Kiss From a Rose

Matt Sanders sat at the bar sipping his beer and watching the countdown into a New Year. He sighed and looked around at all the people getting ready for the clock to get to zero.

"Want another beer Matt?" Jason asked.

"Yeah get me another." He said finishing his current one.

Matt was alone at the bar the others were spending the night with their wives and girlfriends.

"Thanks man." Matt said as the beer was placed in front of him.

Matt was trying to drink away the memories of her. His now ex wife Valary. He didn't know when or where things went wrong. They just began arguing more and more their home becoming a battefield.

Ultimately she had filed for divorce and admitted something that still made his heart break.

She admitted to cheating on him for months and the baby she had been carrying that he thought was his really wasn't. No words could describe how much that hurt him.

He had always looked forward to starting a family and becoming a dad. Now it looked like that had been flushed down the drain.

Even though the divorce had been finalized for two weeks now. Matt still found himself thinking about Valary. They had known each other since they were little.

Had grown up together eventually becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. Ultimately tying the knot in 09 which had been one of the happiest days in his life.

He was brought out his thoughts by the other patrons counting down the last five seconds of the countdown.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0!" They yelled and kissed their partner. "Happy New Years."

"Happy New Years indeed." Matt said gloomily.

He looked up as a Jack and Coke was placed in front of him.

"Jason I didn't order this." He said confused.

"She ordered it." He said gesturing down.

Matt looked down to see a black haired girl sitting at the other end. She was wearing a leather shirt with a bronze blouse. Her skin was pale and she wore red lipstick. Her hair was down and straight with a rose barrette on each side.

She caught his eye and gave him a small flirty smile. Matt looked at Jason who chuckled.

"She ain't looking at me and she didn't order me the drink." He said cleaning glasses.

Matt looked at the drink again before grabbing it and walking down to the girl. She grinned sipping her drink as he sat down.

"Nice eye contact." She said. "How you doing this New Year?"

"Okay I guess." He said.

She raised an eyebrow. "You guess?" "It's either yes or no I guess isn't real specific."

"I'm fine then." Matt said. "How are you?"

"I've been better." She said sipping her drink. "You got a name?"

"It's Matt." He said.

"Matt as in short for Matthew?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yes."

"You don't look like a religious or holy person." She said. "It's strange that you're called that."

Matt didn't know what to make of the girl's strange responses to his answers. Something about her seemed off so he decided to leave.

"Well thanks for the drink." He said getting up.

"Why are you alone?" She asked.

"What?" He said turning back around.

"I said why are you here alone?" She asked. "A guy like you doesn't look like you would be anywhere alone."

"It's complicated." He said sitting back down.

"Life is complicated hon." She said eating an olive. "You're not the only one who has complications or relationships that just didn't work out."

Matt glanced at her. "You sound like you've had a lot of them."

"We've all had our share hon." She said. "But yours seems not to long ago." "You've lost a lover who was your best friend for a long time now here you are in a bar alone drinking your sorrows away."

He took a drink. "Why are you here alone?"

"I sometimes like to be alone." She said. "It allows me to center my thoughts and escape the world and no one can hurt you."

"I've never thought of being alone as a good thing." He said.

"It's all in how you look at it." She said with a smile.

He returned it. "I never got your name."

She grinned. "Buy me a drink and maybe I'll tell you."

"So where are you originally from?" Matt asked. "You sound like you have an accent."

"I'm from all over hon." She said.

He grinned. "You got on to me about not being specific but you're not being specific."

"That's different cause you're either a mood of you're not." She said. "There's no such thing as being in between moods."

"You have a pretty unique view on things." He said.

"Well I'm a very unique person." She said. "I'm one of those rare people you'll meet that you'll become enchanted by cause I never give too much about myself away."

"That makes you sound somewhat antisocial and secretive." He said.

"Not really I only like to talk to people who interest me." She said. "And I'm like that because the less you know about me the more you'll want to know."

"Is that so?" Matt asked.

She nodded. "Cause men like to chase women who are a challenge and they also like it when a woman has some mystery to her." "And I'm as mysterious as they come."

"What about you makes you so mysterious?" He asked.

She smiled. "You'll just have to stick around to find out." She said getting up. "You coming?"

"With you?" He asked. "I just met you."

"And?" She asked.

"I'm not interested in a one night stand." He said.

"Trust me hon." She said leaning close till he could smell her perfume. "This is not a one night stand this is only the beginning."

"Of what?" Matt asked staring into her eyes.

"The beginning of something new for the both of us." She said. "Come Matt you'll never get another chance like this."

Matt didn't know how to react about this girl's behavior. She was strange but she was interesting.

"Okay I'll come with you." He said. "But only of you tell me your name."

She smiled. "It's Ember."

"Ember?" He said. "As in short for December or November?"

She laughed. "Touché no it's just Ember." "You coming?"

"Guess I am." He said getting up and following her out the bar.

"So Ember what are you into?" He asked as they walked along.

"Everything." She said. "Especially dark and the unexplained things."

"You mean like the paranormal and supernatural?" He asked. "You believe in that stuff."

"I believe anything is possible." She said stopping. "Why don't you believe?"

"I just can't believe in things that I can't see." He said. "I guess I would need proof."

"There's a lot in life you can't see." She said. "That doesn't mean it doesn't exist." "You can't see God or the Devil but you know they exist right?"

"I'm not religious but I have some belief in it." He said.

"Better than nothing." She said walking again.

"Where are we going anyway?" He asked.

She said nothing and continued walking then stopped at a crowd of party goers came out celebrating the New Years. Matt pushed a guy who tried to grab his butt.

"Drunken bastards." He said. "Are you okay...

Matt turned to find Ember gone. He looked around seeing no sign of her. Something caught his eye.

He looked down in the place she had stood was a single rose petal.