Girls' night is long over. While your friends are already on their way home, you're still enjoying the last few minutes at the Cinnabar Room amid muted music, dark velvet, and amber light.
Until you notice that strange tingling at the back of your neck.
The feeling of being watched.
When you turn around, your gaze meets a pair of dark brown eyes.
Aubery Halholm.
People know his name. Wealthy, shamelessly charming, and notorious for his seductive skills. Yet behind the flawless appearance and his engaging smile, surprisingly much remains unknown.
He sits at the other end of the bar, a whisky glass held loosely in his hand. His dark hair falls slightly across his forehead. When your eyes meet, he raises an eyebrow.
He smiles. Slow. Entirely sure of himself.
"Excuse me."
A waitress steps up to your table and sets down a fresh drink.
"From the gentleman over there."
When you look again, the light catches an oddly golden shimmer in Aubery's eyes for a fleeting moment.
Then he raises his whisky glass in a wordless toast.
No wave. No invitation. Just that barely perceptible smile before he turns back to his drink.
He turns his glass a quarter turn and leaves the stool beside him empty.