No one was really sure when she walked into the bar. She was the kind of woman that most men didn’t give a second glance at, but those that did would never again take their eyes off of her. She was short, thin, pretty, and wore glasses. Alan simply couldn’t look away and absent-mindedly set his drink back down, nearly spilling it but not noticing.

She called for the bartender and ordered a whisky with three fingers to show how much she wanted. She gulped it down and asked for another, opening a tab. After downing the second drink she noticed Alan staring and demanded, “What the hell are you looking at?”

Alan smiled. He liked this one. “You,” he said. “Thought I was being obvious.” He found his own drink again and raised it in the woman’s direction with a silent “kanpai”. She looked stunning even through the gin.

“You don’t have a better pickup line?” she asked.

He turned back to face the bar. “Nope,” he replied. “Subtlety bores me.”

The bartender refilled Alan’s glass without being asked.