Chapter One

Ivy

I downed my second glass of whiskey as I waited for my date at the bar. Today was finally the day that I get to be happy. I was excited to be on this date as I felt this guy was perfect for me.I have been alone for so long,my parents died when I was eight and the only family that I had was my grandmother,who I never get to visit because she lives so far away.I have been suffering from hallucinations as far as I can remember and being on medications.

A few hours passed, and there was no sign of him. Grabbing another glass of whiskey, I drowned my humiliation as I went out back to get some air. There was a field of fireflies behind the bar that was too alluring to resist. I moved towards them, studying their movements. I admired them as I thought of my life been set up differently. I was twenty-two years old and miserable.They danced in the sky, lighting up the flowers in the field. I watched them pair up and go home to their little firefly houses. For what seemed like an eternity, I watched them, jealous. Even watching fireflies reminded me of how undesirable I must be. My date had stood me up, and that didn’t even happen to a single firefly.

What did I expect? I took home a perfect stranger and gave him exactly what he wanted. Being stood up aside, if soul mates were real, I would have sworn he was mine.

I could never be done with you. His words echoed in my head.

 A lie that I was happy to be believed.I closed my eyes, trying to rid my memory of those electric blue eyes. Eyes like that you always remember. They bore into your soul and make your toes .I felt drunk even though I only had two drinks, well, three, if you count the glass of wine I had at home before going to the bar- but that was hours before I even went out. That wasn’t enough, was it?

I felt like someone had put something in my drink, but it was impossible because the bartender was my friend and he wouldn’t drug me. No one else was near me at the bar,I ran through the night in my head, trying to remember.

“Are you still waiting on that asshole?” Mark put a drink in front of me and studied me carefully. He seemed jealous. Angry that I had a date at all. There had never been more between us, so it didn’t feel like an appropriate reaction from him.

“’I’m not sure anymore.” I sighed in devastation as I thanked him for the drink.

“Who is he anyway?” Something flashed on his face as if he knew the answer. Something I’m sure I imagined.

“No one, apparently,” I mumbled at him and downed half the liquid.

Mark was handsome and very kind,he had blonde hair and hazel eyes.I had seen him many times without his shirt on for one reason or another, and his abs were very clearly defined, as were his arms and legs. He was lean, like a fighter. And that was because he was one. We took classes together at the local MMA gym. It’s where we met. I pinned him a few times, but he was stronger than me by far. I always wondered if he liked me if I was honest with myself. Often, I caught him staring at me, but he never said anything. I figured he thought I was a mess and funny to watch. I mean, look at my current situation. It was comical that I believed I was in love after one night. Well, maybe not in love, but definitely in lust. Besides, I had known Mark for a year, and he never made a move. If he liked me, he would have done so by now.

I shrugged and downed the rest of the drink. It warmed me down my throat to my stomach. The warmth spread throughout my body as the liquid hit my veins.My thought went on my  mystery man’s words when he spoke of whiskey. I agreed with him. It was a fun challenge to drink this fire water. I wished I had asked him for his name and didn’t accepted the apparent alias. Justin. What the fuck type of name even is that for such a gorgeous man?Thinking about him made my body feel hot. At first, the heat was lovely, and then it felt like lava was running through my veins.

“Ivy, are you alright?”Mark looked at me with concern.

“Sure, just have to pee,” I told him, jumping down from my barstool. I am short, so it was a bit of a drop.

“Don’t you always?” He laughed, and I bolted to the bathroom. Out of pure luck, one of the three toilets was free. It was labeled men’s, but it was a single stall, and no one was in line, so I went for it.

I turned the facet to the coldest setting and splashed my face multiple times with water, forgetting about my makeup. Then I ran my arms under the sink, feeling my skin cool off. Taking too many paper towels, I dried off my arms. As I did, I realized my dress was soaked from my effort to decrease my body temperature and tossed the paper towels. It was a useless effort at this point to dry off.I moved to dry my face and did my best not to ruin my makeup completely. I mostly failed, but at least I didn’t look like a drowned rat. After I peed and washed my hands, I felt hot again. It must have been the bar. It was crowded, and the smell was becoming offensive. I snuck out the back door into the woods to clear my head and cool off.