Ten years. The first five I couldn’t get to her, and the second five, she disappeared like a fuckin’ ghost.
I didn’t even know where she was. Had I known, I sure as fuck would have had her by now. It wasn’t until I was at a party at this guy Vance’s with my buddy, Ciaran, that I saw the photo. Beside Vance’s wife… was Emily.
“I’ll have another.” The drunk at the bar belches as he slams his glass on the table.
She’s now a bartender at this local dive. The place is dangerous, and some seedy motherfuckers like to park their asses here at night. I’ve been having my nightly drinks here just to make sure no one fucks with her. The monster in me wants just to take her, lock her up in a tower and bind her to my bed to make sure she’s never out of my sight again. Ten years is a long time to go with your heart ripped out of your damn chest.
I’ve been coming to the bar for a few weeks now, just watching her, and not once has she recognized me. That hurt at first. The two of us knew each other better than we knew ourselves. I never expected her to forget me when not one day has gone by where I don’t think of her. She’s still so fuckin’ beautiful, with the same crazy curls that frame her soft face. I remember when shit would get so bad that I’d just bury my face in that hair and try to shut it all out.
My friend, Ciaran, has been eyeing me for the last ten minutes. “You ever gonna make a move, lad?” He flashes his infamous vampire grin.
Most people think Ciaran’s a playful, charming freak because that’s what he wants them to see, but I know better. I first met him just after he’d ripped out a guy’s jugular and was holding the flesh in his hands, screaming like a madman.
Then he walked up to me and said, “Let me clean up, and we’ll go get a beer.”
It was like a switch. I thought I was good at masking my monster but compared to Ciaran… Whatever fucked him up detonated a bomb in his head that was irreparable. But even though Ciaran’s unhinged—I’d even say clinically insane— he’s also loyal as fuck. If he thinks you are worth it, there isn’t anything he won’t do for you.
I lock my eyes on Emily as I take a sip of my bourbon. “Whatcha talking about?”
“Out of all the bars in town, this place isn’t where I like to spend my evenings.” He scrapes an old piece of gum off the table with a butter knife. “Like, seriously, dude.”
“No one’s making you. You’re the one who wanted to tag along.”
“It’s not my fault my cooler friends are all boo’d up. Vance is out there playing daddy, and Enzo won’t go anywhere without Reese. They’ve turned into a bunch of pussies.” He eyes Emily behind the bar. “Looks like you’re heading to pussy town, too, but not the good pussy town. The loser pussy town.”
I point to Finn. “You know, I think I prefer your brother to you. He at least doesn’t constantly flap his stupid mouth.”
Ciaran smirks as he leans back in his chair and eyes up Emily again. “I’m sure I can get your girl in bed quicker than you with this mouth.”
The sting of the pain of broken skin comes before the sound of the shattered glass. I ignore the blood seeping from my hand as it drips onto the oak table. “You get one warning, and that’s cos you’re my friend, but if you ever talk about her like that again, I will bust open your head and not think twice about it.”
Ciaran raises his hands in the air, surrendering as he barks out a laugh. “Well, damn, Stone. Looks like she’s got your balls in a vise.”
I grab some paper towels and clean up the blood and broken fragments of glass just as the server rushes by. “What happened?” He glances down at my cut-up hand. “You okay?”
“Yes, it’s nothing. I just tipped it over and cut myself while picking up the pieces.”
The kid looks at me suspiciously for a second. We lock eyes, and he gets spooked, like most people. My mom used to tell me it was my eyes since I was the son of the devil. They’re an intense blue that either makes people fall into a trance or run away from me. My mom wasn’t wrong. Most people get freaked out by me. But not Emily. She always saw past it until I gave her a reason not to.
The kid nods, averting his eyes before scampering off.
“Thought the young buck would piss himself for a second,” Ciaran says as he lights a cigarette and takes a long inhale. He makes a perfect O before he butts it out.