Page 1 of Whirlwind

Waiting for You

Prologue

Charlie

Charlie looked around the bar with pride. The new lettering on the windows that stretched across the entrance—backward from where she was reading it—looked good. WHIRLWIND was written in big block letters, black with gold edging to match the updated barstools and booths she’d just installed. She couldn’t have been more pleased with how it came out.

But it was the people inside that made Whirlwind special. When she’d opened it nearly twenty years ago, there had been slurs graffitied on the walls, and, once, a rock thrown through the window. And even though there were now several other gay bars in town, plus the kink club around the corner, her place was still where folks went for a relaxed evening with their buddies. She’d wanted it to be a place where anyone would feel welcome and safe, and judging by the number of young men in tight dresses on one trivia night team in the corner, it was living up to her dream.

Tonight it was packed. There were a few queer families enjoying burgers with their kids before they’d head home for early bedtimes, a few games of pool going on around the corner, and about eight or ten trivia teams getting their orders in before things got rolling.

Charlie usually stayed behind the bar on busy nights, but she decided to personally deliver the pitchers and wings to her favorite table of regulars. They greeted her with cheers and gave her a toast. This was why she loved her job.

“What’s your team name tonight, guys?”

“We’re thinking about the bachelor’s club,” Parker suggested, his chair tipped back at a dangerous angle. When he first started coming, back when he went by a different name, she’d thought about telling him not to sit in her chairs that way. But they were sturdy wood and she’d let it alone. She’d never seen him fall.

Charlie snorted. “The bachelor’s club?” It was a wonder to her that none of them had paired up already. Sparks always flew between Parker and Ben as they spurred each other on with their ridiculous antics.

And Julio seemed to be playing the field—she’d seen his hook-ups try to reconnect when they bumped into each other—but his eyes only followed Taylor.

Eric was the only one who seemed to be single and happy to be that way. He had a hard-eyed glare for anyone who approached him, and casually mentioned hooking up at the nearby BDSM club, but he would be a good catch when he decided to settle down.

Overall, she thought there was a little bit more romance and a bit less bachelorhood than they were willing to admit.

“To the single life!” Eric raised a glass and everyone drank, though Charlie thought that Taylor looked a little morose. He covered it up quickly and was soon laughing with his friends.

Come on, Julio, she thought, he’s waiting for you.

Charlie laughed along with them, raising a hand with an imaginary glass. She’d tried a relationship once before, and all it had brought was heartbreak. For her, at least, the single life was really for the best.

She did hope that her “bachelor’s club” had better luck, though. She sent up a little wish that each of them would find what they were looking for.

As for her, the bar was all that she needed. She had her regulars and there were new friends coming in the door every day.

She certainly wasn’t thinking of Carla, who had just picked up the microphone to get trivia night rolling. Surely Carla was destined for someone younger and trendier. Another ray of sunshine instead of a gloomy cloud like Charlie.

Yes, she thought as she wandered back to the safety of observing from behind the bar, love was for the young. She wished Julio and Taylor the best of luck.