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THE MOMENT I stepped into the dark bar, I had to adjust lasses hitting together, and voices co smells of old wood and beer, I smiled, and the tension in one to Sedotto It was one of the hottest bars in Austin, and it happened to be owned by one of my best friends, Tucker But I needed to be alone in hts This bar wasto explain to anyone why I needed to get shit-faced This was the one tier The one day I siht When I e, I missed this place After only a year, I had secretly flown back to Austin during that week, and I’d been es to my favorite bar ever since This was my first time in since I’d made the move back to Texas

I missed Butch, the owner of the bar At least that hat I told h I only saw hiuess Butch was a part of the therapy I needed to keep the de back to haunt ht sight of the old man

“This is what I need,” I mumbled as I walked toward the bar I needed a place where I knew no one would judge ht I was someone I wasn’t Blake the uy who only wants to have a good time It was an easy part to play, and it kept all the questions about as I ever going to find someone to settle doith at bay It wasn’t that I didn’t want to settle down and get married someday, but there had only been one wo ht be possible And at the time, she was out of my reach Hell, she still was, if I wanted to be honest with myself I carried two dirty little secrets with me One I never wanted to talk about, and the otherThe other was another tor for ht her around, I couldn’t stop thinking about her Nohen I was near her it nearly killed me to pretend I wasn’t attracted to her

I knocked on the bar as I sat on the old leather stool I was positive Butch hadn’t changed theave way as I sat on it

Butch lass of draft beer and a shot of whiskey in front of me With a smile, I picked up the shot and downed it I had found this bar when I was out walking one night and stumbled upon it It was the anniversary of her death, and like each year when that day ca to escape the memories That hen I found Butch’s Place

“You read my mind, Butch”

He let out a ru in a s up with the old man

“Bullshit,” he said, refilling the shot glass "You and I both knohy you co personality”

I held up the glass again and sood shot of whiskey to drown the problems”

He nodded “Good whiskey like this is scarce”

“A lot of good things in life are hard to come by”

Lifting a brow, he asked, “You still haven’t found you a girl to settle doith?”