AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Luna,” Ben coos when I'm close enough, dragging me halfway across the bar to plant a kiss on my cheek, the alcohol on his breath making me scrunch my nose. There's a hint of an apologetic edge to his smile when he pulls back and reminds me that, “We didn't know you worked here.”
If we did, we wouldn't have come,I hear him say silently.
I wave him off. “You need something?”
Ben rattles off another round of the usual, and I wince at the addition of shots. Sambuca, to be specific. So it's one ofthosenights.
As I shuffle around the bar making their drinks, I indulge Ben in the conversation he's trying desperately not to make awkward but it just is, to some extent. It's hard for it not to be when there's definitely two pairs of eyes watching us. Maybe three. I can't quite bring myself to check.
“What happened to Greenies?”
“I got fired.” Apparently, not turning up to three shifts in a row is frowned upon. Who knew? “Months ago.”
Weirdly, surprise lights up Ben's face. I assumed someone–namely the girls–would’ve told him, or he would’ve figured it out on his own. At my questioning glance, Ben shrugs. “We haven't been there in a while. Since…”
Since I screwed up our perfectly nice friend group by stomping all over his best friend's heart.
Yeah. I got it.
It looks like on top of everything else I messed up, I also cost Greenies some of their best business.
It's probably bad, how much that little tidbit of information thrills me.
“Are-”
I interrupt what’s sure to be another question with an answer neither of us actually care about. “Do you guys have, like, a roster or something? Can I expect Cass to come over next and have a crack at me?”
Ben has never been one to take my shit, and he certainly doesn’t now. “I came to order drinks, Luna. And not with a side of bitch.”
I squint at him. “Call me a bitch again and I’ll spit in your beer.”
Ben squints right back. “Help me carry these over and I’ll take it back.”
“You know I can’t.”
“Luna Evans,” Ben gasps dramatically, eyes wide and a hand flattened over his heart. “Are youscared?”
“Fuck off.”
“That shit doesn’t work on me, Blondie.” Ben’s gaze flicks to my hair before he corrects himself. “Or Brownie, I guess. Cute, by the way.”
“Thanks.” I set the last drink of his mammoth order down on the counter with a definite thump. “Are we done now?”
“Nope.” Picking up the bare minimum of two measly drinks, Ben takes off at the speed of fucking light, shouting over his shoulder, “Thanks for the help!”
Panic claws its way up my throat, no matter how hard I try to fight it. Every curse under the sun leaves my mouth as I fill a tray with the remaining drinks, frantically glancing around for Gideon or the other useless dipshit who works here but of course, they’re nowhere in sight.
‘Fuck,” I mutter as I hoist the heavy tray up, my near-to-snapping wrist the least of my problems. “Fuck, fuck,fuck.”
I can do this. I can march over there, drop off these goddamn drinks with a goddamn smile on my face. I can wait until after my job is done before shoving my head in the nearest toilet and spewing the knot of anxiety in my stomach.
My attempt at confidence, valiant as it was, dies the moment I approach the table and the rapid conversation quietens. When my shaking hands cause the glasses to clink together as I set them down, I internally curse myself.
Come on, Lu. Get it together.
Cass, bless his little soul, is the first to greet me. An awkward side hug, a kiss to the top of my head, and a mumbled ‘hello’ but a greeting all the same. It’s better than the daggers I get from Nick; intimidation tactics don’t usually work on me but Jesus Christ, when it comes to protecting Amelia, the guy is terrifying.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper to the redhead keeping her green-eyed gaze firmly on the rum and coke I slide her way. I repeat the sentiment as I set a glass of wine in front of Kate. “I’m really, really sorry.”
