28 | A Little on the Bubbly Side

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•Y/N: Your Name

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    Her first day back was... Not great. Nothing happened, thank god, but Y/N certainly felt uneasy. She was first greeted by unwelcoming glares from the staff, which appeared to have been significantly reduced. Familiar faces like Mayhue, who usually manned the front door, and Sheryl were just a few of the employees that no longer worked with her. She didn't know what had become of them— If their shifts had been changed to another time, or if Loui had just done away with them completely, but even with them gone, there were still plenty who were displeased to see that she had returned to work. They didn't bother hiding their hatred either, not anymore, since she was now well aware of the situation. She just hopes they won't pull another stunt against her anytime soon, or ever for that matter. She was still a bit shaken with her last encounter with a demon.

    One thing she was glad to see, however, was the sparkling look inside a certain pair of ruby eyes when they had first landed on her that evening. Oh, how they had filled with relief when he saw her. Loui had even sent her a warm smile as she descended the staircase. No words were exchanged unless they were business related, and the occasional nod of thanks or acknowledgement was given after he would fill her tray with drinks. Loui couldn't help breathing a disappointed sigh every time she left him, though, staring longingly as she went to cater to the customers.

    This development, however, had pleased the other employees to some degree. While they hadn't succeeded in getting rid of the human completely, at least there was a break from the lovey-dovey atmosphere. No more witnessing quick kisses, public serenades or sickly-sweet flirting. On her break, Y/N sat at the bar to rest her feet, which ached from all the walking around. After some consideration, Loui decided to walk over to her, holding a full glass of soda in his hand, and with a charming smile asked,

    "Care for a Sprite?" The woman quirks a curious brow at him as the drink was set on the counter in front of her.

    "What is it with you and Sprite?"

    "It reminds me of the night we met." The human hums softly, her smile fading a touch while she glanced down at the soda as it released little bubbles, feeling a bit sad after remembering that night she first came here, the night she first met him.

    "It isn't drugged, is it? As I recall, that happened that night too." Jolting from the accusation, Loui frantically shook his head, fearing her mistrust after all they've gone through.

    "Of course not!" The sound of a chuckle calms him down as her smile returns. Her hand picks up the glass and holds it up a little.

    "I'm just joking," she claimed, but then, her expression suddenly fell flat as she added, "But, if I find out you slipped in that pink shit—" Before she knew what happened, the drink was stolen out of her hand and the rim of the glass was brought to his lips for a swig before being slammed down onto the counter as if to prove to her he didn't.

    By the look on his face, she could tell he was begging for her to stop with the jokes and spare his fragile heart that could take no more, gaining another laugh out of her as she picked up the glass, drinking out of it from the provided straw. She didn't mind sharing the drink, really. After all, she had kissed him numerous times before. "All right, I'll stop. Thank you, really. It was very thoughtful." The demon sighs in relief before smiling softly and stepping away from the counter.

    "I'll leave you alone, then. Enjoy your break." Y/N appreciated him giving her the space she needed, though at the same time, another part of her felt sad to see him go.

    'Still the same ol' Loui,' she thought as she spun her straw around, producing more bubbles in the soda. That's right, he is the same, sweet and thoughtful as he's always been. Demon or not, he was always caring. She supposed it could've been an act, but deep in her bones, she knew he was always sincere with the way he treated her. She easily saw through that broken look in his eyes, for it was the same pain as hers, but she wasn't quite ready to accept the circumstances just yet.

    She still needed more time. She couldn't even glance at any of her coworkers without flinching and wondering if they'd jump her every time she turned her back. She had to trust Loui. Right now, he is the only one strong enough to hold them off, so she felt he had earned some trust, especially after the other night. He came riding in like a knight to save her, and that wasn't something to disregard.

    Those words he said to her the morning after too had melted her heart. She had replayed them throughout all of yesterday. His declaration of love had been a meaningful string of words dripping with devotion. It was pure and straight from the heart. Even a blind man could see that. Shifting her gaze over to the bartender, she found him chatting with a man at the bar dressed in a suit and tie as he mixed his drink. She wished she could call him over, but he was in the middle of working, so she wouldn't bother.

    It was probably for the best, anyways, seeing as there wasn't anything in particular she wanted to talk about. Y/N would wait until her feelings were fully sorted. She held hope that, perhaps, the future would be kind to her and fix all that had gone astray. Perhaps there is a shot for him after all, but not quite yet. Before she could tend to their relationship, there was one other thing she wanted to mend as well. Discreetly peering over to the other staff members in her line of sight, she sighed roughly and took a sip of her soda, struggling to swallow what had entered her mouth.

    Yep, they're still glaring at her from the corners of their eyes. There had to be some way to make peace with them that wasn't dangerous. How is the question. Hopefully, at least a few of them could be reasoned with to leave her alone. Otherwise, she'd hardly feel safe here, more so if they turned out to be anything like that thing that attacked her and Sam. She wasn't about to endanger herself again, especially not any of her friends.

     With Loui backing her, she at least knew they wouldn't outright do anything to harm her unless they had a death wish. She had that to her advantage. So long as she was somewhere he could see her, she could attempt talking with them. Her hands shook at the very notion, but this was far too important to ignore. Her very life is on the line and so are the lives of her loved ones. She had to at least try once to convince them to leave her alone. She would wait a few days to muster the courage, but her mind was set.

It was time to have a little chat with her coworkers.

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