The first couple of days weren’t bad – Winthrop had suggested every line from every book ranging from classical to contemporary be embedded into her brain. He wasn’t serious, but he did suggest she expand her literary mind, and that she did. She had fallen in love with the works of Tolstoy, Baldwin, and the like. She would even read on the job – which wasn’t much of a problem since her job required the heavy load of reading. In fact, things were going so good that Mr. Winthrop advised Melanie to start blogging. Melanie didn’t think she was the blogging type. She had never been much of a social butterfly growing up and feared she wouldn’t be able to gain any followers that would even read her written blobs. Mr. Winthrop ensured her that she had talent and even tacked on a nice pay increase to motivate her. Boy, was she motivated after that.
That first paycheck brought on a smug sense of confidence she had been missing for awhile. She decided she would splurge on herself just a bit and headed to the local Solar Flare lounge for a drink and meal to commemorate her small success.
The Solar flare was pretty packed. Men and women sat around talking loudly and drunkenly. She smiled as one man with a child-size t-shirt walked pass her and into the rest room, scratching his hairy butt in the process. She laughed and made her way to the bar and sat down in an empty seat.
“Hey bartender, can I get a tequila, please?” She hadn’t drank in awhile, but felt this reunion was long overdue. Shortly after her drink arrived, she heard a familiar voice behind her order another round of drinks and turned to see none other than Chase standing right behind her. He was even more handsome than she last remembered. The sombrero head accent was a nice but unneccessary touch, she thought. He seemed to be there celebrating with coworkers, and she didn’t want to disturb him, but he had caught her watching. She quickly turned and straigtened in her seat.
“Maddison?” he asked, as if trying to remember her face. Melanie’s eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, but the look soon dissipated. It had been awhile…maybe he had forgotten her name. It could happen, right?
“Melanie,” she corrected him. She figured she wasn’t loud enough by his now confused expression so she repeated herself. “Melanie,” she screamed over the loud music. “We met a few weeks ago.”
He snapped his fingers as if in remembrance and walked up closer to her. “Yeah, I thought that was you. You look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you.”
Melanie blushed and turned to take a sip of her drink. “If that were true, maybe you would’ve called me two weeks ago.” It was meant to be a flirtatious comeback, but it held some truth to it, too. He hadn’t called for two weeks and it had hurt.
“Sorry love, I’ve been working so much.” He waved to the crew of men standing a little ways behind him. “Have to keep these creeps in line.”
Melanie laughed, then. Yeah, she could see how work would get in the way. It wasn’t like she had any extra spare time. “Well, would you like to have a drink now?”
“I think I might like that,” he said and took the spot next to her at the bar. The alcohol and her recent promotion had made Melanie a little more confidant than normal. She would normally hide in the corners when an attractive guy was near, but not tonight. She intended on snagging Chase before the night was over.
She took another sip of her drink, stilling her nerves and turned to talk to him some more, but saw that he was deep in conversation with the guy next to him (a co-worker he had just pointed out). His hands were flailing in the air like he was acting out some bizarre scenario and she was about to laugh at his joke when a small flash of light from his hands caught her eye.
Is that a ring?
On his wedding ring finger?
Is he married?
OMG – He’s married!
Melanie stared at his hands in disbelief and tried to remember if had been wearing the small band the last time they met. No, she would have caught sight of it. Would she have? She was so enamored with his charm and looks that she unknowingly walked into the position of a home wrecker. She put her head down on the bar and cursed the land for not swallowing her up. She had given her number to a married guy who probably went home to a beautiful wife, three kids, 2 dogs, and partridge in a pear tree. How could she?
She felt his hands on her back as he whispered something in her ear. She shrugged him off and stood up. She didn’t know what to say to him, so she waved him off and left the bar. Go find someone else to offer the sidekick position, she said to herself as she walked over to a lounge area where people chatted merrily. She kicked her feet out, slumped over and bent her head down. She was a mess…a downright train wreck. She should have seen it coming, right? Average looking girl in a beautiful city rarely get any male attention no matter how those CW tv shows try to portray the lifestyle of a new girl in a big city.
“You know, people usually come to bars to get out of bad moods, not get in them.”
Melanie turned her head to see the recipient of the intrusive comment and huffed. “What?”
He chuckled and sat a drink down on the table in front on her while clutching his own. “Here, I brought you a drink.”
She looked at the drink and back at him. “I don’t take drinks from some strange guy.”
He sat up straighter, clutching the glass filled with clear liquid in his hands. “Well, you’re in luck. I’m not Some Strange Guy. I’m Emmanuel Fernandez. And this drink,” he points to the one he placed on the table, “is not tainted, honest. I asked the guy at the bar what you had ordered before you came over here all sad and doomed looking. I ordered you a glass and brought it over to you hoping to at least get you to smile because the whole “I’m pissed” look doesn’t suit you at all.”
Melanie stared at the guy for a moment and smiled. “You’re such a lame.”
He threw his head back and let out a boisterous laugh beside her. “So I take it comedy isn’t my thing?”
“Definitely not,” she remarked and took a sip of her drink.
“And here I thought I was well on my way to a spot on Saturday Night Live. Cheers to that dream.” He raised his glass in the air and took a long sip.
“Slow down there,” she laughed. “No one drinks like that unless they have a story to tell.”
He emptied his glass and placed it on the table. “Club Soda will definitely NOT have you tipsy.” He stared at her before adding, “And we all have a story to tell, don’t we?”
She laughed and shook her head. “Touche.”
“Wow,” she heard him say beside her. “So that’s what it looks like.”
She turned her head to him. “What?” Carbonated water?”
“No, your smile. It’s beautiful,” he replied. Her heart lept in her chest at his words and at the sincere look he was giving her.
“Thank you,” she whispered into her glass.
He cocked his head to the side, his eyes glossing over her profile. “You shouldn’t let a guy control that smile. It’s way too powerful to be hidden behind frowns.”
She stared into his blue eyes and felt a sudden tug from some part of her. She liked him…already. She stole a quick glance down at his hands and saw no visible band. That didn’t mean anything to her. Chase wasn’t wearing his that first night either. She brought the glass to her mouth.
“I bet you say the same thing to your wife.” She was half joking, but she also wanted to know if he was the honest type.
A grin spread across his face then. “Hmm, are you by any chance asking me to marry you? On the first date? Bold…” He was waiting for her name.
After a beat she said, “Melanie.”
“Melanie,” he finished. “Very bold indeed. And no, I will not marry you. And it’s not because I have anyone at home like the young gentleman you left at the bar,” he waved his hand in that direction. Melanie turned to see Chase still talking to people at the bar, her sudden absence of no importance to him. “However,” his words brought her gaze back to him, “I would much rather get to know the beautiful young woman sitting in front of me. You know, take her on dates and things like that. That’s if, you know, she’s not married.” He followed the last statement with a sly grin and Melanie just shook her head.
She chanced another glance at Chase, and realized she was glad she had dodged that bullet. She turned back to Emmanuel and finished her drink.
“Nope, not married at all.”