TO MY READERS: Please enjoy Chapter 2 of Midnight's Embrace! (So much for updating once a week ?.)
DISCLAIMER: Though most of the names of the characters and the setting have been changed, I obviously drew a lot of inspiration from Stephanie Meyer, the original author of the Twilight series.
2 ~ A Dark Encounter
The Olde Main Street Pub is unusually slow tonight, especially for a Friday. But then again, Ezekiel and I weren't able to escape the excruciating welcome-home party until 9:30 pm. Though we joked about it as we went back inside from our heart-to-heart on the porch, Dad and Billy kept the party going with the inevitable photo album review, some stories from "the good-ol' days" when Billy, Dad, and Waylon were all the force together, and a surprisingly lively round of Gin rummy. Zeke and I were finally able to break away once Dad and Billy started planning their annual summer fishing trip.
"So, where's Rosaline?" I demand as Zeke, and I take a seat at a wobbly old wooden high table across from the bar. He bought the first round of beers in spite of my arguments and promised to let me buy a round when I caught my first criminal.
"She should be here in a couple of minutes," he replies, sitting on the edge of his stool and taking a chug of his beer while scoping out the bar.
"I'm really looking forward to meeting her," I say to try and draw his attention back. "Really, Zeke, I'm incredibly happy for you."
"Thanks, Iz, I appreciate that."
"Did you think I wouldn't want to meet her or something?" I ask, taking a sip of my beer. Zeke drops his gaze from me and ignores my question by taking another chug of his beer.
"What?!" I demand.
"Okay, okay, honestly? I promised Rose I wouldn't tell you, but we've been friends since we were in diapers. And also, I'm pretty sure it's illegal to lie to a police officer." I snort and take another sip. "When I told her about you, she seemed to get a little…concerned about our relationship."
My brows knit together in confusion. "'Concerned?' What does that mean?"
"Well, when I told her about our friendship, she seemed to get it in her head that we had a history together." I raise an eyebrow at that, and Zeke groans. "You know…a history."
"Oh!" I say. "Oh! Well, I hope you told her the truth."
"Of course I did! We'd been dating for three months, so I knew I had to be honest."
When Ezekiel and I were in high school, we started dating during our freshman year. It had seemed like a good idea at the time: We had been friends forever, and our dating seemed like a no-brainer to a couple of hormonally-charged fifteen-year-olds. It turned out that dating your best friend isn't always the greatest idea. We broke up a couple of months afterward, but our friendship never felt stronger. We both guessed that we needed to know for sure that a romantic relationship was out of the question before we really got into the dating pool.
"Okay, well, hopefully, after tonight, there won't be any doubt about that," I say.
"Zeke!" He and I both turn toward the source of the greeting. I find myself somewhat taken aback by the similarities between Rose and I: We're both about the same height with long brown hair, small builds, and—as she walks up closer to our table—hazel eyes.
"Rose!" Zeke replies, wrapping her up in a big hug and lifting her off the ground. I smile when I see how happy he is with her. Once he's set her back down, he turns to me.
"Rose, this is Isadora Swann. Izzy, this is my girlfriend, Rosaline."
"Hi, Rose. It's so nice to meet you," I say, hopping off my seat and coming toward her to shake her outstretched hand.
"Hi, Izzy. It's great to meet you, too. As I'm sure you've probably guessed, I've heard an awful lot about you," Rose says, though there's a hint of judgment in her eyes as she looks back at Zeke.
"I just wanna say that I am so incredibly happy for you, two. Truly. And I'm so looking forward to getting to know you!" I say. My words seem to melt the ice in Rose's stare as she glances back at me. Zeke also looks my way and mouths, "Thank you."
"Well, I'm sure Zeke had already mentioned that I was pretty nervous about meeting you today," Rose says. "But…I'm looking forward to getting to know you as well." This time, Zeke gives an exaggerated sigh of relief, making Rose and I laugh.
"Thank god that's over," he exclaims. Rose giggles and stands on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Now, how about I get you a drink?" he says to her.
"That is a great idea," she replies with a grin.
"I'll hold down the fort here," I say as the two head over to the bar. I hop back onto my stool and glance at Zeke and Rose as they lean against the bar while waiting for the bartender. I smile to myself when Zeke wraps his bulky arm around Rose's thin shoulders and pulls her closer to him, planting a kiss on the top of her head. To avoid looking like a creep, I peel my eyes away from them and stare at the beer in my hands.
Though I was truthful in saying that I'm happy for Ezekiel, I can't help but feel a tinge of jealousy. Sure, I had my flings in college, but I never wanted to get too committed to anyone. I figured it would only make my leaving Phoenix that much harder if I had someone to say goodbye to. And I didn't want to have to worry about figuring out a long-distance relationship, as I'm sure a lot of the guys I hooked up with would've agreed with. Now, seeing Ezekiel so happy with someone makes me wish I had someone.
"Hi." I look up from my beer and see someone has drifted over to our table.
A tall, muscular man stands in front of me with a glass of dark liquor in his hand. His pale skin is offset by the golden hue of his hair and eyes, and his chiseled cheekbones and jaw accentuate his face. He's dressed in a pair of casual jeans, and a plain white shirt peeks out from under the black, button-down plaid shirt. I hope my face doesn't give away my initial reaction because he is, in a word, gorgeous.
That beauty comes with a price, I'm sure…
"Hi," I say casually, taking a sip of my beer.
"I'm sorry, I don't normally just walk up to girls in a bar, but I would've been remiss if I didn't say 'hello' to you." Though I'm more than familiar with that line, his British accent throws me off.
Goddamn it, Izzy, don't become some driveling imbecile just because he's got a fancy accent!
"Ah. Does that line usually work for you?" I ask. He seems to be thrown off by my retort, but then he laughs.
"Um…honestly? Yeah," he admits, setting his glass down on the table and scratching the back of his neck anxiously. "But you're the only one who's called me out on it."
"Yeah, right. Call it 'woman's intuition.'" He chuckles again.
"But I was right," he points out. "If I hadn't come over to say hello, we would've missed out on this witty banter." He scoots a little closer to Zeke's chair, making to sit on it.
"Okay, I'm gonna be honest with you, too," I say, leaning forward against the table. "If this were any other night, I definitely would want to continue our 'witty banter.' But I'm out with some friends right now, so it's not really a good time."
"Ah, okay. Well, I do appreciate your honesty," he says. "And I did notice the couple you were talking to before they went up to the bar." He glances over at Zeke and Rosa, who have just gotten their drinks from the bartender.
"But if I catch you here again on a night when you're not busy, I'd love to buy you a drink," he says, flashing a pearly-white smile. I smile back.
"Okay, well, I'm gonna hold you to that if I do see you again," I reply, raising my beer to him. He grabs his drink, and we clink our glasses.
"My name is Edmond. Just so we're on a first-name basis the next time we see each other," he says.
"I'm Izzy."
"Izzy," he says like he's savoring the sound of my name. Again, if it weren't for his accent, that would've been a total turn-off. But goddamn, he knows how to use it to his advantage. "Well, Izzy, until we meet again."
"Izzy!" I hear Zeke shout. I turn to see him and Rose heading back to the table, and when I glance back to say goodbye to Edmond, he's already gone.
"Hey, who was that?" Zeke asks, pulling out the third stool for Rose and taking his seat across from me.
"Just a random guy looking to buy me a drink," I wink, taking another sip of my beer. "Which I'm kinda surprised at since I'm not exactly dressed to be going out," gesturing to my casual appearance: a pair of old, ripped blue jeans coupled with a plain black v-neck short-sleeve shirt, and my face that doesn't have a lick of makeup on. Though I do enjoy going full-out with the makeup and clothes for girls-night-outs, I find it exhausting having to put so much work into something I'll just be washing off a few hours later—if I'm lucky enough to remember while being three-sheets to the wind. Most of the time, I much prefer doing the simpler routine: some eyebrow gel, mascara to lengthen my already long lashes, and some lip gloss. I'm also pretty confident in my looks—not to sound too braggy—especially when it comes to my hair. Though not many women my age can attest to this, my hair is still 100% virgin and has been the same length since my freshmen year of college: just a little longer than my shoulder blades. And since my hair is already a natural golden brown, I've never really had a reason to color it.
"Actually, I think that makes it even more flattering," Rose says. I chuckle at that and raise my beer to her.
"I think we're gonna become great friends, Rose," I smile. Rose goes to cheer me, but I gently pull my beer back and raise up a finger at her, forcing my face to turn serious. "Although, I do need to warn you now: I am now an official officer at the Salem Police Department. So, you best be careful if you catch my drift." Zeke snorts, though Rose looks a little unnerved. But after Zeke laughs and I smile, Rose rolls her eyes and clinks my glass.
"I wouldn't dream of it," she replies.
"That's what I like to hear," I say. "Okay, so now…let's get down to business. Which Zeke story would you like to hear first?: The time I tried to swap out his Michelangelo Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume with my Raphael, or the time I switched out his shorts before gym class that said, 'I ️ Hot Moms'?"