Killing Me Softly: A Thriller Romance Novel

Chapter 5

I stood at the bar, afraid to look up. Afraid Theo would immediately recognize me and accuse me of being a stalker. It wasn't the worst thing that could happen, but I felt it was inevitable. We would bump into each other at some point that night. I could feel it.

"What'll it be?" asked the bartender.

"Uh, cosmopolitan, please," I said, struggling to think of the last time I had been to a bar.

It had to be around two or three years now. My coworkers always went, but I refused to partake in their drinking escapades. I preferred going home to get into my pajamas, eating dinner by 7:00 PM, watching Netflix until I got sleepy, getting a hot bath, and then falling asleep no later than 3:00 AM, only to repeat my routine and return to work by 8:00 AM the following day. My life was pathetic even though I lived in one of Texas's most interesting, fun-filled cities.

As if I was born to find him, it didn't take long for me to spot Theo at the other end of the bar.

I immediately felt the urge to run and hide behind something so he wouldn't see me, just like I did in high school. But there was a big guy next to me leaning over the bar just enough for me to stay out of sight if I stayed back far enough.

Theo was alone. He kept his head and eyes down to the bar as he sipped on a Shiner Bock with his right hand freshly wrapped. He winced a couple of times when he instinctively used it to pick up his beer but then switched to his left.

The country band playing must have been local because I never heard of them before. They were The Buckaroos, playing classic rock and country covers mostly.

Theo turned his head and watched them briefly, taking a swig here and there, driving me crazy. I wanted to talk to him so badly, but my feet turned to concrete as soon as I saw him there. I sipped my Cosmo, trying not to make it too obvious I was there for him and him only.

I checked my phone and saw I had two missed calls from Janice. The music had been too loud to hear or feel my phone vibrate from my jeans pocket.

"Are you okay?" She texted me.

"Sorry. Yes. Call you later," I texted her back.

She immediately texted me back. "Where are you?"

I thought to leave the question unanswered, but I couldn't do that to her. "Shiner."

"WTF are you doing in Shiner?" She asked.

"Decided to go for a drink."

"Ok. Be careful," was all she said back.

I put my phone back in my pocket and returned my eyes to Theo, who hadn't moved an inch. It was hard to tell how he was feeling. He definitely carried a much heavier energy than he used to. A more mature one, too. Whereas he used to be more wide-eyed and smiley with everyone, now he looked as if he didn't want to speak with anyone. He was furrowing his thick, dark eyebrows together and never made eye contact with anyone.

What happened to you? I thought, aching at the sight. What happened to Mary Jo?

There was absolutely no way I believed Theo had killed Mary Jo, though. Granted, he looked more serious and kept to himself more here at this moment than I had ever seen him before; I still felt I knew he wasn't the killer.

Just talk to him. I encouraged myself but couldn't do it.

Theo was like an animal in the wild to me. Though he was beautiful to watch in his natural habitat, I couldn't risk approaching or spooking him. If anything, I only wanted to be a fly in the wall, in all of the walls of his life. Nothing more.