Page 11 of Forget Me Not

The mysterious man’s eyes lift from the book he’s reading and I’m certain my heart stops beating. A rush of warmth courses through me and suddenly, I’m frozen in time. I can’t look away because his hypnotic eyes have locked me under a spell. He doesn’t look away either. It’s as if I’ve captivated him in the same way he has me.

Intrigued, he raises a brow. Is he challenging me? Should I walk over to him? After all, flirting is my forte. I might be socially handicapped, but I’m damn good at making men swoon.

So why don’t I move? Why do my feet remain stuck to the peeling tile beneath me?

An icy chill runs through me, halting any thought process.

“Jesus, Rhea.” Taryn scoffs, grabbing the glass from my hand.

In that instant, my attention is snapped away from the mysterious man and is now focused on the cold trickle running down my arm. Water from the cup I'd been holding sloshed over the edges, but I was so transfixed, I hadn't noticed.

“What the hell happened?” Taryn grabs a bar rag and starts wiping the counter.

I gulp, feeling slightly embarrassed at my mishap. I look over at the reason for my stupor, only he’s gone.

“I’m sorry,” I tell Taryn. “I…was daydreaming and completely lost track of what I was doing.”

“I’d say so.” She laughs. “Head in the game, babe. Your shift is almost over.”

I look at the clock on the wall and realize she’s right. Twenty more minutes and I’m out of here. I should be ecstatic to flee this place. Except, I’ve only made thirteen dollars in tips. Thirteen fucking dollars and I don’t work again until Sunday, which is four days away. How the hell am I supposed to survive on these tips and a nine-dollar-an-hour wage?

“Taryn,” I spit out as I drag a bar rag up and down my arm, cleaning up the mess I’ve made. “When am I gonna get to work a night shift?”

“When you stop flooding my waitress station,” she says as she walks away. “And when you can fake a better smile.”

My chest rumbles with a low growl. "Smiles. Bah humbug.”

The final twenty minutes of my five-hour shift fly by. I close out my two tables and collect another four dollars in tips, ending the day with a whopping seventeen bucks.

“I’m out,” I tell Taryn as I head for the door, my greasy waitress apron in hand.

“Hold up, babe.” She jabs a finger in the air as she continues to jot down an order from a trio of teenage girls.

I glance at the clock impatiently, the scuffed tips of my black, secondhand sneakers tapping out a beat of annoyance on the welcome mat by the door. Gnawing at the corner of my bottom lip, I rub at a stain on the thigh of my jeans. I make no attempt to mask my irritability, and Taryn glances in my direction a few times, giving me the evil eye. I raise my eyebrows at her, silently urging her to hurry her ass up. All I want is a nice warm shower and a soft pillow to rest my head on.

“Say you’re ready to get out of here without saying you’re ready to get out of here,” Taryn says, stuffing her notepad into her apron as she closes the space between us.

“Sorry. It’s just been a long day.”

“Don’t make me regret this, Rhea, but why don’t you swing by Friday around nine and get a feel for the nightlife here. Maybe I’ll consider giving you a weekend shift in the near future.”

“Really?” I beam with excitement. “Yeah. I’ll be here.”

“Great. And maybe afterward, you can let your hair down and pull that stick outta your ass. It’s starting to show.”

“Ha ha. Very funny.”

“Wasn’t meant to be funny. I’m dead fucking serious.”

I shake my head, a smile growing on my face as I leave the tavern. Taryn is a royal pain in my ass, but I kinda like her. She’s got spunk and sass, and I think I could use a little of that in my life.

ChapterFive

ALARIC

Time seemsto move exceptionally slow when you’re waiting for something. Then, when you’ve finally got it, it moves at lightning speed.

My trip around the States has ended, but my venture around the sun with Rhea has only just begun. My only hope is that time continues to move at a slow pace so that I can savor every moment of what lies ahead.

---