An unfinished story... Chapter 1

Rose sat at the bar, her fingers tracing the rim of her glass as she watched Adrian from across the room. There was something about him... something magnetic. His relaxed demeanor, the way he sipped his drink with quiet confidence, made him stand out. She had noticed him the moment he walked in, and now, with her curiosity piqued, she decided to make a move.

She signaled the bartender and nodded toward Adrian’s drink. “Another round for him. On me.”

The bartender smirked knowingly before preparing the drink and setting it in front of Adrian, ushering at Rose, “From her.” Adrian glanced up in surprise, looking around until his gaze settled on this smoking hot woman across the bar. She met his eyes with a small, confident smile, tilting her head slightly as if appraising him.

Adrian picked up his glass, lifted it slightly in a silent toast, and took a sip. Then, instead of walking over, he turned his attention back to his phone.

Undeterred, Rose slid off her stool and strolled over, fingers trailing along the bar’s edge. “You know, most people at least say ‘thank you’ when someone buys them a drink.”

Adrian smirked, finally looking up. “Most people introduce themselves first.”

She raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Rose.”

He only gave her a slight nod in response, but didn’t offer his name. She noticed, but chose not to push it.

A brief silence passed between them before Rose spoke again. “So, what brings you here tonight?”

He leaned back slightly, studying her. “Just unwinding after a long day.”

“Same,” she said, tilting her head. “Where’s home?”

“Phoenix.”

“You?”

Rose answered, “Right around here.”

She glanced down at his phone, noting the way his fingers hovered over the screen. “You keep looking down at your phone. Waiting for someone?”

Adrian replies with a slight crease forming between his eyebrows and a smirk “Yeah, my bae. Mira.”

Rose blinked, the response catching her off guard. She wasn’t expecting him to be in a relationship, but she continued unwavered, adjusting her posture slightly. “So you have a girlfriend?”

Adrian chuckled, his eyes flickering with something she couldn’t read, “Something like that.”

Rose nodded, taking a slow sip of her drink. “Why isn’t she here with you?”

Adrian exhaled, barely more than a mumble. “She’s in Nashville.”

Rose set her drink down deliberately. “Long distance?”

Adrian’s lips quirked. “For now.”

She tried to hide her smirk, letting a beat of silence settle before her tone turned curious. “What is she doing right now? Other than not texting you back.”

Adrian chuckled, tapping his fingers lightly against his glass. “She’s out at a bar. Having a little fun.”

Rose tilted her head. “Without you? Are you guys in an open relationship?”

Adrian shook his head. “No, not at all. We go on little ‘long-distance’ dates.” He smiled to himself before stopping short, as if catching the moment slipping. He studied her, taking another sip of his drink. “You ask a lot of questions.”

Rose smiled, stirring the ice in her glass and taking another sip. “Only when I find someone interesting.”

Adrian let out a low chuckle. “Well, I guess I better keep up the mystery then.” He shifted in his seat, intrigued, then flicked the conversation back to her. “What about you? Where’s your man?”

Rose smirked internally, satisfied with the shift in dynamic. He wants to know. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

Adrian’s gaze lingered on her, curious. “Try me.”

Rose held his stare for a beat too long, then let out a slow breath. “Well, my fiancé of two years decided to die on me... a couple of months ago.”

She wasn’t lying. Maybe just bending the truth, blurring the edges where it suited her. She watched him closely, waiting to see how he’d react.

Adrian took a second to empathize internally but deflecting with humor was second nature to him. He let out a low chuckle, tilting his head. “What’d you do? Kill him?”

Rose shifted in her seat, her grip tightening around her glass. For a moment, something unreadable flickered in her eyes. Too quick to catch. Adrian sensed the shift in energy, his smirk fading slightly, and immediately regretted joking about it. He quickly added “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I’ve got a dark sense of humor.”

She shrugged it off fast, forcing a light laugh as she tilted her head. “RUDE! So do you want another drink?”

Adrian watched her for a beat, then smirked. “No thanks, I’m about to call it a night.”

Rose let out a dramatic sigh. “No way, so soon? The night’s still young.” She leaned forward slightly, resting her elbow on the bar, watching him.

Adrian shook his head, “Yeah but i’m not trying to stay here all night.”

Rose arched a brow, swirling the ice in her glass lazily. “What are you gonna do when you get home?”

Adrian glanced down at his phone, “Call my bae.”

Rose took a slow sip of her drink, watching him closely, replying in a dismissive tone. “She hasn’t even called or texted you back yet.”

Adrian frowns, his jaw tightening slightly. “I’m wondering why. Getting a little worried, to be honest.”

Rose watched as Adrian pulled up maps, checking her location. His frown deepened as he stared at Mira’s little blue dot, still at the bar. She could see his grip on the phone tightening just slightly. Rose felt left out, a pang of jealousy. They shared locations with one another. She didn’t like that. At all.

She tilted her head, her voice casual. “So are you gonna tell her about us?”

Adrian looked up, blinking. “About ‘us’?”

Rose’s lips curled slightly, amused. “Yeah, aren’t you having a good time right now?”

Adrian stayed silent for a bit, then smirked. “No.” She laughed, nudging him lightly with her elbow. “I don’t think you’ll tell her about us.”

Adrian leaned back, eyes glinting with challenge. “I swear I will. As soon as I leave. That’s why I’m trying to leave…”

Rose cut him off, her smirk deepening. “I dare you to call her right now and tell her.”

Adrian’s teasing demeanor faltered just slightly. His fingers tightened around his phone before he exhaled and picked it up, playing along. Picks up his phone and calls her. Rose watched as Mira’s photo popped up on the screen. A sharp pang of jealousy twisted in her stomach again, but she masked it well. Mira answers.

Adrian put the call on, his voice dropping slightly, steady but tense. “Hey bae, what are you up to?”

Mira’s response was muffled. Rose couldn’t hear her.

Adrian ran a hand over his jaw. “Nothing, I’m still here at the bar. It's loud in here and I can't hear you. Call you later.” A pause. His expression flickered, frustration creeping in. “Okay.”

The call disconnected.

Adrian stared at his phone for a second longer than necessary, his frustration lingering.

Rose let out a low chuckle, swirling her drink. “One... That was the fakest conversation I’ve ever heard. Two... You did not tell her.” She slammed the rest of her drink and set her glass down with a soft clink, smirking, she said, “Anyway, you owe me a drink.”

Adrian’s smirk returned, the weight of the moment easing. A smile on the brink of laughter played on his lips. “What? How?”

Rose’s expression shifted. Cold, yet playful. A quiet challenge. “You were rude earlier.”

Adrian knew instantly what she meant. His smirk softened, amusement fading just slightly. He exhaled, shifting forward as if lowering his voice would make the decline softer. “Yeah… I’m gonna have to pass.”

He signals the bartender for his check as Rose crosses her arms, leaning back with an exaggerated sigh. Her gaze locks onto him, unimpressed.

“Fine,” she huffs. “But you’re not leaving until you finish your drink. I didn’t buy you a perfectly cold Dirty Shirley just for it to sit here abandoned.” Adrian chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re really not gonna let that go, huh?” The tension between them still lingered, just beneath the surface.

A charged silence lingers between them before she tilts her head again and asks, “So, why do you call her ‘bae’?”

Adrian exhales through his nose, a quiet chuckle escaping as a memory flashes through his mind. “Because she’s my bae…” He shrugs. “I’ll tell you what though... did you know ‘bae’ means poop in Danish?”

Rose blinks, then bursts out laughing. “Wait. Do you call her that because she sucks?”

Adrian’s eyes widen, and he laughs in disbelief. Almost blushing, “Oh my God, no way. Complete opposite. She’s the best.”

Rose exhaled, shaking her head with a small, knowing smirk. We’ll see about that.

Adrian gets ready to leave the bar and slides his phone into his pocket, letting out a slow breath.

Rose watches him, fingers absentmindedly tracing the rim of her glass again. He takes a moment to check her out. The way her dress hugged her body like it was made for her. She was undeniably attractive, but not his type. Not my Mira.

Still, there was something about her.

To her surprise, Adrian asks, “So did you want my number?”

Rose blinks. Stumped. That was unexpected.

“Uh… yeah, sure. Here, hand me your phone. I’ll put it in.”

Adrian takes her phone, punches in the number, and saves it as ‘Adrian 🧡’ before handing it back.

Rose glances at the heart, amused. Interesting choice. Most people go with red. I wonder why.

She mumbles, “Just give yourself a call so you have mine.”

Adrian hesitates, then smirks. “Call me later and do it yourself.”

Was he playing her? Fake number?

She doesn’t press it but she’d find out soon enough.

Little did she know, this was an inside joke between Adrian and Mira. If either of them ever ‘vibed’ with someone while they were out, they’d always leave that person with the other’s number.

But Rose wouldn’t care. She had other plans.

She took a quick glance at Adrian’s back pocket to make sure she had her leverage. She can’t be trusted on alcohol sometimes. Dang… he has a nice a s s. She thought.

Rose snapped back to reality, “Are you really leaving?”

“Yes. Goodbye Rose. Nice meeting you.”

Rose, “Well, will you at least walk me out? What kind of car do you drive?”

Adrian smirks, proud. “Ford Focus… ST.”

Rose catches the shift in his tone. That last part "ST" was important to him. She doesn’t know much about cars, but she knows he wants her to be impressed. “an ST huh? That’s cool.”

Adrian’s smile widens slightly. “Do you know the difference? What do you drive?” Mira would love to hear about this. He thought.

Rose tilts her head, playing dumb. She has no idea but she can read him. He’s proud of it.

So she deflects. “Well, I don’t drive. I wouldn’t mind a ride, though.”

Adrian watches her for a second, contemplating. She can see the conflict in his expressions. He’s loyal. I’ll give him that. He shook his head and replied firmly, “I’m sorry I don’t want to do that. I don’t need this.”

And with that, he turns to leave. Rose watches him go, jaw tightening. She quickly pulls a stack of cash from her purse and drops it onto the bar. Enough to cover almost three times what she spent. Then she follows.

Adrian’s already halfway through the parking lot, stepping into his car. Got him. It was a brisk winter night. He’d need a minute to warm up his car. She still had time.

Rose knocks on his window.

He was shocked to say the least, looking at her through the glass. His brows knit together. With a sigh, he hesitantly rolls down the window. “What do you want, lady?”

Rose scoffs, shivering slightly. “Wow, we went over this. My name is Rose.”

She wraps her arms around herself, playing up the cold. “Any chance you wanna drop me off? I only live about 10 minutes away.”

Adrian watches her for a long moment, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel. And then, slowly, he shakes his head. As intrigued as he is by her, he was starting to get annoyed. Who is this woman?

He doesn’t owe her anything.

“Goodbye, Rose.”

He rolls up the window and drives away slowly.

Rose.

He made a mental note. Rose. Who is this woman?

Should I keep writing? Reply and let me know 🌹

I write content and newsletters for a living. Sometimes the raw, unfiltered feelings turn poetic and then I turn them into lyrics and then to songs using Suno AI.

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🦋 AUNY 🦋