A night to remember

The stranger

"What's your name?" he asked, placing his hand on the top of bar. Amelia looked up at him and gave him an angry look, but he didn't flinch and stared directly into her eyes. Her body shivered at the sudden attention, but she kept eye contact.

"Aurora," she lied.

"Aurora, huh," he smirked again, looking straight into her eyes. "You're lying, aren't you." She kept quiet.

"Since we're playing this game, then I'm Steve," he smiled, extending his hand and placing it over the bar top. His voice was low and husky, almost seductive.

A few moments passed with neither of them saying anything. Amelia finally got fed up with waiting for him to say something.

"Look, I told you my name. Now please go away!" she pleaded. She could feel herself starting to panic at this point. Even though she didn't truly want him to leave, she still didn't want to be seen as an easy target. She looked down at the ground, avoiding looking at him. She noticed that everyone else in the bar was staring at them, including the bartender. It was awkward. She tried to ignore him, but he kept getting closer and closer until their faces were inches apart. His face was inches away from hers. She knew he was only trying to intimidate her, but she couldn't help but feel like he was going to kiss her.

He moved one of his hands from the bartop towards her and took her face gently in both his hands. His palms felt warm against her skin. She froze for a moment before relaxing and closing her eyes. She waited for the inevitable lips to come closer... but none did. She opened her eyes again and looked right at him. His mouth wasn't moving. He was just standing there holding her face in both his hands, staring at her.

"You seem nice," he stated. Amelia looked confused. What does that even mean? He let out another chuckle.

"Nice? What do you mean?" she asked. He smirked at her.

"I like your attitude," he whispered in her ear. She shivered.

"So you're just going to leave me hanging after leading me on?" she asked. He smiled, still holding her face in both hands.

"Of course not. I'll buy you a drink. What would you like?" he said, his tone becoming playful. "You're not the only one who likes to play games," he added. Damn, what have I done? I should've told him my real name. He pulled back, looking her in the eyes again.

"What's your drink, sweetheart?" he smirked.

"It doesn't matter what I want," she replied. "What matters is whether you leave me alone."

She tried to sound tough, but the words left her mouth like a whisper. She was angry at him for playing with her feelings like that. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on her lips. She pulled back quickly as his lips touched hers. His mouth was soft and gentle. After a brief moment, he moved back slightly.

"Sorry," he smiled softly. "It's been a while since I kissed a woman. I must have gotten distracted." He chuckled.

Amelia's face burned even more. "I can assure you I'm not trying to be a jerk. It's just that I can't help it."

"Whatever," she scoffed, "just go away. You've ruined my mood." She looked back at him and saw that he was still sitting next to her with no intention of moving. "What are you doing, you asshole?" she yelled. She felt her anger rise again. He stood up, grabbed her arm, and pulled her close to him again.

"You can't stay mad at me forever. The night is still young. It's not like I don't want to give you what you want. I just feel like you can't handle it."

"Try me," she challenged him.

He leaned closer and kissed the side of Amelia's neck. "Let's get out of here and go somewhere fun," he whispered into her ear. She turned around to glare at him again. "Fine," she said, standing up, ready to leave. He grabbed her hand and started leading her outside into the cold winter night. The streetlights illuminated his face and made his blue eyes pop. She didn't know what to think anymore. He seemed way too smooth, far too suave.

"Let's take it to my place," she said impulsively. Amelia didn't know why she said that, but she didn't care. She didn't usually do one-night stands, but this time, she was already on edge; she wanted more of him than just a kiss. She had never been truly involved with anyone, but this guy, she fell in love with the moment she set her eyes on him. Wait! Isn't it too soon to fall in love with a total stranger? Well, she didn't know if she was in love with him, or if it was lust. She wasn't sure if he was even interested in her, so she'd just have to keep it short tonight.

"Okay," he said, nodding. He seemed hot, but Amelia couldn't afford to get attached right now, especially when she was so messed up. "Let's go," she said. They were in his car. She hopped in the passenger seat while he put his suit coat on the back seat. As he buckled himself in the driver's seat, he reached over to turn on the heat for her and said, "So where are we going?"

She shrugged. "Well, I guess I'll drive around a bit, and then you can give me directions."

"Okay." She nodded and closed her eyes. She felt him start up the car and pull out of the parking lot and onto the main road. Amelia started to relax when he suddenly stopped driving and turned to her.

"Are you tired?" he asked with concern. "You seem sleepy." She rolled her eyes. He must be a good actor to act so faithfully.

"No, I'm fine," she lied. She couldn't tell him that she was terrified out of her mind of falling into bed with a stranger, but she wasn't ready to admit that either. He drove through the dark streets for quite some time. She could feel the whiskey starting to do its thing, and it wasn't helping. She didn't think she could handle another of his questions. She opened her eyes to see him smiling. She could see the streetlights flashing in and out of focus in the rearview mirror. She could feel herself slipping into a drunken haze. Suddenly, without warning, he slammed on the brakes. She jumped forward, hitting her head on the window.

"Ow!" she yelped in pain. "What's wrong?" she asked groggily, rubbing her head.

"Nothing," he said.

"Why did you stop?" she asked, annoyed. He didn't say anything but continued to stare out the window. She looked out the window to see they had stopped in front of her apartment. "Oh, we are here," she mumbled.