2. Ella

CHAPTER 2

ELLA

It's a blazing hot Sunday afternoon and I can't stop fidgeting with my baby blue sundress. I'm about to catch the train so I can drop this jacket off to the bartender. I loathe parking in the city and am lucky enough to live around the corner from a train station. The only reason I drove into the city for my date with Jed was so I could make a quick escape if I needed it. In hindsight, it was good thinking on my part.

"Why am I fidgeting? This dress is cute, I look great. I'm literally just going to a bar to drop off a jacket. To a stranger, whose face is a blur. Suck it up," I say to myself. I say a lot of things to myself—I've lived alone long enough that it feels normal now. Though to other people, I'm sure I look like a crazy person. I finish my makeup, wearing nothing fancy because again, this is a non-event. I grab my handbag, making sure my Kindle is inside. I never go anywhere without my Kindle. I'm extroverted most of the time, but sometimes a girl needs to escape for a little bit. I rush out the door and head for the train station.

It's only a 20-minute ride into the city, so I arrive in no time. I walk 10 minutes to the pub, and then I'm there. I take a deep breath and head inside. I don't know why I feel so nervous. It's weird, I'm usually a lot more chill and confident than this, but my date with Jed seems to have really shaken that confidence. Stupid man, I need to fix this . I walk up to the bar where a young woman is pouring a beer. She's absolutely stunning, with sleek black hair, tanned skin, and gorgeous dark green eyes. I'm momentarily dazed by her beauty, until I realise I am slightly gawking at her. I clear my throat; thankful she didn't notice me staring at her as she was too busy with another customer.

"Um, hi. I was just wondering if there are any men working here tonight?" I say, giving her my friendliest smile.

She looks at me and smiles back. "We have a few men working here, hun. Are you looking for someone in particular or are you just after any man?"

I laugh. "Oh my God. That came across way worse than I intended. I'm looking for someone, but I don't know his name."

"Hmm. Can you describe him for me?"

"Uhh. He's tall. And has a beard. That's all I got."

She laughs. "Okay, that's not a lot to go on, but it could be Xavier." I look at her blankly. "Tall, beard, killer smile, nicest guy ever, bartender extraordinaire… ring any bells?"

"I mean it could be. Whoever it was gave me their jacket the other night when I was in a… uhh.. tricky situation. I'm here to return it." I show her the jacket, it's plaid with dark greens and blues woven through it.

"That definitely looks like something Xavier would wear. I think he's out the back taking stock. Do you want me to get him for you? What's your name?"

"Sure. I'm Ella, though he doesn't know who I am, not really. If you could get him, that would be great. I'll just wait at that table in the corner if that's cool?"

"Yeah sure, I'll send him out," she says, and heads into the back of the bar.

I take a seat and pull out my Kindle as I wait. Might as well read a few pages in the meantime. The pub isn't too busy yet, with just a few groups milling about. Jimmies has been one of my favourite pubs for the last few years. There's nothing particularly special about it—it has a standard mahogany bar with spirit bottles lined up on shelves reaching to the ceiling. The furnishings are old, with green velvet couches, wooden tables, and chairs scattered around. The floors are sticky in the main bar area from years of spillage and the only music they play is old school ‘80s rock. The best part about this place is the beer garden, which was added only a couple of years ago. It's the main drawcard for people of my age. The place could definitely make do with some upgrades, but it's comfortable and familiar.

Admittedly, I was worried Jed could possibly be here. I don't know what I would do if he was, but thankfully he's nowhere to be seen. I look up from my book to see a man walking over to me and I swear to God, my mouth almost drops open. No way this man is my rescuer. He reaches my table and smiles at me.

"Ella?" he says. I nod. "Xavier. Nice to meet you properly. I was wondering if I would see you or my jacket again." He laughs.

I'm just looking back at him like an idiot. This guy is definitely not 19—he is all man. At least 6-foot, with thick, dark brown hair that's shoved back messily from his face, showing off deep caramel eyes. A short beard, and a body that screams I'm not an athlete, but I can chop wood and carry you over my shoulder with ease . He's wearing ripped jeans and a tight black t-shirt, and I am deceased.

"Ella? You good?"

I snap out of it and scramble for something to say. "Um, hi, yes… yeah, sorry it took so long to return it, it's been a busy week. Here you go." I practically shove his jacket at him. He takes it in his hands and either doesn't realise how flustered I am, or he doesn't care, because he asks if he can sit down. I nod, and he takes the seat opposite me. I'm mentally trying to compose myself. Generally speaking, he isn't my usual type. I have no idea what is going on, but this man has me in a head spin, and I've been in his presence for only 30 seconds.

"How are you going? I'm sorry if I overstepped the other night. I saw you leaving, and you looked quite uncomfortable. And then when I walked out and saw him cornering you, I had to step in. "

"No, don't be sorry at all. I don't know what would have happened if you didn't intervene. I… froze. And was trapped. So thank you, really. I appreciate it more than you know." I smile at him, though it doesn't quite reach my eyes. I really don't want to think about what would have happened if he didn't step in. He seems to notice that.

"Happy to be of assistance. Is it bold of me to assume that it was a date gone wrong?" he asks, tentatively.

"Sure was, first date in fact. Definitely not what I was expecting given his online presence. But no worries, he is out of the picture now. Though he didn't quite comprehend that I wasn't interested and couldn't handle the rejection," I say, rolling my eyes.

"Oh, let me guess, he was one of those guys who resorted to insulting you instead of just accepting it wasn't meant to be?"

"How did you know!" I exclaim. I pull out my phone and show him screenshots of the messages. "He is now blocked and hopefully gone for good."

Xavier reads the messages and throws his head back laughing. His laughter is deep yet warm, the kind that is infectious and makes everyone around him want to laugh as well.

"Wow, what an absolute tosser! Nice comeback, by the way. I hope that man never has a woman in his bed ever again." He hands me back my phone. "Hey, did you want a drink? On the house, given the last time you were here you had a shitty time."

"Actually, that would be nice, thanks! But I'm happy to pay." I reach for my purse.

"Nope, it's on the house. The manager insists."

"Who's the manager?"

"Me. So, what would you like? Cocktail? I can make you whatever you want," he says. He seems like a nice enough guy, and really, I have nothing better to do tonight.

"Oh! Well okay then. I've been really craving an amaretto sour lately, they're my favourite," I say.

"Easily done! I'll be back shortly." He scoots his chair back and walks back over to the bar to make my drink. I get my phone out and pull up my message thread with Millie.

Ella

OMFG MILLIE. This bartender. I am dead. He's like a metropolitan lumberjack. I am dying. He's so hot. Help.

Millie

FUCK YES GET IT GIRL.

Ella

Um, no. I'm just going to look. I've spent five minutes with the man!

Millie

Ella I swear to God. At least find out if he is single. Please.

Ella

Ugh, okay fine. He's coming back. Gotta go! x

Xavier comes back to the table with two drinks in his hands. "I've actually just finished my shift, so I hope you don't mind if I join you for a knock off drink?" he asks.

"No, not at all! You did rescue me, after all. If anything, I should be buying you a drink to say thank you."

"Well, perhaps if you're not sick of my company after this drink you can buy me the next one. Unless you have somewhere to be?" He hands me my drink.

"Nope, no plans for me tonight."

"Awesome, well… cheers! Here's to calling out dickhead men."

I laugh. "I'll definitely cheers to that! And cheers to decent men who intervene when a woman is in a tricky spot." We clink glasses and I take a sip. I look over the lip of my glass and make eye contact with him as he does the same. There's something electric about making eye contact with someone when having a drink, and I can definitely feel it with Xavier. The cocktail is delicious, and it takes everything in me to not down the entire thing in one go. But I don't, obviously—I'm a lady.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, how did you meet that guy?" he asks.

I sigh, and then tell him the whole story. He has a look on his face the whole time, but I can't quite pick it. It's a mix between disgust and amusement. Which, realistically, sums up the whole experience perfectly.

"God, I'm really sorry you had to deal with that. The dating world seems like a real shitty place to be." He's shaking his head.

Ah, there you go. The dating world "seems" really shitty, meaning he isn't part of it, meaning he isn't single. That's disappointing, not that I was even going to attempt to go there. "It sure is, I've been trying to navigate it for a while now. It doesn't get any easier," I say.

"How long?"

"Um… five years?" I say, somewhat embarrassed.

He looks at me, head tilted slightly to the left. He seems to be contemplating something. "Nope, I don't believe you. There's no way you've been single for five years."

I can feel myself start to blush. That's sweet, though perhaps a little weird, given the man doesn't know me from a bar of soap. I clear my throat. "Yes, well, it's true. I haven't had a lot of success in that area. Just haven't found my person yet, or whatever."

"Well, that's a damn shame. Probably sounds weird coming from someone you've just met, but you seem pretty great. You give off a really good energy." He smiles at me, and I can see a dimple in his left cheek. Goddamn it, I'm an absolute sucker for dimples.

I'm definitely blushing now. "Thank you. You're right, it is weird." He laughs. "But also, it's sweet." I smile back at him. "So… what about you?"

"What about me?"

"How long have you been with your... partner?" I ask.

"Oh." He blinks. "I don't have a partner. Not anymore. I separated from my long-term girlfriend about… seven months ago now. "

"Crap! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Shit. Yeah, good work Ella.

"No, it's fine. It's a very amicable separation. Just wasn't meant to be, you know?"

"Okay, well, I'm still sorry. Like you said, we've just met. This is weird. You're not weird, I mean, I'm weird. I'm going to stop talking. Want another drink? I'll get another drink." I stand up awkwardly and walk towards the bar. I can hear him chuckling behind me as I walk.

My god, I am embarrassing myself. I really need to pull it together. I order us two more cocktails from the gorgeous bartender from earlier.

"So…" she says. "You know Xavier well?"

"No, not at all actually. He, um, saved me from a bad date earlier in the week. I just came back to say thank you," I say.

"Oh you're that girl! We all heard about you. That guy sounded like a complete dick. I'm glad Xavier was there to help. He's one of the good ones, for real."

I groan inwardly. Of course, they all heard about my shitty date. This is so embarrassing. She must be able to tell how I'm feeling, because she reaches out and touches my arm.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed. We've all been there. As a bartender, I've faced many loser men who think they're God's gift to women." I snort. "There's always going to be guys like that out there, but at least you've weeded out another one." She smiles at me. "My name is Lena, by the way. If you're ever in a shitty situation like that again, come see me. I have a few tactics that will make them regret their choices." She hands me my drinks and I pay for them.

"You're right, thank you Lena." I smile at her and return to Xavier, drinks in hand.

"Okay, no more ‘relationship talk'. You're clearly flustered…" he says with a knowing grin. Bastard. "Tell me a bit about yourself instead," he says as he takes a sip.

I blow out a breath."Well, I'm 30. I grew up in a small, country town but moved here about nine years ago. "

"Oh cool, did you move here for uni or something? I've always loved the country lifestyle, but just can't make myself leave the city. I have a property in the Adelaide Hills though, and some chickens. So, close enough."

I laugh. "Love that! Chickens are the best. Definitely country-esque. But no, I didn't end up going to university. I got a Diploma in Library Studies and am now working as a school librarian."

"That is so cool," he says, genuinely. "I'm guessing you're a pretty big reader then? I didn't even know you could study to be a librarian."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." I chuckle. "But yes, most librarians are qualified in the field. And yep, big reader. Obsessed. Books are my entire life. What about you?"

"Oh yeah, I love to read. Mostly fantasy, but I'll pretty much read anything."

Oh, be still my beating heart. Guys who read are my kryptonite. Not to mention, he's also the first guy I've met to not outright objectify me after I've told them I'm a librarian. Most guys will immediately tell me of their sexy librarian fantasies the moment they find out what I do for work. It's a refreshing change, and I smile at him. "Fantasy is one of my favourites, too. Growing up, it was my favourite means of escape. As an only child, books were my greatest company."

"I'm an only child too!" he says. "Another thing we have in common."

"Cheers to the only child club." We raise our glasses again. "Now, tell me about you. Have you always wanted to be a bar manager?"

"Not necessarily a bar manager, but my family actually owns this place." He gestures around him.

"No way! I love Jimmies. That is so cool."

"Thanks. It's been in my family for generations. It's kind of always been my plan to take over once my dad, Arthur, retires. I've worked here ever since I was old enough to load a dishwasher."

"And how old are you now?" I ask.

"I'm 32. "

Excellent. Definitely not nineteen then. "Cool. Can I ask, where did the name Jimmies come from?" I've always wondered.

"Well our family name is James. My great grandad was nicknamed Jimmy and when he opened the place up, that's what he called it." He shrugs.

"Huh. Simple, I like it."Xavier James. Bar manager. Family legacy. Lumberjack look alike. I'm starting to like this guy.

My stomach starts growling and so we order some food to share. The conversation is so easy—it's flowing and there are no awkward moments of silence. If this was a date, I would say it was going well. But it's not a date. And that, I think, is why this is so easy. It's just two people getting to know each other with no expectations. It's nice.

After I finish telling him about my last overseas holiday to Germany, I check the time. I need to go if I'm going to make the train home. "Well, I think I need to head off. I do have to prepare for work tomorrow," I say. "Thank you so much for this. You have restored my faith in men, and my love for this pub is no longer tainted."

He laughs and stands up from the table. "It was an absolute pleasure, Ella. Come back for a drink any time. Would you like me to walk you out to your car?" he asks. I pause and he panics, remembering the last time I was here and someone offered to walk me to my car. "Not in a creepy way!" He blurts. "Just to make sure you get out safely."

I just smile. It's kind of cute how he keeps reassuring me he's not a creep like Jed. "It's fine. Unless you feel like walking me to the train station? I didn't drive in today."

He stops and turns to me. "You're catching the train home, alone, at this hour?"

"This hour being… 9pm? Yes. I always take the train, it's fine. I've only been mugged once." I wave my hand dismissively and he blanches at the action. "Oh my God, I'm kidding!" I say, laughing. "I do it all the time, it's a 20-mi nute train ride and I live around the corner from the station. It's fine." I say again.

"I don't like it," he mumbles. "I can give you a lift home if you'd prefer. I know we've only just met, but I promise I'm not a psychopath."

"That's exactly what a psychopath would say."

He laughs again. "True, true. But seriously, I would like to drive you home. I hate the idea of you catching the train at night by yourself. It goes against all of my morals. I am a gentleman, after all."

To be honest, I really don't feel like catching the train. And the guy seems genuine. I look over my shoulder and yell over at Lena, who's wiping down the bar. "Hey Lena, if I let Xavier drive me home, will I end up tied up in his boot? Or is he really a gentleman?"

Xavier grins at this and she cracks up laughing. "Nope, definitely a gentleman. You're safe with that one! Trust me."

"Okay, you can drive me home. Lena is my witness. Lead the way!" I say as I look back at Xavier.

He leads me out the back and of course, he drives a ute. My first thought is, I've always wanted to have sex in the tray of a ute, under the stars . I hop in the passenger seat, give Xavier directions to my house, and we set off. The drive is mostly quiet, but it's a comfortable silence. No awkwardness.

We're almost at my house when I turn to him. "Thank you again for tonight. I really needed it. You're an alright kind of guy." I grin.

"And you're an alright kind of girl," he says. "I meant what I said, come have a drink any time. I can give you my number if you'd like. Just shoot us a text and I can let you know when I'll be around."

"Yeah, okay. I'll definitely take you up on that."

I am screaming internally and doing my best to play it cool on the outside. He's giving me his number—willingly. And not in a creepy ‘I'm only going to text you at 2am' sort of manner. Unreal .

We pull up at my house and exchange phone numbers. I say goodnight, and we have one of those awkward car hugs, hindered by seatbelts and handbrakes. I hop out of the car and close the door.

I turn back and he's wound down the window. "Oh and Ella?" I meet his gaze as he leans a little closer. "That sundress you're wearing looks pretty phenomenal, I just thought you should know that."

I stand there, blush rushing to my cheeks with my jaw hanging open. He winds the window back up, gives me a cheeky smirk, and drives off into the night. I'm on cloud nine as I hop into bed.

I feel giddy.

Shit .