Chapter 15: From Flicker To Flame

Rocco's Bar, Interior, Baltiney, New York...

 Richard Henry Grant stared down at his glass of rotgut for what seemed like hours before he finally turned it up causing Rocco to express a bit of concern for him and his unusual behavior when it came to being at the bar. It had become a happy place for Richard since his divorce and when he first walked in he'd said as much. Rocco had noticed a dramatic shift in Richard's mood even with a glass of booze in his hands since he had opened the place. Richard continued to stew on the events that led to the beautiful young woman Misty getting into his car and taking off after their brief but very steamy encounter. 

It had been years since Richard Grant of all people had sex and that was before the divorce from his wife due to psychological impotence. It had stunned him to no end to find out that all it took despite his ingestion of booze on a seemingly regular basis was for a beautiful blonde like Misty to come on to him. He had not known what to make of it, all things considered, the all too familiar heights of sexual bliss and the subsequent longing afterward when she'd taken off into the night had been concerning.

Rocco seemed to notice that he wasn't his usual booze-happy self and arched a brow at this new version of Richard. 

"You alright?" he asked. "You're lookin' a bit green around the gills."

Richard stared down into his half-empty glass and nodded before turning up the remainder of his booze and downing it in one go. 

"I'm fine, I just got a lot on my mind," he replied evenly. 

Rocco nodded as he went back to serving his other customers not at all wishing to pry any further, it had just been strange to see his regular not downing his drink the first chance he'd gotten and ordering another round as he went. 

Richard's thoughts had been once more on Misty and their encounter in his car, it triggered his memories of his ex-wife and the last time they'd been together before his life had turned into the trainwreck it had been at the current moment. 

He slowly sipped his drink as he turned his attention to the jukebox in the back of the bar and opted to listen to music. Rocco watched him rather curious as to what had made Richard's mood so sour as of late, he'd usually been the life of the party when it came to the open bar. 

Richard fiddled with the selection choices and finally decided on a rather melancholy track. He had been thinking of it due to the last time he'd heard it, he'd come to the conclusion that it was when the young Misty had entered the bar and quickly settled on the song as it reminded him of her. Not just the name but the melancholy theme that seemed to be as haunting as her sorrow-filled blue eyes whenever he recalled looking into them. 

He didn't need anyone to tell him what he'd already known, the air of agony had been all around that girl and the brief moment of physical contact that happened between them was quite the indication of someone longing for something that they had no idea what it was or where to look. 

Despite her attempt to pay him back for perceived kindness, Richard had known all too well that she'd ignited something in him. Something that had gone from a slight flicker when he'd first met her drawing him into her mysterious orbit and turning it into a blazing flame that he'd sooner douse with the effects of a good deal of booze but somehow had been unable to. 

Try as he might, he'd been unable to get the best thing that had ever happened to him in years out of his mind. He'd done quite the opposite when it came to the haunting melody of the song he played, and for the first time in a long time, Richard had felt something other than anger and numbness when it came to a reflective memory. 

He recalled how soft Misty's body had been against his when they'd been pressed against one another inside his car, the sweet scent of her perfume, and how easily she'd swayed him with her delicate touch and soft hands. Despite his best attempts to ignore the obvious with booze, it was quite clear that he'd missed being wanted by a woman. 

His ex-wife's cruelty had decimated any aspect of his confidence in court as had the malpractice suit that ruined his life in the first place. Her numerous affairs had contributed to the decidedly poor self-image that surfaced in the wake of all the chaos and the silent suffering had been largely ignored so long as Richard could pour himself a glass to forget it all again. 

The first night had gotten away from him, he'd been in the most pain he'd ever been in as far as he could recall from his old life, the icy cold booze seemed to make it all go away, and he'd been more confident and happy when under the influence and people flocked to him in droves, he had been well aware of his temperament when overly intoxicated and had to be occasionally restrained but for the most part he'd been quite pleasant when booze had coursed through his veins. 

Before he'd known it he'd been having round after round for days but it didn't matter to him so long as he never had to feel what his ex-wife had done to him ever again, she'd taken the children so he had no real reason not to indulge and since he was out of work there was no longer any point in pretending to have obligations. 

Richard downed the glass of booze as the music played in the background, his wayward thoughts shifting back to the lovely young blonde with haunting blue eyes as he opted for another round. He had hoped to see her again, as much like the first drink he'd had on the day of his rather tragic divorce, he knew all too well that he'd become addicted to her company, even more so now that he'd known what it was like to be so close to her if even temporarily, she'd been something he couldn't do without.