Almost Loved

by Mira Toria

  She blinked and smiled, trying to pretend that she wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary. “No one,” she quipped, “I’m just talking to myself.”

  “The first sign that someone’s overdue for a drink,” he said light heartedly. “What can I get you –” He trailed off and looked at her pointedly to finish off the sentence.

  Something about the way he phrased the sentence made her smile coyly. This wasn’t her first time flirting and she knew very well when a hook was being thrown at her, waiting for her to take a bite. “You what?”

  The corner of his mouth twitched when he realised she wasn’t going to make it easy for him. “Usually people finish that sentence with their name.”

  “I’m not like usual people.”

  “Definitely not like usual people.” Shaking his head and laughing under his breath, he swapped a new tray for a waiter before he turned back to her. “I do remember you said you’d be a good girl,” he reminded her. “You’re not off to a very good start.”

  He filled a glass with champagne, promptly tipping it towards her like he was waiting for her to take it, but when she did reach out, he pulled away at the last second.

  Her eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what he was playing at. There were people who were like open books, easy to read and predict, but then there were people like this man. They were the ones that were seemingly transparent, but had more than a few tricks up their sleeves. It was just her luck that she had a soft spot for that.

  His eyes were bright with mischief as he moved the champagne glass out of her reach. “What are you doing?”

  He wasn’t like anyone she’d ever met and she found the corners of her mouth tugging into a reluctant smile. There was something about his confidence that was refreshing; where it was enough to be charismatic instead of pure arrogance. “Can I have my drink?” she asked.

  He grinned cheekily as he placed the glass on the bar island to lean closer to her. “I meant later on tonight.”

  “Did you, now?” She propped her elbow up on the counter and tilted her head as she studied him. “Tell me, how many girls have you used that line with tonight?”

  He brought his face close to hers, so close that if anyone even slightly bumped into Lyris, she would’ve grazed her mouth against his. Her breath caught in her throat and she was tempted to run a finger down his jaw line, to just simply touch him, despite accusing him of being a womanizer.

  “Honestly?” He looked held her gaze. “Just the one girl I’m looking at right now.”

  It was as if the music and the party buzz fueled the tension between them. Looking away didn’t cross their mind as they were both intoxicated in some way.

  “Do you usually go home with strangers?” She spoke in a whisper, fearing that the moment would be shattered by noise if she were any louder.

  He held his cards close and replied in a low calm voice. “Would you call us strangers?”

  Grinning, she turned her face so that her mouth was by his ear. She was so close to him, she heard him catch his breath ever so slightly as she moved deliberately slowly. “I don’t really recall hearing a name,” she whispered, letting her words linger.

  She felt his hands on hers before he pulled back and brought a single finger to lift her chin towards him. It was simply a touch, the briefest of contact, yet it was electrifying.

  “It’s Hale.” The corner of his mouth looked as if he was trying hard to suppress a full smile. “And what might yours be?”

  They had both taken their time answering questions, deliberately extending their answers and teasing the other for as long as they could, so she didn’t feel compelled to answer right away. She took a few seconds to calm herself down. Hale was certainly captivating and despite how often her blind dates failed, she knew very well when to end a game while she was ahead.

  Moving back, she kept her eyes on him as she grabbed a napkin and brought it to her mouth. Pressing it on her lips and keeping her eyes on his, she left an imprint of her lipstick and placed it on the counter before sliding it towards him. There was something about the way his brow cocked just slightly in bemusement that fuelled her with a desire to linger, but she wasn’t a fool to believe she was the only woman that wanted to hold his attention tonight.

  She was going to leave on her own terms.

  “I’ll tell you what I’m not going to be; another conquest. Good-bye, Hale.” Smirking she grabbed the champagne flute and tipped it as a thank you towards him before sauntering back to her friends.

  It was difficult to explain, but she felt as if she were on a sort of high. She felt light and something about being so carelessly free lifted a weight she didn’t know she was carrying. Even if she wouldn’t meet anyone tonight, Evey’s suggestion of letting loose did have an upside – she’d never felt like this for a long time.

  As she walked back, she couldn’t help but feel a little flushed and hoped that Evey wouldn’t comment on anything. What happened with Hale was fun in itself, but she had serious doubts about whether or not it was a fluke or if the performance was something that could be repeated.

  Old habits die hard, and despite how she felt now, there was a tiny voice in the back of her head that reminded her of what happened the last time charm was all it took to sweep her away. She had fallen victim once to the temptation of love – lust – and she had spent too much time putting herself back together to choose incorrectly again.

  In spite of what that voice said though, a smile threatened to emerge. The thought of Hale being able to make her forget for a few minutes was a luxury she hadn’t known was possible.

  Coming up to Evey, she swung an arm over her shoulder and took a look at her frown.

  “Couldn’t find anyone could you?” Lyris guessed. “You can put away your cupid wings and arrows, Evey.”

  “How much did you drink exactly?” West looked at the glass of champagne in her hands. “If you’re so agreeable when you drink, tell me why your dates always go up in flames?”

  “Shut up.” She scowled as West took the flute from her hands to down the contents himself. “How is it that Evey can stand being in a room with you for hours on end, let alone days?”

  “Consider me an acquired sort of man.” West wrapped an arm around Evey’s waist, bringing her close to him. “Only women with taste can appreciate me for all that I am.”

  Lyris was about to reply when Evey waved her hands so the both of them would be quiet. “Shh,” she chastised. There was a hitch of excitement in her voice. “I spy with my little eyes, someone looking at Lyris with more than passing interest.”

  “That really makes me feel like a winner,” Lyris deadpanned.

  Evey ignored her and giggled as she tried to get a better look. “Is that why you were at the bar for so long?”

  Lyris’ cheeks warm when she realised who Evey was looking at.

  “There’s a really good chance he inhaled too much smoke and is a little loopy and – OW!” West laughed as Lyris beaned him on the arm with her clutch. “You know what, I’m going to do a bit of investigating myself.”

  “Don’t!” Lyris felt the bile of panic rise in her throat and it must’ve been evident because West’s usual teasing tone softened.

  “I’m just kidding, Ly,” he said lightly. “I actually do want a drink.” West patted her head a few times, assuring her he wouldn’t do anything foolish and moved towards the bar.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a woman leaning towards Hale and resting her hand on his. Not wanting to see the outcome of that conversation, Lyris looked away and tried to reason with herself. There wasn’t anything that started between the two of them, and because of that, she shouldn’t feel slightly bitter that someone else got his attention.

  There wasn’t any time to dwell on her feelings because she felt Evey’s eyes on her, scrutinizing and listening to everything she wasn’t saying.

  “What is it, Eves?” She braced herself. “You have that look on your face. The one that’s obv
iously dying to say something.”

  “What do you think of the guy?”

  “Nothing,” she said quickly.

  “Too fast, bestie.” Evey had a knowing look in her eyes and Lyris was slightly scared to hear what Evey had to say next. “Come on, your secret is safe with me.”

  “Fine,” she said begrudgingly. Keeping secrets from Evey was never an easy task for her and with how muddled she was feeling, something was bound to slip. She would much rather keep the Bradley problem under wraps. “He’s easy on the eyes, but that’s it.”

  “Who is?”

  “The bartender, Hale.”

  Evey pointed a finger at Lyris and grinned, “Gotcha. You knew who I was talking about.”

  Lyris’ eyebrow twitched with annoyance. She didn’t even have a comeback on hand so she went with the only thing on the tip of her tongue. “That was evil.”

  Evey didn’t bother to pretend otherwise. “But is he just easy on the eyes? He didn’t leave any other impression?”

  Lyris had no idea what Evey was getting at but she nodded slowly, knowing it’d be better if she let Evey speak her mind without interruption. There was a slim chance that she could get through this interrogation without wanting to run to the closest exit.

  “I wouldn’t be too worried about him if I were you.” Evey seemed completely at ease as she snuck quick peeks at Hale. “I’d say considering how intently he’s looking at you right now, the boy’s interested. I don’t know what you did Ly, but it’s safe to guess who his attention will be on for the rest of the night.”

  Curiosity got the best of her and Lyris peered over her shoulder. The moment her eyes found him, she realised Hale was looking completely straight at her. A warm heat flooded her cheeks and she quickly turned back to face a smug Evey.

  “Caught you looking.” Evey’s smile widened the deeper Lyris frowned. “Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re not even interested about him, Lyris. I mean, you’re even blushing.”

  Lyris felt her cheeks flare up even further when she realised she couldn’t admit anything without lying. Stewing in her incompetence at lying to Evey, she could only shoot Evey a menacing look before she muttered; “Subject change. Now.”

  “If you say so.” Evey had no intention of dropping the conversation that easily, but she also knew better than to push Lyris too far before she would go back into her shell. Changing the topic to Leon’s collection, Evey waved her hands as she expressed her excitement for it.

  As they continued talking, Lyris couldn’t shake off how Evey seemed to be able to read her mind. No matter how hard she tried, she was very conscious of the fact that Hale was watching her and though she’d never admit it to Evey, it felt really nice to be noticed.

  After the fashion show came to an end, Lyris, Evey and West stayed to congratulate Leon on the success of his collection before they called it a night. Unfortunately, it seemed that others had the same idea.

  West looked over at with newfound respect to where Leon was surrounded by admirers. “I always knew Leon was popular, but I guess I underestimated exactly how popular he was.”

  “The only way we’re going to talk to him is if you decide to hump bump everyone in line.” Lyris peered over at the queue. “I think the bald guy looks like your type. You guys know exactly what I mean by hump bumping,” she added, seeing their confused look. “As much as I wish they were, the walls in our house aren’t soundproof.”

  Rather than looking embarrassed, West grinned smugly. “If I’m good, I’m good. I can’t be ashamed of that.”

  Evey let out a sudden cough. Her cheeks were tinted pink as she pulled Lyris away. “Excuse us, West. I need to teach my best friend a thing or two about being discreet.”

  Lyris and West shared a laugh as Evey put distance between them. As she stalked towards the bar, Evey muttered under her breath about how their cooperation was usually at her expense.

  “Isn’t that what you wanted though?” Lyris asked her innocently. “For him and I to play nice with one another?”

  “Because you were so doing that to please me.”

  “It’s West’s job to please you and from what I’ve heard, he’s doing a very good job. Oh West!”

  “We need to do something about the walls in our house, fast.” Evey fumed under her breath, but almost as quick as she was embarrassed, her eyes lit up as someone approached them.

  Lyris had seen that unnerving gleam before. It only meant trouble because the blonde just crafted up a plan.

  As if Evey could read her unease, she ginned wickedly. “Better idea. I can get you out of the house instead.”

  “Don’t you dare, I –”

  “Hello.” Evey interrupted Lyris and flashed a smile at the bartender who had come up to them. “I’ll have a tall vodka cranberry and my friend here would love your number.”

  Unbelievable.

  It was mortifying that Evey had no shame, but Lyris’ cheeks burned when she saw who Evey had directed the comment towards – Hale.

  “That’s easy enough.” His brows rose in amusement, his attempt at keeping a straight face failing as he mixed Evey’s drink.

  “Thank you.” Evey picked up her drink and her eyes widened dramatically. “Sorry guys, I think someone’s calling me.” Before she turned away, she whispered quietly to Lyris, “I really don’t think thicker walls will be necessary. Love you, Ly.”

  “You are the worst actress I’ve ever met,” Lyris hissed. “Evey!”

  Her cheeks burned and it didn’t help knowing Hale was watching her as well. She was sure he expected her to make an excuse to go after Evey – it was tempting – but something about doing what he expected didn’t sit well with her.

  “I’m sorry about that.” Her nerves got the best of her, making her voice waver. Clearing her throat, Lyris pointed at where Evey stood. “I want to say Evey forgot her meds, but then that would mean she’s normal most of the time. I’m not too sure I can say that with absolute confidence.”

  “Your friend’s not entirely discreet is she?” His voice was low, but it was lightened with a chuckle.

  As her nerves slipped away, she found herself laughing with him. “Trust me, this is about as discreet as it gets for Evey. Usually her other strategies involve bullhorns and billboards.”

  “I’m guessing there’s never a dull moment with her, huh?”

  “It’s kind of why I love and hate her,” Lyris admitted. “She can drive me absolutely crazy, but I’m sure I do the same to her.”

  “I can’t say she has bad methods though.”

  “I can’t say that holds any merit coming from Mr. Would-you-call-us-strangers.”

  “Nice to know that you liked it enough to remember it,” Hale smirked, his eyes looking temptingly mischievous. “And I wouldn’t have guessed that you liked it enough to love my number either.”

  The last time anyone took her breath away with a single look was Bradley, and that had been a long time ago. But this time round when it was Hale, the memory with Bradley became so distant, it could’ve been like it never existed.

  It was frightening as much as it was thrilling that she was feeling this way again.

  “I think we’ve already established that Evey’s a little delusional,” Lyris pointed out. Trying to ignore the palpitations of her heart was difficult as she found herself more drawn to him as they continued talking.

  Chuckling like he knew something she didn’t, Hale set a drink down. “The question still stands.”

  “What question?”

  “Do you really want my number?”

  It was as if she was playing a game of internal tug-of-war, like she was trying to convince herself that she shouldn’t fall for this because she was fooled once before. But her heart had never been obedient to the reasons her mind gave. She found herself drawn to him in a way that scared her mind as much as it filled her heart.

  “How many numbers have you given out today, Hale? No, let me rephrase that. How many numbers have been g
iven to you?”

  “A few have been given,” he admitted, “but I don’t have them anymore. As for how many people have my number, many have asked and none have received. Yet.”

  She bit her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling at his suggestion. “Yet?”

  He looked straight at her, unblinkingly as the corner of his mouth pulled. “I’m waiting for the right person to ask for it.”

  “You’re really good at this.” She knew well enough when she’d been fed a line. “You really know what you’re doing and if I was as naïve as you thought I’d be, I would fall for it.”

  It wasn’t a lie. Lyris knew she would’ve fallen for it because she did fall for something just as familiar when she met Bradley. Everyone had a type and she wasn’t an exception. But she learnt how to stop herself from falling. She’d spent time building her walls, and it would take more than a cheap line to tear them down.

  “What do you mean by that?” he asked.

  “The confidence, the lines and the charisma, it’s a killer combination.” A rueful smile grew on her mouth as she listed everything off. “But it also tells me a few other things. I’m just a game because all you really want is me in your bed.”

  If she wasn’t paying attention to him as she was, she would’ve missed seeing his confidence waver, even if it were for a second. She touched on something, but it wasn’t nearly as satisfying being right. A part of her wanted to be wrong.

  “Sorry Hale, but I already told you, I’m not going to be another conquest.” She reached out to pinch his cheeks before leaving.

  Her breath caught in her throat when he reached out and stopped her. It wasn’t more than a brush of his finger, but it was electrifying in the way it amplified her temptation to stay, completely overshadowing the initial urge to pull away.