“Yeah, great. You come to Aces often? I don’t recall seeing you here.”
“Some of my squad and I come by once in a while for a drink after work or on a weekend.”
“Weird our paths haven’t crossed before.”
“Yeah. So how’s your lady friend – the author lady? Ms. Traeger, isn’t it?”
“That’s her. She’s good, thanks.” The bartender stops in front of us. “I’ll tell her you say hi.”
“Thanks. Appreciate it.”
He speaks to the man behind the bar briefly before saying, “See you around.”
“Yeah. Take care.”
The exchange was a bit awkward – my specialty — but at least it took my mind off my depressing thoughts for a few minutes. Paying attention to the TV for the first time, I see a football game is about to start. So I settle in to watch some mindless television while I steadfastly work my way to a mind-numbing drunk that will probably have me regretting my life choices in the morning.
By the time the bar is starting to fill up with regulars and dinnertime patrons a couple hours later, I figure I’ve achieved my goal. I’ve got a solid buzz going and know I can look forward to a whole night of dreamless sleep. I’m about to ask the bartender to call me a cab when, once again, I sense someone beside me.
I suppose looming would be a better description as Xavier Dermot, aptly nicknamed Bear, stands big and beautiful alongside me.
“Hi.” Dropping onto the chair next to me, he grins over at me. “Can I buy you a drink?”
My gaze roams his face, noticing a crisscross of tiny scars on his left temple. Immediately, I’m intrigued. Curious to know how they came to be there. A childhood accident? Something more sinister?
“Hello?” Bear waves a hand across my vision.
Blinking, I take in the expectant look on his face and realize I have yet to answer him. With a sheepish chuckle, I nod. What the hell, why not? One more for the road. “Sure. That would be great. Thanks.”
“That’s the spirit.” He orders another round before resting his chin on a hand. “So, what’s brings you to a bar on your own on a Saturday evening?”
I consider my answer. I might be pretty damn tipsy, but that doesn’t mean all my filters are down. This is still raw enough not to want to share with a stranger. Finally, I simply reply, “Let’s just say it’s been a shitty day and leave it at that.”
“Ah. Fair enough.” He nods a thank you as the barman places our drinks down in front of us.
“All right there, Bear?” the man asks.
“Yeah, good, thanks.”
He studies my companion for a long moment as if searching for something before he gives Bear a nod of his own and wanders off to help another patron.
“My turn to ask, what brings you by today without your buddies?”
“They were here,” he deflects.
“Yeah, I saw that. But you didn’t come with them. And, by the look on your face when they arrived, it wasn’t a planned meet up.”
This time he shrugs, shifting his glass from hand to hand across the smooth surface of the bar counter. “Same reason as yours, I guess. Not exactly my best day either.”
“I hear that.” Raising my glass, I tap it gently against his, then take a sip. Silence settles between us, but strangely it’s not uncomfortable. The bar is getting crowded, and the noise level is making conversation difficult anyway, so we sit like that for a while.
“Hey, wanna get out of here and grab a bite?” Bear asks, breaking the silence between us.
It takes me a split second to come to the decision that, yes, I do want to grab a bite with him. I’m not sure what it is, but there’s something about him that makes me want to lean my head on his shoulder and tell him everything.
I’ve always been stubbornly independent, wanting to do it all myself. Even as a little girl. Bear is the first person who has made me want to lean on them, to not do it all. Pushing these unfamiliar feelings aside, I drain my glass. “Yeah, I do. It’s getting kinda noisy in here too.”
“There’s a pizza place just down the street that serves outstanding pie. It’s within walking distance, which is a good thing considering how much I’ve had to drink. You game?”
