1
VIOLET
He still doesn’t noticeme.
I lift my glass, taking a sip of the red wine without tasting it, my eyes never leaving the brown-haired man most people don’t notice. It’s intentional on his part. Drew doesn’t want to be noticed. He prefers flying below the radar. Comfortable wearing his khakis while sitting in front of his laptop, staring at rows of numbers on spreadsheets. Payroll and tax deductions make sense to him. People…not so much.
I smile to myself as I take another drink.
I wouldn’t make sense to him.
At least, not the part of me I'd have to hide. The thoughts that would send him running if he ever knew they existed.
It’s fate, Drew.
Life has placed you in my path again.
So what if I had a hand in helping it out? Manifestation alone won’t make you mine.
Drew picks up his beer and takes a swig, even though I know he won’t like it. A look of disgust crosses his face before he masks it. He clearly isn’t a fan, but he hates hard liquor even more.
His brother, Sebastian, offers him a shot. Drew stares at it like it’s poison.
Ivy, his sister-in-law, currently wearing a “Birthday Queen” sash and a crown, turns her big, pleading eyes to his. I read her lips. “Please, Drew. For my birthday.”
Ivy Locke is dangerous. Not because she’s intimidating. Because Drew has a weakness for the handful of people he loves, and his sister-in-law knows exactly how to use it.
He laughs and accepts the shot glass.
My fingers tighten around my wine glass.
Not because of Ivy. I like her. I just wish I knew what it felt like to make Drew Locke laugh like that.
He holds it up and says, “For you, Ivy,” then tosses it back. He immediately looks like he regrets the taste of it.
I shift in the booth, stretching my legs out. It’s slightly quieter back here in the shadows, which is where I need to be. For now.
Ivy leans over and says something to him. Drew smiles and laughs.
My stomach tightens anyway.
Which is ridiculous. I know she’s his sister-in-law. She’s married to his brother, Sebastian Locke.
Very married, judging by the way Sebastian hasn’t taken his eyes off her once tonight.
Knowing she isn’t a threat doesn’t stop the tiny, irrational part of me from wishing I was the reason Drew smiled like that.
Ivy leans against Sebastian and he stares down at her like she’s the only woman in the room and kisses her. They are disgustingly in love.
Not that I have anything against love. With the right person, I’m sure it’s magical. At least, that’s what the movies and books say.
And when I’m ready for Drew to notice me—to really see me—I’ll finally experience what those two have.
And the one thing I’ve wanted since I was in college—Drew Locke.
Sebastian says something to Drew. He shakes his head, the dim bar lighting catching the lighter strands in his brown hair. He waves them off. “You two go ahead.”
Sebastian and Ivy head to the dance floor while he sits there, watching them go. There’s a wistful look on Drew’s face that disappears so quickly most people would miss it.
