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1
LILY
Ifind myself sitting at the worn out counter of my regular dimly lit bar, nursing my usual vodka cocktail at the end of averylong week. The air is thick with the scent of stale beer and a mixture of conversations, punctuated by the occasional burst of laughter. TheSurly Mermaidestablishment is far from what others might call ‘elegant’, with its cracked leather stools and flickering neon signs casting an eerie glow on the patrons. Yet, I always say that it holds a strange allure, a place where misfits and seekers of solace can come to lose themselves in the haze of alcohol and camaraderie… if that is what they want, which I definitely don’t. Not tonight anyway.
Slowly sipping my drink, I observe the scene before me. The bouncers, burly figures dressed in black, look bored at the entrance, their watchful eyes occasionally scanning the crowd for troublemakers. Not that troublemakers really bother with this place.
Despite the gruff exterior of theSurly Mermaid, the staff manage to maintain an unspoken order, keeping the worst of the riff raff at bay. It might not be the kind of place my grandmother would approve of, but it has a certain raw authenticity that resonates with me.
Swallowing the burning hot liquid, which I hope will wash the week away, I gaze out of the grimy window, my apartment building visible just across the street. The convenience of having my safe space within sight allows me to indulge in this solitary habit without concern. It’s early evening, the golden light of dusk still clinging to the sky. Weekends are usually the busiest at the bar, a mix of regulars and newcomers seeking refuge, especially during tourist season.
As if on cue, a trio of guys sidle up to the counter, each flashing a confident smile in my direction. They’re like characters straight out of a clichéd scene, their intentions written across their faces like an open book. They exchange glances, clearly vying for my attention. I meet their advances with a polite but dismissive smile, turning back to my drink.
I want to be alone tonight. Why can’t anyone seem to get that?
“Lily Crowe, is that you?” Internally I groan. Shit, this isn’t a stranger after all. This is a voice I know all too well, and one that I’m definitely not in the mood for. “Damn girl, I haven’t seen you since high school. You have gottenfine. Hasn’t she gotten hot, boys?”
“Brandon, hi,” I shoot back through gritted teeth. Ihaterunning into people from the past. I’m not one for reminiscing and having a good time with people I left behind long ago.
“I mean, you always had those piercing blue eyes, right? And that smile to die for, but your red waves are longer now.” I pull away as he tries to touch me. “And your body is smoking.”
“It’s a dress, not a yes,” I remind him, recalling the way he used to always assume showing off legs meant a desire for attention. But that was in high school. Shouldn’t he have grown up a bit now? “Thanks for the compliment, Brandon, but I’m happy to just drink alone.”
“Pfft, no one is happy to drink alone. Don’t be a bore.”
His friends crowd around me, but I don’t feel threatened. Not with Alex standing behind the bar. In my peripheral vision, I can see him wiping down a glass with practiced efficiency, but with one eye on me, ready to jump in whenever I need him to. Just like always.
He waits for a moment, trying to see if I’m into these guys, but as he shoots me a wink, admiring how hot Brandon is – which I suppose objectively he is, he’s just an ass that’s all – and I don’t respond in kind, he’s next to me in a heartbeat.
“Hey, guys, I think it’s time to move along.” As his dark hair falls across his forehead and he grins, Brandon is struck. Alex is a hard man to argue with. He exudes an easy confidence, and not someone to be messed with. “There are plenty of other people here tonight. But my girl isn’t interested in you. Like she said, it’s a dress not a yes. Head over there, will you?”
When the coast is finally clear, I turn my stool to face Alex and I raise my glass in a subtle toast, before I knock the rest of it back, enjoying the burn this time around.
“Another one, please, if you don’t mind. Same again. A double this time.”
“One of those weeks, huh?” He wiggles his eyebrows playfully. “I know how it is. You can have as many as you want. Mostly because it isn’t far to walk you home. Plus, if you’re sitting here drinking then I can tell you about my amazing date with James last week.”
That lights me up a little. “I forgot to ask you all about James. Oh my God, tell me more.”
My own love life might not be the most successful, but that doesn’t mean I have a heart of stone. Iloveliving vicariously through other people, especially Alex. He has a wild love life, always adventuring with new and exciting guys. I settle in to hear his new tale.
“Well, we went to the opera for this date. It was a fancy one. So much fun, and James was holding my leg throughout the whole thing, which was super sexy, and then we went out to a dessert place afterwards to feed one another ice cream…”
Urgh, I could groan with jealousy. Why do I never meet a guy who makes me feel all sexy and excited like that? I can’t even remember the last time I even went out on a date, never mind did something all classy and romantic like that. What is it with me? Why do I only seem to attract the low life guys who don’t actually want to get to know me? What am I doing wrong?
It’s only when Alex stops right in the middle of his story and backs away that I start to sense a new presence beside me. A different one this time, a shadow with a newness attached to it.
“Ryker, what can I get you?” Alex’s tone changes completely. “The usual?”
Ryker.Now that’s a name that resonates through the corridors of my mind. Nervously, with butterflies flapping violently in the pit of my stomach, I follow Alex’s eyeline to findhim.
Tall and commanding, he carries himself with an air of confidence that’s impossible to ignore. His jawline looks like it’s been sculpted by the hands of a master artist, a testament to the chiseled perfection that nature has bestowed on him. But it’s his eyes that hold the power to transfix, a mesmerizing shade of gold that seems to pierce through the layers of my soul.
I’ve seen his face before, captured in the pixels of news articles and glimpsed on television screens. The mystery that shrouds him only deepens the intrigue I feel, the strange fascination that has rooted itself in my thoughts ever since his name first crossed my consciousness.
And then, in the quiet between heartbeats, he turns to face me, even shooting me a rare smile. I justknowthat he doesn’t do that for everyone. The air around us seems to still, the noise of the bar fading to a distant hum as his gaze locks on mine. A magnetic pull draws me deeper into the depths of his golden eyes, and for a moment, the world ceases to exist beyond the space we occupy.
His lips curve up further, his enigmatic smile popping two super sexy looking dimples. It’s a gesture that holds a promise of secrets and untold stories.
