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I was worried because I had never told any of these people about my birthday.
Smiling thinly, I passed the bills over the counter and watched as the coins were slammed onto the wood and the men got up. "Have a lovely evening, my dear. I'll have a serious talk with Jane if I see you here tomorrow night."
Amused, I nodded. "Sure. Good luck with that."
It took another twenty minutes before Ron finally disappeared as well. After locking up, I quickly walked around the front of the restaurant, putting the chairs up and wiping down the bar before returning to the back. Samuel was still busy with the dishes, no matter how many times we had pleaded for a dishwasher, Jane continued to ignore the need. I supposed she liked the fact that it took up so much of Samuel's lifetime to wash other people's dirty dishes and then polish them to a shine.
I stood next to him, dipped my hands in the sink and reached for the first plate.
"You don't have to do that, you know?" he started but stopped himself. Maybe because I shrugged, or maybe it was because we'd had this conversation every night since he started three quarters of a year ago.
"You should be home with your brother as soon as possible," was my reply, as it was every night.
Samuel and I were similar. I had been in the same position in the past. My younger sisters had been waiting for me. Waiting for me to come and feed them, tuck them in and read them a bedtime story. Samuel had a brother. And a mother who was never home.
"And your birthday's in twenty minutes."
"Just another day."
"What about your sisters? Not going to celebrate?"
I shrugged. They were both busy– with their husbands. Their children. Their jobs. Years ago, when we'd moved here together because our father had decided to move and I couldn't leave them alone with him, none of this had existed. Meanwhile, things had changed. It was just me still stuck in the same shithole as I was back then.
In silence, we worked side by side until there were no more dirty dishes and the kitchen was acceptable. Jane would make a mess again tomorrow, and we would clean it up in the evening.
Samuel dried his hands on his apron before going to the fridge and pulling out a foil-covered plate.
He handed it to me with the words, "Happy birthday, Nikau," before saying goodbye a few seconds later.
I peered under the foil, realized it was cheesecake, which I hated with passion, and let out a sigh.
"Happy birthday to me," I mumbled as I grabbed the plate and made my way home, so I could bury myself under the covers and sleep away as much of the coming day as was humanly possible.
Kaden
But I tried, didn't I?" she asked, slightly annoyed, her red lips curling into a pout that made my insides tighten uncomfortably.
Unfortunately, sometimes effort wasn't enough, because it didn't automatically mean someone's heart was in something.
"Listen, Nancy," I began, pulling up my trousers to fasten the belt she had unbuckled five minutes ago. "I don't think it's going to work out between us."
"But you said I was perfect," she moaned. Her lower lip quivering didn't bode well. On the contrary, I would despair if she burst into tears while still on her knees. And only because I had withdrawn my cock and sent her off.
It had been perfect until I looked into her lifeless eyes and realized this relationship was a one-way street. Whether it was about sex or something more. Her idea of me and what I wanted was so far from reality that the blood drained from my cock in a split second.
And I didn't even find it embarrassing, because it was the best indication that Nancy and I weren't compatible. I wasn't looking for a weak-willed woman to do whatever I wanted.
"Get up," I ordered, increasingly annoyed that she didn't seem to be able to process what was happening. "Get dressed, get your things and get out of here, will you?"
"Are you going to call me?"
I snorted. "Of course not. We've had a bit of fun together, but it's over now. So get out of here."
I had a hard time stopping myself from rolling my eyes, so I turned away and went to my desk to grab my phone. Kaia answered after a few seconds.
"Brother, how can I help you?"
"I need a flight to Iowa."
