Pyromantic

All this on a Monday?

'Where is she...?' Grillby thought as he was polishing some glasses. He glanced over at the clock, again.

11:45 AM.

He had told you to show up early to help him get everything set up for the day, yet you hadn't arrived yet. Though, thinking back to last night, you may not come in...

A blush dusted Grillby's cheeks as he remembered the intimate moment. 'Stop that,' he chided himself as he bent down to replace the glasses. No sooner that he had done so, the bell above the door chimed. His head shot up to see you.

"H-hey," you began, halting your steps halfway across the room, a noticeable blush on your cheeks. "S-sorry, about being late..." you trailed off, your blush darkening. "And, a-also, about l-last night," your voice went up an octave as Grillby felt his own face burn hotter.

He was about to apologize himself when you continued. "I don't know what came over me, and I am just so very sorry," you bowed your head slightly. "If you no longer want me to work here, I understand-"

"Please," Grillby began, extending a hand out, silencing you. "No need to apologize so profusely. I am responsible for what happened last night," He walked around the bar and was now standing in front of you. "I am sorry for what happened, I assure you that I will not do something like that again without your explicit permission. If you do not wish to work here anymore on account of my actions last night, I fully understand-"

"Ah, no!" You suddenly interjected, causing his flames to spike up in alarm. you shook your head and waved a hand in front of you. "I love working with you! And, uhm, if you're okay with it," your voice had gotten more quiet as you continued speaking. "I would love to continue working with you,"

"Of course," Grillby assured, giving you a soft pat on the shoulder. "Let's get ready, shall we?" and with that, you two did just that.

~Time skip ~

Since Grillby's opened around lunch time, there was a bit of a crowd waiting outside, eager to get in and get out so they can get back to work. That was only a few customers, though. The majority was filled with some of the regulars you had met Saturday night, who really just loafed around, but in a pleasant sort of way. About 90% of the patrons were monsters, but occasionally, a human or two would wander in.

It was strange how the atmosphere shifted when a human came into the bar. It was a very quick and subtle change though, most of the monsters shrugging the new comer off with indifference. Grillby, however, would visibly stiffen when a human came in. You had grown worried when this happened, but after a moment, he would relax, continuing whatever it is he was doing. His relaxation granted you relief, slightly.

You noticed that most of the human patrons you encountered were very polite and civil, if not at least indifferent. They just wanted to try something new on their lunchbreak. It was only once or twice you encountered a rude patron, both monster and human alike. Though, really there was just the one rude monster customer, and their name was Jerry. No one really seemed to like Jerry very much.

Around 2 o'clock the lunch rush had died down, just a few of the regulars sticking around. You noticed that the large party of dogs had left a game of cards out on the table. You went to go pick it up, but Grillby stopped you.

"They'll be back in an hour or so," he told you in a hushed voice, only audible to your ears. "The table is specifically and always reserved for them," and so he assisted you in gathering a few of the dishes that were left, and then allowed you to take them back to the kitchen.

He would have gone with you to the back, but someone needed to be out front at all times when the place was at a good sized capacity. There wasn't very many patrons out front at the time, but there was a rather good sized group of human men, who were being fairly loud at their booth. You had a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach, so you quickly stuck the dishes in the dishwasher after scraping off the food left behind and rinsing them off in the sink. You didn't want to leave Grillby out there alone.