That’s not the entire truth. Yes, I did want to ask him why he was staring at me, but there was something else that drew me to him. Something I’ve never felt before.
“Because you looked hot in that dress,” Daisy laughs. “I’m surprised the entire bar wasn’t staring at you.”
I can’t help some redness from creeping along my neck. “Stop! That wasn’t it. I mean, maybe he was interested, but… I don’t know. I’m sure I’ll never see him again, so it doesn’t matter.”
“He doesn’t sound like a regular. I know most of them,” she says. “But I’ll keep an eye out. Rugged… red flannel shirt… jeans… Sounds like a sexy lumberjack. Did he have an axe?”
“Hah!” I chuckle. “If he had an axe, I wouldn’t have tried to talk to him!”
“Sometimes axe murderers are sexy,” she teases, giving me a nudge.
“Pretty sure he wasn’t an axe murderer,” I say, thinking back to the way his dark stare lingered. “Or… maybe he was. Maybe it’s a good thing he left before I could talk to him.”
“Must have found someone else who needed a good pounding,” she grins. “With a big tool of some sort, of course.”
“Right…” I mutter.
Daisy and I continue talking, cracking jokes, and playfully teasing each other. She does more teasing than I do, but I’m used to that. It never bothers me and I find it rather entertaining at times.
It’s already dark when the door opens and a customer walks in. Daisy glances over and her eyes widen, so I follow her gaze.
The man who steps inside doesn’t look like he belongs in a place like Fletcher’s. He’s tall and lean, dressed in a black coat that hangs perfectly from his shoulders like it was tailored for him.His dark hair is slicked back neatly, not a strand out of place, and his skin is pale in a way that makes the dim lights of the bar seem almost too bright against it.
I wouldn’t say he’s my type, but he’s got sharp features that give him a refined kind of handsomeness, the sort that looks more at home in a high-end cocktail lounge than a neighborhood bar with sticky floors. His eyes sweep across the room slowly, thoughtfully, like he’s cataloging everything he sees.
When those eyes land on Daisy, a faint smile touches his lips. It doesn’t exactly look like a friendly smile. The hair on the back of my neck prickles like a warning. My stomach feels uneasy. For a moment, I swear the air in the room feels colder.
Daisy doesn’t seem to notice. She strolls down the length of the bar before speaking. “Welcome to Fletcher’s! What can I get you to drink?”
“Mmmm, I don’t like to drink alone,” the man says, his voice smooth, controlled, and slightly unsettling. “I was hoping for… moreatmosphere.”
“Just us tonight. Mondays are always slow,” Daisy chimes, then she gestures to me. “But if you buy my friend a drink, then you won’t be drinking alone, right?”
He approaches the bar slowly, like he’s not in a hurry. Like he’s got all the time in the world. His gaze lingers on me long enough for the hair on the back of my neck to keep rising, but then he shakes his head and turns his attention to Daisy.
“No, I think I’d rather buy you a drink,” he says.
“Sorry, I’m working. Mac doesn’t let me drink on the clock,” Daisy laughs.
“After work then?” he presses, his smile getting wider, and somehow, more unsettling.
“Um, I’m here until closing,” she says.
“That’s fine. I’m something of a night owl these days,” he says. “What time do you close?”
“Two,” she answers, glancing at me and grinning before turning back to him. “I know a nice place we could go if you’re buying.”
“Then it’s a date,” he says, the tip of his tongue brushing his bottom lip. “I’ll come back for you.”
He turns away and a perplexed look settles on Daisy’s face. “My name is Daisy, by the way.”
“Xander,” he rasps, then he leaves the bar without another word.
The moment the door closes behind him, I relax. The room feels warmer. The air feels easier to breathe.
Daisy spins around with a grin on her face again. “See how easy that is? He walked in, we talked, and now we’re going out on a date!”
“Um, yeah, but… that guy didn’t give you the creeps?” I ask apprehensively.
