Chapter 7. The "Ifs"

Astrid

Freshly baked bread and the sweet aroma of soup invaded my nostrils. The bar was filled with men and women but not overcrowded. I felt my skin beginning to crawl. My social anxiety was starting to crawl out. No one paid attention to me, and I scrambled off to the farthest table in the room.

I sat on a chair, which creaked under my lightweight. The table surface was scarred from years of use but was still in good shape. The bar stretched along the right side of the room, its shelves with wooden bottles of wines and local spirits.

At the center of the room was an empty spot for local musicians to perform. On the left side of the bar wall was a painting of a big white Moon with a wolf howling underneath it. It was beautiful. The rest of the walls had maps and old pictures that had faded.

Loud laughter rang through the entire club as they all laughed at something the man had said. I felt eyes on me even though I knew no one was staring at me. I wa