Gods & Monsters

TWO

Lia

For the next hour, I sit in the booth next to Andrew while Chloe and her new "friend" laugh together and share flirty gazes. I pipe into their conversation occasionally, but for the most part, I sit silently while sipping my drink with my attention on the peeling varnish on the table. Andrew tries to talk to me but I give him half-thought answers and he desperately tries to carry the conversation, especially as the drinks continue to enter his system and his eyes glaze over.

He talks my ear off about his job over at some place I don't care enough to remember and my mind travels elsewhere. I look up with wondering eyes to the other side of the bar as their voices fade to a muted hum just in time to see the woman from the bathroom, her green eyes meeting mine instantly. She looks away quickly, and my gaze ultimately finds the man who sits next to her. He holds a short glass of amber liquid in his hand, and his gaze scans the crowd around him, darting like amber orbs as he takes everything in. My stomach tightens at the sight of him, and my mouth instantly goes completely dry.

I take in his chiseled jaw that's shadowed with facial hair and the subtle curve of the bridge of his nose. His lips part slightly as he lifts his drink and takes a sip, hissing through his teeth and tongue darting to wet his mouth. I clutch my glass, my eyes lowering slightly to a couple of unfastened buttons of his shirt, black ink tracing upwards and snaking just above the collar. His dark hair is slicked back haphazardly, with some rogue strands falling into his eyes that resemble fire opals. As if he feels my eyes, he turns his attention to me. We lock eyes and I will myself to look away, but I can't. Fire licks my insides, scorching my lungs and the walls of my chest. I feel the heat between my legs as if his gaze alone is lighting my whole body ablaze.

    "Lia?" I hear my name and my attention pulls away from the God disguised as a man and to Andrew who sits next to me, his eyes watching me with worry. "Are you okay?"

    I shake off the heat in my body and nod quickly, licking my lips to wet the dry skin. My face heats and I take a drink of my cider, willing the cool liquid to extinguish the inferno in my belly, but find no relief.

    "Yes," I say, not meeting his eyes. "I'm fine."

    "Do you want to step outside? Your face is red," He asks, concern evident in his voice. I nod quickly, wanting the fresh air more than ever right now. He scoots from the booth and helps me stand, his hand finding mine as he pulls me to my feet. I try not to look back at the man at the bar but fail, and feel myself shutter as his eyes watch us carefully, his gaze unwavering as he takes me in and falls to mine and Andrew's intertwined hands. I feel the heat once more, causing a sweat to break out on the back of my neck. Before I burst into flames, I rip my hands from Andrew's and hurry to the exit of the bar, feeling the man I so desperately want to get rid of close behind.

    Once I open the door and am met with a cool breeze, I let out a long, shaking breath. I stumble forward and brace myself against a metal railing and let my head fall between my shoulders, sucking in sharp breaths as if my body can't get enough oxygen.

    I cringe when I feel Andrew's hand on my lower back as he nears. I ignore him, but the irritation pulls inside my chest like he's a mosquito buzzing around my head.

    After a few moments pass, I regain my composure and laugh softly—mostly at myself. The alcohol has to be poisoning my insides because there is no way in hell that a man had that much of an effect on me. He's unbelievably hot—that's not a lie, but to feel like my entire body is on fire?

I'm drunk, and the sun has to be getting to my head. I've spent far too long in the heat these last couple of days, maybe drank too much alcohol and not enough water and now I'm paying for it.