24
FENELLA
The disappointment on Ruvon's face was hard to miss as he pulled out his wallet to close his tab for the night.
Fenella rang up his drinks and handed him the printout. He'd had three beers over the course of four hours and had nursed them slowly while he'd waited. "I hope you'll have better luck next time."
He nodded. "I knew she wouldn't come. I shouldn't have invited her. She's too young, too sheltered, and too new to freedom."
"That's a smart observation." Fenella ran his credit card. "I mean, about her being too new to freedom. I guess that's true for the entire family except for Kyra, who was a rebel for many years."
Ruvon pocketed the receipt without glancing at it and inserted a folded bill into the tip jar. "Thank you," he forced a smile. "Goodnight, Fenella."
"Goodnight." She watched him leave, realizing that he hadn't asked for a reading.
Poor guy. She hoped he would find someone who would appreciate him. And to think that only two days ago she'd regarded him with suspicion just because he was a former Doomer and an awkward fellow.
The bar had mostly emptied out, Sunday nights proving to be indeed quieter than the weekend rush. People were getting ready to start their workweek, and retired earlier, but a few stragglers remained, finishing their drinks and conversations. The energy had shifted, though, from lively to languid.
When the door opened, Fenella was surprised to see her roommate walk in, and given her thunderous expression, her date hadn't gone well.
"I need a drink," Shira announced as she collapsed onto a barstool.
Fenella raised an eyebrow. "Rough night?"
"Yeah, you can say so." Shira groaned. "I must have the worst taste in men. It takes real talent to always choose the deadbeat losers."
"Same guy as last time?" Fenella mixed her friend a pear martini and dropped a lychee fruit inside.
Shira laughed. "Fates, no. I never hook up with the same guy twice." She lifted the martini gratefully. "New guy, same bullshit. But this drink looks awesome. Thank you."
"You're welcome. What happened?"
Shira took a long sip before answering. "Everything was fine at first. Decent conversation, good chemistry. Then we get back to his place, and it turns out that he lives with his mother."
Fenella chuckled. "Is that so bad? A good son is a good partner. Everyone knows that."
Shira frowned. "Really? I thought that mama's boys are bad."
"There is a difference between a good son and a mama's boy. I assume that your date was the latter kind?"
Nodding, Shira took another sip from the martini, nearly finishing it. "He introduced me to his mother as if I were his fiancée, talking about a barbecue at his sister's next weekend and how she would be delighted to know that I was a librarian because she loves reading." Shira shuddered. "I mean, we hadn't even gotten our clothes off yet, and he's already planning our future. Talk about a major turn-off."
"The horror," Fenella said dryly, but she was smiling. "A guy actually wanting to see you again."
"You don't get it." Shira drained the rest of the martini, popped the lychee into her mouth, and pushed the empty glass to Fenella for a refill. "This was excellent. Can I have another?"
"The same? Or do you want something new?"
"The same," Shira confirmed.
"Coming up."
"Anyway. As I was saying, I was very clear with him about what I wanted. One night, no strings, no follow-up, and then he goes and introduces me to his mama."
"You're certainly an atypical librarian," Fenella observed, starting on the second martini.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
