While You Were Gone: A Thought I Knew You Novella Read Online Free PDF

smile to the bartender, who nods back.
    “Another?”
    “One more, then I’m out. Going home.” I suck on the olive, tangy and sweet, and absently watch the television.
    “Going home? You’re the only one in here worth talking to.” A guy hovers to my left, the kind of guy that romance novels would call dangerously good looking. Dark hair, dark eyes, chiseled jaw, black jacket. I side-eye him and try not to smirk. Truthfully, he smells like pine and something wonderful, and I half want to fall for it all. Faraday’s is where a local girl can go to get hit on, picked up, and anything else her little lonely heart desires. I flash on the image of a guy, this guy, in my bed, between my legs, kissing my neck. Where Scott used to be. I inch closer.
    “That guy who left you here is a jerk.” He leans in, and his face is inches from my face. All our little face electrons jump around, making sparks.
    “You’re right. He is a jerk,” I agree. The leather from his jacket brushes against my hand. My fingers tap against my elbow. I give him my best “rescue me” face, batted eyelashes and pouty lip. I think about how much fun this can be, this little stupid game, and how I forgot about that. With Scott around, I haven’t really played it in a while. My mood fizzles out like flat pop. I straighten up, lean back, and give Leather Jacket a smirk. “He’s also my brother.”
    “Well, brothers can be jerks, too.” He shrugs, his smile edging up higher on one side. “I have a sister. I bet I’m a jerk sometimes.”
    “I don’t doubt it. Listen, I’m not really the best company. This was fun, meeting you, if that’s what you call this. I don’t know your name but—”
    He extends his hand. “Mike Potter.”
    I take it reluctantly. “Nice to meet you, Mike, but I think I’m about to leave.”
    “Really? So soon?” He stands up, his back against the bar. “Listen, I’m going to run to the little boys’ room. I’ll get you one more drink, and when I come back, we can start over. Just talk.” He holds up his hands. “No come-ons, I swear.”
    “That is actually a come-on. Just so you know.”
    He motions for the bartender to get me one more drink—which is one more than I promised myself I wanted ten minutes ago—and trots off in the direction of the bathroom. Who the hell says “little boys’ room”? A free drink is a free drink. Oh, my God, I’m my mother.
    “Pay no attention to Mikey. This is what he does. He’s a ‘God’s gift’ kind of guy.” The guy is leaning against the bar, sorting peanuts into small piles. “I mean, to be honest, it generally works for him. I guess I don’t know if it’ll work this time or not, but he’s rarely brushed off.”
    “I wasn’t brushing him off. I’ve just had the world’s shittiest day. Normally, I’d play along.”
    “Okay, you go first. ’Cause I think I can beat you.” He’s cute. Average. Glasses and a nice smile. Smart eyes, where you can tell he’s watching the world behind those glasses, even though they look like—
    “Hey, I know you.” I almost say penny eyes but stop myself. He’s the guy I ran into in the street, knocked his files over.
    “Yeah, I know. You ran into me the other day.” He ducks his head, a small smile playing on his lips before he redirects his attention to the hockey game.
    “I’d call it a mutual… crash. But, yeah.” I stab the olive at the bottom of my glass and bite it. “So tell me your day. I bet I win.”
    “This is like the worst happy-hour conversation I’ve ever had.” He leans back, and his full smile is nice. Wide and friendly. “Okay, so the other day, when I packed, I did a terrible job, which is crazy because I travel constantly. I should be good at this. But I forgot”—he ticks it off on his fingers—“my toothbrush, my razor, extra boxers, and my lucky tie. Also, I forgot my notebook, which I carry everywhere, that had all my flight info in it. So, fine, I use the kiosk and my