I’m Jacoby Fisher. I was the lead singer of the band, Midnight but we broke up. Hours after we had called it quits on the band, I found myself in a bar that was hidden in the hills and away from society, drowning my sorrows in alcohol and wondering what in the hell made the band go south. I thought it was because they were over the life of being in a band and wanted to go off doing their own thing, boy was I wrong. But what I didn’t expect that night was sitting at the table, hidden at the back of the bar, across from a woman, who helped herself to my beer and telling me to man up and stop acting like a skirt, Charlotte Kellstone.

My name is Charlotte Kellstone, but most call me Charlie. I was a married woman and in love with the man I had married only a year ago at twenty-four years old. But apparently, I wasn’t the only woman he had been sharing a bed with on nights he said he was away for work. I had been kicking myself that I hadn’t clicked to the lame ass excuses and the next best thing to do, rather than sitting in a house that I had kicked the cheating bastard out of, was go to the bar that I really enjoyed and get wasted. Though, I didn’t expect sitting across from a dude who was more down in the dumps than I was, Jacoby Fisher.

Take my advice, learn from my mistake and never get married.

I had thought that handing my heart over to someone, promising all those stupid fucking vows would not end the way it has ended. Hell, I never expected it too, nor did I brace myself for it. I honestly thought I’d grow old, have a family and the whole she-bang. But clearly I had thought wrong and thankfully, I never had kids with that cheating bastard. We did plan to start trying to for kids sometime in the future, like three years from now but that’s not happening and honestly, I didn’t see myself having kids anymore. Fuck, I was really just gone to a single woman.

Though, I was still stuck being married to the cheating mother fucker until the divorce was finalized.

The thing was, when I came home from work, only two hours ago, I didn’t expect see my so-called husband with his suitcase by the door and telling me the same bullshit line he told me every single fortnight. ‘I’ll be back in a couple days, I gotta busy trip again, babe’ he had told me and little had I known then that he was actually toddling off to stick his dick in another woman. However, I had had a shit day at work and just… kind of snapped. I demanded him tell me why he was disappearing every fortnight and that’s when the son of a bitch started to stutter out answers and not giving me a straight answer.

I started almost begging with for the answer and telling him that I couldn’t bare spending another fucking weekend alone while my husband went on all these business trips. When I started slamming shit and shoving my finger into his chest, calling him a liar and that he couldn’t be honest, he shouted the truth at me. He shouted that he was seeing someone else; it had been that way for months and didn’t know how to tell me it was over. I guess I shouldn’t have been as surprised as I had been seeing as a big sign that romantic relationship is dead is a dead sex life. And apparently, he was sleeping with the new girl of the building that I had told him had eyes for him only two weeks ago.

Funny how it seems like my life literally turned into a stupid plot line for a fucking movie.

And now, here I was, sat on a plush black couch with probably black mascara streaks down my face and red, sore and most probably puffy eyes from crying. Not that I wanted to be crying over a bloke who I had married and was still very much in love with even though that love flame was slowly burning out and hurt was taking it place. When he had admitted the truth, I grabbed his suitcase and pretty much through it out the door before getting his clothes and tossing them out the door. And I made a goddamn scene when I did. The screaming at him, the throwing of his clothes and calling him a cheating cunt really had the neighbours’ interest. And honestly, I couldn’t have cared less.

The neighbours now knew exactly what type of asshole he was. A cheating asshole that deserved to be buried six foot fucking deep. Though, I’m not going to lie, it sucked fucking ass knowing that my marriage had failed and I’d be signing divorce papers in less than a week. I had thought me and him were good, really good but I guess it was too good to be true. Such is life.

I pushed my dark locks out of my face and sniffed once as I stood up from the couch and went into the bathroom. I went straight to the shower, my body asking for a hot shower to wash everything away and turning it on. As the water warmed up, I stripped off and stood in front of the mirror in a matching set of bra and knickers. I looked like a fucking mess; my eyes red and puffy, my lips dry and my hair a mess from where I had run my hands through it over and over again. He didn’t deserve the damn tears I had been crying and probably will still cry. It was him who destroyed this marriage, not me. And it most definitely wasn’t like I was forcing him to fuck someone else.

I didn’t turn into one of those wives who gave it up once a month on a full moon.

I looked down at my hand, the white gold wedding rings suddenly heavy on my finger as they sparkled with the slight movement of my hand. My eyes narrowed at the rings that were just broken promises and lies. I lifted my hand and held in front of my face for a moment, it was a pretty ring that was now nothing, before pulling them off my finger and holding them in my hand. If I could squash them within my fist, I would but I can’t because I couldn’t. I opened the bathroom draw and dropped them into the draw with the small sound of a clang before slamming the draw shut.

I knew sooner or later, this shit would hit me hard and it would make walking through a tornado like strolling through the park.

After a small moment of just standing and staring at myself in the mirror, I stripped off the bra and knickers and climbed into the shower. The hot water soothed the tense muscles in my shoulders as I stood under the water. I needed to do something that would keep my mind off this bullshit mess and honestly, I had no idea what the fuck I could do to keep my mind off it. Frankly, it was probably just going to be one of those things that just lingered in my mind. And plus, there truly wasn’t much to do in this area that was filled to the brim with fancy places and people with their heads rammed so far up their ass, they were speaking utter crap most of the time.

Not my kind of people at all.

As I stood in the water, not doing much but thinking, I started to realise that this amazing house that I lived in was going to have to be sold and I was going to have to find a new place to live. Though, in the meantime, I think I was stuck going back to my parents because the friends I had were mainly his friends. I left most of my friends behind when I left the city we met in. My parents’ house was going to be my safe haven for the time being.

A safe haven from this place, from this shitty life I had been living. It was over an hour away but I was willing to drive it tonight. Driving always seemed to help me go through my thoughts. The amount of times I had taken off in my car after shit had gone haywire was unbelievable.  I knew for one thing that my mother was going to have a goddamn heart attack when I told her and I was going to have to make sure I had triple zero on speed dial. I also knew that Mum was most probably going to be the one picking up my broken pieces and putting me back together.

It was half an hour later that I was washed, dried and dressed and walking out the front door of the house with a duffle bag of clothes. I walked down to the white Hyundai i30 that occupied the driveway and climbed inside of it after I had unlocked it. I had threw a text to my Mum, telling her that I was coming round for a few days and of course that sparked the question as to why I was. I didn’t answer the question, it was something you didn’t just tell someone over a text message. However, I just replied that I’d be there soon. It was definitely something that made my heart drop and made me feel anxious.

I started the car as the sting of tears burnt at my eyes. I groaned as I pressed my forehead to the steering wheel and took a few deeps in. In for three, out for five. I wished that there was some sort of class I could take that would’ve prepared me for this sort of heart break. I had been nothing but good and loyal to that mother fucker and this is how he had repaid me. I knew from this moment on, it was either break and let my pieces fall apart or hold my head high and carry on. I wanted the second option but I knew sooner or later the first option would come through with a blazing fire.

I had been with him for five years and married to him for one year, it was going to be impossible for me to keep myself together eventually.

I took the hand brake off, pushed my foot onto the brake pedal and put the car into reverse as I looked up at the house. The house held nothing but memories that had become tainted and would remain there because honestly, I didn’t want to take them with me but they were burnt into my mind. Maybe one day, they’d be a remind that no matter how good something seems, sometimes, it never as good as it seems. I slowly removed my foot of the brake pedal and allowed the car to roll back onto the street before taking off away from the house.

It was an hour later that I had found myself walking into the house I had grown up in. Dad was probably asleep seeing as he had a case tomorrow. My father was a lawyer and a damn good one at that. From the limited details he told me, he was working on a case for a member of a bikie club and Dad said if he had any luck and had a good judge, the bloke would get a minimum of two years if he behaved in prison before becoming a free man again.

That’s what I liked about my father the most. No matter what sort of person you are, in a bikie club or not, he would help you and wouldn’t judge you as he did so. And for him trying to get a low sentence for someone who had probably done some bad shit in his life, it was something to look up to even at twenty-five years old. And one of the reasons why my father was the best man I’ve ever known.

“Mum?!” I called out and tried to yell it too loudly.

“In here, sweetie,” She called back and I found my feet moving and following her voice.

I found Mum sitting in the lounge on the old arm chair that they’ve had for years. She was knitting something and watching her most favourite show that was definitely a rerun, Law and Order. Her chocolate brown eyes that my own eyes matched looked over at me and met my own. It was then that I felt the strong burn of tears rim my eyes before slipping over and blurring my vision. In the matter of seconds, Mum was up and out of the arm chair and over to me. Her arms circling me as sobs choked out of my lips. I didn’t even know how to utter the words.

 “What happened, pet? You have to tell me so I can help,” Mum said as she ran her hand over the back of my head.

“Ashton… Ash–” I choked out as Mum moved us over to the couch and sat us down. Through blurred vision, I looked at her and saw the worry in her eyes. “He cheated on me,”

My head fell to my hands as my body shook a little and choked sobs came out of my mouth. My eyes slightly burnt from the left over make-up I hadn’t been bothered to wipe off earlier. It’s funny how when I thought that I wasn’t going to break and cry over a man who didn’t deserve the tears I had been shedding, it happened when I laid eyes on my mother. It was like someone had finally decided to open the flood gates without asking and flooded the whole damn fucking city.

Mum didn’t speak any more words to me as she pulled me into her and I cried out the harsh pain in my heart. I didn’t think that the tears would stop anytime soon like I wished for. I didn’t want to be crying over him again. Fuck, I didn’t want to be crying over the bastard at all but I can’t help but do it. I hated crying especially with the whole snot cry because it was gross and crying just fucking sucked in general unless it was happy tears. And I hated wishing because wishes didn’t come true at all. But right now, all I could do was cry and wish for it to stop.

•

After balling my eyes out for a while and Mum soothing me before making me a cup of tea and then sending me to bed where I had cried even fucking more into the pillow, I had woken up the next morning around eleven with tender eyes and a note on the bed side table. Mum had said that she was going out to have lunch with one of her friends and that she had rung my workplace to let them know that I needed a few days off as I had caught a nasty bug. Of course my boss, Harrison would be okay with that because he loved my mother like his own and we had a good friendship.

I didn’t leave the bed until about six o’clock tonight, well I did move from it when I needed the bathroom but I was straight back into the bed. When I climbed out the bed for the second time today, I went straight to the bathroom that was attached to the room for a shoulder. Like I had done last night, I stood in front of the mirror and man; I was a fucking sight for sore eyes. Mainly my sore eyes but whatever.

Once I was showered, make-up and hair freshly done and dressed, I told Mum I was going out for a bit and I’d be back later. She didn’t want me going out because she was worried about what I’d do. Like my father, I had a temper and stubborn once my mind was made up. She didn’t try telling me not to go, she just told me to be safe and ring her if I needed her. I’m pretty sure she meant ring her if I got too drunk. And right now, being drunk seemed like a goddamn good idea.

I hadn’t heard from Ashton all day and honestly, I didn’t expect to. I knew by Monday afternoon, I’d be hunting his ass down and giving him divorce papers and demanding that we spilt everything fifty-fifty because it was only fair. I didn’t want any of his money at all, just half of what the house would sell for and I knew it was a big amount just not exactly how much. It seemed like the best thing to do and I’d rather not be still married to him for any longer than I had to be.

I had been driving around for almost two hours, trying to find a bar that didn’t look posh or look like I’d have to fight off people who got to drunk and had a confidence boost to hit on every person in the bar. Before I could give up hope and go back to my parents’, I found a bar that was hidden in the hills behind the city and near the look out that wasn’t used anymore now that there was the new lookout that looked down at the city. It was pretty at night time.

The bar was hidden behind a couple big ass Willow trees and had a rustic feel to it. I knew it was the place I needed to be as soon as I saw it. The carpark was made up of dirt and same with the path up to the front of the bar. The carpark was full but not full enough to give the vibe that it was super crowded and one would feel claustrophobic. It seemed to have enough people behind the doors to have a good, drunken night with strangers who would be my best friends for the night.

I parked in between a beat up white car and a black car that seemed so out of place. I climbed out of the car with my handbag and keys in my hand. As I walked away, I locked the car and went straight for the door of the bar. When I got closer to the door, I saw the sign that read the bar name, The Get Away. I smiled went across my lips as I breathed a laugh. It was the fucking perfect name right now. I pushed the door open and I was greeted with loud music, laughter, the smell of cigarettes and alcohol; the smell and sound seemed so welcoming like it was a big ole bear hug. And the atmosphere was welcoming and warm.

 I think I just stumbled across the bar I was going to fall in love with.

As soon as I was in the bar, I went straight over to the bar and ordered a scotch on the rocks, I needed something strong. The bartender was an older woman with warm eyes and a welcoming smile. She whipped up my drink and slide it over to me as I paid for it and told her to keep the change. I gripped the glass in my hand as I dumped my wallet and keys into the bag that was strapped onto my shoulder. My eyes looked around and took everyone in. It was packed but then again it wasn’t packed; most of everyone looked as though they ranged from the age of eighteen and upwards. I think it may be a good night when drinks start to follow harder. I could only hope.

I found myself looking at a man with slumped shoulders as I took a sip of my drink. The scotch burnt as it went down and leaving that burning sensation in my throat in its wake and warming my whole body. The man looked a little down in the dumps, more than I felt on the inside. He had three jugs of beer in front of him and his hand brought the beer in the glass up to his mouth and he downed the rest of it as I slowly made my way over to him.

I was never one to willingly go over to a guy, I was too fucking shy when it came to that but tonight felt different. I felt the need to do it, to walk straight on over to him and sit down. Whether he liked it or not.

Picking up the pace, I went straight over to him and stopped at the table. He was midway through pouring his next beer as he looked up at me. I almost took in a sharp intake of a breath when his eyes met mine. It was like his grey eyes pierced straight through me and into my soul. He had a strong line with stubble and his lips were set in a line. His eyes dropped before coming back up to me. He was either checking me out or giving me a look to say ‘who the fuck do you think you are’. I wasn’t sure what it was. I smiled at him.

 “Can I sit here?” I asked, nodding towards the empty spot across from him.

“Do as you want, it’s a free country,” He bit out and muttered something that I didn’t quite catch and didn’t bother asking as I sat down.

“You look like you’ve had a rough night and want to punch something,” I said as I dumped my bag next to me and placed my glass on the table.

“Something like that,” He said with a shrug of one of his broad shoulders.

I hummed with a nod. “If you wanna punch something, I’m pretty sure I saw a couple trees outside that could use a good beating,”

He gave a single laugh and the corner of his mouth twitched. I was certain that if he smiled, he could light up the damn room while making every girls knickers in this country drop to their ankles. Even though I’m fresh out of a marriage, my knickers would be part of all the girls knickers dropping. But, he had that grump look on his face and his eyes showed me that he looked defeated about something. It was at that moment that I decided I was going to get this guy to smile whether he wanted to or not. I needed to do something to keep my mind off this shit storm going on in my life.

And who knows, maybe I might have a good laugh.

“So,” I said as I grabbed my glass and took a sip. His eyes looked away from the glass of beer and up at me. Again, I felt like he was looking into my soul and I felt the sudden urge to rip my damn clothes off and screamed fuck me at him. Call me crazy. “Why are you here alone? Did your date bail?”

“Date?” He said as he rose an eyebrow. “That’s the joke of the year, peaches. I didn’t come here with a date,”

“Oh,” I said as I stared at the jugs of beer. Awkward.

“I came across this bar and it seemed like it was the only fuckin’ place I would be left alone. But clearly I was wrong,” He stated and I wasn’t taken back from it.

“Should I leave you alone then?” I asked, ready to get up and move away before I ended up drenched in beer and an assault charge on my head.

He shook his head as I looked up at him. “Stay or go, up to you.”

“Right,” I nodded.

Fuck it, I’m staying, Mr Grumpy.

Silence fell around us and I took the moment to look him over a little. He was, hands down, an attractive man and probably even more attractive if he didn’t look like I just kicked his dog. He had dark brown hair that was cut in that fohawk style; the darkness of his hair seemed to make his eyes pop that little bit more now that I had noticed it. His large, broad shoulders were hidden under a tight, simple t-shirt that dipped on his chest and showing colourful swirls of ink. His arms were also coloured in tattoos and the tattoos snaked down his arms to his knunckles and I would be lying if I said I didn’t wonder if there was any more underneath his shirt. His lips were thin but also plump at the same time and beer froth sat caught in the stubble on his top lips.

“You have beer froth on your top lip,” I said as I pointed lazily at his lip.

His tattooed hand that held a silver ring on his middle finger came up and wiped it away. As his hand fell back to the glass, his grey orbs met mine. In the depths of them, I could see the same look that mine most probably held. He was heart broken about something but I was not going to ask because that was asking for him to take me into the carpark, murder me and dump my body somehow. Plus, if someone had come up to me and asked me why I was sad, I would want to punch them or just break down and cry. A fresh wound was something you never played with.

“What’s your name?” I asked, breaking the silence that still sat around us.

“Does it matter?” He asked, his eyes still holding my own and I didn’t dare to look away.

I raised an eyebrow as I pursed my lips together. “Are you always this grump? I only asked your name,”

“Surprisingly no, no I’m not always this grumpy as you’ve kindly put it.” He said before taking a mouthful of his drink. “What’s your name?”

“I’m not telling you my name until you’ve told me,” I said as I grabbed my glass. “I asked first.”

“What? Are we in primary school?” He asked with a small smirk and I took a large mouthful of the scotch cause that smirk made me want to whisper ‘oh my god’ like someone had used magic fingers on my lady parts.

“No,” I laughed a little after I swallowed the mouthful. “I just think it’s fair play,”

“Really?” He said and the smirk sat on his handsome face.

“Yeah, I do,” I said as I challenged him.

“I’m sure I could get your name first, peaches,” He said, his tone was light. Almost flirty.

“Oh yeah?” I said as a smile slowly made its way onto my lips.

He nodded.

Oh god. I shouldn’t be trying to flirt with a man after getting out of a marriage.

“Highly doubtful, Grumpy,” I said as I finished off the glass.

He just laughed and like I had thought, his smile lit up the damn room and my knickers almost landed on the floor but I stopped them. His smile was one of the best smiles I had ever seen. Two dimples sat in his cheeks and it was at that moment that I knew tonight was going to be a fucking good distraction from Ashton, his cheating and my dead marriage.

“Charlotte,” I said as I extended my hand with a bright smile. “And you are?”

“Jacoby,” He said as he gripped my hand with his tattooed one.

I didn’t miss the feeling of my hand feeling small in his large hand. Never in my life have I felt that feeling and honestly, it was actually kind of fucking weird but in a good way. I had read many novels where the author had written about their heroine’s hand feeling small in the hero’s hand and I never thought it could be true. That was up until now, that is. I didn’t quite know if I’d feel it again so I lapped the feeling up and burnt it into my mind. Ashton never made my hand feel that way.

“Nice to meet you, Jacoby,” I grinned as I pulled my hand away from his. “And thank you,”

“Thank you for what?” He asked with a confused look.

“For the beer,” I laughed as I grabbed one of the jugs he had and poured it into my glass.