It didn’t feel how she imagined it would. She thought there might be some sort of “ah ha,” or that all the memories of him (good and bad) would come flooding back to the forefront of her mind. At worst she’d imagined anger or sadness about how it ended, at best she thought she’d feel peaceful knowing that he was okay and not dead. But seeing him again wasn’t like any of those things. It was a shock.
Unexpected and sharp, it took the wind out of her. She was dumbfounded. She hadn’t even realized he was back in Bayside. But there he was, Rhys Ahn, her ex-boyfriend, high school sweetheart, and probably the only person she’d ever really been in love with (not that she would admit that to herself). And now, Rhys Ahn, the bartender? He was busy mixing a cocktail of some sort for a customer sitting there behind the bar, head down. Mel had only taken a few steps into the bar, she could turn back now before he noticed her, avoid what would undoubtedly be one of the more awkward exchanges since her return to Bayside. But she didn’t. Something made her stop and stare, there was a magnetism to him, the way he looked when he focused. This person had once meant the world to her, and she still had a chance to leave before she was noticed. She could probably flee even if he did notice her, she didn’t expect he would chase after her, since he was working.
But she didn’t go, he had disarmed her instincts. Rhys had always had a way of doing that to her, disarming her without even trying. A fact that, naturally, she’d always tried to hide from him. She stood there for a few moments more. Unconsciously, she took a few steps toward the bar, accidentally knocking an empty glass from a nearby table with her purse. She experienced one of those slo-mo moments from the movies as she scrambled to rescue the glass, her failure marked with a cacophonous crash.
She should have left when she had the chance.
rhys hadn’t noticed her until he heard the crash. he was momentarily distracted from his work by the sight of her. he couldn’t help the small smile that quirked on his lips when he realized that mel had been the one who knocked over the glass. after another short pause he finished up what he was doing with the glasses in his hands, finishing the exchange with the costumer. he offered them a small apology before grabbing a rag and leaving his spot from behind the bar.
when rhys had heard that mel’s grandmother had passed away he wasn’t sure how to respond. he felt upset of course, but it also made him think about how it also meant that most likely mel would be back in bayside. even if only for a short period of time. he had attended the funeral but he didn’t know how to approach her then. even now he didn’t know what he was meant to say to her. it had been enough years that he’d forgotten what it was like to be around mel. now at least they had the ice breaker of the glass she’d broken (instead of the fact that they were mourning her deceased grandmother).
“you should be more careful.” rhys said without looking at her as he bent down to clean up the broken glass with a rag. thankfully the piece it shattered into were fairly big so it was an easy job. once he was fairly certain that all the pieces were gathered into the rag he stood. when he was back at his full height he looked down at mel (he’d forgotten how tiny she actually was as the presence she always had in his life had been a large one). he opened his mouth so speak but closed it immediately. what was he supposed to say to his first (and essentially only) girlfriend who he hadn’t spoken to in years? that was one life lesson rhys ahn had missed out on. they had been so close (she was his first love) but now it just felt like they were strangers.
“hi.” rhys finally continued once he found words (or rather one syllable of word). he may have sounded stupid but the emotions and thoughts running through him forbid him from articulate anything past that.
