Page 3 of The Sound of Silence

“Alright, alright. I get your point. I’m goin’,” he said. Without another word, he not-so-gracefully sauntered out of the tavern, defiantly tipping over every empty chair he passed on his way to the door.

“Asshole,” Natalia muttered.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have interfered like that. It’s instinct I guess,” said the dark-haired man. I turned my attention back to him and watched as he pulled out his wallet to flash a shiny badge at me. Apparently, my rescuer wasn’t just a nice guy—he was a cop too.

I shook my head and rubbed my wrist.

“No, it’s okay. I’m just glad he left before things escalated. Um… thank you for your help,” I said with a small shrug. “How about a drink? On the house,” I offered.

“Maybe another time. I need to get going,” he said. Reaching into the pocket of the leather tri-fold wallet, he tossed a fifty on the table. “That piece of shit didn’t pay for his drinks but that should cover it. Enjoy the rest of your night, Gianna.”

I paused at the way my name sounded coming from his lips. I knew he must have heard my conversation with the drunk guy, but there was just something about the way it rolled off his tongue that made me flush. I took another look at my rescuer. He was attractive—very attractive actually. With all the commotion, I hadn’t taken a moment to appreciate his sculpted cheekbones and full mouth. He appeared older than me but still had a youthful look that made me think he wasn’t more than thirty. His eyes were a deep brown, nearly matching the dark waves on his head. His crisp white shirt stretched over the wide span of his shoulders, tapering down to tuck into the trim waistline of his khaki pants.

He flashed a crooked grin, completely captivating me. Whether he knew it or not, he was charming—but not in an obvious sort of way. When he started to walk away, I impulsively called out to him.

“Wait! I don’t know your name!”

He glanced over his shoulder and afforded me another sexy, crooked smile.

“It’s Ethan. Ethan Walker. Maybe I’ll see you around, Gianna.”

Then… he left.

As soon as the tavern door closed behind him, Natalia pounced.

“Gia, oh my God! That guy was fucking gorgeous! And he’s clearly into you!”

“Nat!” Teddy hissed. “Keep your voice down. There are still customers here.”

“Sorry,” she whispered and grabbed my arm. “Gianna Valentini! For crying out loud! He’s a hot cop! You need to go after him. You’d be crazy if you didn’t.”

“Go after him? And say what?” I asked, the flush I felt a few moments before deepening.

“I don’t know. Ask him out for coffee or something!”

I stared at her, then looked back at the front door. He was probably long gone by now.

But if he wasn’t…

I hadn’t dated in over four years. College wasn’t the only thing I missed out on when my mother got sick—dating was another. Her illness didn’t allow me any time. As a result, I was probably the most inexperienced twenty-four-year-old on the planet. I had no idea how to ask a guy out. Well, maybe I did, but I was incredibly rusty.

Natalia was persistent, shoving me in the direction of the door with repeated statements about how this would be good for me. Perhaps she was right and I should go after him. I needed to start moving forward with my life. Life is about the living after all. Finally, I turned my head toward Natalia and grinned.

“Wish me luck!”

“Luck!” I heard her say as I hurried to catch up with him.

I pushed open the front door of the tavern and looked around. A few cars whizzed by, breaking through the silent night air. Other than that, all was quiet. He was nowhere to be found. My shoulders slumped, awash with disappointment at missing my chance at a possible real date in years.

I huffed out a frustrated breath. I was being ridiculous. For all I knew, the guy was married. Maybe that was why he turned down the drink I’d offered. I never once thought to check his hand for a ring. If he was interested in me like Natalia thought, surely he would have stuck around to talk. As I was about to turn around to go back inside, I spotted a familiar form climbing into a late-model BMW parked down the street.

It was him.

“Ethan!”

He paused and looked up, a slow grin spreading across his beautiful features. I hurried across the street, trying not to appear too terribly obvious.

Just play it cool. You can do this.

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