Chapter 5
Greyson
I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
It wasn’t just how she looked though, God help me, though that was a factor. It was the way she seemed haunted, like something heavy still clung to her. And that smile was wary, fleeting but real.
I had always been drawn to her, even when she was just the younger girl with a pen and stories in her eyes. She’d grown into those stories and grown into herself.
I wanted to know what had broken her.
I look up and there she is again.
This time, she came in with Madison, who waved at me like they were longtime conspirators. Blair wore jeans and a loose sweater, her hair in a messy knot, her eyes shining even in the low light.
She slid onto a stool. “One water. Again.”
I grinned. “Living dangerously.”
She rolled her eyes. “Very.”
We talked briefly, easy banter, laughter, and little pieces of shared history. When Madison left early, Blair stayed behind.
We ended up sitting outside on the back steps of the bar, quiet under the stars.
“I used to write here,” she said. “On slow nights. In the corner booth. You probably don’t remember.”
“I remember everything about you,” I said.
She looked at me, startled.
I added, softer, “I always wondered why you left.”
Blair’s gaze dropped. “That’s a long story.”
“I’ve got time.”
A pause. A heartbeat.
Then she said, “Maybe one day.”
And I nodded, because I would wait for her as long as she needed.
I was wiping down the bar, pretending I wasn’t thinking about her, when Maddox strolled in like he owned the place, ball cap on backwards, a smirk already in place.
“You’ve been scrubbing that same damn spot for five minutes,” he said, sliding onto the first stool.
I grunted. “It’s sticky.”
“It’s oak, man. Not a confession booth.”
He leaned forward, elbows on the counter, like he was waiting for me to crack. I didn’t say anything. I just grabbed him a glass and poured his usual. Bourbon, neat. No ice. No fuss.
“You gonna tell me what’s got you brooding like a soap opera lead or do I gotta guess?”
I didn’t look up. “Blair’s back.”
There. Saying it out loud sounded like thunder and silence all at once.
