Closing Time

46.

I want him out of my head.

I want him out of my life.

I wish he'd never existed.

I wish I'd never met him.

Fucking asshole.

I hate him. Absolutely do for what he did, thinking about him only makes me feel like shit.

Trace met my eyes, giving me a soft smile. "You look beautiful today."

"Motherfucker." I hissed to myself under my breath.

"Hey!" Lou chimed up with a protest from my side. "All I said was that you look kind of good today!"

"It's not about you, Lou." I muttered bitterly, tallying up the receipts as the bar slowly cleared out.

"Really? Then why'd you say it right after I complimented you?"

"Because I wasn't listening, Lou." I threw him an irritated glance. "My world doesn't revolve around you."

Mike snickered, raising his glass to his lips. "Newsflash, demon."

"Shut up." Lou snapped, sticking his tongue out at him. "Return to being the feathered prick who was a bone-in-the-gut and stop using slang. It's getting out of hand."

"You just can't handle my newly-unearthed sassy nature." Mike smirked, pausing and looking at me. "Did I say that right?"

"You made me cringe, but yes, it's right." I tore up a receipt I couldn't read, turning to rewrite it on a fresh sheet. Dottie's handwriting is impossible sometimes. "Also, Lou, it's stick-in-the-mud. Like you're usually being."

"Bone-in-the-gut is better to explain how of a pain-in-the-ass he really is."

"That's not the only pain you'll be feeling once I'm done with you, demon."

I stopped writing, throwing my eyes up to the ceiling at their third flare-up of the night. "Guys, please. I'm in no mood to deal with this today."

"As we've noticed." Lou growled out while maintaining his stare-off with Mike. "Why do you think everyone left so early?"

My head fell forward and I let out a tired sigh. "Sorry, I can't be all bubbly and cheerful every night, guys." I spoke loud enough for the entire bar to hear, the defeat I was feeling coming through my voice. There were some encouraging replies from the demons and most of the angels didn't even acknowledge the sarcasm.

"Bubbly and cheerful isn't how I'd describe you, Ryleigh." Lou sipped his drink.

"Oh, really?" I shifted the notepad to the side, starting to write on a crisp note. "I couldn't care less." I replied absently, trying to keep my writing neat. It needs to be readable.

He didn't seem to hear me, swirling the liquid in his glass as he continued anyway. "Mean, sarcastic, mouthy, ballsy- at times, bit of a miser too-"

I gasped, looking up to throw him a glare. "Miser?!"

A smirk had formed on his face due to my outburst. "You forced me to pay for the first time I drank at your place."

"That makes you the miser! You didn't pay and instead decided it would be better to scare me till I passed out and threaten my life." My hand slammed against the wood. "Multiple times!"

"Miser is not the word I'd use here, demon." Mike thoughtfully sipped his drink. "It's just... collecting her debts."

"So... like a miser." I narrowed my eyes as Lou repeated the word.