Page 4 of It's Just You

I shook my head. “We’ve had this discussion already, Dad. Multiple times. I’m not going to change anything, not even for you. I’m myself, and I’m happy with who I am.

“Stay safe and have fun, then.” He turned away, taking another beer out of the fridge.

“Thank you. I will.” It wasn’t exactly the most uplifting talk we’d ever had, but at least he hadn’t gotten pissed off, so I wouldn’t complain.

I took a taxi to the bar. It wasn’t far from my parents’ new house, so I could’ve walked, but I didn’t dare. I never gave potential bullies any opportunity to catch me, and walking down some deserted streets after dark was just waving a flag. Being out and proud didn’t mean I needed to look for trouble, especially in this place.

I could be who I was when I got there. I didn’t need to risk myself on the streets.

I got comfortable in the taxi, ignoring the driver’s first curious glance and reacting with a raised eyebrow. That had him focusing on the street very quickly. Shame. Really. But there were more guys out there, and I certainly didn’t need to hook up with the taxi driver… even if he was handsome.

When I emerged from the taxi a few minutes later, I stood in front of the bar, staring at the sign. Should I really do this, in this old town? This was entering the lions’ den, so to speak, and I was the prey. I wasn’t a lamb, though. More like… a peacock? Maybe.

I shook my head. It was time for a drink. I was going crazy already.

With a deep breath, I entered the bar. It didn’t really look like a sports bar, but a place to actually meet new and interesting people — assuming there was anyone worth meeting here.

I hoped so. The inside was darker than I’d expected, but I found my way to the bar. It was tightly packed, with men and women demanding attention from the bartender. He balanced the orders with ease, delivering one right after another. Bodies moved from all sides, pressing against me as I looked for a seat or a table. So far, though, I hadn’t found anything. I stood there, waiting for the bartender even as I tried to figure out a place to sit.

Finally, one of the guys at the bar moved, and I scooped up the vacant spot in a second. Sliding my ass onto the wooden chair, I immediately noticed the sweaty smell coming from my neighbor to the right. There wasn’t anything wrong with being sweaty, but the stench went a little beyond the norm and more like he had a habit of not showering.

I scrunched up my nose and turned away. Now I knew why that spot had gotten empty so fast. Ugh. On my other side was a handsome guy, but before I could say anything to him, he was sticking his tongue down some girl’s throat. Okay, talking to him was out of the question too.

At least I could get myself a beer here, then see what other sections of the bar might offer.

I drummed my fingers at the edge of the bar, and when I finally got the bartender’s attention, I ordered a beer. He got it to me quickly, and I tipped him well for being so efficient in the face of all of this chaos. Taking a long drink from the bottle, I turned to watch the front door for any potential sources of entertainment for the evening.

The first few guys I saw were nothing to write home about, spending time with girls or generally just not being my type. Or both.

But when I saw him, I knew he was going to be my target. He was tall, with dark hair and muscular arms that I could practically see through the shirt he wore. It didn’t look like he’d worn it with the intention of having it cling to his body, but it did anyway. I gave him a slow once over, and he caught my eye for a second. For all that the tattooed god seemed to be the type to know he had the it factor, he blushed and looked away, running his hand through his hair.

He walked to the bar, though, flagging down the bartender and getting his own beer. The sweaty guy finally moved, and the subject of my interest took his place in the chair before someone else could snag it.

Fuck, he was even hotter up close. I licked my lips greedily as I studied him. He would do. He would more than do.

If I licked his face, that meant he was mine, right?

Not that I’d try, but the temptation of claiming him was surely there. I still settled for more normal flirting, figuring I’d have better chances then.

“Hey,” he said before I could get a word out. “New here?”

I nodded, trying to play it cool. “Yeah.” I wasn’t sure how over the top flirting would go with him, and while I usually didn’t care, I hadn’t completely decided this bar was safe enough to do that. I might’ve been comfortable with my looks, and he might not have seemed to care about them, but that didn’t mean I wanted to get pounded to the ground by a muscle man.

At least, not in the bad way.

Mr. Good-looking turned a bit more toward me, facing me directly. “On vacation?”

“Something like that, yeah.” I drank deeply, wrapping my lips a bit obscenely around the bottle’s neck.

“Poor thing,” he said with a chuckle. “This isn’t where I’d go on vacation, that’s for sure.”

“Yeah, well. Some things, you just can’t change. This is one of them.”

He nodded like he understood. “But you don’t look like you were kidnapped and forced to be here, so you could technically leave… couldn’t you?” Was there something just a little bit wistful in his voice?

I chuckled. “Technically, yes. Practically, no. I’m on summer break here, and I’d rather keep my parents happy, you know?”

The stranger didn’t reply, instead drinking deeply from his bottle. Nothing sexy to see there, except the way his Adam’s apple moved.

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