Note: I did receive an email saying that I had reviews for chapter 6. I don't know why, but they just aren't showing up for some reason. If you want, feel free to submit them again, because those reviews are obviously lost somewhere. It doesn't matter to me whether or not you submit them again, just know that I saw them through email, and appreciate all your support for this story.

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            Dallas sat alone at one of the two tables that the group of six had taken up for the time being. Her elbows were bent on the table, and her chin was in her hands. Either she was thinking, or she was bored out of her right mind. But, the five empty glasses around her told that it could've have been pure boredom. True, Dallas didn't like to think on an alcohol-filled stomach, but sometimes one couldn't hold their mind back from whirling thoughts.

            His face was still drilled into her mind, spinning around like a wild beast that had to be tamed. Those eyes that seemed to burn deep within her own, hurting her head in the process. That voice was ringing in her ears. Why had Carlene invited him? She couldn't have been very good friends with him; they hardly saw each other anymore to begin with. He was on one show; she was on the other. He had only been invited because he had been backstage for the show, which just happened to be in his home state.

            The group had stayed in the hotel bar for quite some time, sipping at their drinks and passing the time with mindless conversation. Dallas hadn't fit in very well with the others, as she hardly knew a thing about their jobs and what kind of show they put on. All the other five wanted to talk about happened to fit into that category, which left Dallas stranded on the island she had no way of getting off of. And that never made for a fun night.

            She scanned the room; two of the men that had been invited were sitting at the bar, drinks in hand. The third was across the room, his arm draped around the waist of a pretty brunette, who seemed to smile and giggle insanely at any word he uttered. Carlene was nowhere to be seen, either she had ditched Dallas and went off on her own, or was in a place that couldn't be seen. Dallas really didn't care, as long as she could get back to her hotel room when this stretch of a night was over.

            Her eyes hit the other table the group had picked up as their own for the night. And, suddenly, she wished she hadn't been searching the room for something entertaining. There he was, sitting almost exactly as she, elbows on table, head in hands. He definitely did not look very excited over choosing to go along with the others. He was also checking out the room, probably searching for that source of entertainment that Dallas had yet to find.

            With that luck that she did not have, he would've never looked up and over at her. But, Dallas didn't possess that luck. And, without so much as a chance for Dallas to look away, he glanced up and caught her gaze. Dallas had never been caught staring before, but there was always a first for everything. And, just to continue with the mind game he had no idea was going for him; he smiled slightly in her general direction and stood from his seat.

            Suddenly, Dallas wished she hadn't looked up from the wooden table at all. She wished she hadn't agreed to take out a few of Carlene's friend for the night. In fact, right about now, she wished she hadn't been put on the face of the earth. With each stride he took closer to the table, Dallas cursed herself even more. Why had Carlene invited him?

            "You look almost as bored as I am over here" he spoke, inches away from grabbing one of the seats and sitting down next to her. And he did just that, in a few swift motions. Dallas nodded in reply, picking up one of the glass beside her and peering into it, obviously looking for just another drop of the alcohol. But, every glass had been empty for over an hour.

            He tapped at the surface of the table for a moment before continuing, "I'd offer you another, but it looks like you've had enough already." Again, Dallas nodded. "I know I'm probably not your favorite person right now, but could you at least tell me your name? Carlene forgot that little detail at introduction time."

            Her head snapped up. He wanted her name? Her head was screaming at her to make one up. But then what if Carlene called to her by her real name, then she'd be in some deep trouble. Before she could do any more thinking, she spoke; "Dallas" was her short reply. He smiled slightly, obviously a bit happy with himself for asking just one simple question.

            Silence fell over them, the entire place was buzzing around them, and yet the two seemed to take no notice of it. Dallas was swept up by her thoughts again, and completely blocked the man sitting next to her out for a few moments. What if he remembered her from earlier that evening? That was the one problem Dallas had thought over all day. She never would have thought that the one person who just might have something on her, other than Nora of course, would be sitting right next to her mere hours later.

            A clinking noise on the table broke her out of her thoughts. She saw a penny resting near her fingertips, and she looked up at the man's face. "Penny for your thoughts?" he questioned, a small smile dancing across his features. And, to her surprise, Dallas found herself smiling right back at him.

            She lifted the penny from the table, and rolled it back and forth between her index finger and her thumb. Nine times out of ten, she would've thrown that sparkling penny right back in his face, hoping to hit him right between those soul-depriving eyes. But, there was always that one other time.

            "If you order me another drink" she replied, her small smile slightly increasing in size. He laughed lightly, shaking his head slowly. "Come on, you know you want to."

            Why was she opening up to him? She should've been hiding under the table from him. And yet, there she was, actually striking up a conversation with the man who had the bright, speaking eyes.