03

Obviously he didn’t believe a word I was saying, and I didn’t blame him ; I wouldn’t believe me, either. After Matt’s rejection, though, I wasn’t in the mood for taunting, so I ignored him.

« Look, I’m trying to do you a favour here, » he said. « Let me keep you company. I’m not asking you to come home with me. It’s just one drink. »

« I’m fine by myself. » I tried to stay polite, but a breath of disbelief spilled past my lips when he took a seat beside me.

« You’re sitting at a bar alone. There are a group of boys over there who are quite obviously biding their time before making a move. Do you wanna be by yourself when that happens ? »

« My friend will be here soon. »

He chuckled. « Of course she will. »

My phone vibrated from within my bag and I reached in to pull it out, fumbling to quickly open the message.

Kat : Almost there. Grab me a drink ?

« Is that your date cancelling ? » the guy asked casually.

« No. It’s my friend, telling me she’s on her way. » I waved to the bartender. « Could I have another drink, please ? »

Blonde-hair-and-blue-eyes plucked his wallet from his back pocket. « I’ll pay for it, » he told the bartender.

The bartender looked him up and down but didn’t request ID. Trying to be subtle about it, I let my eyes roam over his body as I tried to guess his age. He couldn’t be that much older than me, but his broad shoulders and muscular forearms suggested he spent more time in the gym than school. Or maybe he was an athlete. That would explain the tan.

« Hey ! So sorry I’m late ! You haven’t been waiting long, have you ? »

A breathless Kat rushed up to me, throwing down her bag and removing her coat. Her eyes fell onto the man by the bar, whose name I still didn’t know, and they lit up with interest.

« She’s been waiting far too long, » he told Kat, with a smooth smile. « But luckily she had great company. » He shot me a wink and I simply frowned in return.

« Look, my friend is here now. You can go. And I’ll pay for the drinks. »

« No, he can stay. I don’t mind. » Kat titled her head to the side and smiled.

I rolled my eyes. I didn’t know whether this was Kat being flirty or friendly, but either way it was pretty obvious I didn’t want him to stay.

« Kat, I don’t even know his name. »

« True, » he said. « She wasn’t interested in getting to know me. »

« She has a boyfriend, » Kat said as an explanation. « And she’s far too loyal. »

« Too loyal ? » I repeated. « How can you be too loyal ? »

« Too loyal compared to what he deserves. »

« Sounds interesting, » the guy said, propping his elbow on the bar. « Why are you too loyal ? »

« It doesn’t concern you. I just really want to have a proper discussion with my friend, if you don’t mind. »

« Oh, I don’t mind at all, » he said casually, leaning back in his seat, clearly displaying that he wasn’t going to leave any time soon. « Discuss away. »

I opened my mouth to object but Kat beat me to it. « So, are you here with friends, or… ? »

Typical Kat, seizing any opportunity to interact with a guy… It looked like our girly evening was slowly crumbling to pieces.

« No I’m here alone. I just moved back to town. »

« I didn’t think I recognised you. » Kat beamed, as if not only was this great news, but she also knew every person who lived here. « So are you gonna be working here ? »

« Studying. At the local school. »

« School ? You look way older. »

Oh, Kat… Dial it down a notch.

« I’m nineteen. »

« Were you kept back a year ? Or retaking the year ? » she asked.

« I spent a year abroad, » he explained, waving his arm in dismissal as though this point was insignificant. « Something to do with my father’s work… So I’m finishing this year instead of last. »

« Where abroad ? »

« Italy. »

Kat nudged me, much harder than necessary. « Hear that, Izzy ? Italy ! Is that why you’ve got such a nice tan ? Honestly, I thought you were, like, a surfer or something when I first saw you. Tall, handsome, blonde hair… We don’t have many of them here. »

Give me strength…

« Many what ? Surfers, or handsome guys who are tall with blonde hair ? »

A flirty chuckle allowed a brief pause in the interrogation, so I latched onto the opening.

« Though I hate to break up the conversation, I thought we were gonna talk, Kat ? »

« Oh, yeah ! But he’s a guy… Maybe he’ll back me up ? »

« I’ll be happy to back you up, » he said. I rolled my eyes. « Back you up with what ? »

« That she’s dating a loser and needs to drop him fast. »

I scowled at that, not appreciating her direct, inaccurate approach to describing Matt.

« He’s not a loser, Kat. That isn’t why we were gonna have this conversation. »

« I’m just saying you can do much better. He doesn’t treat you well enough. »

« He treats me fine. »

« He keeps cancelling on you ! That isn’t fine, Izzy. You shouldn’t put up with it. »

I glanced across at our male companion. Surprisingly, he didn’t look smug at the revelation that I had actually been stood up. He was frowning slightly, almost in concentration.

It seemed that Kat wasn’t willing to accept that I didn’t want to discuss my personal life with a stranger, and so my defense mechanisms kicked in as I attempted to justify the relationship that my friend was so hell-bent on insulting.

« Well, what about the good things ? »

« Like what ? Like how he treats you like a queen when you’re alone ? It doesn’t take a genius to work out why, Izzy. »

That was the final straw. My anger bubbled over and suddenly I didn’t feel like talking to Kat. Most of the time I appreciated her straight-talking and her honesty. Today I just wasn’t in the mood for it. Maybe I was already wound up, but suddenly I just wanted to go home, aware that Kat was using my situation as a way to show-off in front of the guy beside me. I slid off my stool and reached for my coat and bag.

« Hey, » she said, standing up and grabbing my wrist. « I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. »

« I’m going home. Maybe you two can hook up, huh ? He tends to prey on girls alone at bars. »

I’d barely gotten fifty metres down the street when I was pulled back, causing me to stumble into a solid wall of muscle.

« Oops, my bad. Sorry. »

« Leave me alone. » I yanked my wrist free from Bar Guy’s gentle grasp.

« You’re upset. I’m not gonna let you walk down dark streets at night when you’re upset. What kind of gentleman would do that ? »

« You’re not a gentleman so don’t feel obliged, » I snapped.

« Isobel, I’m hurt. » He folded his arms, but his eyes were still playful.

« How do you know my name ? »

« Because your friend just called you Izzy. Unless you’re called… Isabella ? Maybe I’ll just call you Bella. Does anyone call you that ? »

« No. »

« Great, so I’ll be the only one. » His cheeks dimpled as his lips tipped up into a pleased grin.

« You’re talking like we’re going to be seeing each other again. »

« We will. At school. »

In my haste, I’d forgotten that small fact. I sighed to myself. « Right. »

« And besides, Bella means beautiful in Italian, so it’s very relevant. »

Despite my best intentions, a smile escaped me. It hadn’t been a smarmy comment, and he hadn’t said it flirtatiously. It was sweet and softly spoken, like he’d wanted to separate the genuine compliment from the playful banter.

« I didn’t catch your name, » I said as a peace offering.