Chapter seven

Athena gulped, staring at the man beside her, he had deep brown hair in a slicked back style, his face was oval with sexy cheekbones, his nose was perfectly pointed. His lips so succulent with the lower lip fuller than the upper and light red in color, his eyes, a beautiful shade of hazel and his lashes so long that she would have been jealous if she wasn’t a little tipsy. A sexy line of bears graced his cheeks and jaw and for some reason, she wanted to run her fingers through them.

Her eyes trailed from his face to his fair neck and his body, he was dressed in a navy blue blazer with white shirt underneath and white pants. He had broad shoulders and his athletic body complimented his blazer making him look godly sexy, she gulped once more, her eyes going back to his face to meet with his smiling eyes. 

“Like what you see?” he asked with a soft chuckle, “I’m beautiful, I know,” he winked and pulled the stool next to her, sitting on it, he looked back at her, “you don’t mind me inviting myself over, do you?”

Athena got over her drooling and tucked her hair behind her hair then she nodded once without looking at him.

“I have been watching you, you looked like you needed a partner in crime so I came over to offer myself. I won’t be arrested for my good deed, will I?” 

Athena shook her head as an answer.

“You don’t speak much?” he asked, his voice was deep yet enticing and she had a sneaky feeling to listen to him talk all day. She didn’t reply to him so he continued, “it’s my first time coming here, a friend said it might look poor outside but the inside is really cool. I have been thinking about finding him tomorrow and dipping his head in deep water for deceiving me but then I saw you and I was like, maybe it aren’t so bad after all, don’t you think?”

Athena licked her lips and kept her gaze from him, she kept staring at the empty glass before her, wondering what to say to him. She was a good talker when it comes to the boys in her area, they talk, laugh and drink together, but here, she was afraid of showing herself before she would be mistaken as not being ladylike.

“You didn’t answer my question,” the voice behind her brought her from her thought, she glanced up at him, caught up again in his hazel eyes, wondering what question he was referring to, “I asked if I could buy you a drink?” He clarified.

Athena glanced away and slowly nodded, the man smiled and called for the bartender, he ordered what Athena was already taking and when the shots were served, he picked one and downed it in one go, then he looked at her and licked his lips, “let’s play a game, the best drinker.”

Athena glanced at him sharply and for once since he approached her, she smiled, “what’s the prize?”

The man chuckled, a low, deep, sexy sound, “okay, let me see…hmm, the loser gets to pay?”

Athena snickered, “are you a good drinker?”

He laughed, “that is something they would call cheating, you want to know my tolerance before accepting the steaks, that’s bad.”

Athena thought about it, if she loses to him, she doesn’t have enough to pay for both their drinks, but if she wins, she won’t have to spend at all. It was a good steak and she has a very high tolerance, maybe she would win? She glanced up at him, but he looks like he is a pretty good drinker as well, she thought, she could run away if she doesn’t win. Yeah right, good luck with running when drunk.

“Fine, let’s do it this way, if you put up much of a fight, whether you win or lose, I will pay, how about that?”

Athena grinned, now that’s the best steak ever, she gets to drown herself in alcohol like she wants and she won’t spend a dime, “I’m in.”

“Good,” the man smiled, picking up another shot, “bottoms up,” he gulped it down just as Athena downed hers.

***

“Really, and he told me that I am not the woman for him,” Athena snarled, picking up another shot and drinking, “can you believe that? After everything, after six years of relationship, he is an asshole,” she slapped the shot on the table. They have been drinking for God knows how long and she was telling him how she ended up in the bar.

The man with her concurred with her, although she didn’t tell him much of the story but the one she told him was enough for him to side with her, “he is an asshole.”

“Yes,” Athena said, “a big one, the biggest one…ever,” she slurred.

“So what are you going to do now?” He asked.

Athena calmed like the sea, soon she started sobbing, “I don’t know, I never thought this would happen between us. I had thought we would grow old together.”

“Hey, there, there,” he cupped her cheek, “it’s normal for relationships not to work out.”

“But I have been with him all my life,” she cried.

“Hey, how old are you?”

“Twenty two.”

“Then your life isn’t over, from my understanding, it’s just starting. Come on, you are only twenty two and there are many men in the world. Just pick someone else and start dating him.”

She looked up at him with her tear filled eyes, “it’s not that simple, its not that easy.”

“I know, I understand but you shouldn’t kill yourself over one man. It might be hard getting over him but if you give someone else a chance, you will be surprise to find your heart loving again. My mother used to say that we find new love every single day,” he smiled to her, his finger traced her cheek.

Athena kept his gaze and slowly, she leaned forward and pressed her lips on his, he didn’t push her away, rather he curled his fingers at the back of her neck and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Athena pulled back after a while, “I’m…sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”

He smiled, “I don’t see myself complaining,” he grinned then glanced at their table filled with empty glasses, “should we order more drinks?”

“Actually, I think it would be okay if we danced,” she chuckled. 

“That’s a great idea,” he got down from the stool and grabbed on to the table to stable himself, “you never know how drunk you are until you stand up,” he laughed and helped her down. She collapsed into his arms and he wrapped his arms around her.

“Tell me about it,” she said and they laughed.

“Come on, we still need to make it to the dance floor,” he chuckled and steadied her, he grabbed her arm and started pulling her towards the dance floor. Athena hit her foot at someone’s table and the person glared at her, “sorry about that,” he apologized for her. When they staggered to the dance floor, they hugged each other, laughing and supporting the other. “I can’t remember the last time I had so much to drink.”

“Me neither, I always win the ten dollars back at home because my neighbors are all such a wimp, it’s the first time I am meeting a worthy opponent.”

“And it’s my first time of meeting a woman with such high tolerance in alcohol, believe me, I have met tons and I will have every reason to believe that if any of them could drink, they would prefer to act weak to get the men to care for them. I live in a world of fake lives, which is what makes you different and the funny thing is, I like that difference. It’s not every day you will meet a woman as open as you in my world.”