Page 7 of The Flirty Vet
The cranky American.
The cranky and,hello, even cuter than I could make out from the laneway American. As he makes his way through the opulent foyer, my eyes roam appreciatively over my new friend.
His hair is tucked under a grey Adidas baseball cap, but a few dark-blond strands peek out from the sides.
He's got a long, angular, classically American face with just the tiniest amount of stubble starting to poke through.
He's tall. Maybe slightly taller than me, and he's wearing a moss-green jacket, tight dark jeans that are perfectly sculpted to his muscular legs, and a pair of white sneakers.
He spots me gaping at him through the window. His eyes narrow.
I smile and give him a wave.
He doesn't wave back.
Maybe he's not a waving person? Maybe he's shy? Maybe he's regretting his decision to have a drink with some random dude who just woke him up? Or maybe he's so overwhelmed by my amazing singing prowess that he's a little awestruck?
Yeah, it's probably that, and honestly, I can't say I blame him. If I didn't love animals with all my heart, I'd be gracing the world's biggest stages and blowing audiences away. I'm not saying I'd be the male version of Taylor Swift…but I'm also notnotsaying it, either.
The people who got out of the lift before him go through the revolving door first, and he gets into the next wing after them. I walk up so that I'm there to meet him when he steps out onto the street.
"Hey, New York," I greet him, flashing a massive smile.
He shakes his head. "New York, really?"
"Would you have preferred if I'd gone with a super cheesyg'day, mate?" I say, over-Aussie-fying the words.
His lips twitch. "You could try Col. That's my name."
"Nice to meet you, Col. I'm Wilby. Wilby Linfox, a.k.a. the greatest undiscovered singing talent in the entire country."
He lets out a small chuckle. "How drunk are you?"
"Not very anymore. The cold night air has freshened me right up. You should see how hard my nipples are."
"I have," he quips, his serious expression betrayed only by the slight hint of amusement in his voice.
Our eyes meet again, and this time, standing so close to him, I notice the coolest thing ever. "Whoa. Your eyes. They're different colours."
His left eye is light green, while his right has a bit of green but is mainly blue.
He presses his lips together. "Do youalwayssay everything you're thinking?"
"Yeah. Don't you?"
"No. No one over the age of ten does."
"That's weird."
"You'reweird."
"Thank you." I smile proudly. "Now, let me buy you that drink before you change your mind."
"Good idea. Lead the way."
I gesture in the direction we need to go.
"When did you arrive in Australia?" I ask as we start walking.