Page 5 of Galen
“You okay?” Brandon asked, finally remembering that I—his date—existed.
“Actually?” I pulled out my wallet and tossed enough bills on the table to pay for my portion of the meal. “I think I’m getting a migraine. I’m gonna head home.”
“Oh.” He didn’t sound too upset about it. His gaze was already trailing back to the waiter’s bubble butt as he added, “I hope you feel better soon.”
“Thanks.”Asshole.
I shivered as I left the restaurant and walked toward my car in the parking lot. The April night had a slight chill, making me regret not wearing more than a light sweater. I couldn’t wait for summer.
Once in my car, I cranked up the heater and pulled out my phone, blocking Brandon’s number. I ended up deleting the stupid dating app too. There was no point in trying anymore.
Tonight was the seventh bad date I’d had in the past three months. And that didn’t include the dozen or so other guys I’d talked to online and never met. They all turned out to be jerks who only wanted a piece of ass. Any attempt to have a deeper conversation only turned into them asking for a dick pic.
Having barely eaten anything at the restaurant, I was starving. I’d been on a diet over the past month in an attempt to drop a few pounds, but as I left the parking lot, I said “fuck it” and stopped in to McDonald’s for salty fries and a cheeseburger.
Bad dates called for me to eat my feelings. Completely justifiable. My emergency tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream in my freezer was calling my name too.
Timeless Antiques & Curiosities sat on the edge of town, the brick building dating back to the early 1900s. Some say it was haunted. However, the only thing haunting it was me. I owned the shop and lived in the loft above it.
The antique store had been in my family for generations. At one time it had been more of a curiosities shop with supposed cursed items and anything strange or unusual. My grandfather switched gears, though, and started collecting antique furniture and jewelry.
Once I took it over, I returned to our original roots, venturing back to strange objects. I still sold higher-quality items, but “weird” was insanely popular right now. It brought in younger crowds and kept the store going strong.
I parked in the lot behind the shop and entered through the back door. As I trudged up the stairs to my loft, I shoved a few fries into my mouth, groaning at the crispy golden saltiness of them.
Oh, carbs. How I’ve missed you.
My place wasn’t anything fancy, but it was home. The big open room had high ceilings and windows lining one wall. The kitchen was to the left, small but functional with a refrigerator and stove. Instead of a table, I had an island with a barstool. My bed was on the far right with a curtain separating it from the living room area. The only room with a door was the bathroom.
I kicked off my shoes on my way to the couch and ate while watching a documentary on the History Channel about angels and demons. I zoned out after a while, my brain replaying the details of my stupid date.
Why couldn’t Brandon give me half the attention he gave the waiter?
I might not have had a perfectly toned body, but I was a decent-looking guy. My smile was my best feature, then my hazel eyes. And while I was a bit introverted when first meeting someone, I had a good personality once I got comfortable.
But guys like Brandon didn’t give two shits about personality.
I fell asleep around ten, then woke up hours later with a crick in my neck. An episode ofAncient Alienswas on now. I left the TV on for background noise before crawling into bed and passing out again.
My alarm went off at six thirty the next morning, and I quickly showered and brushed my teeth before going downstairs to sign for a shipment of inventory. The delivery guy helped me carry the crates to the storage room in the back, and I started going through them after he left.
When I purchased them from the auction, I pretty much went in blind, receiving only a little information before bids were placed. They had come from a huge-ass mansion a few miles outside of town. All of the high-dollar items had already been auctioned off, and the crates were all lumped together in an “everything must go” type deal.
Each crate came with an inventory list and a basic description. I pulled out a lamp, a collection of depression glass bowls, and a nineteenth-century oval mirror that looked creepy as hell. It fit the spooky atmosphere of my shop. I had no doubts it would sell quickly.
“Anything good?”
I whirled around to see Kyo. A red beanie was pulled over his black hair, and he wore pale blue contacts. Black liner surrounded his eyes, and a part of his tattoo could be seen jutting from the collar of his shirt, curving around the base of his neck. I’d never seen the whole tattoo, but it looked like a tree of some kind.
“Eh. This is cool.” I held up the creepy mirror before carefully leaning it against the wall. “Still going through the rest.”
“I’m sure you’ll find good stuff in there,” Kyo said, eyeing the gargoyle figurine I pulled from the crate. “It all came from Ravenwood Mansion. Rumors say the old lady was a witch or something. You want me to help you go through it?”
“Nah, I got it for now. But you can help me log it all later.”
“Oh, fun.”
I smiled and tossed him the keys. “Go open up shop and take care of the front while I finish back here.”
