Lilith:
I’m super excited for our shift tonight!
Staring at the screen, I chewed on my thumbnail and prayed for the three dots to appear in the chat window.
Nothing.
I glanced at the clock. It was almost four. He was opening, which meant he would need to be there for five. Maybe he was on the subway already and had no service? I toyed with the idea of calling him but worried that it would come off as strange if I reallywasoverreacting and everything was fine.
I hopped in the shower and started getting ready. I pulled on a fresh Voodoo tank and slipped into my skirt. All of a sudden, my phone buzzed. I ran for it, my heart leaping to my throat.
Rafael:
Can you come in early?
My heart was pounding. Why did he need me to come in early? I chewed on my thumbnail again as I tried to think of how I was going to reply.
Lilith:
Of course… why?
Rafael:
Sam never showed up for his open. I can’t get a hold of him.
The breath flew from my lungs. I collapsed on the couch, suddenly feeling dizzy. I wished Chaos was here. I felt like I was going to have a panic attack. With shaking fingers, I slipped my hand up under the hem of my skirt and rubbed the pad of my thumb over one of my scars. It had been a long time since I had needed to carve myself a new one, and I suddenly had the itch to add one to my collection.
I had to act normal, though. I needed this job. If I acted suspicious, people would start asking questions again. I had to work this shift, and I needed to do it with a damn smile on my face.
Lilith:
Weird. I hope everything is okay! I’m on my way now.
Rafael:
Great, I’ll try to see if I can get someone to cover for him.
It’s going to be tough on shortnotice.
Getting a shift covered this late on a Friday was going to be nearly impossible. I hoped he would be able to pull it off. Running the bar alone during primetime would be unthinkable for even an experienced bartender. There was no way I would be able to handle the wood and service solo. I bit my lip in an attempt to distract myself.
Today was already a disaster. Sighing, I stood and threw on my coat.
Breathe, Lilith.
Everything was going to be fine.
Sure, keep telling yourself that. When has iteverbeen fine?A mean little voice said in my head. I ran a hand down my face and forced back a frustrated scream. That fucking demon wasnotgoing to ruin this for me. Even if he did kill Sam, I was going to push through this shift and keep my place on weekends. I would just need to be much more careful moving forward and make sure not to give out any more damn hugs.
I gotto the bar and threw myself into my opening duties. I was already behind, but Shem offered to help me cut garnishes, which freed me up to change out a few kegs and make sure that my register was balanced.
Rafael was stalking through the dining room on his phone, frantically making call after call, trying to find someone to cover for Sam.
“What do you think happened to him?” Shem asked from where he sat at the bar, slicing lemon wheels. His eyes were wide, and he looked like a reporter who had just stumbled on the juiciest story of the year. I shrugged, trying to act normal.
“Who knows? I’m sure he’s just sick or something,” I said, bending down to check I had enough bins for empties.
“He would have called in if he wassick,” Shem said, giving me a conspiratorial smile. “I bet it’s somethingwaymore fucked up. Maybe hedied.”
