This could usually be determined by the guests who gradually, albeit sparsely, arrived and populated the bar as the night progressed. But to Moonlight Jade's amazement, it looked as if she would be alone that evening. She looked back at the bartender, but he was still ignoring her, nor did he seem in any way irritated by the lack of other customers.

Jade reaches the bottom of her glass. She swirled the bright red cherries around for a while, watching them tumble from side to side, before determinedly lifting the jar to her lips one last time, sliding the cherries into her mouth all at once. She closed her eyes with relish and tasted the alcohol-soaked sweetness, a little disappointed that the evening promised to be so uninteresting. Surely it would be best if she put the money for the drink on the table and headed home before she wasted any more time. Jade sighed softly and opened her eyes again. At that moment she gave a start, she hadn't heard the door open and another guest entered the room. She would have expected even less that he would build up directly in front of her and also look into her eyes. Her shock increased as she became aware of the apparition in front of her that was staring at her so openly.

The man was tall, broad-shouldered, and wore his hair long and open.

Dark was the word that first came to mind. He seemed dark, if not necessarily somber, less menacing, although the suddenness of his appearance and his size had irritated her at first. His eyes were also dark, but at second glance they seemed gentle and carried a warm glow inside, which was aimed directly at her and warmed her from the outside.

"I..." she stammered, feeling vague that she had to say something no matter what. But the man raised one of his hands and put a finger to his lips as if to indicate that no word was necessary between them.

"But..." Moonlight Jade fell silent, but her eyes widened when the man lowered his hands and leaned towards her a little as if to study her.

Finally, he nodded for no apparent reason, straightened up again, and looked behind him, exchanging a look with the bartender, who Jade only now noticed was watching her. He nodded mysteriously and with an expression of understanding that seemed unfamiliar to Jade, if not a bit spooky. And then he sat down next to her, on the narrow bench against the wall. Jade Louise gasped in shock, she hadn't expected such a sudden approach.

She involuntarily shifted a little to the side until she was half sitting on the edge and felt more than saw his mouth twist into a brief smile.

"You're not scared, are you?" he broke the silence between them for the first time.

"Of course not," she snapped back quietly, but unkindly enough to make her disapproval clear.

"Then why are you keeping your distance?" he asked, and for the first time, she became aware of his voice. This was dark, as was his appearance. Dark, but sweet like the man I knew a long time ago, and but in a pleasant way. Velvety and soft, the words caressed her senses, and Moonlight Jade felt tempted just to close her eyes and listen to this voice.

She could imagine that voice reciting poetry or prose, singing on a smoky stage, or whispering hot vows of love on a moonlit night. Jade Louise winced and felt herself blush slightly. What on earth was driving such thoughts through her head? She looked down and her gaze fell on his leg, resting so close to hers. She could feel his warmth, the pulsing of his vitality just an inch away from her.

He wore faded jeans that already looked a bit frayed at the knees. Her gaze traveled higher, before she could stop it, traveled up his strong leg to the flannel shirt that blocked any further view.

This also looked faded, robust, of this world, more than she had ever felt of this world.

He seemed like a giant compared to her own form, but if Jade Louise was being honest with herself, that statement didn't exactly repel her.

On the contrary, the man's features were also attractive, sharp, and masculine, with prominent cheekbones and yet unusually large, slightly slanted eyes. And, as if I knew him before. The long hair that reached his shoulders softened his features and gave him an exotic appearance that could not deny his fascination with Jade Louise.

He looked good, Moonlight Jade silently admitted and felt the blush on her face increase.

"Are you feeling unwell?" the man asked and only now did Moonlight Jade notice that he was examining her the way she had been examining him.

She cleared her throat, mostly for her composure to regain before answering as snippy as she could. "I'm not used to having my privacy violated," she stated, looking up at him invitingly. But there was nothing on his face as he replied calmly, "But you don't really mind." It sounded more like a statement than a question and Moonlight Jade felt a little anger add to the other, unexpected emotions. "Of course it does!" she declared defiantly.

The man remained unmoved. His dark eyes still regarded Jade Louise expressionlessly. "Then you want me to go," he said and waited.

To her astonishment, Jade Louise wasn't able to answer him. She wanted to do it and had every intention of doing it. In her mind, she formed the words that would drive the intrusive stranger away from her table.

But the sounds could not make their way from her mind to her throat. So she said nothing and just as naturally, the man stayed close to her. Their silence was only broken when the bartender slipped past them. She hardly noticed him, he was just a shadow on the edge of her awareness and so she was almost amazed when she saw a second drink on the table in front of her.

XXX