I took a sip of my vodka and Sprite and groaned.
"Woodmere is giving me a lot of flak at work, she's so damn annoying, I can't even." I muttered.
"I don't get it either." Victoria commented. "I mean you studied, did your residency and-"
"Technically my residency isn't one hundred percent done but I still have my licence and can practice, I just..." I sighed. "It's complicated."
Girls' Night Out had us sitting around a round table at Luca's Lounge drinking and chatting, catching up like we always did. Mckenzie wasn't here because she was obviously off on her honeymoon and Candice was nursing Andy back to health after a nasty stomach bug outbreak at her school.
"Complications." Kylie repeated after sipping on her Cosmo. "You're telling me about complications."
"Care to share?" I offered. She pursed her lips then blinked a couple of times.
"I'm going to have dinner with Mason and his mom next week." She admitted. I chuckled.
"Is that it?" Victoria asked. Kylie nodded. "Oh god, you're dramatic. You've met her before, you'll be fine."
"Last time she saw me I was...different, okay? And I'm not being dramatic, Queen Victoria." She snapped at Victoria. "You're one to talk about being dramatic, Miss Fire-My-Beautician-Cause-She-Gave-Me-Exfoliator-And-Not-Facial-Scrub."
"She had it coming." Victoria shrugged.
Arianna and I looked at each other before laughing. As everyone chattered away my eyes drifted to the bar, scanning it. I was already thinking about going to get us another round but when I saw a familiar face ordering drinks for his table I was up on my feet.
"I'm going to get us more drinks, my treat." I told the girls.
"Oh, you're so sweet." Arianna put a hand to her chest. Kylie nodded in agreement and I just laughed as I made my way to the bar.
As I got closer to the bar I knew I was correct and this was the person I thought it was. I stood right next to the man who towered over me. The bartender came over to me.
"Hey, can I please get another round for my table?" I smiled. He nodded.
"Sure, same stuff?" he asked and I nodded. "Cool, I'll have a waitress bring it over." He said as I took out my card to pay.
"Thanks, oh and I'll pay for whatever the gentleman ordered." I added. The bartender nodded as he returned the man's card and only used mine for both orders. As he was busy doing that I spoke to the man without looking at him. "Consider it payback."
"Wow," he chuckled. "I didn't think you recognized me." I finally looked up at him and smiled taking in his features closer than I was able to the first time.
"I'm good with faces." I shrugged. His grey eyes lit up a little, he lifted his chin slightly and I noticed the light stubble across his jawline.
"Thank you." He grinned. "But you don't have to pay me back. I only paid for your lunch, it was nothing."
"Then consider it a Thank You." I retorted.
"I was actually hoping for something else as a Thank You." I raised my eyebrow sceptically, hoping he wasn't a complete sleazebag. "A name." he finished. I mentally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Megan." I told him. He seemed to take a moment to process it before repeating it.
"Megan..." he paused. "My name's Elijah, Megan." He added. I smiled. The bartender handed me the receipt and I scanned through it, surprised that I actually hadn't paid that much.
"Really, Elijah? Just beer?" I looked up at him and he chuckled.
"What's wrong with beer?"
"Some places call for more than a cold one." I informed him.
"Is that so?" he leaned on the counter, the movement tensed the muscles under the rolled up sleeves of his white shirt. "What do you suppose I should have gotten instead?"
"You should've gotten what I got." I responded with a slight tilt of the head.
"A Cosmo?" he laughed. It was a sound that was pleasant to my ears.
"Ooh." I exhaled slowly. "You insult me, Elijah." He raised a dark eyebrow. "My friends are waiting, it was nice talking to you." I smiled before turning to return to my table.
"Wait, you're not gonna tell me what you drink?" he called. I smirked.
"He'll have what I'm having instead." I said to bartender before turning back around and going to my table where our drinks were already being put down by a waiter.
I sat down and watched Elijah as he walked back to a table I assumed was packed with his friends.
"Who was that?" Victoria asked me. I kept my eyes focused on Elijah's table as a waitress took a tray of drinks to them.
"Just someone I met." I replied, taking my glass of Hennessy and swishing the aged single malt around while listening to ice clink against the glass.
The waitress handed everyone their beers and she handed Elijah the same whiskey that I was having. He glanced around the room and finally caught my gaze, smiling as we made eye contact. He raised his glass slightly and I did the same, unable to supress the smirk on my lips as we sipped at the same time.
"Earth to Megan!" Arianna called. I swallowed the strong spirits and looked away from Elijah and back at her.
"Right, sorry." I chuckled.
I actively re-joined the conversation that had shifted from boyfriends to shoes to Deadpool. I don't even know how those all related but somehow we were able to connect them.
"It's like nobody understands that that movie is a work of art." Arianna sighed.
"I feel you. It's-" I was interrupted in the middle of my sentence.
"Good evening, ladies." Elijah stood next to me as he greeted my friends. I tried hard to supress a smirk but I was failing.
"Hi." Victoria said quickly. Arianna and Kylie just looked at him with matching smiles.
"May I, please, borrow your beautiful friend for a quick chat?" I felt his hand rest on my shoulder.
"Sure." Kylie beamed.
"Megan?" Elijah extended his hand. I took it and rose from my seat. "I promise I'll have her back very quickly."
"Oh, you don't even have to bring her back at all." Arianna's comment caused Elijah to laugh as he led me away from the table. With my hand still in his, Elijah took us to the lounge section of the place where the window replaced the wall and you could see out into the busy street and the lights from all the buildings that towered over the city just like Elijah towered over me when I leaned against the wall near the window.
"Elijah." I said as he just stood looking at me.
"Megan." He acknowledged. We stood in silence.
"Your chat is not very quick, my friends are gonna worry about me." I teased.
"They didn't seem to mind if I took you home with me or not so-" He countered.
"As if you would." I scoffed without realising.
"Don't tempt me." He countered once again, leaving my eyes wide and my mouth slightly ajar. I quickly closed my mouth and glanced away for a split second. "Hennessy...I'm impressed with your choice of drink, it was...strong."
"The idea was to educate you, not to impress you." I tilted my head to the side.
"I'm both educated and impressed."
"Good, now you can safely say you drink big boy drinks and not be referring to beer." I teased. He chuckled, tucking his bottom lip into his mouth for a second.
"You and I will have dinner and some big boy drinks, what day suits you best?" Elijah looked me directly in the eye. I chuckled.
"One, I don't do dates and two, were you asking me or telling me?"
"To answer the former, that's okay it won't be a date then, takes the pressure off. And to answer the latter," he paused to smirk at me. "I was telling you."
"Excuse me?" I didn't know if I was supposed to be impressed or offended with his confidence.
"Come on, Megan, you and I both know that asking you would've been less...assuring. This way I know you'll come and I have your attention."
"You definitely have my attention but Elijah," I ran my finger across his shirt pocket. "You always had my attention." His mouth slowly opened like he was surprised. "I'll join you for that dinner that's not a date."
"Perfect."
"But careful, Elijah," at this point I just liked saying his name. "There's a fine line between Assertive Gentleman and Certified Jerk that you nearly crossed."
"Maybe I like living on the edge." He shrugged and I couldn't help but smile at his witty little reply.
He smirked at me and I could feel my body reacting.
A/N I HAVE RETURNED with a hopefully satisfying little chapter, I hope you all like it, sorry for the delay I was extra busy but now I'll be back to posting regularly. I've missed you all.
How does Elijah make you guys feel? Lemme know.
Xoxo
K