Chapter 3
The Stranger in the Bar
The first thing I noticed when I stepped inside was the sound. Not the overwhelming noise I was used to from my hometown. Just conversation. Quiet laughter. The clinking of glasses. A soft country song playing somewhere in the background. It all created a low drone of background noise, making the atmosphere feel cozy.
The wooden floors were worn from years of footsteps. The furniture looked like it had been here for decades. Red, cracked leather booths and scuffed wooden tables. The walls were decorated with shelves of bottles, old photographs, and paintings. Lots of paintings.
My attention immediately went to them. I slowed down without realizing it, studying each piece as we passed them. A landscape of rolling hills. A portrait with so much emotion behind the eyes that I almost felt like I was intruding. A colorful abstract piece that made me stop and tilt my head, trying to figure out what the artist had been feeling when they created it. I could have stayed there for hours.
“Pearl.” I turned. Mai was standing near the bar with a knowing smile.
“What?”
“You’re doing the thing.”
I frowned. “What thing?”
“The thing where you forget the rest of the world exists because you found art.” She said it warmly, like it was her favorite quirk of mine.
I glanced back at the abstract painting fondly. “Oh. I hadn’t realized.”
She laughed. “It’s fine. I knew this would happen, but come on. You can obsess over the art another time.”
I ducked my head with a sheepish grin and walked over to her. Behind the bar stood a Mixed Berry woman about our age, early twenties, drying a glass with a towel. She had dark green skin and navy-blue hair and eyes. Her coloring was very striking.
She looked up as we approached, her shoulder-length hair swaying slightly. Upon getting close enough, I could also see she had a septum piercing. “This must be Pearl.”
I blinked. “Is everyone in town already aware of my existence?”
Mai shrugged. “I may have mentioned you a few times.”
“A few?” I repeated.
The bartender sat the glass down. “Mai has been talking about you arriving for months.” The same thing Kiwi had said. “You didn’t say she was a Raw though.”
I tucked a loose strand of white hair behind my ear, suddenly very aware of how much I stood out among the colorful Berries around me.
“No offense, but the Raws I’ve met… haven’t been the nicest Berries.”
I couldn’t disagree there. “None taken.”
“Pearl is totally nice!” Mai all but shouted, drawing the attention of a few other patrons of the bar.
“Mai, it’s fine.” I whispered, embarrassed. “She’s not wrong. Raws generally are super rude to anyone that’s not Raw.”
There was a moment of silence and the onlookers went back to their own conversations. I let out a relieved sigh.
“Anyway. This is Cypress,” Mai introduced. “She runs the bar. And she’s usually nicer.”
“Runs is a strong word,” Cypress said, setting the glass down, ignoring Mai’s second comment entirely. “Mostly I keep people from making bad decisions after they’ve had too much to drink.”
Mai pointed at her. “See? She’s basically a town mom. A little judgmental, but a mom.” She was not about to let go of the Raw comment.
Cypress rolled her eyes. “I am absolutely not.”
“You are.”
“I’m not.”
“You are, though.”
I laughed quietly. I was starting to understand what Mai meant about Hearthglen’s charm.
Mai turned toward me. “The gallery is upstairs. Most of the artwork is up there.”
My eyes wandered around again. “I love that this place has an art gallery.” Maybe Hearthglen wasn’t going to be as boring as I thought. I still wasn’t sure I belonged here. But for the first time, I wanted to see what else Hearthglen had to offer.
I was about to stand up to go take a closer look at the abstract piece again when I bumped someone that was passing by. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry!” I turned quickly. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
I turned around. And forgot how words worked. The Shade standing there was a deep, pure purple. Not a soft lavender. Not a muted shade. A rich, dark purple that immediately drew attention. He was handsome. Very handsome. I wasn’t usually someone who was easily impressed by appearances, but something about him made me pause. It was his eyes. They were intense. Almost mysterious. There was something behind them, something I couldn’t quite place. Like there was a whole story hidden there.
“No problem.” His voice pulled me back. Deep. Smooth. “I wasn’t completely focused either.” He glanced toward the drink in his hand and gave a small, embarrassed laugh. “To be more honest, I’m a little too drunk and really need to sober up.”
I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. Great. Absolutely brilliant conversation skills, Pearl.
He seemed amused by my silence. “I’m going to go sit down, over there.” He gestured toward an empty booth, almost like an invitation.
I finally found my voice. Barely. “Right. Okay.”
He gave me a small smile before walking away. I watched him for a second longer than I probably should have. Until—
“Pearl.” I jumped. Mai was grinning. “I saw that.”
I immediately looked away. “Saw what?”
“That.”
“There was no ‘that.’”
“There was definitely a ‘that.’”
I rolled my eyes. “Cobalt, tell her she’s imagining things.”
“I didn’t see anything.”
I smiled pointedly. “Thank you.”
“But I also wasn’t really paying attention.” He held up a paper menu. He had been trying to decide what to get.
I groaned. “Not helpful.”
Mai giggled.
I couldn’t resist asking. “Do you know who he is?” I glanced back toward the stranger. He had his head resting on the table.
“No.” Mai tapped her chin. “Interesting.”
“What?”
“Everyone knows everyone here.”
“So?”
“So he’s either new, a hermit, or secretly very boring.”
Cypress raised an eyebrow. “Or a serial killer.” We all stared at her. “What?” she asked.
Mai stared harder. “Cypress.”
“What?”
“That was oddly specific.”
Cypress shrugged. “Small towns have secrets too.”
I laughed. “I don’t think he’s a serial killer.” I looked back at him again. “He’s too drunk to be plotting anything.”
Mai gasped. “Pearl.”
I already knew where this was going. “No.”
“You should take him water.”
“Absolutely not.”
“It’s just water.”
“I don’t know him!”
Cypress grabbed a tall glass, filled it, and slid it toward me. “Just give him the water.” She also sat a travel size bottle of medicine beside the glass. “Pain medicine.”
“You’re encouraging this?”
“He does seem to need it,” Cobalt admitted, glancing at the stranger.
I sighed. Fine. They had a point. Mai handed me the glass and the pain relievers. “See? Totally innocent.”
“You are impossible.”
“I know.” She smiled, proud of herself.
I walked over to the booth before I could change my mind. I placed the water down gently. The stranger lifted his head. “Sorry,” I said quickly. “I figured you could use some water.” His eyes moved from the glass to me, then to the bottle in my outstretched hand. “And pain meds.”
For a moment, he looked genuinely surprised. Like it was rare for a stranger to help him. “Thanks.” He took the bottle and dumped out two small red pills, studied them for a moment before swallowing them, and drained the entire glass of water.
I glanced back toward Mai. She immediately mouthed: Sit. I shook my head. She glared at me, making the command perfectly clear. Sit.
“Do you mind if I sit for a minute?” I managed to ask awkwardly.
He blinked once, then smiled. “Not at all.”
I slid into the booth across from him. I could get a better look at him sitting so close. He was even more handsome than I first thought. He had a smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks. His hair was so dark purple it was almost black, with shaved sides and a curly unruly mess on top.
He had the kind of sharp features I didn’t. Stronger jaw. More defined cheekbones. Everything about his face seemed a little more angular than mine. Mine had always been softer—rounded cheeks, a narrow jaw, a small chin. The only thing angular about me were my pointed ears. My mother used to say it made me look delicate. The one thing about me that she was proud of.
He had just a little stubble along his jaw and upper lip, just enough to give his face some definition. And his eyes. Oh Maker, his eyes. Bright violet, almost jewel-toned. They were fixed on me with so much curiosity.
“So…” I paused. “Are you new here?”
“Yeah, actually. Been here for about a month.”
“From where?”
“The Harbor.”
“The Harbor?”
“HuckleBerry Harbor. Sorry. The locals just call it the Harbor.”
“Kind of like how people from Frost Haven just call it the Haven.”
“Exactly.”
We both laughed. Somehow, talking to him felt easy.
“So is that where you’re from?” He asked, seeming genuinely interested.
“Yeah. I just moved here literally today.”
“That’s a big change. What brought you here of all places?”
I hesitated. “My grandmother.”
His expression softened. “Your grandmother?”
“She left me her cottage.”
“That’s incredible.”
“Yeah. Except I never really knew her.” His smile faded into sympathy. “She passed away when I was only a year old.”
“I’m so sorry.” His hand reached out to brush mine before he caught himself and pulled it back.
I shrugged. “It’s okay. I just thought coming here would help me learn more about her.” I laughed awkwardly. “Sorry. I’m just telling all of this to a complete stranger.”
“You don’t have to apologize.” His voice was quiet. “You can tell me whatever you want.”
For some reason, I believed him. The moment lingered. Then I realized I was sitting across from a very attractive stranger and had no idea what I was supposed to do. I was not good at this. So, naturally, I panicked.
“Well, you seem like you’re feeling better.”
He blinked. “I do?”
“Yes.” I stood quickly. “I should probably go.”
His hand reached out and gently caught my wrist. Not holding me in place. Just stopping me. “Can I at least know your name?” His smile was playful. “I’d ask for your number, but it’s a small town. I’m sure we’ll run into each other again.”
My heart did an annoying little flip at his easy charm. “Pearl. Pearl Frost.” I waited for the moment that always came upon introducing myself. The slight star struck look and tone. ‘Frost? As in Frost Haven? Your family founded the town?’
It didn't come. His smile just softened. “I’m Urchin. Byzantine.” Then he let go. I could still feel the ghost of his hand.
I immediately returned to Mai and Cobalt before I embarrassed myself more. He hadn’t reacted at all like my last name was a big deal.
Mai opened her mouth.
“No.” I pointed at her. “Don’t even.”
She grinned. “I didn’t even say anything.”
“You were about to.”
She shrugged shamelessly.
“Can we please just go?”
To my surprise, she didn’t tease me. She just gave me a sympathetic look. “Yeah. Of course. It’s getting a little late in the evening anyway. We can visit the Briarwood tomorrow. It’s not going anywhere.”
We stepped outside into the fading sunlight. I took a deep breath. My cheeks were still warm. My heart was still beating too fast. I had no idea why. Maybe it was because everything about today was new. Hearthglen was already surprising me. Or maybe.
Maybe it was because of a pair of bright purple eyes. A pair of eyes I knew I would be painting later.