Sinner(107)
“It’s Serena, right?”
I nod, sucking on my teeth for a second as my eyes flit across his face. “Landon, from Denver, right?”
“That’s me, Landon from Denver. It’s always a great ice-breaker. None of that boring ‘where are you from’ crap.”
I grin in spite of the corniness.
“I’d offer to buy you a drink, but, uh…” he raises a brow as he nods his squared, chiseled jaw at the bare bottle and the little serial killer pile of label next to it.
I grin back, shrugging. “Kinda psycho, huh?”
“I’ve seen worse.”
“You sure about that?”
He shrugs, moving closer and leaning against the bar top next to me. “Depends. Do you have a plastic-wrapped room somewhere and a collection of victims’ blood samples?”
I nod contemplatively. “No, but I do turn into a werewolf at midnight.” I shrug. “Sorry.”
Landon flashes a grin at me. “Guess we’ve got a little time then.”
He turns to the bartender, seemingly effortlessly pulling his attention away from everyone else waiting for a drink.
“Could we have another victim- I mean IPA over here, and one more of these?” he adds, tapping his glass.
Okay, he’s smooth. He’s very smooth.
He turns back, but this time, I’m studying him a little closer.
“Aren’t you supposed to be out at dinner with my friend right now?”
He grins and holds his hands up. “Not ‘out to dinner’ out to dinner. Just a business thing, actually.” He holds my eyes with his, and it’s then that I see that they’re green, like mine.
The bartender slides our drinks in front of us. Landon passes me my beer, finishes his drink, and then reaches for his fresh one. He brings the glass of whiskey to his lips and takes a slow drink, before dropping it from his mouth and shrugging.
“And in any case, your friend bailed.”
I laugh and raise my beer. “Well, cheers to being stood up then.”
“You too?”
I make a face. “Tinder date, and yes.”
He snorts and clinks his glass to mine.
“Tinder, huh?”
I roll my eyes. “My first time using it. My first date from a stupid phone app, and I get ditched. Nice, huh?”
“Fucking technology.”
I laugh. “I’ll drink to that.”
I tilt the bottle back and take a swig, and out of the corner of my eye, I see the door to the place open again.
Oh you’re kidding me.
It’s Jared. Radical anti-capitalism, dope-BBQ loving, bro-chilling, Tinder-date-ditching Jared. Jared who also immediately notices me, freezes for a second, and then grins as he gives me a double thumbs up.
Seriously?
I groan, and Landon looks up, following my gaze to see Jared stumbling and pushing his way through the crowd towards us.
“Friend of yours?”
“Tinder date, actually,” I sigh.
Landon snorts a laugh, just as Jared reaches us.
“What up, Selene?”
“It’s Serena.”
Jared whips his head around and glares at Landon. “Who the fuck are you?”
“I’m her date,” he says without missing a beat “Who are you?”
Jared’s face scrunches up in confusion as he sways on his feet, clearly drunk.
“N- no,” he says, still looking confused. “No, I’m her date.”
Landon turns and winks at me as I hide my grin in a sip of beer. He turns back to Jared.
“No, I’m quite sure I am.”
“Bullshit,” Jared spits out. “I matched with her, man. I picked her.”
“She’s not a carnival prize, pal.”
This time I do snort a laugh.
Jared’s mouth scrunches up, making him look even more childish.
“Look, fuck off okay? You’re totally cock-blocking me, dude.”
Landon smiles. “I’m not sure I can take credit for that.”
“This is my date, dick.”
“Your date.”
Jared nods.
“And yet, you’re late and drunk.”
“And at the wrong place,” I throw in.
“And at the wrong- wait, seriously?” Landon turns to me, cocking a brow.
I nod.
He whistles lowly as he turns back to Jared, shaking his head.
“That’s pretty bad, buddy,” he says with a wince on his face. “What’s your name, by the way?”
“Jared,” he huffs.
“Well, Jared my friend-”
“I’m not your friend, bro.”
Landon nods, ignoring him as he puts an arm over his shoulders.
“You’re right, Jared, I’m not your friend.” He sighs. “But you know what I am?”
Jared shakes his head.
The smile drops from Landon’s face like a rock, and his eyes narrow.