Someone Like Me

Epilogue-Chase

Thoughts of Diana plague my mind. It's like she's a rash I can't get rid of. That's probably not the most romantic thing to compare her to, but I've never really been great at the whole romance thing anyway.

No, apparently taking a girl to an abandoned building and then comparing her to it is the best I can do. What had I been thinking with that? I'm surprised she didn't run for the hills there and then. Most girls would have.

But, Diana's not like most girls. I knew it from the second I saw her.

I still don't understand how someone so beautiful could think she's anything but. From her big chocolate brown eyes, to her caramel hair and her pink heart shaped lips; she's perfection. The fact that she never realised it, made me sad.

It made me want to prove it to her.

Maybe I did push too far. I crossed the line one too many times. I knew it even as I was doing it. I had gone against my own rules, to spend time with her, knowing that she was dating that jackass. I would never, ever try to steal another guy's girl.

Although I had wanted to, more than anything.

I don't even know why I care so damn much, it's not like I even know her that well. I haven't heard from her in a month. She stopped responding to my texts and I should take that as a sign and move the hell on already.

But, no matter how hard I try, she still she won't leave my thoughts.

Why won't she talk to me? I think the answer to that is pretty simple; in fact I am pretty sure I watched a movie about it once. She's just not that into you. In my last message, I had basically told her I would wait for her, could I make myself seem any more desperate?

I angrily wipe the counter; pretty sure I've been cleaning the same spot for the past ten minutes.

Maybe my biggest mistake with her was mentioning Emily. I really shouldn't have. Especially considering that Emily means nothing to me anymore. She's just a girl I dated, one who acted far too much like Mason, one who always made me feel like I wasn't good enough. And now, Diana probably thinks that I'm still hung up on her or something.

"Are you okay, boss?" A voice shakes me out of my reverie and I look up to see Devon, one of the waiters here at Tall-Oaks.

"Call me Chase, Dev," I tell him, yet again. "And everything's fine, thanks."

"It's just," he nervously rubs the back of his neck. "You've been wiping that same spot on the counter for the last ten minutes."

Sure enough, when I look down, I'm still clutching a dirty cloth and a small circle of wood right in front of me looks a hell of a lot cleaner than the rest of it. I sigh and take a step to my left, making a big show of cleaning there too. "There was a tough stain there," I tell him. "I think it might have been glue or something."

He offers me a small nod, but judging by the knowing twinkle in his eye, he doesn't believe me. He turns away and continues pulling chairs off the tables and placing them on the floor, once again leaving me to my thoughts.

Forget about her for now.

And I should, I know I should. Pretty soon this place is going to be packed and I am going to have customers arriving and demanding drinks. Gavin's off tonight, and while Devon is one of the best waiter's I've ever had, the two of us are going to be run off our feet. Now that Tall-Oaks is becoming more popular, I should really think about hiring more staff. At least that's something else to focus on.

But I can't, because even as I move to a new patch of the bar counter to clean and try to mentally run through the resumes I had received; the only face that pops into my mind is Diana.

Get your shit together man.

There was Boyd, who didn't have any experience, but neither did Devon and hiring him was the best decision I've made in a long time. Or, I could go with Carlos, who's worked in plenty of bars but had a cocky attitude. Damn, why can't Devon's brother be old enough to work in a bar? Why does Gavin have to be an only child like me? Where am I going to find other guys like them?

Maybe Diana knows someone?

Fuck sakes.

Seeing Alexa earlier this week has clearly messed with my mind. She just reminded me of Diana and the time that they came here together. I've decided I'm going to blame her for my constant thoughts of the beautiful blonde haired girl whose name I need to forget.

It's then that I hear the doors open, and feel the gust of wind that creeps inside. I turn around to tell the customer that we open in an hour, but then I see who it is and my breath catches.

Just like she has walked straight out of my thoughts and into my bar, there's Diana.

My heart soars at the sight of her as she approaches where I am still clutching the dirty cloth in my now sweaty hands. She looks breathless and slightly flushed, and like the best thing I have seen all month.

Is this real? Or am I hallucinating because I'm so desperate to see her?

"Is this seat taken?" she asks in her soft voice, gesturing towards the bar stool right next to me.

Four little words that probably wouldn't mean anything if anyone else had said them. I may have only known her for a short while, but I feel as though I've been waiting for those words to come out of her mouth forever.

Her eyes are wide and her cheeks are tinged pink. Her question still lingers in the air and somehow, I know that she's talking about more than just a bar stool. My pulse quickens as I think of the implications. She hadn't responded to my last message, and now I realise that this is why. I had told her I would wait for her to be ready and this is her showing me that she is.

Her being here when I've just been thinking about her feels like a sign. Is this my second chance? If it is, I don't plan on wasting it.

I put the cloth down on the counter and take a step closer. Wiping my hands on my apron, I lean over to tuck stray strand of hair that's slipped out of her ponytail, back behind her ear. I softly stroke her cheek with the pad of my thumb, looking deep into her eyes.

And then, I do what I've wanted to do from the moment I met her. I lean down and place my lips on hers, savouring the lavender scent that seems to cling to her. They're everything I imagined they would be and it takes my breath away.

She feels like warmth on a cold winter's day. She feels like coming home.

I pull away, far too soon for my liking, and lean my forehead against hers. It's only then that I realised I never answered her question. Hell, I haven't even said a word yet. So I lean back and look at her, taking in those gorgeous eyes I could drown in and those soft lips that intoxicate me, and finally respond.

"I thought you'd never ask."