shawdos ln crowd
268 Words
The sky over New York dimmed into twilight as Isabel Hale shut her laptop and pushed her chair back. Another long day at the firm had drained her, but not enough to turn down Laura’s text: Bar night. Don’t flake on me, Hale.
She smirked.
Minutes later, she stepped into the bar — low lights, pulsing music, and a crowd thick enough to forget about anything serious. She spotted Laura in the corner, waving at her with two drinks already in hand.
“I ordered you a shot,” Laura grinned.
Isabel took the glass and laughed. “You’re going to get me in trouble.”
“Please. Trouble is overdue.”
They toasted and drank. It was the first time in a while Isabel felt herself loosen up. Since her father introduced that man — Jeremiah — everything at work had felt tense.
He was odd. Too observant. Too still. Too perfect.
And too close.
The bar door opened again — a gust of wind, then leather shoes.
Her heart slowed. Jeremiah.
He wasn’t alone this time. The man beside him looked more casual — tattoos peeking from his collar, his smirk not nearly as subtle as Jeremiah’s. They moved with ease, as if they didn’t belong to the crowd but watched it.
Jeremiah’s eyes landed on her almost instantly.
She looked away.
“Who’s that?” Laura followed her gaze.
“No one,” Isabel said too quickly.
Jeremiah didn’t walk over. He simply leaned against the bar counter, glass in hand, watching her like she was the only thing that made sense in the room.
- Writer
