8. Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Felix
I hated bars and never saw the appeal of them. But for my sister Mira, I had decided to tag along. I wanted to let loose, I really did but everything reminded me of my ex-fiancé, Evie. Sadly, the wedding had been called off as she had suddenly gotten cold feet, literally at the altar. So that was one of the reasons why I hated the world and didn’t want to enter into another relationship again. Trust nobody , I reminded myself. Only yourself, and maybe my family. I, Felix Bauer, would never fall in love again, I’d swear on it.
Mira was my sweet, twenty-four-year-old sister who looked up to me. There was a three year difference between us. We only had each other growing up as we ended up in care. Our upbringing hadn’t been the best and eventually, our aunt Brenna had stepped in to look after us. We hadn’t even known about her until our birth mother had mentioned her one day. A sad memory flickered in my mind which I couldn’t get rid of.
“When’s Mum coming home? It’s been hours.” Mira said, her eyes wide as we waited at the front door.
“I don’t know, Mira. But it’s okay, you’ve got me.” I held my sister close to me, her petite, fragile frame pressed against me. Her tiny hands were cold and she was shaking. So was I.
I’d tried to protect her over the years but things had changed. The role was flipped now and it seemed Mira was looking after me more than I was of her.
I took another glance at my sad glass of beer and tried to focus on something else or someone else. The girl that crashed into me earlier was laughing at something her friend said, clearly quite drunk now. I thought back to our conversation, or whatever it was. It had been awkward. I decided to get a better look at her. There was no denying she was attractive, dark eyes with a matching complexion and long brown hair that fell against her back. I glanced at her figure as she stood up and couldn’t help but eye up her curves and how her legs were so toned.
She’d said she was here to write an article but didn’t specify the details or even tell me much about herself. Not that I cared. I had sworn off women completely. I did find this girl attractive though, I mean who wouldn’t? I remembered that her name was Alisha and her soft, British accent. I liked the way her voice sounded. Very calming. I needed calm in my life but everything had been a shit storm lately.
“Do you want a different drink?” Mira pulled me out of my thoughts. I didn’t want to ignore her since she’d done so much for me.
“No, it’s okay thanks,” I grumbled, finishing what was in my glass. Mira sighed and I didn’t blame her, she’d been trying her best to get me out of the pit hole I’d fallen into.
“Actually, I’ll have another.” I changed my mind and gave Mira a small smile for extra measure. She looked pleased and ordered us both some vodka, lemon and lime.
With nothing really better to do, I kept on people watching. There were quite a lot of couples here, looking to enjoy their upcoming weekend. Luckily, I wasn’t working this weekend. I worked as a travel agent, which was starting to become a little dull. I was close to handing in my notice, having worked there for nearly six years now. My aunt had always reminded me that I was destined for great things and never to limit myself in a job that doesn’t make me happy. Maybe I needed to listen to her more.
“Felixxx,” Mira drawled, hoping to spring me out of my state of misery. Hey, I never used to be like this. Despite my rough start in life, I’d been the optimistic one. I remembered when I was seven years old, how Mira and I had teamed up one school morning and set off on a hunt for our dad. Of course, we didn’t make it past the school gates as we reached them and we had a stern lecture from the principal about how we shouldn’t skive. We had explained that we were going to find our dad but the principal didn’t believe us.
Well, that was the past, and I was a different person now—more fucked up than I had been. The vodka tasted strong on my taste buds but it was better than the beer. I downed it in one go and then asked for another, wanting to feel a sense of euphoria even if it would be temporary.
“Sorry Mira. I don’t mean to be like this.” I sighed.
“You’re human. You’re still hurting. I get it. But I do think it’s time to move on. Forget about her,” Mira said, and her words made sense, as hard as it would be to acknowledge them.
“I really want to,” I replied, my voice sounding more convincing than usual. I didn’t want to ruin Mira’s evening with my constant complaining so I shut up for now.
Once more, I glanced in Alisha’s direction and noticed the crinkles that would appear around her eyes as she smiled. Her friend seemed more extroverted, with purple streaks in her hair and green eyes. They were clearly close and comfortable with one another as they laughed every so often at whatever was said.
Why did I even care?
By the time the clock turned ten thirty, I knew I needed to get going. Mira also needed to as well since she had a seven o’clock start tomorrow morning.
“Well, I am glad you came out,” she said, finishing her drink. I looked at my sister, and felt grateful for her presence. I also knew how tired she was, since she worked crazy hours in a hospital but still managed to find the time to spend with me. Her heartbroken brother.
“Well, I hate seeing the same four walls when I’m at home,” I admitted. I lived in a small house with two bedrooms. Well, in fact it was the house that I lived in with my ex-fiancé. It had been gifted to me by my aunt, who was stinking rich and wanted the best for her nephew. I owed her so much for that.
“I can’t believe you haven’t sold the place. I would,” Mira said, raising one eyebrow. She was right. I could sell it and repay my aunt. Or do something useful with my life. I loved Austria, always would but maybe one day I’d be brave enough to go to another country. I just needed that motivation.
My attention was diverted once again, to see Alisha who was now getting ready to leave herself, tugging on her jacket. She must have noticed I was staring as she glanced in my direction and had only managed to put one arm through her sleeve. I quickly turned my head and focused on my sister, who was tracing her finger around the rim of her glass.
“Come on Mir, let’s go.” I turned to my sister, pulling on my own jacket with a scarf and beanie.
“Ready,” my sister replied, grabbing a hold of my arm. We crossed paths with Alisha and her friend, and both our eyes locked on one another’s for a mere moment. It was enough to knock the wind out of me but I kept steady on my feet.
As I passed her, I caught her scent. A mixture of jasmine and pine. Even when Mira and I were now walking outside, I could still smell her. And those damn eyes. They wouldn’t leave my head.
Mira had decided to stay the night, which was right, as I wouldn’t let her go home by herself anyway. I made up the spare room for her, and we shared mugs of hot chocolate and cream before bed. As I was now settling down, wrapped up like a burrito in bed, I scrolled through my phone. I didn’t pay attention to short-form content, I never did.
Nothing interesting was showing up on Google, so I placed my phone on charge and told myself to go to sleep.
As I drifted off, it seemed as though I had no control over my mind anymore as images of the mysterious girl flashed one after the other. The way she laughed as she chatted with her friend. The way her jeans hugged her legs. The way she smelt. When we had walked past each other and how instantly our eyes had met. And the way that whatever had happened, I felt compelled to cross paths with her again. I knew I would anyway as this was a small resort. I didn’t necessarily need to be her friend but perhaps if I spoke to her once more, I’d stop thinking about her. I would need to work on my conversation skills though.
I stroked the bruise she had given me when she bumped into me, which was located on my arm. It wasn’t huge but enough to signify she had somehow caused an impact, both physically and most likely mentally.