Drinking into Oblivion (Kieran)

Kieran entered the bar, adjusting her jacket a bit. He had had a crazy week. He had been so busy that he didn't even had time for friends, family... He hadn't done anything else than working. And now, he was glad for that, because his work was appreciated. But he would have liked to have some moments to himself.

Anyway, he had now, and that was why he decided to enter the bar, have a few drinks and just enjoy himself. However, when he entered, he spotted Ellie's figure at the bar, drowning a shot. He hadn't had time for her either. He hadn't even had time to ask her how she was doing, if she was okay. Now that he thought, he felt guilty about that. But he assumed that she was okay. She had friends afterall, and was a great student. He walked towards her; there, he leaned against the bar, playing like he hadn't seen her. "A beer, please," he told the bartender, not once looking over at her.

At the familiar voice, Ellie looked over to find Kieran ordering a beer. She watched him for a moment. She'd missed him. Sure, she got to see him almost every day in lectures, but that was different. Sure, she'd been a total hermit this week, but he didn't even bother to find out if she was ok, and as much as she hated to admit it, that hurt.

She turned her eyes back to the bar staff for a moment. "I'll have whatever he's having," she told the bartender before fixing Kieran with a look. "Evening, Professor. What a surprise to see you out here," she greeted him, using all her self-control to keep the coldness out of her tone.

Kieran looked over at Ellie. He had planned on teasing her for a bit, just like he always did, but he felt the coldness in her voice, even though she tried to hide it. He moved closer and took a seat right by her.
"Miss Volkova," he nodded, wiping the smile off his face. "Same here..."

She offered him a small smile when his left. She wasn't meaning to be bitchy. She was just lonely, stressed and hurt. And in desperate need for a hug. She took a sip of her beer. "So, how've you been?" she asked, knowing how lame that sounded but not able to come up with anything better. "I've..." she trailed off. She wasn't drunk enough to say any more.

Kieran looked at her as she smiled, but didn't return the favor. He felt somewhat guilty because they hadn't really talked at all the past week and that was because of him.
"I've been pretty good," he shrugged, taking a sip from his beer. "Working like crazy. How about you?" he asked, noticing the way she trailed off.

Ellie gave a nod, giving a wry chuckle. "Yeah, I know. Every time I see you you're either surrounded by teachers, students or student-tutors. You're a popular man, Mr Richards." She couldn't get him alone, so she'd stopped trying. She'd figured if he cared enough, he'd come to her. "I've been...better," she concluded with a soft sigh.

Kieran gave a sad chuckle, looking at her. "Yeah..." he mumbled, smiling a bit. "Sometimes I wish I was not that popular."
He took a sip from his beer, but when she sighed, he turned his eyes back to her. "I'm sorry. I should have been there, at least for a bit. What happened?"

"Admit it, you enjoy it. After all, who wouldn't enjoy gorgeous females chasing after them all the time," she joked, but her heart wasn't really in it. Because if truth be told, she was jealous. Jealous that everyone else got his attention and not her. And it wasn't as if she could just demand his attention since they had to keep their relationship a secret. Which was another reason she was annoyed. She was sick of pretending like he meant nothing to her, of keeping everything a secret. But she knew that unfortunately, that was just the way things had to be.

She gave a shrug. "Just had essays coming out of my ears. Thanks for making sure the terms-requirement Law essay didn't clash with other deadlines," she joked dryly. "So I've just been stressed, biting people's heads off, and have had no life whatsoever. But hey, what else is new. And now, I think I need something stronger than this beer. I plan on forgetting about everything for tonight."