Page 18 of Rhett

We stand, and I walk him to the door. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Lock up after me.” Rhett leans in and kisses me softly. “Goodnight, baby,” he says and then shuts my door.

I do as he says and lock up, and then I get ready for bed.

11

Rhett

I step into Ruby’s, Marchy co-owns it with his younger brothers. They named it after their late mom. It’s a cool place, with a dark, rustic look and I head to the end of the bar, where a bunch of the boys from Station 47 are gathered.

This is our place, the place we come to unwind after a bad shift, or we just want to have some drinks. Bunker bunnies hang out here, usually on the weekends, but they know not to approach when we’re having choir practice. No, it’s not singing, but it’s when we’ve had a bad shift and just want to drink it away.

I’m not here because anything bad happened, it was just a long shift and we decided we needed to cut loose for a bit. If I drink too much, I’ll take an Uber.

Grabbing a seat at the end of the bar, I order a whiskey neat from Marchy's brother, Luke. He slides it over and I take a long sip, feeling the burn down my throat.

“How's it going with Sofia?” Ghost Pepper asks, nudging my shoulder.

I can't help the smile that spreads across my face at the mention of her name. “It's good. Really good.”

The guys start whooping and hollering, clapping me on the back.

“Look at Hollywood, all smitten,” Atta teases.

I just shake my head, but I can't wipe the grin off my face. They're not wrong—I am completely smitten with Sofia.

“She's different, guys,” I declare. “I've never felt this way about anyone before.” I pick up my drink and take a large sip.

“Aw, our boy is in love.” Hawk claps me on the shoulder and then holds up his beer. “Another one bites the dust.” I know he is only kidding, because he’s so in love with his girl.

“All right, all right.” I laugh, holding up my hands in surrender. “Enough about me. What's new with you guys?”

The conversation shifts to other topics as we continue drinking and joking around. A few hours and several drinks later, I'm feeling pleasantly buzzed. I pull out my phone, debating whether to text Sofia, but I know she’s working.

“Don't do it, man,” Marchy warns, noticing me with my phone. “Drunk texting never ends well.” He laughs lightly.

I sigh, knowing he's right. “Yeah, you're probably right.” Before I put my phone away, I order an Uber. “I think I'm gonna head out. Thanks for the drinks, boys.”

After saying my goodbyes, I step outside and wait for my Uber. As I wait, I can't stop thinking about Sofia. God, I miss her already and it's only been a day since I last saw her. I've never felt like this before.

Fuck, we haven’t even had sex yet. Not that I don’t want to because I do, but something inside me tells me to wait. Plus, I want to make it special for her.

The Uber arrives and I climb in. As we drive through the city streets, I lean my head back and close my eyes, still thinking about Sofia. Her sweet smile, her beautiful blue eyes, the way she fits perfectly in my arms.

I've never been one for serious relationships before, always preferring to keep things casual. But with Sofia, everything is different. I want more with her—I want it all.

When we arrive at my place, I thank the driver and head inside. My home feels empty and I find myself wishing Sofia was here with me. I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and chug it, knowing I'll need to hydrate after all those drinks.

As I get ready for bed, I can't resist sending Sofia a quick text:

Rhett: I hope work is going well. Had some drinks with the boys, going to hit the sack for a bit. Talk to you later? Have a good rest of your day, beautiful.

I set my phone on the nightstand and climb into bed. At least feeling a little buzzed, I know I’ll at least get some sleep, and promptly pass out.

Rubbing my hands together, I then rub the finishing wax through my hair. I’m taking Sofia out on our first official date tonight. I’m fucking nervous, I don’t know why. I have been on “dates” before. Maybe because she already means more to me than any other woman I’ve gone out with.

I adjust my black button-down shirt, making sure it's tucked in neatly to my dark jeans. Grabbing my leather jacket, I head out to my Jeep. As I drive to Sofia's place, my stomach is in knots. I've never felt this nervous for a date before.

Pulling up outside her apartment, I take a deep breath before getting out. I buzz her apartment and she lets me up. When Sofia opens the door to her pad, my breath catches. She looks stunning in a deep blue wrap dress that hugs her curves perfectly, and makes her sapphire blue eyes look even brighter. Her strawberry-blond hair falls in soft waves around her shoulders.

---