Chapter 2: Chapter 2
"Seriously, you don't know me?" He looked at her as if he was shocked.
Or was he amused?
It was rare that somebody did not know his name. But somehow, he assumed this woman would at least recognize him.
"Should I?" Her face showed him what he never expected. She seemed clueless and uninterested. "Sorry to burst your bubbles, but no. Don't tell me you are famous or something."
He watched her play with the moisture that adhered to the glass of her drink, letting the water droplets fall to the table surface.
Then, his eyes switched to her face, wondering who she was. He remembered she had captured his attention when he stepped into the bar and saw her.
"Seriously?" Now, he was astounded as he shook his head in disbelief. "I guess not famous enough." He concluded.
He supposed she was one of those rare people who did not follow sports. Besides, he could not expect every girl to fall on his feet, though most usually did.
"I'm sorry. I don't know you. Although I would admit, you look kinda familiar." She scrunched her eyes while staring at him as if she was squeezing her brain for information.
Truthfully, he also felt the same way. He thought he also knew her when he first saw her. But as he stared at her face, he realized she could not be her.
Although there were some similarities in their features, her nose, lips, cheeks, and chin were still slightly different from what he remembered.
But those eyes.
There was no mistake. It was the same. But that could be just a coincidence.
Besides, it had been a while since he last saw her. However, he thought he could never forget her face.
Nonetheless, he believed that was still impossible. The woman on his mind was dead. She died eight years ago. Therefore, she could not be her, no matter how much he wanted her to be her.
"You probably saw me on the internet or in the news or something." It was the only explanation.
He doubted that he had met her before. He would have remembered her if they did. But he would admit, he was curious about her.
"If you say so." She tilted her head to her left while shrugging her shoulder, indicating that she could not care less.
Again, it was not the response he expected. In his experience, women would do anything to catch his attention.
"Anyway, I'm Noah... Noah Maxwell." He guessed he had no choice but to introduce himself, extending his hand in her way. Frankly, she intrigued him.
She was not as tall and thin as the supermodel he usually dated. But she was gorgeous and had a drop-dead curvy body that he used to prefer.
Of course, he also noticed that she did not lack male admirers who wanted her attention. Therefore, she might be sick of men fawning over her or picking her up in a bar.
"My time is up." She checked her watch. "It was nice meeting you, Noah." She smiled but did not reach out her hand or offer her name. "And thanks for the drink."
She stood from her chair and moved along without looking back. After several more steps, she was back with her friends, probably discussing who won the bet.
"There you are..." His friend, Andrew, walked over to the bar, tapping him hard on the shoulder as he joined him.
His friends knocked his fist on the counter, ordering their usual. It had been a while since they were back in this place, but the bartender indisputably remembered them.
"I thought you were about to score." Tyler, another of his teammates, pointed out as he took the other chair on his other side.
He did not need to look at his friends to know they were staring at her, probably checking her out. But unlike them, he was genuinely interested in her while they only scouted for their next conquest.
"But the great Noah seemed to strike out." Andrew jabbed him on his arm, mocking him. "Do you mind if I give it a try?"
For some reason, he motioned for his friend to go ahead. "Give it your best shot, man." He did not feel threatened, believing his friend would not have a chance with her.
But he was intrigued by what she would do, seeing that she and her friends still occasionally turned to look in his direction. Were they talking about him or his friends?
What about her?
His friend bravely strode to their table in the far corner, partially obscured by the crowd and the shadows. Still, he could visibly see her from his spot.
"Come on, Noah." Tyler patted him on the back. "Andrew seemed to have scored. He is waving for us to join them."
Frankly, he was surprised as he watched his other friend occupy the vacant seat and join the other group. But sometimes, he had to accept that others had better luck than him.
Nonetheless, he was not passing up this opportunity to get close to her again. Whatever Andrew did, he must say he was glad.
"This is my friend. I'm sure you all know him." Andrew quickly introduced him. "And that is Tyler." He pointed to their other friend.
"Of course, we know all of you."
"We are a fan." Their new friends shrieked in excitement. "By the way, I'm Sasha." The man who moved more gracefully than the two girls beside him offered his hand to them.
"I'm Judith." The other woman also introduced herself, giggling as she touched his hand.
"And you are?" He asked when she still did not offer to give out her name.
"Skyler..." Eventually, she finally said it loudly for everyone to hear. "And girls... I'm sorry. But it's late. I'm leaving."
"No! We don't want you to go." Judith tried to stop her as she gathered her bag and phone on her side.
"I told you. I have an early meeting." She told her friends. "It was nice meeting you guys." She waved at them, appearing truly disinterested in spending time with them.
"Are you sure? Can't you stay for another fifteen minutes?" Sasha also attempted to persuade her to linger a little bit longer.
But she was determined to leave as she strode toward the door, leaving them to enjoy the rest of the night.
However, he also had other plans.
"I'm sorry, but you know I also have an early schedule. So, I better also call it a night." He said farewell to his teammates and his new friends.
He did not like to go out tonight, but he did not regret it either as he quickened his pace toward the exit. Then, he signaled for the valet to get his car.
Once outside, he immediately spotted her waiting by the corner, probably for a taxi. Good! She did not bring a car. He believed she should not drive anyway. After all, she looked tipsy.
"Well, we meet again, Skyler. I hope you would not mind if I offer you a ride." He smiled at her, displaying his most friendly face.
Just in time, his car arrived, stopping before them. Quickly, he opened the door, giving her no opportunity to refuse.
"Please. I promise I will keep my hands to myself."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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