Find Me Alastar

I sit on the bench seat under my window and stare down at the twinkling city lights below. It’s early on

Saturday evening and Brielle is due here soon. The two of us are taking Hank on a woman-finding

mission tonight. Operation Hump Hank is well underway. We went shopping today and made him buy new

clothes. We got his haircut and his beard trimmed. Damn, I even bought the guy hair gel. I am preoccupied

as my mind keeps replaying my conversation with Alastar last night. I hold out my hand and look down at

my beautiful ring.

“Maybe the ring belongs with you,” I said.

“I have no doubt that it does,” he replied.

For some reason that sentence is on repeat in my brain. What did he mean by that? He has no doubt

that ring belonged with him, yet he rejected it when I offered it to him. My mind goes to the old lady back

in Heirloom. “Trust yourself,” she told me.

I gaze down to the people walking below on the street.

“Listen to your voice,” she said.

I frown as an uneasy déjà vu feeling sweeps over me. I’ve had it all day.

If I trust my instincts, then I know for certain that he wanted to kiss me last night. I could feel it in the

way he wrapped his arms around me and I could see it in his face. I haven’t had this feeling from another

man before, this undercurrent of affection masked as strong physical attraction.

Maybe it is just a physical attraction? Maybe I just never had one before? Last night, when I got home,

I paced back and forth in my bedroom for an hour as the old lady’s voice invaded my head again. I trusted

my instincts and I text him goodnight.

I pick up my phone now and swipe it on to go through to my messages. Yep, it’s still there, even

though I have read and re-read his reply at least one hundred times today.

Goodnight, Em.

X

I stare back out the window, lost in thought. Who are you? Where do you live and why can’t I stop

thinking about you?

Why do two words in a text from you mean so much to me?

I hear a wolf whistle come from the lounge room and I smile broadly.

“Are you freaking kidding me?” Vanessa yells. “Emerson. Get out here.”

I laugh and jump up.

Sure enough Hank is standing in the lounge room looking down at himself. He is wearing tight jeans

and a V-neck black t-shirt. His blonde hair is cut and his beard has been trimmed to look like a three-day

growth. “I look like a fucking knob,” he sighs.

“Woo hoo. Oh, Hank, you are looking the business tonight.” I laugh.

Vanessa stands with her mouth open as she inspects mine and Brielle’s handiwork. She circles him

and her eyes flicker over to me. “He’s actually frigging hot under all that hair.”

I laugh and nod in agreement. “I know.”

She grabs Hank into a headlock and swings him around. “You are getting your dick sucked tonight, bigBelonging to NôvelDrama.Org.

boy.”

Hanks face falls in fear. “T-tonight,” he stammers.

I cover my mouth with my hand to hide my laugh. Poor thing is petrified.

“Not tonight, Hank,” I reassure him. “We are just going cocktail tasting and maybe run through some

pick up lines.” I look at Vanessa. “Are you sure you can’t come? It’s going to be fun.”

“I wish.” She throws her head back in disgust. “I have the stupid twenty-first birthday for my twat of a

cousin. I have to stay the weekend with my parents. Ugh, I’m going to have the worst weekend ever.” She

stands back with her hands on her hips and smiles proudly at Hank. “But we have the music festival next

weekend, don’t forget.”

“Yes, we do,” Hank replies as he looks down at himself.

I raise my brows. “Where are you two off to?” I ask.

“A music festival. We bought tickets before we knew that we liked you.”

Vanessa’s honesty is endearing. “That’s okay. I have my first auction with work next Friday night. I

couldn’t go, anyway.”