1 Life After Her Unwanted Suitor
Grayson had been coming to the club that Ariel worked at for several months before she ever had reason to speak to him and his beautiful green eyes. He would typically arrive before her shift, so she didn’t ever have to serve him his drink. He kept mostly to himself while sitting at the end of her bar, nursing a single drink the whole night. She thought he was beautifully handsome with his long dark hair always pulled into a folded ponytail, man-bun, on the back of his head. He had a full beard that was just as dark as his hair, fair skin, and a slender yet strong build. Everything about him was beautiful, the way he walked, the clothes he wore, the time and energy he put into himself, and even, or perhaps especially, the deep rich smooth sound of his voice. He was alluring, intriguing, and mysterious to her, and way out of her league. She was not the only one who found him beyond attractive. Each night he turned the head of every female and some males in the club. For the longest time, he left with a different female every night. Once they spoke, just a single word to each other, he never left with another.
From the beginning, their friendship was unique and unusual. He was altogether hypnotic and mesmerizing in his calm and quiet demeanor. She was as powerfully drawn to him as he was to her. She opened to him like a morning flower does the rising sun. It all started with a single careless touch of her fingers on his hand and a glance into the mystery of his eyes. Every touch sent tiny shocks through them. He was nearly an open book to her hiding only the necessary things. She withheld nothing of herself from him. She fell faster and harder into the mystery of him than she thought could ever be possible. He’d never felt anything as deep or strong as his feelings for her. Events in the world outside the club forced them closer together than either were prepared for and she suddenly found herself living in one of his extra rooms at his estate. Every day she walked the grounds of his estate in wonder of the beauty around her. Every night they went to the club. She worked the bar, and he sat at the end of it, nursing his drink and watching her work.
She’d known Michael for as long as she could remember, at least since she started working at the club over 3 years ago. He was also an exceptionally handsome man. His eyes were a beautiful, bright and clear, cerulean blue set in a face that could have only been made by the Gods, if not then blessed by them completely. He had blond hair that was constantly perfectly styled. A dense blondish-red scruffy beard graced his cheeks, jaw, lip, and chin. But it could not hide the strong structure of his chiseled chin or the fine shape of his alluring face. If ever she were to fancy anyone other than her dark-haired fair Grayson, it would be him. She once did, but he fancied someone else. That was an interesting pain she had to work past. Until Grayson snuck into her life she was only interested in tall blond, handsome men and Michael certainly fit that mold. Like Grayson, he had an ethereal air to him. Something felt so different about each of them. Neither of them seemed to quite fit into the paradigm of the world they all lived in, though Michael fit far better than Grayson did. Michael used to saddle up to her bar and talk about the wind. He hadn’t since Grayson came into her life. She missed his presence at her bar, but not enough to complain about it.
Maeve, beautiful beyond beauty, spent most of her time up on the third floor of the bar with Michael. She had long dark hair, rich beautiful deep brown eyes, a long narrow back that she often left exposed, and a smile that could outshine a thousand suns. She was Ariel’s definition of sultry beauty, grace, and eloquence. Even her voice, on the occasion that they spoke, was full of smooth grace and elegant beauty. Every man wanted her. Every woman wanted to be her—everyone, except Ariel. The tense relationship between Grayson and Maeve was one that she would not survive. She did not know how right she was.
Ariel looked around. She spied the club owner, and subsequently one of her best friends, Sam was up in the sky room looking down at the situation that she was living as it unfolded. His strong and constant friendship had seen her through many rough spells in her life. They had known each other for years. He was tall, muscular, and extremely handsome. His deep brown eyes were always clear and filled with joy or worry depending upon what was going on in the world of his friends. He was always quick to offer her a hug and hold her tight when her fears overwhelmed her. He was her anchor in the ocean of life. She couldn’t ask for a better friend or a better boss.
Darius, her bar mate and best bud, was also a constant in her life. She was graced with his presence every night she worked and often saw him outside of work. He had only been her friend since they both joined the team at Bey Luna Beatz LA but she felt like she’d known him her entire life. She was momentarily surprised when she discovered that the young man she considered a brother was also friends with Grayson. She had rarely noticed their interaction before. She and Darius had a strong friendship she deeply appreciated. Darius was her partner and protector. He was always there beside her, helping to handle the unruly and sometimes unwelcome patrons that came to the bar they ran with Sammy on the first floor of the club. It was like he always knew when she needed him. Her life at the club before Grayson was far from ordinary. Her life in general was. She didn’t know a single other person who could do what she could do. It wasn’t like there was a support group for clairvoyants or one that didn’t seem like some kind of joke. She could prepare drinks before people ordered them. Sometimes a touch from a stranger could trigger a vision. She never knew how, when, or what she would see. She had seen more human cruelty, pain and suffering, and criminal activity than she could imagine. Some experiences left her drained. Some left her angry, while others made her feel hopelessly useless and unable to help the person who touched her when that person separately needed help. The burden became too much to bear, so she stopped touching people and did everything in her power to prevent them from touching her.
Her years of education left her with the uncanny ability to mix drinks with varying chemical reactions and astounding visual effects. Her understanding of physics and intuition allowed her to put on one hell of a show while mixing those special drinks. Tips were good and most people were kind. If they weren’t, they had Sam, Darius, and Grayson to deal with. The unlucky ones had to deal with Grayson. Together, they had run off one would-be suitor. Ariel’s life settled into a beautiful routine. Club life was quiet and yet extremely loud. Work was fun for Ariel again until a ridiculously beautiful handsome stranger walked up to her bar.
