CHAPTER 3
Scarlet
Just for a moment, my heart sank down to my toes because as Preston Walker stared back at me, it was clear that he didn’t remember me. I remembered those intense gray eyes of his like the back of my own hand, yet he looked back at me as if I was a total stranger. I almost wanted to roll my eyes and turn away from him just because of how old he suddenly made me feel, as if high school had been so long ago; we weren’t that old.
Seconds ticked by with the two of us merely staring at each other. I wanted to say something, but my voice had taken a backseat and all I could do was watch the varying emotions flickering across Preston’s face. He had started out as startled and confused. Then, as his eyes raked over me from head to toe, there was a distinct look of admiration, almost lustful, lurking beneath his gaze.
That made me feel somewhat better…
“Well, stranger, are you just going to stand there and stare at me, or do you want to buy me a drink and catch up for old time’s sake?”
He narrowed his eyes, his mouth wordlessly opening and closing for an instant. His eyes then looked past me. I followed his gaze, seeing that he was looking toward the men he’d been sitting with either. They were paying him no attention though, and it was evident that they had thought he’d left already. He stared at them, frowning. It dawned on me that he still didn’t recognize me, and likely thought his friends had sent me over to him, perhaps as a setup or a joke.
“I’m not here on their behalf,” I said, shaking my head. “You have no clue who I am, do you?”
“Should I?” he asked, his eyebrows raised. “Not that I wouldn’t want to…”
I sighed. “You’re making me feel really old right now, you know that? I know high school was a while ago, but still…”
“High school?” he said. “Are you trying to say that I went to school with you?”
“Ouch,” I said, offended. This guy was my first love, yet he truly had no recollection of me. That didn’t feel good, to say the least.
“Look, I’m not trying to hurt your feelings.”
“But you’re doing a pretty good job of it anyway,” I said, cutting him off.
“Well, can you tell me your name?”
“Scarlet. It’s me, Scarlet Kale.” My voice came out harsher than I’d meant it to. I couldn’t help it though. It was just unfathomable to me that he couldn’t remember me. He’d been my first love, my first date, my first kiss. My first everything. But there he was, staring at me as if I was just some random woman off the streets.
“Scarlet?” he said, as if testing out my name to see if it would feel familiar coming out of his mouth. But he just shook his head. “I’m sorry. That’s not ringing any bells.”
Well hell, I was seconds away from turning on the spot and leaving so that I could pretend the disastrous encounter hadn’t happened.
Go figure I’m single and miserable. I clearly don’t leave much of an impression, I thought bitterly.
Just when I turned around to leave, Preston reached out to me, delicately grabbing my wrist. “Hey, wait,” he said.
I looked back at him, agitated. “What?”
“I’m sorry to have upset you. Can I at least buy you a drink to make up for it?”
I continued staring back into those gray eyes of his, and suddenly, I realized the way they sparkled. And then I began to notice the slow and playful smirk forming on his lips.
Was I imagining things, or was there a knowing gleam in his gaze?
It suddenly occurred to me that he was just playing with me. Teasing me…
He remembered me all along.
I couldn’t help smiling, remembering how playful Preston had been as a kid. In fact, that was one of the things that had drawn me to him; I had always loved the way he could make me laugh with his silly jokes and pranks.
Maybe times hadn’t changed that much after all.
I folded my arms across my chest even though I felt a whole lot less defensive now that I realized he was just attempting to role-play with me, wanting to act as if we were strangers meeting each other for the first time.
I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry. You just look a lot like someone I thought I knew a long time ago.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I figured that much.”
“So, what’s your name, stranger?” I asked.
“I’m Tobias. Tobias Gentry.”
I laughed, impressed that he so easily thought of an alias name right on the spot. He had even said it with so much conviction, if I hadn’t known any better, I would have thought he meant it.
I held out my hand to him. “Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Tobias Gentry.”
He took my hand and kissed the back of it. “Likewise. Scarlet, is it?”
I nodded, although I wished I had given him a different name so that I could play along. But I wasn’t as quick of a thinker as he was, so Scarlet I would have to remain. The whole situation was a little overkill, but if this is how I would finally break my dry spell, I could play along. I mean there had been that one time I wore a nurses outfit for a guy, this wasn’t any different.
“Well, the offer still stands, Scarlet. Can I buy you a drink? And maybe you can tell me a little bit more about this guy you think I am.”
“Sure,” I said, and then glanced back to my friends. They were still so engrossed in their gossip they hardly seemed to notice my absence.
“Friends of yours?” Preston, aka Tobias, asked on our way back to the bar.
“Yeah, but they won’t miss me,” I said.
“You didn’t get into a fight with them, did you?”
“No, nothing like that. This just hasn’t been the most ideal outing for me. They’re boring me out of my mind right now,” I said, and then immediately felt guilty when I saw Mila finally coming back inside. Her eyes darted around the pub for a moment before landing on me and widening in surprise.
I winked at her, letting her know that everything was all right. In return, she flashed me a thumbs up and then returned to the table with the rest of our friends. I quickly turned back toward the bar, away from them, not wanting to witness the moment when Mila inevitably pointed out the fact that I had found male company. I knew it would only be a matter of time before they all began eyeing Preston and gossiping about us instead of whatever juicy topics had kept them so preoccupied thus far.
“What would you like, Ms. Scarlet?” Preston asked.
I paused for a moment, knowing that I’d already had enough to drink for the night. But then I remembered I didn’t have to work the next day, and I certainly had no one to go home to.
“Make it a martini,” I said.
Preston-Tobias waved the bartender over and ordered my drink.
I raised an eyebrow. “You’re making me drink alone Pres, I mean, Tobias?” I said. “Well, that surely isn’t gentlemanly.”
He laughed. “I apologize, but I have an important endeavor in the morning. And I’ve already had too many drinks with my buddies. I think I’m only one drink away from my morning turning into a disaster, and I simply can’t afford that. Matter of fact, I was supposed to be leaving so that I could prepare for the morning but…”
“But what?”
He sighed, his eyes raking over me once again, that lustful expression from before briefly flickering across his face. “I guess I’m more gentlemanly than you think. The thought of walking away from a beautiful woman like yourself right now is more than I can bear.”
I grinned, a slight flush coming to my face as the bartender handed over my martini. “Still a charmer, I see.”
He laughed. “Still?” he said. “You’re still mistaking me for Preston, huh?”
I took a sip of my drink, laughing around the straw. “I’m sorry, Tobias. It’s just that the resemblance is so uncanny.”
“I guess the saying is true then. Everyone has a twin somewhere.”
“Do I remind you of anyone then?” I asked slyly.
Preston-Tobias tilted his head to the side, his expression thoughtful. “I’m not sure,” he said. “I don’t think so.”
I pressed my lips together into a tight line, and then reminded myself to just keep playing along rather than get offended. “Well, the guy you remind me of, we had some good times back in our day. I used to think about him from time to time, wondering what he was up to and what he’d made of himself. Whether he was married or had kids now. You know, that kind of thing.”
“Hmm,” he said. “Sounds like you were pretty into this guy.”
“I was.”
“What happened?”
“We grew apart, as people tend to do.”
“That’s understandable.”
“So, what is it that you do, Tobias?”
“I…I’m in business.”
I eyed him, trying to determine whether he was telling the truth, or whether this was another fabrication to go along with his new identity. But he was so into his role, it was impossible to tell. “Nice,” I said. “Kids? Wife? Girlfriend?”
“No, no, and no. I’ve got an adorable niece that I love like my own though.”
I blinked and stared at him again, having no idea whether I could trust anything coming out of his mouth.
“How about you?” he asked. “What do you do?”
I took another sip of my drink and thought for a moment. But then I faced the realization that I simply wasn’t as inventive as him. There was no hope for me thinking up anything glamorous right off the top of my head. Tobias was simply going to have to get the truth about me. “I’m a nonprofit director.”
“Oh, okay. Cool,” he said. “I really admire people who do nonprofit work.”
“Thanks.”
There was a brief pause in our conversation. “Well,” he said, breaking the silence, “you got pretty deep into my business already. Am I allowed to do the same to you? Kids? Husband? Boyfriend?”
“No, tripled. What?” I asked, upon realizing the way he was staring at me.
He shook his head. “Nothing. I’m sorry. I’s just, you’re so pretty. Just thought for sure you had a boyfriend…”
I almost rolled my eyes, but refrained, understanding that he’d meant it as a compliment. Regardless, I hated when guys commented on my looks as if that alone should ensure my involvement in a happy relationship.
“Obviously I just said something that ticked you off. I’m sorry,” Preston said.
I waved my hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it.”
Another silence passed between us, and I remained overly aware of the way he continued looking at me. And whether it was the alcohol or loneliness, I couldn’t tell, but something about him was drawing me in. I glanced back at him, taking in his appearance up close. He was still ridiculously handsome, but now that I was paying full attention, I noticed there was something different about him that I couldn’t quite place my finger on. Ultimately, I could only chalk it up to how long it had been since I’d last seen him. Who hadn’t changed since high school?
He cleared his throat. “I apologize in advance if I’m being too forward, Scarlet, but do you want to get out of here? I feel like I want to get to know you a little better, if you don’t mind.”
He gazed into my eyes, and I felt butterflies stirring low in my belly. I nodded. “Sure.”