INVISIBLE STRING ☆ DANIEL RICCIARDO

one

NEW YORK CITY, JANUARY 2020

Never in her life did Isla think she could feel so alone in the vast expanse that was New York City, yet here she was at a random hole-in-the-wall dive bar all by herself on a Friday night. Weekends were busy in New York, even more so than usual, which made it even more inexplicable that she was alone.

Calling the bartender down to her spot, she asks for another beer. It was only nine o'clock in the evening, yet the woman was on her third beer of the night. Isla had reached a point where she couldn't care less of how shitty the cheap liquid tasted, all she wanted to forget the past forty-eight hours of her life.

At the rate she was going, it seemed as though she would be successful soon.

All around her, groups of friends were gathered, whether they be random underaged teens looking for a fun night out or co-workers catching a drink after a long day. And here she was, sat on the farthest end of the bar, wallowing in her own self-pity.

That was until someone approached her.

Isla could not put her initial impression into words even if she tried, because leaning on the bar next to her was probably the most beautiful man she had ever seen. A bright smile lit up his face as he spoke to the bartender, ordering his own set of beers. At least he has company.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" the man questions and it takes Isla a moment to realise he was speaking to her.

Gulping down her mouthful of beer, she shakes her head. "All yours, mate."

"Ah, a fellow commonwealth citizen!" he exclaims, raising his bottle of beer in a cheers motion.

Isla had barely even noticed his accent at first, yet she couldn't help but laugh at the expression, the first happy emotion to cross her face in the last couple days. "Who the hell says that?"

"I just did, didn't I?"

"Touche."

The man next to her leans towards her, hand raised in front of him. "I'm Daniel, by the way."

"Isla." she replies with a smile, taking his large hand into her own.

Another man makes his way towards them, slapping a hand onto Daniel's shoulder before grabbing the second bottle of beer on the bar in front of him. They share a few words between them before the unknown man finally takes notice that Daniel's attention wasn't fully on him.

"Oh, I'm sorry." he finally speaks towards her, soft smile on his face. "Didn't mean to interrupt you guys. I'll just be over there with Blake then, Dan."

He sends a wink his friends way, causing Isla to raise her eyebrows — she was definitely not up for a hookup tonight, no matter how beautiful and attractive this man is.

"Sorry about him." Daniel chuckles, awkwardly rubbing at the back of his neck. Isla flicks her wrist in a dismissive movement, finishing off her own bottle of the alcoholic beverage. "Can I buy you another one?"

Now truth be told, Isla was planning on getting shitfaced tonight. What she wasn't planning on, was sticking around the stingy dive bar for any longer than that, especially not with this handsome stranger. But maybe it was the alcohol coursing the her veins that urged her to accept his offer and ask for another beer.

The man next to her was now leaning on the palm of his hand, full attention turned to her. "So, what brings you to New York?"

"I actually live here." Isla replies with a slight chuckle, everyone always assumed she was here on some form of holiday and she enjoyed the surprise on people's faces when she revealed her truth.