new person, same old mistakes

[rhys alexander greyback]

and i know it seems wrong to accept

but you've got your demons,
and she's got her regrets

2027

Rhys closed his eyes a moment, taking in that familiar feeling. The numbness spread to his fingertips, followed by warmth. His brain long past a buzz as his thoughts finally quieted down. Scoping the bar, his eyes were bright but dazed. The room was loud, but he didn’t mind. His survey was interrupted by the sound of a glass placed on the bar. He turned and nodded to the bartender. It was a popular place for Cursebreakers. And while different than the pubs back home, a bar was a bar. He was halfway across the world and very far from home.

But Rhys could have traveled to another planet, yet all that weighed, taunted, and followed him would never leave. People didn’t know half of it. Years had passed since Rhys opened up those doors to share the things he held closest. His fears, memories, and the dark things that wallowed in his mind. Si had already told him to talk to someone, but Rhys never did. What was the point? It wouldn’t change how it made him feel or that it happened. His job had finished a day early, allowing Rhys to relax. Dahlia was around here somewhere. His eyes scanned the room again, but he didn’t spot her.

Not that it worried him. He’d find Dahlia tomorrow before they took the portkey home. There was a thought he could go home early, and he’d considered it. The yearn in his chest to see his daughter always lingered, and even over a year later, it still surprised Rhys how strong the pull was. Charlotte was with her mother far more than with Rhys, but that was his schedule and the life he chose. It changed things, though he wasn’t sure it was for the better. Hesitation crept into his typically decisive way about his work. That last incident in Greece had been troubling, especially when he thought about how lucky he was. It could have gone so much worse.

In these moments, the downside of so much whiskey would hit him. The racing thoughts were quiet, but the dormant thoughts slowly came to life. This was where he needed a distraction. Or at least to stop thinking. Draining his glass, he locked eyes with the bartender, who nodded at Rhys, refilling with a wave of his hand. Maybe he’d call it a night. Stepping off the stool, he felt surprisingly steady and placed coins on the bar as he drank this last glass all at once. He felt something or someone bump into him as he put the glass back down. Looking over, a pair of bright green eyes stared back at him. Shining like the emeralds he’d picked up all over the world. She spoke an apology, but quickly, an interesting grin crept onto her face.

A feeling of déjà vu washed over him. Or maybe he just remembered green eyes. He couldn’t be sure. She took a small step closer and offered to buy him a drink for his troubles. A drink was harmless, right? Rhys nodded, and her smile grew. There was something wicked about it. As she turned to get the bartender’s attention, Rhys noted a couple of faces looking at him from a table. Colleagues, other Cursebreakers he’d trained with all those years ago. Their eyebrows raised suggestively, not a hint of disapproval in their expressions. Rhys thought of home, about the bar he’d made a second home—or rather, she’d made home for him. A home away from home for the pair, where it began and where it continued. But he wasn’t at that bar now. No, Rhys was halfway across the world and far away from home. She leaned in a little closer to speak again. It was necessary with all the noise in a bar. Rhys spent much time far away from home, and a drink had yet to hurt anyone.

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