Fiction Friday - Good Beer

"Oh, this one's quite good!"

Ty smacked his tongue through his teeth a few times, a thought frown forming a crinkle between his eyebrows. "Hm... It's okay. Kind of lackluster. Let me try that Lemonhead Pilsner again." 

Monica handed him the requested glass, which was sitting on her end of the beer flight. It was a new tradition: On the weekends, they always sought out a microbrewery to test.

Ty was more particular than Monica. He had opinions about everything. They would share a flight of tastings - usually four to eight 4-ounce glasses of different brews from that brewery - then they'd each order a pint of the one they liked best and share some pub food, if available. (Not every brewery offered food.) It was a new thing for them to do together. He fancied himself a bit of a connoisseur, she'd found.

Now that he'd retried the pilsner, he was re-trying the stout. "See, I love this stout right after that pilsner, but it's a little..." Monica nodded absently as he explained his feelings about the stout. She knew which one she wanted. It was just up to him to make up his mind. She wasn't exactly ignoring him, but he talked about ingredients he could taste, and "notes" and how the flavors "hit his tongue." Monica loved him and tried to share his interest, but she didn't care as much. It was just beer. She knew what she liked, usually within the first couple tastes. Ty took longer.

Did he really know the stuff he talked about? Monica couldn't tell, but he was having fun and they were together.

She still had "Wine Wednesdays" with her friends, and he went out with the guys, but their counselor had suggested they find something they both enjoy. They'd made a Venn Diagram of interests, and beer was one in the middle. 

So they started doing this.

And it was helping.
It was. 
Not only did they have a stronger relationship for sharing each other's interests, but as a bonus, the beer they kept in the house often had an interesting story they could tell guests!

That was another therapy thing: Remember to be grateful for the little things.

It's FICTION FRIDAY!
Every Friday, a new flash fiction story, inspired by reader comments, when possible. Feel free to leave a prompt for future use in the comments below.