I'm Here

Chapter 1

Twelve Years Ago
It wasn't like you, you were never the bar type. The rowdy crowd, cigarette smoke, annoying whistles as you walk by, it wasn't your scene, but seeing as you just suffered through a breakup of your boyfriend of three years, your lack of alcohol at your apartment, you had to go somewhere to let off steam. You were desperate, vulnerable, and thirsty.

"Don't see you in here much," the bartender said, spinning the shot glass in his hands with the towel before setting it down, his hands leaning against the counter after throwing the towel over his shoulder. "You're new?"

"No," you replied. "Bars aren't really my thing."

You looked up and took in the man's features - shaved head, a beard's shadow haunting his jaw line, a scar going from his left earlobe to his left temple, and his calm blue eyes pierced your eyes as he smiled at you. "Then you must be troubled," he said, continuing the conversation you don't want to have. "But, hey, that's what bars are for, are they not?"

"Just give me your strongest," you told him and he gave you a look of approval.

"Going for the big guns, huh?" he questioned as he set a glass shot in front of you, filling it up with amber liquid you didn't bother catching the name of. "Must be something troubling you hard."

You shrugged as you took the glass in between your fingers and downed the shot in one swallow, allowing the liquid to burn your throat. As you allowed the burning to settle, you placed the glass back onto the counter and motioned for a refill.

The bartender chuckled as he filled you up and left you the whole bottle. "I've got other customers to take care of, but help yourself," he said before walking away.

You downed the second glass and prepared to fill up a third.

"Penny for your thoughts?" It was a low voice, rough, seemed tired and it definitely didn't belong to the bartender.

"How long you got?" you asked as you swallowed the third glass, not bothering to fill up a fourth just yet. You looked over to the man that joined you, a man you've never seen before, and that's saying a lot since you live in a pretty small town.

The smile the man was sending your way made you smile right back and look away. "All night," he answered, reaching over the bar and taking a shot glass of his own. "What'd you got?" Sliding the bottle of whatever away from you, he filled up his own and downed it.

"Boy drama," you confessed as he began filling up his second. "Boyfriend of three years cheats on me, I break up with him, you know how it goes." You took the bottle from him as he downed his second glass.

"That I do," he said, watching as you poured your glass and hand him the bottle. "You deserve better, though."

You scoffed. "Yeah, sure. In a town like this, there's nobody worth looking at." You turned your body towards him, resting your elbow against the counter and leaning on it, your knees bumping into his thigh, but neither of you obviously minded. "Your go."

"Family drama," he said with a shrug. "Brother just ran off to Stanford a few weeks ago and my dad's taking out all the blame on me. He's going on more hunts now than he usually did when my brother was with us and-" He interrupted himself with a cough and turned his head to look at you. A smile spread across his face and he shook his head, looking away from you.

"What?" You smiled, feeling your ears begin to burn up slightly.

"I just met you and now I almost told you everything." He chuckled and downed his fourth glass. "How'd you do it?"

You smirked. "Oh, I slipped a little roofie into your drink when you were distracted." You shrugged. "Same old, same old."

He laughed, a laugh that brought a bigger smile to your face, the kind that made time slow down and your heart speed up. It sounded as if angels were singing for you and only you, now all you needed was the halo above the guy's head and you'd be in love.