A.SPECKHART | Book One

RELUCTANCE 4.2

Another week of mundane student life passed. But when it came to the weekend, I felt no desire to go out. Without an ounce of guilt, I made my excuses to Lindsay and Theresa because I was suffering from a bad cold. By the next Thursday, I'd missed three days of lectures and spent four cooped up in bed. With plenty of studying to catch up on, I spent Friday hunkered down with my laptop, cramming. Saturday came, and I was a little bit better. The day was my own. I took a well-deserved break and indulged in some retail therapy and a fancy coffee in town before heading to Lindsay and Theresa's dormitory building with my shopping haul. While trying on the new clothes I'd splurged on, Lindsay convinced me that despite feeling crappy because of my period, I deserved to go out and have a good time. Dancing could help relieve my cramps. So, I slipped into some black fishnet tights, a burgundy checked mini skirt, and a band t-shirt we'd butchered into a strappy crop top. Dolled up, we hit the town.

Queuing outside the Omen, I would've been lying if I'd said I wasn't a little nervous about bumping into Mr. 'whatever his name was'. I huddled close to Lindsay and Theresa in my oversized black denim jacket. We were glad to be inside and in the warm within the hour. For a Saturday night, we got in pretty early. The cold must have put some of the usual crowd off.
As usual, I wasted no time and hit the dance floor. Theresa promised to stay with me, but we quickly lost Lindsay to another potential 'mate'. I loved the bones of that girl, but she could go through five guys a week!

Since the termination of my dry spell, I had been feeling myself a little more. Seeing as I wasn't looking to score that night, it felt safe to allow a few guys to dance with me. But when they touched me and our bodies moved together, I couldn't help but compare it to how my spine had tingled under Cole's hands. 

He'd been on my mind sporadically over the last fortnight. Of course, I wasn't surprised to see him working the bar. Between the strobes of neon light, I'd discretely looked at him. Recalling the words he'd whispered into my ear: 'I watched you dancing,'. I swore that I didn't want his attention, but it was too late. He noticed me. I turned away. 

It wasn't until a few songs later that I plucked up enough courage and weaved my way through the writhing crowd toward the bar. Dancing was thirsty work. I'd picked my moment when Cole looked busy, but luck wasn't on my side. At only a few paces from the granite counter, I watched him hand his last customer their credit card back and start making his way over to me. Oh, please, God, no. This is all I need right now. Let there be someone else to serve me... Fortunately, a closer bartender had just finished serving. Someone who also happened to know me! It was Karl. Thank fuck for that. Disaster averted.

"Hey Ana, the usual?" Karl asked, shooting me a toothy grin that I returned.

"Yes, please."

"You doin' alright then, love?"

"Yeah, you? I didn't see you last time. Are you not working as many shifts?"

"Ah, same old same old, you know me." He slid my drink over the bar. "I've had some time off. Went to Ibiza with Ellie, got back and got bloody man flu."

"Nice holiday?" I asked, and he lingered near me a bit longer while I sipped at the little black straw in my glass.

"Yeah, mate, you should go. You'd love it."

"Yeah, my student loan should cover it." We both laughed. "Shit about the cold, though. Must have been the same one I've just got rid of. Put me in bed for a few days," I explained, trying to be casual, but I could feel eyes on me. I didn't need to look over; I already knew it was 'Cole'.

"I'm not surprised wearing skimpy outfits like that." Karl joked and patted the back of my hand as it lay on the bar before he went to serve someone else. "Take care, sweetheart."

I noticed Cole notice the innocent gesture and wondered what he made of it. He had no right to feel any particular way about it, but I remembered how he had asked if Benjamin was my boyfriend. Before he was free from his obligation to his customer, I slipped away from the bar back into the crowd of dancing bodies.

"Hey babe, you okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost." Lindsay startled me. She must have abandoned the guy she had hooked up with and was at my side, looking up at me with concern.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, don't worry. I must be on heavy... Feeling a bit drained." I laughed off my peaked look. "I've got cramps, though. I might take some tablets..."

"If you're going to, you shouldn't be drinking that. Naughty..." Grabbing my drink from my hand, she took my wrist in the other and led me back towards the bar before I could stop her. For such a short arse, she was as strong as a bull. "Let's get you some water instead." Unbeknownst to Lindsay, she had led me straight into a trap; Cole was waiting to take her order when we arrived.

"What can I get you, ladies?" he asked in a tentative tone that caused his naturally warm voice to sound even more inviting.

"I'll have whatever you're best at making handsome, but water for my friend." I watched as Lindsay's eyes lit up in delight; she liked what she saw. She was a shameless flirt at the best of times and fluttered her eyelashes at Cole as he made her drink. Sliding it over the bar towards her, he focused his eyes on me as he poured the spring water from its bottle.

"Oh, tap water is fine," Lindsay protested. The bottled water was ridiculously overpriced, and unironically, the girl with the most money among my friends was also the tightest.

"Consider this one on me, then." He stated calmly and placed the tall tumbler in front of me with a smile. I was annoyed by what looking at him was doing to me.

"Boo!" Theresa grabbed Lindsay's waist and made her jump. The commotion took my attention. 'Cole' took his chance when my friends were distracted and slipped a napkin over the bar to me. Peeling up the corner of the red napkin, I glimpsed the words, 'Call me' and then what I assumed was his mobile number. Before I could ask what it was all about, he was gone.

"Babe, you're really not looking so hot. We should take you home, yeah?" Lindsay said as she turned to face me—I guess my perplexion looked like illness under the pale bar lights.

I quickly crumpled the napkin in my hand and agreed. "Yeah, I don't think I'm over that cold yet." I sipped down my water and shot him a look over the rim of the glass. Even though he was busy with another customer, he occasionally glanced my way. As I walked away from the bar, led by Lindsay and Theresa in toe, I looked back at him. The way he eyed over me and bit down on his lower lip made me flush bright red, and I was glad that the dance floor lights did something to conceal that from him.

I'd spend the next fortnight toying with the idea of calling him. The napkin found a home on my bedside table, and every night, I'd look at it when I put my mobile on charge. I contemplated calling him to come over and keep me company; cold nights were drawing in.