Simone couldnât help but roll her eyes at her sister, leaning her elbow on the table and allowing her chin to sit in her palm while she snorted her retort and added a chuckle. Someoneâs being blond today.
âGlazed look? What glazed look? There is absolutely no glaze look,â Sapphire countered. Simone looked over at Sydney for her expression but her sister looked a little struck by something beyond her and the windows. Simone bit down on her lower lip and shook her head, watching Sapphire drink her water as if that was an answer itself. Simone didnât let her stare drop, she stayed where she was and it did itâs bit. Sapphire rolled her eyes then and it was no small wonder that their mother always was on their case for that. They all did it too often. âSeriously, sis. No guy makes my eyes glaze over, so thereâs that. It doesnât happen,â Sapphire countered. Simone shrugged and sat back in her chair, taking her third cup of tea in hand to have a drink. I should have asked for a travel mug with a lid, she thought to herself. âNow, should we-â Sapphire began. Syd spoke up then and Simone let her eyebrows jump at the idea of her youngest sister interrupting someone.
âUm, Saph⊠Iâm not really sure how to say this, but⊠thereâs a man behind you, and heâs⊠well, heâs staring. To the left a little, tall, long hair?â Syd asked. Simone immediately turned in her chair to look behind her and through the glass but she found herself half blocked by the table next to them and a person outside walking past but low and behold she could see the lower body of a man definitely standing and looking into the shop, whether it was actually at them she wasnât sure.
âStaring?â Sapphire repeated. âThatâs odd.â Simone turned and looked back at her sister, finding her smile spread into a grin before she tapped her finger nails on the tabletop in victory. There Sapphire was, looking almost flustered and surprised and yetâŠexcited? The twinkle in her eyes was there, like she was thinking of something dirty. Simone knew the look from her own eyes. âThere it is! Houston, we have Sapphireâs glossy eyed boy look. I know it anywhere, same look you used to give to that guy in gym class on the basketball team before you hooked up behind the bleachers in the tenth grade.â
Sapphire ignored her comment, shifting to look out the window herself. Simone watched as surprise registered on her features. She continued to smile as she finished her tea, setting the empty cup on the corner of the table to be collected by the café staff.
âI should go check that out. Weâll talk later?â Sapphire suddenly asked. Simone was startled. âWait, youâre going to talk to some stalker guy? Hold it!â she was about ready to stand in protest before her cell phone began ringing. What timing. Seriously? she cursed in thought, looking down at her iPhone which remained face up on top of her bag of paperwork and work clothes. The sharp tones of David Guettaâs âTitaniumâ drew the attention of several other customers. Like she needed more death stares. She hurried to grab it and silence it but not before catching sight of the number. Nathaniel? she wondered. Her bartender friend had long been employee and part owner of Blues Pub. He would only be calling her about one of two things: they had a raccoon problem again or he was there.
Simone scrunched up her nose, feeling a twitch of anticipation run through her body at the idea of seeing him again. When she looked up again, Sapphire was hurried giving her air kisses on either cheek. âLove you!â her sister told her. Simone stumbled with words as she watched Sapphire bounce off in a walk that could only be described as intentionally contained. She could see the strain in her sisters legs and how straight her back was as she fought the urge to run to whoever the guy was outside.
âWeird,â she commented, before looking at Sydney. âIâm sorry but I have to take this.â
She stood then and slid her finger across the accept button, bringing her phone to her ear as she walked off towards the girlâs washroom where it was quieter.
âNathaniel! Please donât tell me I have to tell you to again call animal control and not me,â Simone lamented, bringing a hand through her red curly hair and sighing into the phone. She held her breath as the noise of the bar came through on the other end of the line.
âNah hun. I call because you told me to call if he was ever back. And from what you described, I think heâs here. Been here for awhile too all dark and brooding. Not too kind to the wait staff.â
âSounds like him,â she replied shortly, feeling her heart jump at the idea of him actually being back and real and there. âCan you get over here? I think he just offended one of the customers,â Nathaniel pleaded before an audible scoff could be heard as a woman snapped something unpleasant to someone and the phone clicked off.
Simone pulled her phone away from her ear, staring at it like she had just dreamed up the call. She checked the time, and then looked back over at Sydney who was now sitting alone at their little table. She exhaled deeply before she went back to reclaim her seat, reaching to pull her bag of work onto her chair. âSyd, Iâm sorry. Somethingâs come up. I hate to pull a fast one like Saph but itâs important. Trust me?â she asked then, before leaning forward to hug her and pull a coat over her shoulders. Tucking the straps of her bag over her shoulder, she said good bye a final time before stepping out of the cafĂ© through itâs side entrance, not wanting to run into Sapphire and ruin something that her sister potentially cared about. That was too high school.
Climbing into her beat up Jeep Wrangler, Simone slid her bag into the passenger seat and pulled out into traffic. Blues Pub wasnât that far away but she didnât feel like walking. The air was brisk but warm and when she hit an intersection she found herself evaluating her attire. She had dressed in better clothes after work that morning but she did have tea spots from her earlier spill on her tank top. That made her zip up her coat and when the light turned green she found herself no more than few blocks away from Blues Pub and wouldnât you know, parking was a cinch for the first time in ages.
Pulling her bag with her, Simone stepped into the club hesitantly. Music played over the speakers which was pleasant. Most times she was there a live band was playing and if the staff werenât careful it could be quite deafening from the moment you stepped in the door. Things were low key though there were many tables filled with people. Her eyes scanned the room before they landed on Nathaniel at the bar towards the back. Her friend waved her over and she walked by the hostess with a smile and courteous wave. She kept her eyes forward, not wanting to see him right away. Still, her heart was pounding in her ears and when she got up to the bar and took a stool, she felt the muscles in her calves between to twitch with the tension she carried. Her stomach flipped with butterflies and she did her best to hide it all with a smile as Nate stepped away from a patron to speak with her.
âHow are you love?â he asked gently, his voice carrying a slight southern drawl. She had met Nathaniel when she had gone to Berkley. He had been there for business management and he had known all of the best clubs at the time. They had become fast friends of a sibling variety. Moreover, Nate was happily gay and hoping to marry his long time boyfriend. Everyone is with someone these days, she thought to herself. Still, she didnât hold it against him.
âI am good I guess. You have impeccable timing. Called me right away from seeing my sisters for the first time in a few weeks,â Simone smiled, teasing him slightly. âWell out of the chaos and into fun you are then! What do you want to drink?â
âDirty martini please, emphasis on the alcohol. Iâm going to need it,â she replied, leaning against the bar to run her hands through her hair and scratch the back of her neck before flicking her red curls over her shoulders again.
âYeah you will, here he comes,â Nate smiled. All she could do was freeze and wonder why she had brought herself back here and to him if she was going to act this way. "He's got fuck me eyes," Nate added with a swish of his eyebrows before he made himself scarce to mix up her drink.