Categories > Celebrities > 30 Seconds to Mars > These Immortal Streets
Chapter Sixteen
Flashback
The tavern they sat at was dimly lit, closed in by smoke, and smelling of alcohol. The wood of the tables were splintered and the walls were covered by peeled wallpaper. The bartender argues with several people who sat at the bar and every man who left stumbled out drunk.
Jared wasn’t sure what he was doing there, wasn’t sure why he had agreed to come. He had last seen a tavern on the night before his father had died. He had muttered to other drinkers that the old man was ready to give up the ghost. No one heard him especially not over the clatter around them. He had hated the hangover he was left with. Hated how his head pounded the way the earth did when an ogre walked. He would never get drunk again, that was his promise. It was so unfamiliar and he just didn’t feel like he fit at all.
Tomislav hadn’t said much of anything since they had taken a seat at the table. He fingered the small glass of brandy he had ordered and his dark eyes were shadowed by the smoke all around them. There was an air of mystery about him, a closed off barrier that no one could get through.
Jared lifted his glass of wine to his lips and tasted it, shocked by its taste having only had water in such a long time. He swallowed it down and let out a small breath. He couldn’t keep his mind off of Miranda in that hospital no matter how much he tried to focus on the moment at hand. He was supposed to be there. Why did he have to leave?
“Why don’t you drink?” Jared asked, realizing only then that Tomislav hadn’t lifted his glass and that his brandy hadn’t moved.
Tomislav smiled, a darkly effected smile and he pushed his glass away from him. “I don’t like alcohol.”
“Then why did you want to talk here?” Jared wasn’t sure why he felt like he was being watched, there was a sense of paranoia filling him. Perhaps it was because of the way Tomislav was watching him so closely.
“I noticed you were worried about your little girl.”
“How do you know about her?” He demanded, suddenly fully aware of everything. He wasn’t about to let something unknown go near Miranda.
“How I know isn’t the question…It’s why I know.” Again he smiled, his teeth pearly white against the darkness of his beard.
There was something about this man that wasn’t quite right, something about him that didn’t seem to fit the world they lived in. He seemed rather dangerous and careless of anything and everything.
“Why do you know?” Jared asked slowly, his brows knitting together slightly over the heaviness of his thoughts.
“Because I am one hundred percent sure I can help you out…” He matched the tone of Jared’s voice as another smile broke out onto his lips.
“I don’t need help, sir. My daughter is perfectly fine….” Jared rose from the table and took out some money from his pocket but Tomislav waved it away. He wasn’t sure if it was rude or not but he returned the money into his pocket and began to walk away.
“She won’t be Jared….she won’t be….”
Jared tried to ignore his words but as he left the tavern he wasn’t sure how long he would be able to. The man had known his name, had known about his daughter, how much more did he know?
He went home that night and had the worst night of sleep he had ever had. His dreams were filled with darkness and complete worry. He saw nothing but Miranda’s face, his wifes dying face, the lifeless body of his father, and Tomislav repeating those words again “She won’t be Jared….She won’t be”
Flashback
The tavern they sat at was dimly lit, closed in by smoke, and smelling of alcohol. The wood of the tables were splintered and the walls were covered by peeled wallpaper. The bartender argues with several people who sat at the bar and every man who left stumbled out drunk.
Jared wasn’t sure what he was doing there, wasn’t sure why he had agreed to come. He had last seen a tavern on the night before his father had died. He had muttered to other drinkers that the old man was ready to give up the ghost. No one heard him especially not over the clatter around them. He had hated the hangover he was left with. Hated how his head pounded the way the earth did when an ogre walked. He would never get drunk again, that was his promise. It was so unfamiliar and he just didn’t feel like he fit at all.
Tomislav hadn’t said much of anything since they had taken a seat at the table. He fingered the small glass of brandy he had ordered and his dark eyes were shadowed by the smoke all around them. There was an air of mystery about him, a closed off barrier that no one could get through.
Jared lifted his glass of wine to his lips and tasted it, shocked by its taste having only had water in such a long time. He swallowed it down and let out a small breath. He couldn’t keep his mind off of Miranda in that hospital no matter how much he tried to focus on the moment at hand. He was supposed to be there. Why did he have to leave?
“Why don’t you drink?” Jared asked, realizing only then that Tomislav hadn’t lifted his glass and that his brandy hadn’t moved.
Tomislav smiled, a darkly effected smile and he pushed his glass away from him. “I don’t like alcohol.”
“Then why did you want to talk here?” Jared wasn’t sure why he felt like he was being watched, there was a sense of paranoia filling him. Perhaps it was because of the way Tomislav was watching him so closely.
“I noticed you were worried about your little girl.”
“How do you know about her?” He demanded, suddenly fully aware of everything. He wasn’t about to let something unknown go near Miranda.
“How I know isn’t the question…It’s why I know.” Again he smiled, his teeth pearly white against the darkness of his beard.
There was something about this man that wasn’t quite right, something about him that didn’t seem to fit the world they lived in. He seemed rather dangerous and careless of anything and everything.
“Why do you know?” Jared asked slowly, his brows knitting together slightly over the heaviness of his thoughts.
“Because I am one hundred percent sure I can help you out…” He matched the tone of Jared’s voice as another smile broke out onto his lips.
“I don’t need help, sir. My daughter is perfectly fine….” Jared rose from the table and took out some money from his pocket but Tomislav waved it away. He wasn’t sure if it was rude or not but he returned the money into his pocket and began to walk away.
“She won’t be Jared….she won’t be….”
Jared tried to ignore his words but as he left the tavern he wasn’t sure how long he would be able to. The man had known his name, had known about his daughter, how much more did he know?
He went home that night and had the worst night of sleep he had ever had. His dreams were filled with darkness and complete worry. He saw nothing but Miranda’s face, his wifes dying face, the lifeless body of his father, and Tomislav repeating those words again “She won’t be Jared….She won’t be”
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