andreaxfernandezxrichardsâ:
Today was a successful failure.Â
Andrea exhaled the prickly anxiety that assumed a rigid posture within her. Once she stepped out of the hospital, the pins that tightened the vexes of her armor unfurled. Her drug trial lived to see another day. Although, just barely. Presenting her findings to the board always came with its own complications, despite the brilliance of her proposal the data weighted the innovation. No one was willing to hedge their best against the big âCâ when lives were the cash out. Cancer was a beast that needed to be slayed. She wanted to be the one who paved the way for the next waves of minds to kill it completely. Her mentor and their team worked on a new bacterial strand that could be used to erode even the most stubborn tumors; but it took its toll on the body. They lost their patient zero earlier in the year and ever since that day, she worked her ass on keeping this project. Without the data points she brought in, today could have been the end. Andrea needed a stiff drink and something greasy to wash it all down.Â
Wandering down the avenue, she stumbled across the swanky bar that attracted a big chunk of her friends. She was off for the next two days, why not enjoy a little bit of the excitement before getting back into the troves of medical journals that lined her apartment. Andrea smiled at the bouncer who watched the doorway before slipping inside. She quite enjoyed the chaos. It was yet another moment she can blend into the fold without a soul noticing her. She leaned into the bar and ordered tequila on the rocks and whatever deconstructed fried mess that was offered. Fifteen minutes of static passed and the warm burn of the tequila on her tongue before she felt the searing feeling of eyes on her back.Â
His confidence swagger fit the handsome way about him. She almost laughed at his brazen attempt at chivalry. âThatâs a mighty forward thing to do. I may be drinking above your pay grade.â Andrea questioned with a softened grin. Stephen mentioned she needed to be âsofterâ.
âGood thing I donât mind watered down tequila.âÂ
A hearty grin appeared without warning, causing his eyes to brighten with humor under the dim fluorescent lights of the bar. âNothing is above my pay grade when it comes to you,â he responded, sliding onto the empty stool next to her. Heâd return to his party in a few, but he needed two things from her before he did; her name and her phone number. With a lift of a hand, Aiden managed to grab the bartenders attention, his smile easy and friendly. âGet her whatever she wants and I mean whatever and put it on my tab.â In his own way he wanted to show her that money really didnât matter. It wasnât like he was struggling, he made good money performing on broadway, off broadway, writing and selling scripts, so affording her drink order wasnât a means to an end. Plus, beautiful women deserved whatever they wanted. It was the law of life. Every man knew at least that.Â
Leaning his elbows on the bar top, his deep molten eyes found hers again. God, she was beautiful and something told him that tonight was probably gonna be his lucky night. Though they were in a crowded bar on a busy night such as this it felt like they were the only two people in the world. âSo what can I do to get a name? Dance? Make a mockery out of myself? Tell me and Iâll do it,â he stated with an easy smile. Aiden had always been easy going, his nature was soft and charming. His family, even his friends, used to always tell him that with just waft of smile coupled with his soft brown eyes he could get anything he wanted. His sister had even once said he was almost hypnotic when he tried. After that heâd definitely called bullshit but it amused him endlessly when they started about how his charm paired with his easy going nature made him a catch. He hoped in this instance it did, because something inside of him wanted to get to know something inside of her.Â
Even sitting this close wasnât enough or so it felt. The feeling was odd, one that heâd only felt one other time before. Distracted by her, he didnât notice when the bartender came back around and dropped his drink order by his elbow. âWithout hesitation too.â he added with a light chuckle. Realization dawned on him that men probably tried to pick her up all the time and suddenly a ball of nerves cartwheeled into his lower abdomen. Nerves, he guessed. He was nerves about her, about her maybe, possibly, thinking he was just as attracted as he thought she was. The feeling reminded him of his fifteen year old self, of the boy whose palms would sweat and whose voice would soften. God, sheâd reduced him to a teenage state. In an attempt to calm his nerves he leaned away from the counter and took a sip of his drink. Women didnât normally make him nervous. He knew how to maneuver them, how to talk to them, how to treat them. But for some reason, with her he was kind of at lost.Â
He just prayed he didnât fuck this up cause heâd personally give his own ass a kick.Â
