"What are you going to have?" Johnny peered chin down at the drinks menu. It was mostly beer, but there were some liquors.

"Probably a nice lager. I'm sick of all these ales. Especially the IPAs."

Johnny looked away from the menu, directly at Max. "You know I was thinking the same thing? Like why did everybody start loving these extremely bitter pale ales?"

"I think it was an over correction against shitty macro beers. 

IPA

s were far enough from Busch and Bud light so that's what the people went with." Max laughed.

"That's a good theory. I like it." Johnny went back to the drinks menu with a smile.

The two ordered lagers. Johnny a

Brooklyn Lager

and Max a

Dortmunder Gold

. Both had a rich golden color that didn't remind Max of urine, thankfully. He closed his eyes and magined what a Coors Light would've looked like in this glass. It would've reminded him of the piss he had just put onto the sidewalk outside.

"Here's to good beer. And good friends!" Johnny said.

Max opened his eyes. They clinked and took a large gulp. Almost immediately after placing his glass down. Johnny raised it again and took another gulp. This time a bit smaller. He let out a deep sigh of refreshment.

"Damn it's been too long, man. What have you been up to?"

Max hated this question. The question of what he had been up to. He imagined up and coming people like Johnny who had progress reports to give, med school, grad school, new job in the big city, etc etc, loved the question. But for somebody who had been working at a diner in a no-name town it was like being asked about a relative who was sick and getting sicker, but with no expected date of death.

"You know. Just the usual." Max said hoping to gloss over to other topics.

"Mm." Max grunted before taking another sip.

They stared around the bar for a bit. Taking in the space together. The conversations of other customers and the music became heightened and felt more crisp for those moments. Max and Johnny glanced away whenever they found that they were looking into the light coming from one of the TVs posted in the corners.

"Did you ever think of moving out here?"

This was a question Max liked. He had no reason to move. But he also had no reason to stay where he was. Where he had been. The prospect of moving to a place with bars like this, with cafes and bookstores like the one he had been at before excited him. Still, he didn't want Johnny to know how eager he was at this prospect.

"I don't know what I would do here."

Johnny grinned and placed a hand on Max's shoulder for a second.

"You'd figure it out, man. There's so many things to do here. Plus you could go to school pretty easily while working here."

"School? I don't know if I could afford that."

"There's a good community college here. Not everybody goes to the big uni here." Johnny nodded with the satisfaction that always glowed in his face whenever he was clearing up any misconception.

"Community college? I never really thought of that."

"Yeah well I mean back home we don't have any good community colleges so they get a bad rep. WCCC the one here is really good actually."

Johnny lifted his finger in a polite manner to let the bartender know that they were ready for more 

beer

.

"I'll take what he just had." Johnny said.

The bartender nodded then looked at Max, who's glass was empty enough to warrant the next round.

Max thought of what to order. Should he have what Johnny just had?