The First and the Last by Jesse H. Reign

Perhaps I should add a preface here to say that in my twenty-six years, never once have I found myself taken aback by or even vaguely interested in a man’s looks. It’s just enough to add interest to his face and forever excuse him from being mistaken for being just another perfect face. A slightly prominent nose, with a tiny hint of a curved bridge. Light hazel eyes with wild flecks of green and blue. Olive skin, brown hair so dark it almost looks black. There’s really no way around it the very first thing I notice about Ethan is that he’s handsome. Feet perched on the stool as an easy, if slightly cutting grin, spreads slowly across his face. He spins his barstool around slowly, leaning back against the bar, broad shoulders in a crisp white shirt. We turn and head to the bar and there he is. We make small talk for a few minutes and then she says, almost like an afterthought, “Oh, Oliver, you haven’t met Ethan. Says she’s heard good things and all of that. She’s tall and blonde with tortoise-shell glasses which give her a bit of a severe, librarian vibe, but she’s friendly and is obviously pleased to meet me. Liza seems nice, she greets me with a big, easy smile. She’s one of her best friends and someone she’s been wanting me to meet for a while. Jess looks so happy as she introduced me to Liza.

Today, it’s her friends Liza and Ethan’s turn.

Jess and I have been together for about seven or eight months, though the first few months it was a hook-up type arrangement, so we are still in the process of meeting each other’s friends. Yes, the place is rough around the edges, but the beer is cheap and it’s only a couple of blocks away from my place, so it’s where you can find us most week-ends. I know, I know, a dive bar named The Dive, it’s pretty corny. I’m at The Dive, with my girlfriend Jess.

The First and the Last by Jesse H. Reign