Page 18 of The Through Duet
I let out a deep sigh, but before I could say anything to that, David was saddling up to me, and I never would have believed that I’d ever be in a position where I’d have to turn down two guys in one damn day.I also didn’t appreciate David interrupting when there was no need.I had laid out the rules as clearly as I could, and he’d been eager to agree to them.
“Hey, Rya,” he said as he slid a quick glance Koen’s way.“Sorry to interrupt, but I was hoping you’d come over and sit with the rest of us when you’re done here.”
Honestly, I didn’t know how to react without making things feel more awkward than they already were.However, Koen beat me to the punch.
“Do you mind?”he asked, his irritation clear.“We’re talking here.”
David’s head reared back a bit, clearly offended.“Hey, man...I was just asking her to join us when ya’ll were done talking.”
“David, I appreciate the invite, but I’m just here to have a beer or two,” I lied, my mood completely ruined, though I wasn’t sure who to blame for that at this point.“I’m...I’m not staying.”
Refusing to take the hint, he said, “Don’t be like that, Rya.I figured we could leave after a few more like last time.”
“Sorry, but I’m going to have to pass,” I said, anger and annoyance dancing in the pit of my stomach.
“But-”
“She said no,” Koen practically snapped.“So, maybe it’s time for you to return to your seat.”
“Listen here, punk-”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Ellen announced, very aware of what was happening in her bar like any good bartender would.“David, you need to return to the other side of the bar, or else I can close out your tab.It’s your choice.”
“Fine,” he bit out before walking away, and I couldn’t remember the last time that I’d felt this embarrassed.
Seriously.
As soon as David was on his way, Ellen asked, “Are you okay, Rya?”
I did my best to give her a convincing smile.“I’m good.I promise.”
Making sure that I was, Ellen looked over at Koen as she asked, “Do we have any misunderstandings here?”
“No, ma’am,” Koen answered wisely.
Ready to cut my losses, as soon as Ellen went back to checking on the other patrons, I looked back over at Koen.“Well, I think that’s enough for one evening.”
“You haven’t even finished your beer,” he pointed out, his voice still dour.
I grabbed the bottle, then practically downed the rest of it in one swallow.After setting it back down on the bar, I said, “I have now.”
Koen didn’t say anything as he pulled out his wallet, then threw an honest-to-God hundred-dollar bill on the counter.However, something told me that he hadn’t done it to show off.After all, he didn’t need to throw big bills around to advertise his bank account; his last name did that well enough.So, my guess was that it was his way of apologizing to Ellen for the drama that she shouldn’t have had to deal with.
When he made it clear that he was waiting on me, I said, “Koen, you don’t need-”
“Let’s go, Rya,” he bit out.“Now.”
Now wanting to cause more of a scene, I obeyed the man, but once we got outside, it was going to be a different story.Though I preferred to live my life unseen, that didn’t mean that I was a pushover.I was quite willing and able to stick up for myself when the occasion called for it, and this was definitely one of those occasions.
“Thanks for everything, Ellen,” I called out as Koen followed me to the front door, and I purposely ignored David to drive the point home.
“Not a problem, Rya,” she called back, though she didn’t address Koen at all.
Once we were outside, I headed towards my car because I wasn’t about to argue with any man in front of a public establishment.Not only was it embarrassing, but I didn’t need the police called on us, and I sure as hell didn’t need anyone recording us for social media fodder.If we were going to argue, then we could do it next to my car, which was a safe distance from Liquid IV’s front door.
As we made our way towards my car, I couldn’t help but notice the dark grey Mercedes that was parked among the dirty work trucks, Toyotas, and other random cars.Its pristine condition stood out like a sore thumb, but then again, Koen hadn’t exactly looked like a regular, either.
The second that we approached my car, he asked, “Really?That guy?”
