Chapter One
It had been a very long day (or was is night?) for the trio. Going to England, February 14th in the 1600's was not fun; especially for Lucy.
She had warned her teammates about the horrors of Valentines Day during that time period. They had barely gotten out of there. Lucy was on the verge of being whipped and raped by a very eager Englishman, when Wyatt came storming in to save her.
Lucy had always hated Valentines Day; and this trip was yet another reason why.
The three of them, and Jiya, had decided that a drink (or ten) was in order after what they'd dealt with. So here they were, sitting in a booth, just big enough for the four of them. Rufus and Jiya sat side by side, leaving Wyatt and Lucy to be placed awkwardly next to each other.
The couple across the table had been giggling and whispering for a while, so Lucy was paying no attention when Jiya suddenly shouted excitedly to the whole group. "Guys, I just had a terrific idea!" Rufus put his arm around her waist before asking, "What is it?" Jiya looked from her boyfriend to Lucy and then Wyatt.
"In light of the whole 'Valentine's Day' theme, I say we have a little competition." she stated plainly.
Wyatt raises one eyebrow in suspicion. "What kind of competition?" he inquires.
Jiya's smile grew at the question. "Let's call it, 'Who can get the most phone numbers'. Each of us will spend the next-" she looks at her watch. "Say hour, flirting with the other people in the bar in an effort to get as many digits as possible."
Rufus sighed in unison to Lucy's gasp. She was going to have to actually flirt. She hated flirting, almost as much as she did Valentines Day. She wasn't even good at it. Lucy was jarred from her own thoughts swarming by Wyatt's booming voice.
"Rufus, you're okay with your girlfriend flirting with other guys?" he asked. The other man looked to the woman beside him. "As long as I get to flirt with other women." he said with a hopeful smile. Jiya just laughed.
Lucy jumped into the conversation. "You guys can play without me. I don't really feel up to it tonight." Jiya glared at her in shock. "What do you mean you're not up to it?" Lucy looked around the table. All three pairs of eyes stared at her in wonder. "Come on Lucy. You're the only other girl here. I can't do this without you!"
Jiya was begging now; pleading with puppy dog eyes. Finally, Lucy caved in. "Alright, alright I'll do it." Jiya squealed with excitement. "Great! Shall we begin?" The two men groaned in reply. "Alright, guys have one hour. Good luck." She pressed START on her phone, and with a beep the timer began.
XXX
Already 45 minutes had past by, and Lucy still hadn't gotten a single phone number. She glanced down the bar to find Wyatt smiling, dimples and all, at a very beautiful blonde. He must have said something funny because "barbie" began to burst out laughing.
The sight caused a war to erupt within her. Lucy was happy that Wyatt had finally decided to move on with his life. But at the same time she was more jealous than she had a right to.
The smile on the soldier's face faded away as he looked up to find Lucy staring at him. She quickly dragged her gaze from him so that he wouldn't see her disappointment.
She downed the rest of her scotch, because it was just becoming that kind of day, sending the comfort of the burning sensation down her throat. She pays the bartender and thanks him for the drink before hopping off the leather stool.
She tells herself that she'll try one more time and then it's time to call it quits.
She spots a tall dark haired man standing at the other end of the room. As she approaches him, she can feel Wyatt's eyes watching her. When finally reaches the man, she taps him on the shoulder to get his attention. He turns around and faces her. It feels like air was taken right from her lungs. It was Noah.