The slate tiles at The Den were sticky under my sneakers as I squeezed through the crowds with a tray tucked under one arm and three empty glasses clutched in my other hand. It was a busy Tuesday night. Everyone was practically dancing on top of one another. I found myself averting my gaze a lot from some of the things happening amongst the crowd. Instead, I focused on getting drink orders out, bringing back empty glasses, and not dropping anything.
The air conditioning was on, but it did nothing against the heat radiating from all the warm bodies bumping against each other. The only place to cool down was inside the staff room, but Roxy barred us from the reprieve. We were only allowed in there for work reasons; otherwise, she accused us of avoiding our responsibilities. She was the only one in the building who didn't look like they had walked under a sprinkler.
I pushed in behind the bar where Xavier and Jen were busily serving drinks, working like machines as customers crowded the other side of the bar and shouted orders at them.
"Don't they have work tomorrow?" I asked loudly, catching a glimpse of a man dancing on a table at a booth.
"Oh, bless her. She's still not used to the nightlife," Xavier said sympathetically before chuckling. "Honey, it never stops."
Just as he said this, I watched as Terry, the bouncer from the front door, casually pulled the man off the table and carried him outside like he didn't weigh a thing.
Jen, who was working the far end of the bar, peered around Xavier at me. "Hey, Lily? Do you mind restocking the shelves for me?"
I nodded quickly and headed into the staff room. Immediately doused in a wave of cool, quiet air as the walls muffled the music outside. As tempting as it was to just stand there for a little while, enjoying the emptiness of the room, I knew Roxy was at her desk.
It was a small corner office with not much to it but a chair, and a laptop Roxy brought with her.
"I told you not to come in here for the air con," Roxy said. Her eyes never left the screen of her phone.
"I'm just restocking the alcohol," I said quietly.
"So do that," she said bitterly.
The back of the staff room was larger, and a storage area for all the extra boxes of alcohol and other things we weren’t allowed to open. I didn’t question the latter. The storeroom was roughly the same size as the basement below but with a shorter roof and below-average temperatures sent my teeth chattering. On the back wall was a large roller door for deliveries. If I happened to wander out that way, I would find the exit door to the basement on my left.
I carefully lifted several boxes onto a cart while the bottles clinked together. Once the cart was packed, I wheeled it out of the staff room. It was easier to ignore Roxy instead of trying to be polite. Plus, she hadn’t looked up from her phone.
The change in the atmosphere the second I stepped through the door again wasn't pleasant. The music hit me like an invisible force, my nostrils were filled with the smell of too much cologne, perfume, and sweat, and the air was thick. Headache inducing.
I pushed the cart to the left of the bar to restock the shelves on that end. Jen was there already, serving drinks as she chatted with each customer. It wasn't until I was closer I recognized two of the faces in the crowd she was talking to. Both looked almost unrecognizable when they weren't covered in sweat or blood.
Dean was sitting with his elbows on the bar and a drink in front of him, listening nonchalantly to the conversation Seb and Jen were having as he slowly circled the rim of his glass with his middle finger. His black shirt was unbuttoned halfway down his front while his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing the tattoos on his forearms.
Seb's style was a stark contrast to Dean's darker one. He wore a button-up, short-sleeved T-shirt with vertical orange and white stripes. The bright colors complimented his contagious smile and friendly personality as he joked about something with Jen.
It wasn't until I pushed the cart in behind Jen that they noticed me. Seb gave me a bright smile, somehow cheerier than the one he already had on, and a wave. Dean eyed me over the rim of his glass as he tipped it to his mouth, downing the rest of the caramel-colored liquid in one go.
I smiled quickly at them and turned away to restock the shelves on the wall behind the bar. I could feel at least one of them watching, or I imagined they were. I was suddenly self-conscious about the back of my neck, arms, and thighs. My ears felt like they were on fire too. Logically, I knew neither of them would be watching. No one would be. I had a special talent for blending in quietly. It was a gift and a curse. No one was ever curious or bored enough to pay me much attention for long. Kira was the exception because we had grown up as unconventional outcasts. The friendship was a happy accident.
James was the exception because he knew I would stay quiet.
When Seb’s laugh broke through the music and hum of the club, I stole a glance over my shoulder. It was more of a knee-jerk reaction than one of curiosity. I just hadn’t expected to make eye contact with Dean as he watched me right back with a curiousness in his eyes. Trying to gauge what he was thinking was like trying to open a safe blindfolded without knowing the code. But he was definitely thinking. Almost like he was trying to figure me out until he got caught looking. Something shifted behind his eyes, and his brow rose by a millimeter. Suddenly he didn’t look so intimidating.
For the briefest moment, one side of his mouth curved up just enough to show he could smile. It wasn’t sarcastic, like the few I had seen already, but something curt as he pressed his lips together. When Jen had finished refilling his glass, the smile had vanished as fast as it had appeared, and he turned away from the bar, leaning back against it with his forearms braced on the counter. Compared to the foul mood Dean was usually in, as described by Seb, he seemed far more content tonight.
I figured it was the alcohol.
"What’s with the crowd anyway?" I heard Seb say over the music.
"I think it's a birthday party," Jen replied as she refilled Seb's glass.
"Well, happy birthday to whoever it is." Seb raised his glass happily and clinked it to Dean's, who just shook his head as he brought his drink to his mouth. I returned my attention to the shelves when Seb said, "Hey! It's Lily, right?"
I looked over my shoulder to see him gesturing for me to come closer to the bar. So, I did. A little hesitant at first as I eyed Jen to check if I could leave the restocking for a moment. She didn't mind as she too began gesturing for me to stand beside her.
"How are you liking the new job?" Seb asked, leaning forward. Dean turned his head to listen.
"It's alright.” I could barely hear my voice. "Getting used to the late nights is going to be an adjustment.”
