January

Twenty three

January

Sawyer refuses to talk about what happened at his family's dinner. He says he will be having weekly dinner with his mom on Fridays, but nothing more. So I can only assume it didn't end well. I hurts me, knowing he won't have many people. Right now he is bartender. I come in every time he is working now. I don't care if it's clinger behaviour, I'm dying. I'm been writing the details of how Linda's behaviour is, her sleeping schedule, and her diet. I don't want her new family to mess up her routine. She is going to have a heard time adjusting without me. I take the last sip of my drink before slapping the top of the bar. "Hit me." I call to Sawyer who is uncapping a corona for cinnamon guy. He smirks and shakes his head.

"So demanding." He says to cinnamon guy. The man just grumbles and takes his bottle from Sawyer. If I wasn't exhausted I'd beat him up for being mean to foxy. So instead I just glare at him. Moments later a pretty ombré drink is being slide towards me. I clap and he shakes his head again. "I'm taking these off the menu....after." After. After I die he means. "Don't." I look down my glass. "Don't rob people of this." I joke trying to lighten the mood. His lips form a thin line before he tends to the rest of his bar. Today isn't the busiest, but it's enough that we can't really talk. I would help him,but I'd have no clue what to do, and I'd probably get in the way. I jot a few more things down, then open a blank page ready to doodle or write up a will. "My dog gets everything." I laugh to myself. Cinnamon guy gives me a weird look, but I ignore him.

........

I must've got lost in my writing because all of the sudden the bar is dimmed and the sound of chair being flipped break me out of my trance. "Closed already?" Sawyer turns to me with an arched brow. "It's midnight." I form an O with my mouth. "I didn't even notice." I admit with a shrug. He finishes the chair is the seating area and comes to lean on the bar. "What were you writing?" He motions with his head to my Disney notebook. I has a picture of Snow White on it surrounded by her seven dwarfs. I added a sticker of a fox to it. I feel like a child, but I don't care. "Instructions on how to take care of Linda. Her new owners would probably want to know." I shrug and pull the book towards me. Anxiety makes it's way up my spin.

When I actually think about it, my heart races. I'm too young. I visibly shake my head. No stop. I tell my brain. "How are you feeling?" He asks. Worry etching his face. I know I don't look great. I've lost a ton of weight, and my under eyes are a deep shade of purple. "Tired." I admit. He places a hand on my cheek and kisses my head. "I'll finishes up quickly. "You can go wait in my office." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a ring of keys. He holds one up to me, indicating the one that unlocks his office. I walk through the hallway and into the kitchen. Martin waves at me as he pulls on his jacket. "Goodnight January." He smiles. "Night." I unlock the office and close the door behind me.

I look around the bland space. I was in here once before, to patch up Sawyers hand. I didn't really look around. There is no windows and clutter covers every inch. I scrunch my nose and the mess. But I don't care enough to change it. Instead I flop down on his rolling chair and lift my feet to the top of the desk. I glance at all the pages of inventory, and important numbers, but then my eyes land on a lime green sticky note, under a pen holder. In Sawyers messy writing it says. "Find out who that odd girl with white hair is. Maybe ask Alice?" My feet drop to the floor and I clench the small piece of paper. He wanted to know me before I showed up again.

My heart swells and a smile so wide it hurts my cheek spread across my face. "We were supposed to find each other foxy." I kiss the note and tuck it back under the pens. He can look at that when he misses me, but before I do I pull it back out and write him something special. "You couldn't resist all this (insert me motioning down my body with both hands here) could you foxy?" I laugh to myself. After I look around a little more the door opens. "Ready?" I stand and take his hand. "Take me home lover boy." He takes his keys from me. "You're so weird." He kisses my nose. "I love it." And I love you.