𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐖𝐀𝐘

Silas had become my everything so fast it seemed almost unreal. I thought back to the day we met. The day I can honestly say changed my life forever.

I wasn't at the bar that night looking for love. Honestly, love was the last thing on my mind. I'd showed up with my friends just looking to release some pent-up energy from a brutal week, letting loose on a sticky, packed dance floor where no one knew my name or cared enough to ask. It was supposed to be mindless. Nothing more than sweat, heavy bass, and blurring into the background.

You know that sudden prickle on the back of your neck when you realize you're being watched? I stopped mid-step, wiping a stray lock of hair from my forehead, and looked up. That's when I caught them. These intense hazel eyes, sharp as a switchblade, slicing straight through the crowd and looking right at me. He wasn't doing that casual, modern-dating glance where a guy looks away the second you catch him. He didn't even blink. He just stood by the edge of the bar tables, completely still, locked onto me like I was the only moving part in the entire room.

At that moment, time itself seemed to slow down. I smiled at him, finding it kind of flattering the way he was watching me, but he just continued studying me. It should have made me walk the other way. It should have sent me running back to my friends for cover. But there was something so intense about his stare, a total lack of the usual bullshit games, that made my chest tighten.

Before I could even process the heat creeping up my neck, he was moving. He didn't weave through the crowd smoothly; he just parted it, walking straight toward me with that same focus until he was standing close enough that I could feel the unnatural heat radiating off his skin. He didn't ask what I was drinking or try a cheesy line. He just looked down at me, his jaw tight. He was a few inches in front of me but at least a foot taller.

"Are you okay?" he asked me. His voice was rough and low, like he hadn't used it all day.

I blinked, completely caught off guard, a breathy laugh slipping out. "Yes, I think so. Are you?"

"Yeah," he said, his eyes scanning my face so intensely it felt like a physical touch. "But I think you're really gorgeous. And I'd be better if you'd let me take you out, honestly."

My eyes flashed with a glint of surpise at his direct honesty. I found myself appreciating his transparency and valuing my time. Before my brain could even fully process what was happening, the words slipped out of my mouth.

"Well, I want you to be your best," I said, a slow smile creeping onto my face as I locked eyes with him. "When do you want to take me out?" I asked, fluttering my lashes as I observed his handsome features. Bushy eyebrows and long lashes enhanced those beautiful eyes, freckles peppered across his cheeks, a strong nose, and smile-lines that showed many happy days.

"Right now? I'd be happy to leave." He offered.

His response was so fast, and so completely devoid of any "cool guy" hesitation, that my heart did a little flip. Silas just stood there, completely earnest, waiting on my answer like it was the only thing that mattered in the world.

"Right now works for me," I said, the boldness of my own voice surprising me.

I pulled out my phone, typing a quick text to my friends through the haze of the flashing bar lights, letting them know, "hey, heading out early, love you guys, see you tomorrow!" before slipping it back into the pocket of my jeans. I didn't want them worrying, but I also knew I didn't want to spend another second on a crowded dance floor when this beautiful, mysterious stranger was offering to walk away from it all for me.

"Lead the way," I murmured with an excited grin.

Silas nodded, his jaw relaxing just a fraction. When he reached down and took my hand, it completely engulfed mine. His palm was huge and calloused, radiating that same strange, intense heat I'd noticed when he first walked up to me. But what struck me wasn't just the size of his hand. It was how incredibly careful he was with me. A guy that big, standing a full foot taller than me even with my platform boots on, could have easily squeezed too hard or dragged me along behind him. Instead, his grip was light, almost tentative, like he was worried about breaking me.

We pushed through the heavy double doors of the bar, leaving the suffocating heat and the thumping bass behind us. Outside, the night air was crisp and cool, a sharp contrast to the fire humming right beneath his skin. A few blocks down the road, the faded neon sign of the local twenty-four-hour diner buzzed against the dark sky, casting a warm, blurry glow on the pavement.

As we started walking side-by-side toward it, a sudden wave of reality hit me. Logically, I should have been at least nervous. I was twenty-one, walking down a quiet street in the middle of the night with a massive man I'd known for a grand total of five minutes. I was usually the protective one in my friend group, the one who watched for red flags, checked the backseats of cars, and trusted absolutely no one. By all accounts of common sense, my internal alarm bells should have been screaming. But for some reason, they weren't.

Instead, looking up at his profile, noting the way the streetlights caught those sweet freckles on his cheeks, contrasting against the sharp line of his jaw, a bizarre sense of calm washed over me. The wind blew past us, carrying a faint, earthy scent of deep pine woods and fresh rain that seemed to cling to his clothes. Something deep down, past all logic and learned caution, whispered that I was going to be okay with him.

We walked to a diner located less than a block away. The vibrant LED lights greeted us as we approached, reflecting off our faces. Our brief walk was mostly silent but I broke it to ask some vital questions.

"What's your name? Were you at the bar alone?" I asked curiously.

He looked over and down at me as we walked before answering.

"Silas," he said, his rough voice carrying a low vibration that I could almost feel in my own chest. "My name is Silas."

He reached out with his free hand, pulling open the heavy glass door for me, a little bell chimed above our heads as the warm scent of grease and cheap coffee hit us. I inhaled deeply, finding the scent to be rather comforting.

"And no, I wasn't alone," he continued, guiding me inside toward an empty vinyl booth in the back corner. "A friend of mine practically dragged me out tonight to be his wingman. I don't usually go to bars. Too loud, too many people, not really my scene."

I slid into the booth, my boots clicking against the metal legs of the table, and he sat down right across from me. Hearing him admit that a friend had to force him out made a little smile tug at the corner of my mouth. It made him feel a little less intimidating. Also, it gave me comfort knowing I wasn't the only one who ditched a friend to be here.

Still, seeing him under the bright fluorescent lights of the diner only confirmed what I had suspected in the dim, smoky bar. He was incredibly handsome, but he looked entirely out of place, like a lion that had accidentally wandered into a grocery store. His frame took up almost the entire side of the booth, and his gaze never wavered from my face. He didn't look around the room, he only looked at me.

"Silas," I repeated, testing the name out loud. It felt right. I had never met anyone with that name before, so I remember feeling like I'd never forget it. "I'm Evie."

"Evie," he murmured. The way he said my name was almost reverent, his hazel eyes tracking the movement of my lips as I spoke. It sent a sudden spike of heat straight down my spine, making me hyper-aware of how close we were sitting. "I really like that. It suits you."

A tired-looking waitress dropped two sticky, crumpled menus onto the table, barely making eye contact before muttering that she would be back for our drink orders in a few minutes. Silas didn't even glance at the paper in front of him. He just kept his large, calloused hands flat on the table, leaning forward slightly.

"So, Evie," he said, his jaw tightening as if he was forcing his brain to figure out how normal human conversations worked. "What keeps a girl like you out so late on a Friday night? Looking for love in all the wrong places? Or looking for trouble in the right ones?"

I laughed, telling him it was friends that brought me out too, but I do like to let loose on occasion. He hummed as if to say he understood as the server approached. He ordered first, steak, cooked rare. The server jotted that down and then I ordered pancakes no bacon. I let her know I was vegetarian. Silas' eyes flickered from me to the server for a moment before saying he would change his order to a burger, please. As the server walked away, I told him he didn't need to change it but he just said no worries.

We had a great time getting to know each other in the diner. He was easy to talk to, a great listener, and genuinely couldn't take his eyes off of me. He offered to drop me off at home which I happily accepted, excited to spend more time with him.

When we got to my place, he opened my door for me, and walked me to my front porch like a proper highschool first date. The yellow bulb of my porch light buzzed softly above us, casting long shadows across the painted wood steps. He stood on the top step, crowding my small porch, but I didn't feel trapped.

"Thank you for driving me home, and for taking me out," I said, tilting my head back to look into those striking eyes of his.

The cool night wind brushed past us, but the air between us was thick and charged with that same strange, magnetic tension from the bar. Silas didn't answer right away. His jaw clenched, a tight muscle twitching in his cheek as his gaze dropped to my mouth. He looked almost conflicted, his breathing turning a little heavier, like it was hard for him. He was standing so close I could feel the heat coming off his skin, but he was holding himself completely still, like he was trying hard not to move an inch.

"Evie," he sighed, his voice sounding deeper, lower than it had all night. "I want to kiss you. But..." He trailed off, his eyes searching mine with a raw vulnerability that caught me completely off guard.

He looked genuinely unsure, totally out of his depth for a guy who looked like a Roman God. I figured he was just overthinking it, maybe caught up in the fact that we'd only just met, or maybe he just didn't want to make me uncomfortable or scare me off.

"Then kiss me, Silas," I whispered, a sudden wave of boldness taking over. My eyes searched his for the reason behind his hesitation.

He let out a low, shaky breath. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, he leaned down. When his hands came up to frame my face, his palms covered my entire jawline, his thumbs resting just under my cheekbones. They were burning hot, and trembling just a little.

When his lips finally touched mine, it wasn't the smooth, practiced kiss of a guy who did this all the time. It was tentative. A little rigid, a little awkward, like he was trying to restrain himself. He tasted like the crisp night air and something deeply warm.

I softened against him, my hands automatically coming up to rest against his hard chest, feeling the heavy, erratic thud of his heart hammering against his ribs. Sensing my response, Silas let out a sharp, heavy breath through his nose, his grip tightening as he pulled me just a fraction closer against his solid frame. His warmth and scent enveloped me, effectively making my head spin.

But just as the kiss started to deepen, he abruptly pulled back. His breathing was ragged as he stared down at me, his hazel eyes wide and dark under the buzzing porch light. He looked a little shocked, a little frantic, as if he had surprised himself by how carried away he'd just gotten and was trying to force his composure back into place. He swallowed hard before speaking.

"When can I see you again?"