A Romance Sort of Thing

Chapter 1: Just a Bartender

I sat down in the comfort of my couch, letting its soft fabric engulf me. Closing my eyes for a minute, I leaned my head back and listened to the silence of winter as crystal snowflakes floated from the sky to the ground outside the window. Nearby, my cat's purring became louder and louder as she ran up to me and jumped swiftly on my lap, rubbing her face on my chin as her paws dug into my shoulder.

"How are you doing girl?" I talked to her soothingly while petting the top of her head gently. She eventually relaxed and curled up by my side, closing her eyes as she fell asleep looking like a bundle of white fur.

I grabbed the diary from the wooden table next to me, and opened it to a page filled with my father's handwriting that I had previously read, and began re-reading it. The diary had belonged to my father. I had found it a few years prior, close to the time he and my mother died in a car crash. They always acted like normal people, but the journal made me re-think their sanity.

"Werewolves, royalty, evil, and witches. It's not real though, so why would someone write it down in their personal diary?" I asked myself and my cat who was content sleeping beside me, her warmth radiating into my thigh.

Something about the way it was written in the diary kept making me feel like it was something more than fiction. That's impossible. I even looked on the internet and there are only myths and nonsense. One particular story in the journal that stood out me though was my father and mother adopting a baby from a werewolf father because the baby's mother was an evil Queen from a witch coven. I am their only child though. This had to be made up. This is not real.

I sighed, setting the journal back on the table. Looking at the clock, I saw it was about time to head to work. I got up causing Aaylah to shift and stretch out with her claws extended. She gave a big yawn before knotting herself up in some goofy position. She made my day.

I went to my room to get changed for work. After rummaging through my clothes for a while I settled on a form-fitting, sexy red top with lace over my cleavage and my usual black slacks. I quickly put on some makeup and tied my long hair back into a ponytail, letting my waves do their thing.

Grabbing my keys and purse, I took off to the bar and grill downtown where I worked.

I was one of the main bartenders at this bar and grill. Most weekend nights, like tonight, are busy. It was a Saturday night and everyone was out enjoying their weekend. My co-worker, Shelbie, -a young, petite, bubbly blonde- almost always worked shifts with me. She was good at her job and a ton of men always drooled over her. At least the woman made some damn good tips though.

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As the end of the night neared and the crowd in the bar and grill started dying down, I felt a sudden knot in my stomach, causing me to cringe a little. I felt chills and goosebumps on my arms and down my back. What was it? Maybe I'm coming down with a bug. Good thing the night is almost done.

"Hey, Lillith! Can you get that gentleman in the corner his rum and coke? The one in all black and a ball cap, please and thank you!" Shelbie yelled at me enthusiastically from the bar, snapping me out of my zone from cleaning some counters.

"Sure, Shelbie. I got it!' I said happily, walking over to the coke tap and mixing together a rum and coke. Finishing up his drink I searched for the description Shelbie gave me, and there he was in the corner, his ball cap covering his face as he was looking downward.

"That will be $4.50, sir" I said as he looked up at me. I felt my heart stop and my stomach started forming a bigger and tighter knot. My body felt cold as I was frozen and unable to function.

"Here's a five and you can keep the change," he replied, his voice sounding angelic yet masculine. Snapping out of my trance, I realized I was just staring at him while he was holding out a five-dollar bill. I grabbed the money quickly from his hand as he gave me a smirk, making me turn on my heels quickly as I tried to walk away as fast I could to the cash register.

I glanced back over at him from the cash register. He was still staring at me with a smirk on his face, making my heart feel like it would burst out of my chest any second. I could see the curls of his black hair sticking out from under his cap. His eyes dark brown, he had olive skin, and his toned muscles were popping out of the snug long-sleeve turtleneck he wore. I looked away quickly, feeling my cheeks heat up in a blush as I realized that I was staring at him again. Quickly trying to gain focus again, I glanced at the bar which barely had any people left in it.

"Hey Shelbie," I said while walking over to her. "Do you think you'll be okay closing up? I'm not feeling too well," I asked shakily.

"Yeah, I will be okay girl! I got some of the servers here to help me if I need it. You go home and feel better" she said sincerely. 

"Alright. I will see you later, Shelbie. Thank you so much!"

I gave her a quick hug and headed out the back door, grabbing my stuff on the way out. I stepped out and immediately noticed it was still gently snowing. The soft white snowflakes flew into my face causing me to squint a little. The air was colder than usual causing my nose and cheeks to sting. I deeply inhaled and exhaled. I felt my body relax, and I could finally breathe again being away from that mysterious man in the bar. The thought of him lingered in my mind.

Walking around to the parking lot to my car, I unlocked the door and saw the bar doors open. It was the man who was dressed in all black. My breath caught in my throat as my heart rate increased significantly in a matter of seconds. He caught my gaze and smirked again, making me blush and quickly glance down at the ground.

Opening my door, I got into the car, started the engine and put the defrosters on. My windshield was covered in snow. I reached behind me and grabbed my icebreaker that had a snow brush on the backside. I got out of the comfort of my car and started to brush the snow off the windows and hood, glancing around while doing so. Why did I feel so paranoid? After seeing no one in sight, I let out a sigh of relief. The man was gone and no one is out here.

After I felt satisfied with how much snow I got off, my fingers were numb and stinging from the cold. I reached out to my car door handle, and that's when I heard footsteps coming from behind me. They were quick. Too quick. I turned around to see what was going on, and a hand covered my mouth while the other held me tight as I tried to wiggle out of its grasp. I tried to scream but no one could hear my muffled noises. I tried to kick my attacker, but he seemed unfazed by any strength I had. There was a stinging in the side of my neck, and within seconds black dots began to blur my vision. Suddenly my body went numb and everything whirled into darkness.

Audience:

**What does everyone think of this first chapter?

**Is there enough suspense?

**What is going to happen to Lillith when she wakes up?

Again, thank you, thank you so much for reading my book! (:

xoxo