At least I hadn’t dressed down.
I’d heard about this place but had yet to visit, and it was fancier than I’d expected. Contrary to the typical sticky-floored and brightly-lit bars that served as the typical environment for most student hangouts in the area, this bar was strangely atmospheric.
I glanced around at the neo-decadence of the plush and raw decor, the deep-hued plum and navy velvets and leather banquettes. There was layered lighting with overhead ambientfixtures and wall sconces and backlit bars lined with sparkling bottles.
Strange music played in the background, soft enough for conversations to carry—an addictive fusion of psychedelic funk, jazz and surf rock.
And the air itself felt rich and smoky, a completely different world from the campus grounds mere minutes away.
It took me a moment to find my bearings, but I soon spotted Ronan sitting near the back of the bar, sipping on a glass of something dark. I walked over to him and it was like he sensed me coming before I approached.
He looked good even from this distance, his hair styled lightly and beard trimmed neat with what looked like an expensive Merino sweater with sleeves rolled up at the elbows. No cardigan today.
His eyes snapped to me and stayed there, travelled from my curls to my heels and then retraced their journey. He rose to his feet, welcoming me to take a seat like a true gentleman.
“You know,” he said by way of greeting as he sat back down in his own seat. Another of his characteristic, lazy grins tugged at his mouth, his eyes resting easy on mine. “I knew there was a reason I picked an off-campus venue.”
10
~
June
“I guess that’s your way of complimenting me,” I said, placing my jacket and bag on the seat next to me.
“No, that’s just me making an observation,” he said, picking up his drink and swirling the contents around. “If I was going to compliment you, I would tell you that you’re the most beautiful woman in this room. And probably any room you step into, but I figure we should stay within the locale for now.”
I felt my cheeks heat up. “That’s quite the compliment.”
“Do you always blush at the truth?” he said, smiling over his glass. “If so, it’s rather charming.”
“You’re one to talk about charming,” I said, trying not to study the way his throat bobbed when he took a sip of his drink. “Seems like you have a lot of practice exercising that skill of yours.”
“I’m deeply flattered you consider it a skill,” he replied. “I think of it more as a hobby.”
“This is a rather expensive hobby, don’t you think?” I asked, looking around at our surroundings.
He chuckled and my core clenched at the sound. “You think I’m taking you out tonight to exercise my charm? I’m not sure how much free time you think untenured professors have, Miss Price,but I can assure you it’s nowhere near enough to throw away every time we wanted to test our appeal.”
He had this way of saying something that could come across as condescending for all the quiet confidence he owned. But for some reason, even his quips never felt the least bit patronizing. Teasing, maybe.
“So why did you really invite me here, Ronan,” I asked. I didn’t know where the hint of desperation came from that tinged the edge of my voice. Perhaps I just wanted some certainty in the face of all this recent chaos. “Because I don’t think it’s only due to your contacts at Muller & Co.”
He regarded me for a moment. “Well, I’d certainly planned on discussing the job at some point in the evening. I will admit though, that I was hoping it wouldn’t take up the entirety of any conversation we might have. You’re a rather intriguing conversationalist, June, and I honestly wanted to hear more of it.”
I had never considered myself intriguing in any capacity. Boring, sometimes and annoying with how overzealous I could be when talking about my dream career, yes. But intriguing enough for someone to set aside a night in their schedule just to speak to me?
Absolutely not.
Even with Lucas, I hadn’t initially thought much about it because our meetings had always been on the basis of a professor and his student. Even though he, too, had a knack for making me feel at ease with taking up space at the table.
Lucas…
I thought back to his warning about Ronan. He’d looked so serious at the moment. How much of each other’s love lives did they discuss? I briefly wondered if they’d spoken about whathappened between Lucas and me. He and Ronan were friends after all, and I’d toldmyown best friend so I supposed I couldn’t begrudge him if he did the same.
But I highly doubted he’d said anything to anyone. He seemed determined to just pretend nothing happened and to move on. I shifted uncomfortably at the thought of how that made me feel, then resolved to forget abouthimfor the rest of the evening.
I was here to enjoy myself and to discuss a potential job. I could worry about my bothersome professor some other time.
