She Was Never Supposed to Want Her

CHAPTER 1

The Woman at the End of the Bar

Isabella Monteverde had been engaged for forty-three days when she first looked at another woman and forgot, completely, that she was supposed to be in love with a man.

It happened on a Friday night in Cebu.

And it happened because her best friend refused to accept no for an answer.

“Bella, please,” Trisha groaned, pulling her through the doorway. “You’re twenty-five, not eighty-five.”

“I have work tomorrow.”

“It’s Saturday tomorrow.”

“I have things to do.”

“Like what?”

Isabella opened her mouth.

Nothing came out.

Trisha grinned. “Exactly.”

Isabella rolled her eyes as they entered Ember, a cocktail bar hidden on the second floor of an old building.

It wasn’t the kind of place Isabella usually visited.

No chandeliers.

No champagne towers.

No businessmen pretending not to stare at their phones.

Ember was darker.

Warmer.

More intimate.

Amber lights hung above polished wooden tables. Soft music drifted through the room, mixing with quiet conversations and occasional laughter.

Isabella instinctively touched the diamond ring on her left hand.

She almost always did that when she felt uncomfortable.

A reminder.

A promise.

A future.

Gabriel.

Her fiancé.

The man her parents adored.

The man she had dated for almost three years.

The man she was supposed to marry in December.

“Stop touching your ring,” Trisha said.

Isabella immediately dropped her hand.

“I wasn’t.”

“You were.”

“I was adjusting it.”

“You adjust it every time you’re nervous.”

“I am not nervous.”

Trisha raised an eyebrow.

“Fine,” Isabella muttered. “Maybe a little.”

They found two empty stools at the bar.

A bartender approached.

“What can I get you?”

“Two margaritas,” Trisha answered.

“One.”

Trisha looked at Isabella.

“One for me,” Isabella clarified. “You’re drinking water.”

“You’re evil.”

“You’re driving.”

“Responsible Bella ruins everything.”

Isabella smiled.

Then someone laughed from the other end of the bar.

It wasn’t particularly loud.

But Isabella heard it.

She turned.

And saw her.

The woman stood behind the counter near the shelves of liquor, talking with one of the bartenders.

Black button-down shirt.

Sleeves rolled casually to her elbows.

Dark hair tied loosely behind her head, with several strands falling around her face.

A small tattoo disappeared beneath one sleeve.

Another rested along her wrist.

She wasn’t smiling anymore.

She was listening to something the bartender was saying.

Then she looked up.

Straight at Isabella.

Their eyes met.

Isabella froze.

The woman didn’t look away.

Neither did Isabella.

Three seconds.

Maybe four.

It shouldn’t have meant anything.

People looked at each other.

That was normal.

But something about the woman’s expression made Isabella suddenly aware of everything.

The way she was sitting.

The glass beneath her fingers.

The warmth of the room.

Her own heartbeat.

Then the woman’s eyes briefly dropped toward Isabella’s hand.

Toward the diamond.

She looked back into Isabella’s eyes.

And smiled.

Not flirtatiously.

Almost knowingly.

Isabella turned away first.

“What?” Trisha asked.

“Nothing.”

“You’re staring at someone.”

“I wasn’t staring.”

Trisha immediately began looking around.

“Don’t.”

“At who?”

“Trisha.”

“The guy by the window?”

“No.”

“The bartender?”

“No.”

“The—”

Trisha stopped.

Her gaze landed at the end of the bar.

“Oh.”

Isabella’s stomach tightened.

“Oh what?”

Trisha slowly turned back.

“That explains it.”

“Explains what?”

“You weren’t looking at a guy.”

Isabella stared at her.

“Don’t start.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You made a face.”

“What face?”

“That face.”

Trisha smiled into her drink.

Isabella took a longer sip than necessary.

She didn’t look toward the woman again.

At least she tried not to.

Five minutes later, she failed.

The woman was gone.

Strangely, Isabella felt disappointed.

She hated that.

Why would she care?

She didn’t know her.

She wasn’t interested in her.

She was simply—

Curious.

That was all.

Then a voice came from directly behind her.

“You don’t like the margarita?”

Isabella turned.

And nearly collided with her.

The woman from the end of the bar stood beside her.

Up close, she was even more striking.

Not because she looked perfect.

Because she looked comfortable.

Completely comfortable in her own skin.

There was something dangerous about that kind of confidence.

Especially to someone who had spent most of her life worrying about what everyone else thought.

“The margarita?” the woman repeated.

Isabella glanced down.

“You’ve been staring at it for ten minutes.”

“You were watching me?”

One corner of the woman’s mouth lifted.

“You were watching me first.”

Isabella’s cheeks warmed.

“I wasn’t.”

“Of course.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Then I apologize.”

“For what?”

“For mistakenly believing your eyes were pointed in my direction.”

Trisha covered a laugh with a cough.

Isabella shot her a murderous look.

The woman extended her hand.

“Alex.”

Isabella stared at it for half a second before accepting.

Her hand was warm.

“Isabella.”

Alex’s fingers remained around hers for just a moment longer than Isabella expected.

“Isabella,” she repeated.

Something about hearing her name in Alex’s voice made it sound different.

Softer.

Closer.

Isabella pulled her hand away.

Alex noticed the movement.

Her eyes dropped briefly to the engagement ring again.

“Congratulations.”

The word instantly shattered whatever strange atmosphere had formed between them.

Isabella looked at the ring.

“Thank you.”

“When’s the wedding?”

“December.”

“Soon.”

“Four months.”

Alex nodded.

“Lucky man.”

There was nothing inappropriate about the words.

Yet Isabella suddenly couldn’t look at her.

Trisha, apparently enjoying every second of Isabella’s discomfort, asked, “Do you work here?”

Alex leaned against the counter.

“I own it.”

Isabella looked up.

“This place?”

“Unfortunately.”

Trisha laughed.

Alex smiled.

“First time?”

“Yes,” Trisha answered. “Bella usually prefers places where one cocktail costs enough to pay someone’s electricity bill.”

“That is not true.”

Alex looked amused.

“So you’re the expensive type?”

Isabella met her eyes.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“You’ve known me for approximately two minutes.”

“One minute and forty seconds.”

“Then you’re very confident for someone who knows absolutely nothing about me.”

Alex stepped slightly closer.

Not enough to touch her.

Enough for Isabella to notice.

“Maybe I’m good at reading people.”

“And what exactly have you read about me?”

Alex studied her.

For the first time, the teasing disappeared.

Her gaze lingered on Isabella’s face.

“You want me to answer that?”

Isabella swallowed.

“Yes.”

Alex leaned toward her.

Her voice dropped.

“You’re uncomfortable.”

Isabella frowned.

“That isn’t exactly impressive.”

“Not because you’re here.”

Alex’s eyes briefly moved toward Isabella’s ring.

“Because you don’t know why you keep looking at me.”

Isabella’s breath caught.

Silence.

Trisha suddenly became extremely interested in her phone.

Isabella stared at Alex.

“You really are confident.”

“No.”

Alex straightened.

“Just observant.”

She reached behind the counter and took Isabella’s nearly untouched margarita.

“What are you doing?”

“Making you something you’ll actually drink.”

“I didn’t ask for another drink.”

“You don’t have to pay.”

“That isn’t the point.”

Alex paused.

Then smiled.

“You always argue this much?”

“Only when strangers make assumptions about me.”

“Good.”

“Good?”

“I hate boring people.”

Before Isabella could respond, Alex disappeared behind the bar.

A few minutes later, she placed another glass in front of Isabella.

Golden.

A thin slice of orange floated on top.

“What is it?”

“Try it.”

“I asked what it is.”

“And I said try it.”

Isabella narrowed her eyes.

Alex simply waited.

Finally, Isabella lifted the glass.

Their eyes remained locked as she took a sip.

Sweet at first.

Then citrus.

Then warmth.

She swallowed.

Alex raised an eyebrow.

“Well?”

Isabella placed the glass down.

“It’s okay.”

Alex laughed.

“You like it.”

“I said it’s okay.”

“You took another sip.”

Isabella realized she had.

She put the glass down again.

Alex leaned across the counter.

For one brief second, their faces were closer than they had any reason to be.

Isabella could smell Alex’s perfume.

Something warm.

Subtle.

Her heartbeat changed.

Alex noticed.

Isabella knew she noticed.

But Alex didn’t move closer.

Instead, she whispered:

“Careful, Isabella.”

“With what?”

Alex’s gaze flickered toward her lips before returning to her eyes.

“Things you pretend you don’t like.”

Then she walked away.

Isabella remained perfectly still.

Trisha waited three seconds.

Then—

“What the hell was that?”

“Nothing.”

“Bella.”

“Nothing happened.”

“She was flirting with you.”

“She was being friendly.”

“She practically set the bar on fire.”

“Trisha.”

“And you were flirting back.”

Isabella turned sharply.

“I was not.”

Trisha stared at her.

Isabella looked away.

Her engagement ring suddenly felt heavier than it had when she entered.

Across the room, Alex was speaking with another customer.

She wasn’t looking at Isabella anymore.

For some reason, that bothered her even more.

Isabella took another sip.

Then another.

She told herself she liked the drink.

That was why she kept looking toward the other end of the bar.

Not because Alex was there.

Not because she’d noticed the brief glance toward her lips.

And certainly not because a single sentence kept repeating inside Isabella’s head.

Things you pretend you don’t like.

She looked down at the diamond on her finger.

Then across the room.

Alex looked up.

Their eyes met again.

This time—

Isabella didn’t look away.

And Alex smiled.

END OF CHAPTER 1