n his feet eventually shifted and he left the apartment, ta

ook a taxi, even when I got off work at almost three in the morning, because it was just too ex

l bites. I stayed at the bar and helped the people waiting for a table. At the beginning of the night, it was usually young people who'd just gotten off work and needed a drink

bar to see if anyone else needed a drink, and while

the neck and halted wh

t-shirt even though it was a rainy night, and he filled it out better than any mannequin at the mall. Thick shoulders and muscular arms, the kind that had veins so strained they looked like they were about to pop. He carried himself like he was important

he light from the bar behind me illuminated his beautiful and rugged face. I'd only been wor

est of the patrons at the bar absorbed in conversation, my attention on the

al paradise, more brilliant than the sky on a clear day. But the rest of his face was harsh, with sharp cheekbon

ced at the menu that sat there but didn't seem to read it, like he already knew what he wanted.

my

eart like a frog in my throat, so intimidated by his appearance that I wasn't sure if I could wait on him. "What can I get

yes not needing to blink, having way more confidence

led out the bottle

epared the drink. Stared straigh

d to put as much distance between us as possible. He was so distracting that I wouldn't be able to finish up my shift if I continued to lo

ng I'd never had

distract himself looking at his phone, just stared at his reflection in the mirror against the wall or stared off into the distance. He seemed perfectly fine drinking

t he walked out of that bar and I never saw him again. I stood at the counter and wiped off the

sti

o him, my heart i

ed his lips. "This is whe

s I pegged him to be-but

ty glass, silently

ank, he didn't seem even remotely incapacitated. He was either a functional drunk o

, having the confidence to hold an intimate level of eye contact like we were lovers when we were strang

a story be

eyes, and it was replaced by a hint of playfulness. He shook the ice in his glass before he took a drink. "Defi

time and for me to get a good tip. But I was never honest about who I was or what I felt. But when I

or