Prompt: Mojito, squeeze, pendant, doorway, grime (use at least 3 of these)

Carol cupped her chin in her palm and watched the bartender—Mike, he had spelled out for her with a flashing grin—make another mojito. He crushed the mint leaves with a pestle and tossed them in the tall glass, followed by a scoop of crushed ice. He poured the rum, glanced up at her, then tilted the bottle for another pour. It drained over the ice and swirled with the simple syrup. A handful of blackberries bled purple color into the sweet concoction. Mike topped it with a little umbrella and slid it to rest directly in front of her. She gave a lopsided smile and touched her fingers to her lips in thanks.

The bar felt like small-town America. It felt like home. Didn’t matter what town she was in. Didn’t matter what songs played on the jukebox—they all had a steady bass the she could feel through her feet. Everyone a stranger. Everyone friendly. Carol never felt out of place in a place like this. She twirled the pendant on her silver chain with one hand and swirled the mojito in her glass with the other. Both hands visible above the bar. No one gave her a second thought, really. No one but Mike, who was thinking of hitting on her. No one but the stranger in the doorway, who was thinking something altogether different.

Dogs in house	Houdini
Time writing:	20 minutes
July word count:	7,094