Page 37 of Falcon

Chapter 9

Faith

I am not the kind of person to just go out on a Sunday night, certainly not to a bar, but Nora was insistent I come out with her and her friend, Amelia, tonight, so I said yes.

And let’s be honest, I could use a night out with the ladies from time to time. I like getting all dolled up occasionally.

But bars make me nervous.

Drunk people make me nervous.

The uncertainty of their actions, and the way it makes people act, is not something I relish or enjoy at all, but I made myself a promise that night. I wasn’t going to let it dictate my life, and I haven’t.

But I can’t turn off the anxiety that comes with being around alcohol.

The Warehouse is a small bar off of River Street. Amelia’s fiancé knows the door guy and the bartender, so I feel a bit more at ease when we walk in.

We find a table to the left in the back corner by the pool tables. It’s pretty crowded in here, but everyone seems relatively calm and well-mannered.

“I’m so happy you came out with us!” Nora exclaims, doing a little dance in her seat.

“Me too. Nora has told me so much about you, I’m just happy to finally meet you,” her friend, Amelia, says.

She’s a knockout with fire-engine red hair. She moved here a couple of years ago after a pretty bad divorce and picked up right where she left off with her high school boyfriend, Grayson, who is Case’s best friend.

It’s super complicated, but I think I’ve kept it all straight.

“Well, hey, I’m happy you two wanted me to tag along on girls’ night. It’s nice to get out once and awhile,” I say.

“You’re always welcome. The boys would appreciate another person with us, ya know? They get nervous when we go out alone,” Nora says, with a shrug of her shoulders. “I guess Case sees so many horrible things in a day that he can’t turn it off.”

“I can understand that,” I interject. “Bad shit happens when you least expect it. It’s good to be cautious.”

Nora gives me a sympathetic smile.

“Well, tonight, I want to let all the worry go and just relax. What’s everyone drinking? First round is on Gray.” She pulls out a credit card that I assume is Grayson’s.

“Water is fine for me, actually. I’m not much of a drinker when I’m not at home,” I tell her.

“And I’ll just take a beer. Whatever they have on tap,” Nora says.

“Water and a beer. Coming right up.” She stands, adjusts her black maxi dress, and heads over to the bar.

“Did I mention how hot you look tonight?” Nora exclaims loudly. “Like damn!”

I just roll my eyes and laugh. I tried tonight, of course. What girl doesn’t like getting all glammed up?

I’m wearing dark washed skinny jeans tucked into a pair of black booties and a black flowy tank top. My hair is in loose waves and my eye makeup is neutral with a pinup-style, winged liner and a bright red lip.

I’m not going to lie. I feel sexy.

“Thank you, but look at you, Nora! You put us to shame. Seriously.”

She blushes a bit. “Thank you. So...” She drums her nails on the table. “I’m just going to ask it. Has my brother been nice to you? Treating you right?”

My mind instantly plays back our almost kiss yesterday and his promise that it wasn’t even close to over. My skin tingles at the thought. He smelled so good. His body was so warm. I wanted nothing more than to dive in for that kiss.

“Wow, you really just go for it, don’t you?”

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