CHAPTER 1

She leant back against the dumpster, breathing hard. Beads of sweat dropped off her fake golden locks as she sunk down to the ground. She focused her blurry, tired vision on her surroundings, she smiled. She hadn't done this for a while; smiling, even the word was foreign to her ears. She had a little bit more freedom inside her, even though she had to do something bad to be smiling. She stood, removing her dirty, tattered blonde wig and disposing of it in the dumpster beside her. She turned around to find herself looking at a large wooden cabin that had been turned into a bar. She wasn't sure if it was the heat getting to her or if it was real, but she could hear music seeping out of the opened windows.

She made her way around the perimeter of the cabin; she crinkled her nose and held her breath as she noticed random urine marks stained upon the wooden sides. She took a deep breath as she approached the door and prepared herself for a bar full of drunk, sleazy men. She didn't know why this time was any different to any of the other disgusting bars she had been to, this hadn't been her worst. She pushed the door open and walked in. As the door shut behind her she slowly dragged her eyes up to see; a long wooden bar with a bartender cleaning the surface. She kept her eyes focused on the bar as she walked up and sat on a stool.

"What'll it be sweetheart?" The bartender asked as his southern accent sung out.

"I'll have a beer" She answered.

She carefully surveyed the bar, turning her head slightly and looking around with her eyes. She was surprised how empty it was, there was only three other men in there.

"Always like this nowadays darlin'" The bartender suddenly said as he put the glass down in front of her. "Only the usuals come around now" He added.

She heard the bell on the door jingle and she turned her head slightly.

"Speakin' of the usuals…" The bartender said as he nodded towards the door.

She turned her head around and locked eyes with the unknown man standing at the door in the dim light; she could only see his piercing blue eyes. She felt a chill go up her spine; she cleared her throat and tore her eyes away from the stranger. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he came up to the bar and sat next to her. Sprinkles of cologne drifted up her nose, she new this scent well, she had lived with a guy; Jason, who wore it all the time. She couldn't deny that she loved the smell; she held back a smile from coming to her lips.

Her mind drifted back to many nights with Jason, the man she thought she loved but didn't, she was living a lie with him. She instinctively reached into her pocket and drew out a ring. She looked distantly at it and twirled it around in her hands.

"Who's the lucky guy?" The man next to her asked, he was southern, must be from around here too.

She clasped her fingers around it, blocking it out from the world once again. She cast one more longing look at it before placing it back in her pocket.

"Why is that any of your business?" She returned sharply.

He chuckled and leant in towards her a little, for the first time she could see his face. He had thin; dirty blonde hair which hung neatly in his deep blue eyes, stubble was cast across his chin, cheeks and neck. She glanced down quickly and noticed that he was quite built. Suddenly, on that thought, he stood and removed the black leather jacket he was wearing, which brought up a little bit of the black shirt he was wearing underneath, showing her a muscular bit of tanned flesh. She could help but look; she scanned him once again and saw that he was also wearing scruffy blue jeans.

"Hava' nice look did ya sweetcheeks?" He smirked.

She rolled her eyes and turned back to her drink and took a sip.

"I do have a name you know" She spoke.

"And what may that be?" He asked.

The bartender flicked a switch and the lights came on, no longer giving the bar the dark, secluded look it had before. They both could clearly see each other properly now.

She hesitated, wondering if she was going to lie once again. She met eyes with him, there was something in them, like he knew if she was lying or not, like he could see right through her. Something she knew nobody could ever master.

"Kate" She answered. So she didn't lie, what was the point anyway? She knew she would be out of this bar soon and never see the guy again.

He nodded and downed his shot. Kate was intrigued now; she suddenly wanted to know his name. She wasn't normally like this, but somehow this was different, she had never experienced this.

"How 'bout you cowboy?" She asked with a smile.

He smiled but then paused, Kate saw him; debating with his mind whether to tell her the truth or not. She had gotten used to reading people.

"James" He answered slowly, and swallowed another shot.

Kate saw something, regret? Or fear? Kate soon realized James might have just as many skeletons in his closet as she does.

"You never answered my question freckles" James suddenly said and turned towards her. "Who's the lucky guy?" He asked once more.

Kate hesitated, was she really going to tell him? He was a stranger; she didn't go around telling strangers about her, she didn't even tell the people who she kept close. He was looking at her with those eyes again, making her want to spill everything right then and there. It was only one thing, couldn't hurt, could it?

Kate swallowed. "…I ran away, ran away from him…right out the alter, in my wedding dress and everything" She smiled sadly. She noticed that he was looking at her deeply, like he was actually interested, so she carried on. "I managed to find some clothes, I dumped my dress and ran as far as I could…and I ended up here" She said as she took a gulp of her drink.

He nodded. "I was wonderin' why you weren't wearing it" He said slightly smiling.

She didn't know what it was but she could feel something from him; she was suddenly drawn to him that little bit more. So her next words just spilled out.

"I didn't love him, thought I did…but I didn't. I was living a lie…I mean I was wearing a wig on my wedding say for Christ's sake" She confessed, smiling sadly. "It was wrong, I couldn't do that…" She paused for a moment thinking if she could actually say it. "…I was just about to say "I do", tears came to my eyes and I…I couldn't do it…so I ran" She stopped to regain herself, taking another drink. "I can't stop the guilty feeling inside me, I hate the fact that I never said goodbye…that I just left him standing there" She finished her drink. "Martini" She said to the bartender.

"Didn't he realize that you were wearing a wig?" James asked incredulously.

"We weren't together long, kind of a shot gun wedding" She smiled at him, hiding the real reason why she was wearing the wig. "I was being stupid, thinking I could fall for him that easy, I didn't know what came over me"

"Hey, if it weren't meant to be, it weren't meant to be freckles" He said and smiled. He finished his last shot and got up. "Well best be headin' out, maybe I'll see you again sometime" He said as he put on his jacket.

"Maybe" She answered.

"Nice meetin' ya Kate" He said and looked directly in her eyes.

"You too James" She smiled.

Kate turned and watched him leave; she wondered what else he was hiding, what else she could find out. She wondered if she would ever see Jason again, and if they met again, would he ever forgive her. She glanced back at the door, she wondered if she would ever see James again; ever meet him, just by chance or by accident. Anything could happen.

Probably a load of rubbish, I was frustrated so I wrote it. Thanks for reading. Please review! 