Page 163 of When We Fall: Part Two
I frowned. I’d never seen someone at the door of a karaoke bar eyeballing people before, but I didn’t give a shit. Maybe it was the gateway to the underworld. I was willing to find out.
I stepped into a dimly lit, upscale karaoke bar. The place was spacious inside, with large, private booths featuring high walls, particularly those in the back. A big stage with lighting, a DJ, and two bars. The dance floor was pretty big. I assumed this place likely got a lot of business. In fact, a large number of people were already inside. A young guy sang onstage to a popular pop tune.
I went to the bar and wondered if they’d serve me since I wasn’t twenty-one yet.
Deciding to try my luck, I ordered a fruity drink. The man didn’t ID me. Instead, he turned and made my drink. I pushed money across the counter at him and went to the back of the bar, taking a seat inside one of the private booths. I watched people dance, make out, and sing.
I went through three more drinks, my head fuzzy, before I noticed someone watching me near the bar. I blinked as I stared back at him through the dim room, the pulsing overhead lights hiding him in shadows and flashes of light.
He seemed familiar to me, but I was getting pretty tipsy and was rather enjoying the feeling of not really feeling for a moment.
Deciding just to ignore him, I ordered another drink from a waitress and nursed it while watching another person sing.
I must have gotten lost in the music because I didn’t notice the man was now standing at my table.
“You should go sing,” he said, cocking his head to the left at me.
I tore my attention from the stage and stared at him, frowning.
“Sylar?” I slurred. He was one of Ani’s friends. His dad worked for Matteo.
“Rosalie.” He smiled. “Mind if I join you?”
I gestured to the spot beside me. He slid in with ease before waving over a waitress and ordering us several drinks.
“You look pretty as a rose,” he commented, continuing to smile at me.
“A dead rose,” I mumbled.
He laughed at that. “Those are my favorite kind.”
I cast a look at him. Hair black as pitch. Blue eyes. Tall. Muscular. Insanely handsome. He’d helped train me at Matteo’s. I’d only sparred with him once, but he scared the shit out of me.
“I heard about your guy. My condolences.”
I gave him a tight smile. “Thanks.”
“If it helps,” he said, sliding a drink at me that the waitress brought over. “The dead never really leave.”
I frowned at him as he tapped his head.
“Want to talk to him?”
“What?”
He let out a soft chuckle and leaned into me. “I can talk to him if you want. Do you want to?”
I shivered at his words. “You-You’re nuts.”
“I’ve been called worse.” He smiled. “So,do you want to?”
“Are you serious?” I asked, my head spinning from the alcohol.
“As a heart attack, little moth. Let me be your flame. Drink your drink, then follow me. Sound good?”
I swallowed, not saying a word. I didn’t even know what to say. He didn’t push the subject. Instead, we sat in silence next to one another for the next hour, both of us drinking. By the time I was done, I couldn’t see straight.
“How are you getting home?” he asked as I stumbled to my feet. He followed and caught me before I fell on my ass and pulled me against his hard body.
