Read Sophie Morgan (Book 1): Relative Strangers (A Modern Vampire Story) for Free Online Page B

relaxation. The place reminded me in many ways of some of the pubs at home. There was a real mix of people, young and old, groups and couples. I’m not saying that Bethel didn’t have its fair share of rowdy bars and nightclubs. I was just more comfortable in the smaller ones of Bethesda, my hometown on its outskirts.Bethesda was technically part of Bethel, the "technically" part being something which residents liked to stress.
    Midway through my first drink, I realised that the bar didn’t seem as crowded as the night before, which surprised me a little. Mickey explained that it was because another Irish bar a few streets away had a band on. The regulars would still turn up, but a few customers would probably have headed over there first, especially as Kieran was playing at O' Malley's both nights. He was a pretty talented guy, but his repertoire was limited and I could see why you wouldn’t necessarily want to hear him on successive nights. Mickey called it "paddy-oke", or Irish karaoke, which I wanted to laugh at, but thought it may not be politically correct, what with not being Irish myself.
    The strum of a guitar signalled that the show was about to begin. I smiled over at Tracy, who was standing adoringly in front of the stage, despite there being plenty of seats available, including an empty stool by me.
    "So then," Mickey asked, leaning over the bar, "Will we be having the pleasure of your company for the whole night, or is this a passing visit?"
    "You’ll have me all night," I confirmed. Rephrasing I added, "I mean we won’t be going on to anywhere else, at least I don’t think. Of course, it’s up to Madam and what lover boy wants to do."
    I gestured in the direction of the stage, and Mickey responded with a knowing look. He remarked that he’d seen that look on a girl before, well when they were with Kieran anyway, and there would be no way she’d be leaving while he was still knocking about the place. I was inclined to agree, even without the secret knowledge I had about the content of her handbag.
    Kieran looked like he knew how to charm a lady and though genuine his actions may have been, I was pretty determined that he wasn’t going to take advantage of Tracy. I was going to keep her as sober as I could to make sure she didn’t make any mistakes. For a moment, I considered getting up and standing next to her, but I’m afraid fear of embarrassment took over. She was the only person on the ‘dance floor’ in front of the stage. I’d look like a spare part – one apparently employed to just carry her handbag.
    Oh, what the hell, I thought, she’s a big girl and she deserves a break. As long as she can still think clearly, it’s up to her what she wants to do. Mickey must have read my mind when Tracy waved her hand at the bar to signal she wanted another drink; he poured her a Coke and got that sent over.
    In between serving customers, Mickey and I resumed our conversations from the previous night. These were mostly centred on me, which made me a little uncomfortable, but as I’d managed to deflect many of these questions previously, I thought it only fair to share a bit more about myself. After all, it was unlikely that I was going to see him again after this short break – what did I have to lose? I thought it might be quite pleasant to bare my soul for once, hell to even just talk about me for a change. I spent the last couple of years at work listening to an endless line of people telling me about their problems, aspirations and dreams. Perhaps I should give it a go.
    Michael's opening gambit was to ask me more about home, probably because he thought it would be a relatively safe topic of conversation. I described Bethesda to him, the village where I had grown up and where my mother still lived. It had originally been built between two roads, "top road" and "bottom road", only thirty or so houses, most of which were worker's cottages. After world war two, it had grown further with the