Chapter 1
(Alex)
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Just as I’m about to knock back a glass of beer, the door to the bar swings open, and the person I least expected walks in. I squint my eyes, sure that I must be seeing things.
“Holy shit,” I say under my breath before getting to my feet and approaching the newcomer.
I didn’t know that people could actually look clean until I met Fallon Wright. And not clean, as in neat. Clean as in chaste, spotless. The sort of person you would see and immediately think they are approachable and friendly.
Fallon has silky blonde hair and the clearest green eyes I’ve ever seen. She embodies the girl next door persona—a good girl in every sense of the word. I would know. I literally watched her grow up. I watched her blossom from a teenager with braces and acne into a gorgeous woman, albeit timid.
“My night definitely just got more interesting,” I say in greeting.
She looks up at me and frowns. The frown is automatic, almost reflexive. It’s a reaction I’ve been getting from her for the past five years.
“Go away, Alex,” she mutters, pushing past me.
I roll my eyes before turning and following her. She takes her seat, which is directly beside mine. I smile before sliding back in.
“So, tell me, what is Fallon Wright doing in a bar alone? Don’t you have church or something?”
“Go away, Alex,” she repeats, facing forward and trying to ignore me.
She takes off her light blue puffer jacket and takes a deep breath.
“Play nice, Fallon,” I tell her. “But seriously, what are you doing here?”
“I came for a drink,” she replies after a beat.
I look her up and down. “You. Came for a drink. God’s favorite daughter?”
I tease her a lot over her goody-two-shoes attitude. Although she’s not Christian, so the God part is a little out of pocket.
“Stop calling me that,” she snaps before burying her head in her hands and groaning. “All I wanted was one night to myself before I went to Jersey. You just had to ruin it by being here.”
“Should I be offended?”
“Yes.”
I study her, taking in her face and her calm green eyes.
“Have you ever even had a drink before?”
She glares. “Stop being an ass. I’m 25 years old, Alex. Of course, I’ve drank before.”
“All right, have you ever gotten drunk before?” I counter.
She looks away before shaking her head. I smile. Just as I thought.
Fallon is a prime example of a sheltered daughter that lived her entire life trying to please her parents. Ergo, she never got to be a rebellious teenager. She never got to live. She’s moving away tomorrow and heading to New Jersey for her big fancyaccountant job. I know all this because I’m best friends with her elder brother.
I also know that her job and new life in the big city won’t change how she lives. Boring, easy. She’ll be away from her parents, but she’s inbuilt to act the same way she always has. This must be her last night of freedom before starting her big job, and I’m going to make it worth her while.
I’m just about to say something when the bartender walks up.
“What can I get you?” he asks.