Page 14 of Now You See Him
They parted like roommates. Strangers who bumped into each other at a grocery store.
Tina was back to thinking that there was an expiration date on this relationship.
After Logan leftwith less fuss than he usually did, Tina pushed aside thoughts of dreams, hallucinations, of a basement filled with secrets, hauntings, and paranormal activity, all so she could focus on work. She refused to be scared of being alone. Her office, the one room that was bursting with her personality, was the epicenter and heart of her new home. From the throw pillows and blanket to the frames on the bookshelves along the back wall. Seeing her things was grounding and reminded her that she now had room, she had quiet, and anything that came before her in these halls was long gone. Even when she swore she could hear the chair behind her creak, as if someone was sitting in it, or a stray curl fluttered off her face and behind her ear, she stayed put. This was her space.
After a series of meetings, one tedious presentation deck she had to put together for a client, and a hastily eaten chicken sandwich, the clock ticked to six. Most of her team members had logged off, and she knew it was time to call it quits before she burned herself out. Tina got up to stretch, used the bathroom, and curled up in her reading chair to check her personal phone. There was a random check-in from her parents, her sister, who was in California, and a college friend who called once a month.
She’d told none of them what was happening with her relationship, with her life. It would’ve been nice to connect with someone, anyone, to share some of her concerns, but she’d become so isolated. It was next to impossible to bridge the widening gap between herself and her family that had formed over the years. Even her friends in the city had moved on withtheir lives while she was still at a crossroads trying to figure out what to do next.
New York, for all its people and hustle and bustle, could be isolating, and her time there was a big part of why she didn’t have an active group chat or people to complain to about her ghost in residence.
However, when she opened social media, she realized that now that she was in the mountains, in the rural Pocono Mountains, it didn’t have to be this way anymore. The first account that popped up was the Iron Fist Brewery. They recently posted a reminder about Trivia Night.
Tina scanned the details. Seven p.m..
She’d started following the account when she went over her conversation with hallucination-Derrick in her head a dozen times. It was one of the clues that she clung onto when she realized that Iron Fist was a real place.
Making the split-second decision, she quickly made her way back to her bedroom, where she changed out of her work-from-home clothes into a pair of jeans and one of her nicest blouses. Her long black hair was tied in a loose French braid, and she put on jewelry.
She should’ve worn her engagement ring that lay in the top compartment of her jewelry box. She picked up the simple gold band with a round diamond that was the size of a pea. It was simple. Dainty.
Tina hated it.
Logan loved it.
He claimed that big diamond rings were flashy and were for other people. This was just about a commitment between each other.
She closed her box, leaving the engagement ring inside, shutting Logan out of her mind as she called for a ride share before she applied some lipstick and jogged downstairs.
It took fifteen minutes for the car to show up, but she didn’t mind. She waited on the front porch and smiled at the red-headed man who turned into her driveway. He had a wary expression on his face as he looked up at the house, but he didn’t say anything as she slid into the back seat. The ride was in silence, which suited her just fine. It wasn’t until he turned into the Fist Brewery parking lot that she let out a low whistle. It was packed for a Tuesday night.
After paying Gerald, she got out of the car and took a moment to assess her surroundings. The building was a nondescript brick box with a simple banner above a single door on the side. There was a steady stream of people walking inside, a group of smokers standing to the left of the entrance, and the heavy bass from a band vibrating through double-hung windows.
She’d pictured a tiny, narrow brewery with a couple tables and chairs, a decent crowd, but nothing like this. Then again, space was at a premium in the city and she definitely wasn’t in New York anymore.
Her hopes of running into Derrick in a space this big were starting to dim, so she walked inside a large room filled to the brim with locals. Clusters of people stood around high top tables. The bar had two rows of patrons vying for the bartender’s attention. All of the booths were full, and someone was setting up a set of speakers on a small platform stage.
Tina headed to the bar and decided that she’d just focus on herself tonight. Let loose a little bit and then head home. After waiting for almost ten minutes, she managed to flag down the one woman behind the bar with tattoo sleeves, gauged ears, and purple hair approached her the moment she slipped onto her stool. “What can I get you?”
Tina squinted at the chalkboard above her head. “I’ll have the IPA special?”
“Good choice,” she said. “Are you playing tonight?”
“Ah, excuse me?”
“Trivia,” she said. “It’s five dollars to enter as a solo player or ten for a team. They’re starting in a few minutes.”
“She’ll join our team, Joey,” a voice said behind her.
Tina whirled and came face-to-face with Derrick Sutter. He had that easy smile on his face that she’d seen in her hallucination and the first time they’d met. It was disconcerting to have him so close. Her inner muscles clenched involuntarily in memory of feeling him deep inside her. Of knowing what he felt like thrusting hard and deep. Of his fingers digging into her hips and holding her down while she screamed.
He looked good tonight. As good as the last time she saw him, except he’d switched out of his work flannel for dark wash jeans and a button down that fit snuggly against his wide shoulders and biceps. He’d combed back his black hair but there was still something messy and unruly about it.
And then she remembered his brother’s—Damien’s—face at the bottom of her stairs, and her blood ran cold at the image.
“I don’t want to intrude,” she managed to say.
Derrick shook his head. “Not at all. It’s my best friend and his girlfriend, so we could use a fourth player. Consider it a welcome celebration for you.”
