A Barfly admist the Rubble

"What the..." Ryan hopped off of the barstool, almost bumping into, no, almost bumping through a girl carrying a pitcher of beer back to a table. The entire place was hazy like it was still being constructed. The walls wavered for a moment as Ryan checked it out. The hipsters in the corner discussing poetry, the too-cool geek in the back wearing shades typing on his computer, the sorority girls giggling in the background - everything seemed in place for a Friday night at the bar.

Only it wasn't supposed to be Friday night. I was supposed to be Friday afternoon.

"Dude, are you okay?" Chad stared at him for a moment. He was dressed in his normal plaid shirt (not tucked in) and jeans.

Ryan was definitely not okay. Heart racing, palms sweating, he paced slowly back to the bar. Making sure to rub his feet across the carpeting, so it wouldn't disappear on him too. He held onto the back of the leather barstool for a moment, rubbing the cow hides, listening for the squeak. He had to be going crazy, there wasn't any other explanation.

His friend got out of his stool and took a step over to him, picking up his forgotten drink from the bar. "Here have a drink. Look man, it's not the end of the world. And it might just be nothing."

Lifting the pint to his lips, the black beer seeped down his throat and into his stomach. "What might be nothing?" He managed after putting away another slug.

"Um... Dude are you sure you're all right. I know it might be a shock and all, but really. I've heard of post-traumatic stress and all, but this might be going a bit too far." He clapped Ryan on the shoulder and then went back to his stool.

Then Ryan remembered the alarm clock. The conversation he'd heard through the tinny speaker. No, that couldn't be here, could it? Chad couldn't have just told him that he'd seen Alice cheating on him? Sliding down into the seat, he noticed the bar seemed as solid as it had when he was sitting with Havelin.

He took another sip. Searching the bar again, his eyes stayed on the too-cool geek in the back with the leather jacket and the laptop. He'd seen him somewhere else.