Chance Encounter

Chapter 1 -Waiting

Lilah walked into the unfamiliar bar and looked around. It had one of those cozy wooden interiors, a dimly lit pool table and several dark booths. Counting Crows was blasting loudly from the speakers. The place was busy but not at its peak.

Lilah liked it, it was her kind of place. She scanned the room for her friend, then checked her phone. Nothing. It was Tiffany's 25th birthday. In a matter of seconds, tonight would be all about Tiffany. Lilah knew they wouldn't be in this kind of place for long, so she would enjoy it while she could. She knew the routine - Tiffany would be craving pop music and fancy cocktails and they would begin the long night of pretentious club hopping and freezing their butts off while queuing on the cold streets of downtown Vancouver. Tiffany was no pub girl, but Lilah had chosen their first meeting point and hoped they might at least get a comfortable start to the night.

Lilah needed a drink. It had been a hell of a day. A mutual friend of Tim's had called, not really wanting anything, but at the same, too happy to tell her all about the new girlfriend Tim had moved on with.
Something inside Lilah ached, just knowing Tim had found someone else so quickly. She huffed a sigh as she stared at her phone. Nothing in her inbox. She walked aimlessly around the bar, glancing as the door opened and a group of young hipsters came in.

Lilah moved to a quieter corner and leaned against the wall. She scrolled through her phone again and on impulse her finger hovered over the last text from Tim. She pressed the button. Shame and regret instantly washed over as she reread his text for the millionth time. She couldn't help herself. It was from three weeks ago but Lilah still felt all of the emotion like it was yesterday.

Hey babe, can't wait to see you tonight, you sexy fox. Hope you like pumpkin soup. I'll be there in 20. Counting down the minutes. xox

Lilah sighed and put her phone away. She looked around the bar, not really seeing anyone. Why did she have to read it again? Was she truly that pathetic? Her heart ached and she took another deep breath. Lilah knew it was mostly her pride that was hurting, but some insecure part of her wondered what she had done wrong. She wondered whether she would do it again differently, if she could?

Lilah remembered the moment they met. She'd been out at some swanky R&B club that Tiffany's boyfriend Frank had dragged them to. Frank had introduced Tim as one of his best friends and Lilah had hardly looked at him, except to nod with mild polietness. I mean it was Frank- someone she could barely stand- why would she take an interest in his friends?

The club had been loud and dark and Lilah had initially hated it. When Tiffany and Frank went off to dance, Lilah had intended to hide in the ladies but Tim struck up a conversation with her. They ended up talking all night. He was tall, manly and funny. He bought her drinks. He smelled good. He surprised her. Near the end of the night they even had a bit of a cheeky dance. Lilah was a little drunk by then, but she distinctly remembered a bit of gentle grinding and caressing.

Then the night went sour when Tim drunkenly bumped into a stranger who was clearly on drugs. They responded by smashing a bottle over Tim's head. Bouncers swept in and took Tim into the back to give him first aid. The other guy was thrown out. It was all over in an instant and Lilah was left standing there, with her heart beating loudly in her ears. She hadn't known what to do so she found Tiffany and Frank. She had been a little worried for Tim, but when a staff member came and got her at Tim's request - "to get his girlfriend", she was surprised. Frank, of course got shitty that Lilah was allowed to go into the back and he wasn't, and that gave Lilah reason enough to smile. Frank was such a dick.

The staff member led her to a dirty store room where Tim sat on a stool, holding a bloody cloth to his head. Lilah had smiled at him and he had held out his hand. She spent the next half hour helping Tim to pick glass out of his hair and steristrip his wound. It wasn't exactly romantic, but there was a moment where Tim looked up at her and said something drunk like "I wish you were my girlfriend." It wasn't lightning bolts but Lilah had a moment where she thought - he's kinda cute.