Shadowed in the darkest corner of the bar, his eyes flicked over the crowd before he sat back and sighed heavily. It was ironic. No matter what city he was in, no matter what bar he went to, they were all the same. The people, the drinks, the music, and the desperation in the atmosphere. The waitress returned with his drink, but he hardly noticed.
Chris leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table. He was amused now. Quickly, and without fault, he was able to categorize the men. First, there were the would-be thugs. These were the ones who dressed and acted like they were rappers. Baggy clothes, lots of jewelry, the loudest voices. Second, you had the pretty boys. Well, these were the ones who dressed to the nines. The most expensive clothes, immaculate hair and nine times out of ten there was a cell phone stuck to their ear as if they had something more important to do.
Chris narrowed his eyes in the dimly lit room. It was a little harder picking out the third group, but if you looked hard enough you'd see them. They were the "normal" guys. The ones that would probably treat the women the best. The ones that most women wouldn't look at twice. The ones like him. They weren't bad looking, but most of the time, they were just.... overlooked.
Intent on his observations now, Chris had completely forgotten his drink. Moisture pooled around the bottom of the bottle as the dewy droplets made their way down the side. Now it was time to figure out the women. This was definitely much more difficult. Men were simple. They came here to find the "perfect" woman who'd make them look good. Women were a little harder to group.
As far as looks went, all women were pretty in their own mysterious ways. Some people might not agree, but that's what he thought. He knew what types of women he'd see here tonight though. The same types he'd seen in every single dimly lit, noisy, smoky, crowded bar he'd been in. Even with their subtle differences, they were all carbon copies of one another.
The women wore tight clothing that left little to the imagination. Their hair and makeup was done to perfection. Even their plastered on smiles belied the fact that they were just as desperate to find that "someone". What amused Chris the most was that none of these women interested him. Not a single one.
Chris closed his eyes and blew out a breath. When he opened them, his gaze moved back to the table. He pushed the beer away and picked up the damp napkin beside it. He started working on it, his fingers methodically shredding the flimsy paper as his mind raced. He was tired of it all. Tired of the bars, the women...of forcing himself to feign interest.
A few women had recognized him and approached. When his snarled greeting and biting sarcasm hit them fully, they had left quickly and without looking back. That was okay though. He preferred it this way. In fact, he was surprised when another woman appeared in front of him. He looked her up and down, and then flicked his gaze away, dismissing her.
"Hey."
"What do you want?"
He didn't care if he hurt her feelings. He was already in a black mood and didn't need her making it worse. Instead of answering him though, she sat in the chair across from him. Surprised and more than a little pissed, he turned his eyes back to her. This time he took more time and noticed that there was something a little.... off about her.
Oh she was beautiful, he wouldn't deny that, but it was a natural beauty, not one generated by a stylist. Her hair was a deep, rich brown and definitely did not come from a bottle. It fell over her shoulders in a riot of loose curls. Although it was dark, he could tell her eyes were a mixture of colors, ranging from golds to greens to a brown the shade of a fine bourbon.
When she smiled it seemed to require her entire face. Her eyes crinkled with a mischievous glint, her small nose scrunched and her mouth...that was where his attention had been drawn. Full, unpainted lips...small white teeth that were slightly crooked, her smile just seemed to pull his focus, making everything else fade. Chris frowned at her. She had to want something.
"Look, I don't know what you want, but..."
His surly growl didn't seem to bother her a bit and she held up a hand, silencing him. "I don't want anything. I saw you sitting here and thought maybe you'd like someone to talk to."
"Well, I don't."
Her eyes sparkled with amusement and Chris glared back. She took a sip from her glass and licked a few stray droplets off her bottom lip before speaking again. "I think you do."
She seemed so absolutely sure of this that Chris was momentarily speechless. She had a lot of nerve just planting herself in the middle of his bad mood. In fact, she was making him even more antsy just looking at him the way she was. Her eyes seemed to burn into him. They searched his and he looked away, not wanting her to delve too deeply.
"You know," she said evenly, "you think too much."
She cocked her head to the side, studying him and Chris shifted in his seat. He had millions of people watching him almost everyday, but her intent stare unnerved him. Suddenly he decided to change tactics. If he couldn't get rid of her with anger, he'd try to get her to leave by letting her see the 'real' him.
"So, you don't want anything. Why are you here then?"
Immediately interested, she leaned forward on the table and grinned. "I'm glad you asked that. I come here to just watch people."
"Watch.... people."
Chris was confused now. Who came to a bar just to sit and watch? There was always some ulterior motive.
"What's so strange about that? In fact, some would say that's what you've been doing all night."
Chris's eyes widened a bit and he blew out a breath. Damn. She was right. He looked up at her again and the knowing smile on her face just intrigued him even more. "So, let me ask you something," he said. She nodded, urging him to go on. "You do know who I am don't you?"
"What a clich� thing to ask," she said. She cocked her head to the side and for the first time since she'd appeared, she frowned. "I'm not dumb, Chris."
Chris felt his face flush at her tone. It was a dumb question. "Ok, so why aren't you acting like the others?"
"Oh, you mean hanging on to your every word, batting my eyelashes, and giggling like a simpering twit?"
"Well, I wouldn't put it that way, but.... yeah."
She seemed to ponder this for a minute before answering. "Hmmm....I suppose I could do perky," she said and looked at him, her expression grave, "But then I'd have to shoot myself."
It took a few seconds for what she said to hit him, but when it did Chris burst out laughing. When his giggles died down, she grinned at him. "So, he does smile."
"On occasion."
Chris relaxed, letting himself enjoy talking to this mystery woman. She was intelligent and funny. Before long, they were trading sarcastic wit, each trying to top the other. The pulsating fury of the bar faded into the background until just the two of them remained.
They talked and laughed until it was closing time. Chris looked up and was surprised to see that there were only a few stragglers left. He had been so enchanted with this woman that he'd never even noticed. They both stood, knowing it was time to leave. He didn't want to. He wanted to know more about her. Wanted to continue talking to this person who had turned a night of misery into one of entertainment.
"Listen, do you want to go get something to eat?"
She smiled up at him. When they'd stood up he'd had a better view of her all together. She wasn't model thin. Not really fat either, but she looked good. She was curvy in all the right places and her outfit enhanced every one of them. She didn't advertise her body, but she didn't hide it either. He liked that.
"I think I could manage to eat something."
Chris beamed at her and she chuckled at his excitement. They left the bar and he drove them to a small diner nearby. Taking a booth in the back, they ordered their drinks and perused the menu.
"What's your name?"
The woman looked up at him and smiled. "Names are so overrated.... don�t you think?"
"C'mon...really, what's your name?"
She was saved by the waitress who returned with their drinks and took their order. They both ordered sandwiches and decided to share a plate of fries. When she left, Chris turned his attention back to the mystery woman.
"Chris, why did you go to the bar tonight?"
"Me?"
"Yeah, you."
Chris had an answer on the tip of his tongue, but he knew it was just a basic one. He went to have fun, he went to party, and he went to hook up with women. None of them sounded right so he took a drink of his iced tea, washing the words down with it.
"I'll tell you why you went. You were looking for something." Before he could say anything, she quickly continued. "You're not sure what it is, but no matter how hard you look, you can't find it. Not there anyway. You feel there's something you need. You have a longing in you that just won't go away, no matter how many women you try to fill it with."
As her words washed over him, Chris remained quiet. Who the hell was this woman? And how did she know so much?
"You need something tangible in your life. Something you can rely on...something that's completely yours.... something real."
"I don't understand."
He did understand though. Only too well.
"You saw the women in there tonight. Why didn't you pick up one of them? You know damn well you could have had your choice."
Chris shrugged his shoulders, not looking at her.
"I'll tell you why. You didn't because you could see that they weren't real. They were just plastic replicas of something that doesn't satisfy you. They were fabrications of the infamous myth of perfection."
Chris's head was spinning. She had just said pretty much everything he'd been thinking before she'd sat down across from him at the bar. He'd gone to the bar tonight knowing that he wouldn't have a good time. Knowing that he'd end up leaving alone. But he'd gone because.... well, dammit, he was looking for something.
"You're so smart, why'd you go? And don't give me that line about watching people."
"Haven't you figured it out yet?� Chris held his breath as her hand covered his and her thumb traced a pattern over the back of his hand. "I was looking for you."