Closing Time

31

I hurried through my closing up chores, leaving the place with just minutes to midnight. The cloak came down upon this place at exactly twelve. I had to leave before that happened.

I texted Trace, but there was no reply. He was probably sleeping. What a shame. I was of half a mind to head over and spend my night with him. He was probably getting tired of me doing that, I was almost always at his place now.

I stopped walking, turning my head up to the sky and staring at the moon for a minute. What's the point of going home? There's nothing to do there. Exhaling loudly, I turned right back around. I hadn't even gotten that far from my workplace, it took me a few minutes to return to it. With what had happened to me, I should probably ask Lou to lift the time-stopping effect on the bar so I can spend some actual time there. I was exhausted with how little I had in the way of hobbies to pass time. Maybe I should pick up painting. Maybe I should start taking college classes. With the extra money rolling in, I could always save up for a year and start...

A chill washed up my spine as I reached for the lock. It was followed by a heavy tug in my gut to turn and leave. The compulsion was quite strong. My hand trembled an inch from the doorknob, the compulsion rising in my gut. My body refused to obey me and unlock the door. I was stuck outside.

I exhaled softly, stepping back from the door and feeling the compulsion die. The cloak had settled. It was just a few minutes past midnight, but inside there, the time had stopped. And I was stuck outside of it, my time stretching long into the night.

Pulling up my phone, I walked to the edge of the curb, looking for a place to head to. A few fast food restaurants, a 24-hour cafe, a few other bars. Limited options considering I still couldn't drink for 21-no, it's past midnight,- 20 days. Twenty-four hour cafe, it is.

The barista looked up as I walked in, giving me a tired glance and a tired smile. "How can I help you?"

I shuddered slightly, trying to bring the warmth back into my bones. It was colder out there than I thought. I was not dressed for this. "One hot chocolate, and uh..." I glanced at the display. "How's the brownie?"

He shrugged absently. "I'd recommend it."

I met his eyes, raising an eyebrow. "Would you really?" No aura. Demon?

He hesitated, turning to look at the brownies again. "They were made in the morning..."

"How morning?" He didn't look away from the display case. "Or actually, which morning?" I'd worked at a cafe before. Things could get pretty rank if they weren't sold.

"Today morning." He finally looked up at me. "They are good."

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. I needed something hot and gooey. "Fine. I'll have that with chocolate sauce and ice cream."

"Alright." He bent his head to type it into his screen. "Anything else?"

"I'll order something later if I feel like it."

"Yup. Name?"

"Ryleigh."

"Alright. Card or cash?"

"Cash."

He tapped the screen a bit more, tried to sell me a membership card and then took my money. I took a seat in the corner on a bean bag, near the wall to plug my phone in. I didn't usually have unnecessarily expensive coffee, but I think once is a while is fine.

They misspelled my name. The hot chocolate was good. The brownie was actually better than I thought. I got up after an hour to order another hot chocolate and brownie, asking for extra ice cream and pacing around the empty place to stretch my legs. The door opened and my eyes went to a man walking in. He met my eyes, surprise crossing through his. I gave him a vague smile and turned away. Awkward.