As hard as I tried to stay cooped up in my apartment, I was glad that Evie had coaxed me to come out. The evening was turning out to be fun, despite my initial reluctance to leave my work behind. It felt good to hang out with my friends, laugh, and just relax for a change.

Frankie’s wasn’t as crowded tonight as it usually was, but that wasn’t much of a surprise since there was still a storm raging outside. Neither the rain, nor the winds, nor the threatening thunder had quieted like Evie said they would. But I wasn’t going to let that dampen my spirits.

The girls and I had settled into a cozy booth at the far end of the restaurant and had already ordered some drinks. After fifteen minutes, the waiter finally brought our appetizer tray out. Everything on it looked scrumptious, much like the guy who served them to us. His name was Buzz, and he was a young cutie, about nineteen or twenty. He was kind of bumbling and timid, but seemed to be a nice guy nonetheless. I could also tell we were making him nervous.

If I was in his shoes, I’d be nervous too, tending to a table with five young women from college. Between me, Evie, my roommate Addison, and our friends Dacia and Holden, there was no denying that we were a fun and lovely group of ladies. Which is why Buzz probably looked so panicked every time he came back to our table.

Buzz, fumbling with his notepad and stumbling over his words, asked us if we needed anything, and we told him we were fine for now. He told us he’d come back and take our entrée orders, then headed back towards the kitchen, and I caught Addison checking out his ass.

“Scoping out your next boyfriend, Addison?” I teased her, before digging into the appetizer tray. I grabbed one of the small plates at the corner of the table, and snatched up a potato skin, which was tethered to the platter by a long, stubborn ribbon of cheese. I took my knife and severed the string of cheddar.

“Uh, no,” she answered briskly. The girls laughed. “He’s adorable, but I’m not looking, honey, trust me.” She flipped her straight, silky black hair over her shoulder.

“Is anyone at this table looking?” Holden asked, her penetrating emerald eyes scanning all of us.

There was a long, awkward silence at first, but then the “no’s” started trickling out.

“Nope,” I answered first.

“No,” Dacia came in behind.

“Single and not ready to mingle,” Evie said.

“So, what’s everyone been up to this summer, then? If no one has been dating?” I asked the table.

Evie, unsurprisingly, was the first to answer my question. She was the most vocal in the group, and also the most honest, which was one of the things that I loved most about her.

“Well,” she started dramatically. “I went to South Padre Island with a boy toy, and—”

“Wait, boy toy?” Addison cut in. “I thought we just established that this was the Sisterhood of Single Ladies.”

“Could you let me finish, pushy pants?” Evie snapped jokingly. “He’s just… someone I can have fun with. You know, like…”

“Like a friend with benefits, basically,” Dacia finished for her, sounding a little judgmental. “Come on, Evie, you never mince words. Out with it!”

“Well, I didn’t know exactly what to call it. I really don’t like that term ‘friend with benefits’,” she said, throwing up air quotes. “It just sounds… icky.”

The table erupted in laughter, Addison laughing the loudest. “Icky? What are you, five?” Tears poured from the corners of her eyes.

“Okay, you know what, screw all of you. You don’t get to hear the rest of the story!” Evie snipped, folding her arms like a spoiled brat.

“It’s okay, Evie,” I tried to reassure her, gently touching her hand. “You can finish your story. Ignore Addison.”

Buzz interrupted the arguing when he came back to the table with pen and pad in hand, looking a little more confident than he had before, like he had just gone out back and given himself a pep talk.

“Alright, lovely ladies, have you all decided what you want to order?”

We all looked at each other, dumbstruck, because we hadn’t even peeked at the menu yet. We were so busy making fun of Evie and her no-strings-attached summer buddy.

“Uh, we need some more time,” I said coyly. “Sorry. We’ll be ready when you come back next time, though, I promise.”

“Okay, take as much time as you need. No worries,” he replied, closing his pad and stuffing it into the pouch of his apron.

“Thanks, Buzz,” we all said in unison. He walked back towards the kitchen, probably to muster up the courage to come back to our table for a third round of conversation.

“So, McKinley, what have you been doing all summer?” Holden asked me we’d finally looked at the menu.

“Studying mostly, for chemistry classes. And I’m still interning at Friendly Flippers. So, I’ve been doing that about three days a week.”

Friendly Flippers was a non-profit, dolphin assisted therapy foundation. People with disabilities from all over the world would come to participate in their therapy programs and I had been lucky enough to get an internship with them last summer. I mainly worked with the trainers, helping them with the care for the dolphins. However, my favorite days had been had been spent in the water, assisting with the therapy sessions.

While the girls continued chatting, in the distance, I could hear a lively conversation taking place at the bar. I looked over to locate the source of the ruckus and saw a group of about six people who all appeared to be professionals, immersed in a spirited discussion. Within the group, there was one man who seemed uninterested in what was going on, which was apparent by the small wedge of space he’d created between him and the rest of his associates. He stepped down from his stool and checked his watch, looking around for anything to take his attention away from what appeared to be a frivolous exchange.

My heart jumped instantly when I was able to see him entirely; he was one of the most striking, most handsome men I had ever seen in my life. He was tall and muscular, with sandy blonde hipster hair that set him apart from his friends. His face was sexy and masculine: he had a strong jawline, with a scattered bit of five o’clock shadow, and green eyes. And I admired his fashion sense; I had never seen a guy rock a pair of skinny pants so well, especially with his muscular calves filling them out so entirely.

“See something ya like?” Addison teased. I guessed I deserved that for earlier. Her question snapped me out of my lust-filled daze. I hadn’t been on a date since last year and seeing this hunk of a man reignited my desire in a way that surprised me. I knew he was older than me, though. Judging from his looks, I guessed he was at least twenty-eight, so, he had about seven years on me. But I could deal with that. Older men were much more mature, respectful, and in many cases, hotter than dudes within my age bracket.

“Do you see him?” I whispered, low and discreet, directing them to the bar with my eyes. Like idiots, all four of them turned their heads to where he was standing, then grinned like giddy schoolgirls.

“Wow, way to be not obvious, guys,” I said sarcastically.

“That man is sexy,” Addison commented, batting her eyes at no one in particular.

“Hands off, he’s mine. You said you weren’t looking, remember?” I reminded her.

“Um, you did, too, sweetheart. Let’s not forget,” she responded sassily.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Hey, sometimes when you’re window shopping, you see something you just have to buy, right?”

The girls laughed at me and went back to their conversation, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of Mr. Mysterious at the bar.

Who IS that man? I thought to myself as I continued to watch him.