The Stargazer (Shane/Harvey X Reader)

Another Round

The man in the corner looked back towards you as the smell wafted around from your hot peppers. He grabbed Emily's attention and then she again disappeared from the back. Not even a minute passed and she returned with another basket of peppers and delivered it to him. This time she seemed more at ease and happy to bring them to him. The shift in the interaction really threw your theoretic understanding of the way they perceived each other.

You try and break the silence, figuring you needed to make conversation with someone while you ate. You didn't want to appear as a complete hermit during your time in town.

"I guess these are pretty popular huh? Do you get them often?" You held a half pepper in your hand still as you gestured downward at your own basket.

His eyes deepened in a glare at you, somehow enraged by your comment.

"I don't know you, why are you talking to me?" He spat before turning to face the bar and drink deeply from a second bottle.

You were taken aback by his brash way of speaking.

"Oh- I-... I just thought I could get your opinion... if these are popular?"

"I think you're perfectly capable of making your own opinion... why would you care what I think?" He punctuated the response with another pull at a nearing empty beer.

You popped the cap from your second bottle and began on it. A warm tingle filling your fingertips from an emerging buzz. You flagged down Emily and asked for two more, which she gladly set in front of you.

In complete and utter silence you drank through the second and third bottles. The man in the dark corner would glance in your direction occasionally, sizing you up. Now less subtle the feeling of a buzz overcame you and your head felt swarmed in warmth. You dug into the now cold pizza. It tasted better now though that your senses were impaired. The way you were going about your dinner harshly reminded you of evenings spent alone in bars, typing on a laptop surrounded by empty drinks. Then you had usually ordered hard liquors, quick fixes to steal away clear thoughts.

The man in the corner finished the round of beers he had bought and slid them to the side. Gus was manning the register and saw a gesture for him coming from the dark corner. Without approaching the man drinking, he grabbed bottles from the cooler and set them in front of him, taking money as he turned away.

With liquid bravery flowing through you, you felt no shame in hiding your curious eyes that examined the man. His face had a bit of scruff as though he hadn't shaved in three or four days. Snags were pulled in the blue sweatshirt he wore, indicating frequent and favored wearing of the garment. Light glowing from the still crackling fireplace barely reflected off of his dark hair. It was deep toned with cool highlighted notes where the light barely touched it. His eyes were tired and drug downward as he drank, you couldn't make out the color much but red and purpled marks below them were apparent. There was no offer of openness from him as he shoved a hand deeply into his hoodie pocket and remained attentive to his drink. You wondered what he was thinking that held his attention so strongly.

"So, like, what's your deal?" Your liquid bravery compelled you to speak.

He turned to you with a furrowed brow, shock and displeasure in his eyes.

"What?"

You repeated, "What's your deal? Everyone else around here is so nice to me... and then there's you."

He continued to stare at you as if he couldn't take your question seriously, why had you contained the audacity to speak to him when he had already rejected your conversation. Still, you stared at him intently and drank more while you waited for his response. He realized you weren't going to leave him in peace until he responded.