açaí bowl ~ c.b.

II

Today was shit. Her Wednesdays were the worst. She started class at 8am and didn't finish her last class until 5:30pm. 

Not only was it long but everything seemed to go wrong. She took an exam she felt awful about and even submitted a subpar paper. Thankfully, she didn't have to work so she went home and relaxed before she made her way towards her usual spot. 

Wine never sounded so good. So good that she decided to take an uber and not her own car.

She stepped out of the uber, heels clicking against the asphalt. "Thank you." she says simply, slamming the door behind her and swinging her purse over her shoulder. 

The uber managed to pass the bar, putting her a little bit down the street. She shook it off and decided to walk. It's a little dark and her heels seem to echo regardless of how busy the sidewalk is. 

"Jesus Christ." she mutters as some guy bumps into her shoulder harshly just outside the bar. He doesn't even give her a sorry, just walks on. She shakes her head as she looks at the contents of her purse scattered on the sidewalk. 

"Here lemme help." a deep raspy voice pipes up. She looks up and recognizes him and offers a smile. 

"Colby." she says quickly. 

"That is my name." he chuckles as he begins to gather her things for her. This just puts a soft smile on her face and even heats her cheeks up. 

He wore simple black jeans and a white long sleeve shirt that drastically contrasted with his maroon hair. He looked good to say the least. And of course he wore his ever so famous rings. 

"Thank you." she mutters as she begins to place things back into her purse. 

"Oh it's no problem. That dude was a real dick." he says with a small chuckle. Suddenly it seemed as if her day was gonna make a complete 180. "Anyways. You going in?" he asks while pointing at the bar. 

"No I came to stand outside." she teases as she pushes some hair behind her ear. This makes him chuckle nervously but he appreciates her banter. In fact, it makes her a little more attractive. 

"How about this, first drink's on me." he offers with a small grin. He watches her chew on the idea with anticipation. 

"Why not. Let's go pretty boy." she says with a small shrug, leading the way inside the bar. She waves at the bartender and the bartender already whips out the red wine. He wasn't sure how to feel about her being a regular here. This wasn't exactly the best place to be known by first name. 

She sits in her usual stool and he plants himself next to her. "Put it on my tab." he tells the bartender and the bartender flashes a small grin before glancing at Ryan. 

"So tell me, what brings you here so often?" he ask her as their drinks sit in front of them. 

"It gets me away from my studies." she shrugs before taking a sip of her wine. "I'd go mad if I never left my apartment." she chuckles. 

"That is in fact understandable." he says, taking his first drink. 

"What about you? What brings you here?" she smirks as if she already knows the answer. 

"The truth?" he asks, raising his eyebrow and slamming the rest of his drink. She hums in response after taking a good look at his neck. Everything about him was alluring. 

"I knew you were a regular here and I missed your number last time." he says, offering a bold smirk. There's a reason alcohol is called liquid courage. 

She responds with a small laugh and sticks her hand out, palm up. He's a little shocked at first but he's quick to dig into his tight pockets and pull up his contacts list, ready to add a new one. She chuckles at how flustered he seems. 

He watches her closely as she fills out the information needed. She smiles softly as she hands his phone back. He can't help but smile either as he sees a small smiley face placed next to her name. 

"Do you live near here?" she ask, breaking the small silence. 

"About 15 minutes." he answers before waving the bartender down. "I know I said only the first drink was on me but I'm getting the next round as well." he chuckles. 

"No complaints here, love." she grins. 

The stayed as everyone else filtered out. Every now and then he was nervous that they were being too loud but he honestly didn't care. Her laugh was contagious and it had been so long since he had connected with anyone in such a way. 

In fact, it had been over an hour since they had their last drinks. They were sobered up considering they didn't drink much to begin with. They were just rambunctious on their own. Like kids. 

"I should really get an uber. It's pretty late." she sighs as she glances at her phone. 

"Let me take you home." he offers quickly. "Haven't had a drink in almost two hours." he says matter of factly. 

"I wouldn't want you to go out of your way or anything." she rambles. 

"No no. Please. Im sure Ubers are quite expensive this late anyway." 

"Okay." she smiles. 

"Follow me my lady." he teases as he leads the way outside to his car. He drove a pretty average car. It was nice but average. 

"Where to?" he asks as the climb into the car. She gives him her address and its like their conversation never stopped. She enjoyed his company and she was always one to keep to herself. She found it hard to find someone with the same vibe and energy as her, yet here he was. 

"Here you are." he smiles at her as he parks the car. 

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I'll see you around Colby." she says sweetly. So sweet it makes his heart flutter. 

Word Count 1014 

This chapter was kind of boring but it was needed. I hope you enjoy this story thus far :)