared into the crowd.
“Damn,” Taryn muttered when he was out of sight.
“Ditto, babe,” Del sighed. “Ditto.”
Will continue on DW LJ
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2018-07-17 01:06 pm (UTC)Nice continuation. Looking forward to more.
no subject
Date: 2018-07-17 01:30 pm (UTC)Thank you - it's still a bit awkward and not all that good style-wise, but I think I'm getting it figured out. Might come together better once I get past what I have already written and am able to start fresh. But I appreciate you reading and am happy you're enjoying so far!
no subject
Date: 2018-07-17 04:36 pm (UTC)P.S. Happy Birthday.
no subject
Date: 2018-07-17 06:29 pm (UTC)Aw, thanks. :D