“Had enough?” Gavin asked calmly, his voice low and dangerous. “Or should I call the police right now and let them deal with you?”
The man’s face drained of color.
He scrambled to his feet and bolted, stumbling as he ran, not daring to look back.
Gavin didn’t look satisfied.
He turned to one of the nearby waiters and pointed toward the group the man had come from.
“They’ve been harassing women in the bar,” he said flatly. “Kick them out before they do something worse.”
The waiter stiffened, nodded immediately, and hurried off to alert security.
When Gavin turned back, Mia was staring at him, wide-eyed and stunned.
He walked over, his posture easing slightly, a small, reassuring smile appearing on his face.
“Are you all right?” he asked gently. “Didn’t expect to see you here.” He let out a light chuckle.
Mia finally released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
“Thank you,” she said softly, returning a small smile. “If you want this table, you can have it. I was just leaving.”
“You’re already leaving?” Gavin raised a brow, glancing at the mostly untouched drinks. “You barely started. How about I get you a fresh one? Come on, have a drink with me.”
Mia replied, waving it off. “It’s fine.”
Gavin only shook his head, reached into the ice bucket, and picked up another cocktail, holding it out to her. “Come on. Drinking alone is never fun,” he said lightly. “Have one with me. I promise I’m more fun than I look.”
He flashed a playful smile.
Mia hesitated, then let out a breath and sat back down. Gavin pulled out the chair across from her and settled in comfortably.
“So,” he said, nodding toward her glass, “you’re a cocktail person?”
Mia nodded and took a sip. Then she frowned at the glass like it had personally offended her, tipped it back, and finished it in one go. Without ceremony, she reached for another and took a longer drink this time.
The warmth crept up faster than she expected.
Her shoulders loosened. Her posture softened. Words began slipping out more easily, laughter following right after—lighter, freer, less guarded than before. She talked with her hands now, stories tumbling over one another.
Gavin listened, fully engaged, laughing harder than he had in years, completely entertained by her unfiltered words.
After a while, he reached for another drink.
“This one’s got mint,” he said. “I’ve had it before. Trust me—you’ll love it.”
By then, Mia was already quite drunk. The music, the lights, the easy rhythm of conversation made everything feel lighter. At one point, she even broke into a silly song, singing off-key.
Gavin doubled over laughing.
He lifted his phone and snapped a selfie—Mia across from him, cheeks flushed, smiling, still mid-song. He set the phone down… then picked it up again moments later, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as he sent the photo to James.
Mia was sipping her cocktail happily when she suddenly set the glass down with a decisiveclinkand pointed straight at Gavin, her finger wobbling slightly as she squinted at him.
“You must besohappy you’ve never been married,” she declared with grave seriousness. “Do you know what marriage is?” She shook her head in disgust. “The biggest scam mankind ever invented. I’m never marrying again. Ever.”
Gavin leaned back in his chair, a laugh slipping out before he could stop it. “You’re not going to marry again?” he asked. “You’re not even halfway through your life.”
