Delude | h.s.

four

You're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in then you're out
You're up then you're down
You're wrong when it's right
It's black and it's white
Hot n Cold - Katy Perry

♤

Layne

Jack's is extremely slow. It's a Wednesday so not many people want to get blackout drunk in the middle of the week – well, maybe they do just not in public.

Nicole has been splitting the credit card tips for the past twenty minutes. She has a calculator next to her along with a huge stack of cash and envelopes with each of the bartenders and waitress' names on them. She told me she splits tips from the past couple weeks on Wednesdays because it's always the slowest – "the calm before the storm" as she says.

I'm taking care of a few couples that came in for a late-night snack at the high-top tables, along with the few regulars at the bar. They're the only people in here. We're so slow Nicole sent the waitress for the night home at seven. Since she's gone, I have to wait on everyone who comes in. Right now, they're all eating and talking amongst their groups, so I can just sit back and relax.

I've resorted to cleaning the glasses on the shelves behind the bar. I really feel like I'm living the bartender lifestyle. All I need now is to give life advice to a middle-aged man.

A man sat at one of the tables raises his hand, letting me know he's ready for the check. I put down the glass I'm cleaning and go to the register to print his check. I set it down on his table, along with a pen and start clearing off the table. My feet carry me to the kitchen, tossing the food scraps into the trashcan.

"I brought you a gift," I tease.

The busboy and dishwasher, Seth, turns around and watches me put the dishes in the sink. He sarcastically says, "Wow, thank you so much. I'm so grateful."

I laugh, "oh, you are so welcome."

He takes the dishes and starts washing them as I walk back into the main area. I go over to the man's table, taking his credit card to cash him out. Once I'm done, I wish him and his wife a great night and put the tip amount in the register.

"Well, well, well, look who it is." Nicole hums.

I turn around and see Harry walking toward his usual seat. A satchel is slung over his shoulder, which I've never seen him carry before. He's wearing a faded grey t-shirt with colorful bears walking across the front. It's the first time I've seen him wear short sleeves and I notice he has a full sleeve of tattoos on his left arm. He also has a couple on his other arm. My eyes trace each of the designs on his arm and think about what they could mean.

He sits at his normal seat, folding his arms on the bar, "Take a picture, it'll last longer."

His voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I tear my eyes away from his arms to look at his face. A small smile toys at his lips and his eyes are a light green. A dimple barely dips into his cheek.

I wonder if it's more prominent when he really smiles.

"Um," I'm embarrassed because he caught me staring. I'm also confused because I feel those butterflies in my stomach again and I swear my chest tightened. But I'm extremely caught off guard because of what he said.

Was he teasing me?

"Can I get you anything?" I ask, trying to distract myself from the thoughts swarming around my head.

Harry's eyes dance across my face and the soft smile fades from his lips, studying my features with so much intensity I feel like curling into a ball and hiding under the counter. He doesn't look as angry as normal because he still as a glint in his eyes, but he doesn't look as playful as he did when he first walked in. "A water."