Love and War

Part 12: Man at the Bar 2

                 

"Hi, I'm Jeanie." I walked up to the man at the bar, his smile slowly turning down.

            "Hi, I'm Josiah. I'm also gay. I hope you didn't come over here for a drink, I'm not in the mood." My eyes rolled, slightly relieved.

            "You know what, Josiah. I did, but, I'm trying really hard not to show my friend over there that I am not literally two seconds away from being putty in his hands. So, can you play along for 2 minutes?" I chuckled lifting my hand for the barkeep to pour us a round. "This one's on me." I giggled.

            "So he's gotcha, huh?" He started, leaning a little closer, placing his hand on the back of my chair.

            "In barely a day, that man has done impossible things to my emotions. One. Day." I emphasized the break in my words, nodding my head. His hand pats my back gently.

            "Is there someone else?" He asked. "Like, competition, I mean? Why not just make a move. I mean, he's staring at you, so, he obviously thinks you're attractive." Josiah started.

            "His ex just came back into the picture and I don't know if she's competition or not." I held my head down.

            "Well, make him a little jealous, make him realize what he has without her." Josiah leaned dangerously close to my face, brushing a strand behind my shoulder before dropping his face to whisper in my ear and hand me a folded napkin. I opened it, expecting to find some fake number, but, instead, I saw a note.

            He's the one I was staring at, but I couldn't break his gaze from you. Go for it, he's into you. Based on his stare, just you sitting here has him stirring. He smiled and winked before walking to the door. I padded over to Axe, waiting for him to say something snarky. Instead, his jaw was clenched tight and his eyes avoided my gaze.

            "What's wrong?" I asked. His anger seemed to be growing by the second. He looked away, jaw clenched, fists tightening on the table.

            "He got awful close, didn't he?" He scoffed, the jealousy dripping from his words. Huh. Maybe Ali isn't such bad competition. "You know, for someone with anxiety about people, you really seemed comfortable making new friends." His frown was apparent, and I could see the snarky tone in his eyes. He was actually upset.

            "It was your idea to go and meet him. He just gave me some advice." I smiled.

            "He gave you his number on a napkin." He laughed, his chuckle almost coming out as a growl. The rumble from his throat almost radiated into me, sending a spiral of chills down my spine. I can't say it wasn't sexy to see a man upset over me.

            "That wasn't his number, Axe." I ignored his curious lean towards the table.

            "Oh, no?" His eyebrows lifted in suspicion and I leaned forward, slightly, matching his expression.

            "No." I chuckled softly before handing him the napkin. His eyes glanced up from the table.

            "He's not wrong." He sighed, leaning back.

            "You find me attractive?" I sat forward, resting my elbows on the table. My eyes never left his.

            "You find that shocking?" He smiled, satisfied with the blush crawling over my cheeks.

            "Yes, actually." I placed one hand between my legs to nestle it into my thighs and winced at the soft jiggle. "There's nothing particularly stunning about me. Now, the woman from this morning- with the cheekbones and the curves- she's gorgeous. Ali- she's gorgeous. I- I'm just me." Suddenly, I scrutinized everything wrong with me in my mind, everything that made me a terrible match for Axel: my anxiety, my curves, my scars, my past, Leo. It all ran through my mind as his hand softly caressed mine.

            "Melanie? I'm almost positive she's just after the money. As for Ali, she's beautiful, yes, but ugly. She's burned that bridge. Stop comparing yourself to other women, Jeanie, because you're incredible. You have no idea just how intriguing you are." He stood up from his chair and walked around to mine, resting his hand in my lap, taking my fingers in his. "I know what you're doing, by the way. Stop making lists about what's not right and make some memories, good ones." He took me up into his arms before tossing a few bills on the table and walking back to his car. Before he opened the door, he lowered his head and took my cheek in his hand. His lips graced over my forehead with a soft breath as they traced my nose, cheekbone, and neck. "You are a captivating woman, Jeanie, and you don't deserve the life you were given." His whisper melted my knees as my legs gave way underneath me. My small, curvy frame fell backward into the side of the sleek SUV as his hand steadied me from my ribcage. His kisses resumed, peppering my neck and chin before I placed my hand behind his head and pulled him to me, clashing our lips together.

            We stopped for a moment, gasping for air, before he opened the door and helped me into the SUV. I sat back in my seat, feeling my lips as they tingled. He walked to the driver's side and opened the door, sitting down in his seat and turning over the ignition before driving home. He pulled into the garage and opened my door, swooping me from the seat and placing my feet on the floor, kissing me softly on the cheek.

            "Goodnight, Jeanie." He said, walking to his door.

            "Night." I smiled, the kiss of his warmth resonating from my face. That's it. I was done.