Between The Hardships • Hayes Grier ; Sequel To Between The Lines

Chapter 1

Jill's POV
8 years later •••

"Jill, put that bottle of whiskey down and clear the table."

My manager Jasmine says to me as my cracked lips hit the tip of the bottle sending the liquor down my throat, burning it.

I choke on the liquor as I spit out something to say, "Where are the other workers?"

No, I'm not an alcoholic. I drink when I feel like it because I'm 24 now. I do what I want.

"They left early for something I don't know about. But you are here so you can empty the tables."

I roll my eyes as I sigh, "I do this every day and I don't get a raise nor do I get a higher pay check."

"Why are you even complaining? You get enough money to pay for your apartment." Jasmine says, sassily.

She's 32 and I'm 24. She may be my boss, but sometimes when Rachel isn't around she acts like a sassy sister to me.

"Stop saying that," I say. "You always say those bills pay the check for my house. No, it doesn't. I've saved up money my whole life and I have a good enough fortune. I just work at the bar for an extra job to do on my free time. Nor do I have to work here, but I do it for the sake of it."

I squirt the liquid stuff on the counter and put the rag over it, cleaning the liquid stuff off the table repeatedly.

Jasmine stares at me. She knows everything about my past, like I said, she's like a sister I never had. She just stares at me. All you can hear is the fan blowing and the liquid being squirted out of the bottle. I hate the silence.

"Speak," I say, "tell me what you are thinking."

She thinks of my like a younger sister. I'm glad she does.

"I just can't complete the puzzle," she says.

"What puzzle?" I ask, confused.

"Why aren't you finding love? Honestly. Each other week we have girl workers when someone is throwing a bachelorette party. Every girl working here goes for someone except for the groom because he's obviously getting married. But you, you just watch. Why?"

I shrug my shoulders as I feel like I'm going to cry, "I've only loved one person my entire life. He made the dark clouds go away and the sun to shine brighter."

"Hayes?" She asks.

I nod, "I thought I would move on from him now."

"Moving on is not forgetting about someone in an instant. It is not as simple as deleting a phone number or burning old pictures. It is not a slam in the door, walk away without looking back. There's no wiping away. It's never a clean break. It's never a clean slate. Moving on is pretending not to see his face every time you see blue eyes. Moving on is lying awake at night, trying so hard to sleep but you can't, telling yourself it's not because you miss him, you're fine, you're fine, you're fine. Moving on is batting your eyelashes at another boy and trying to ignore the pit in your stomach, heavy and hard. Moving on is eating his favorite cereal but wondering why. You never even liked Cheerios. You don't even like cereal in general, but you still eat it. Moving on is hovering your finger over all the voicemails he used to send you back when you were dating. You'll press delete eventually. Eventually, eventually you'll move on. Eventually you'll forget what his voice sounded like, what his skin felt like, what his shirts smelled like. No more missing him, no more losing sleep, no more knots in your stomach or in your hair. Moved. But for now you are just moving. And you will move as slowing as you can, as slowly as you need, as long as it takes."