PRECIPICE [h.s.]

Chapter Fourteen

☼☼☼

Beautiful stranger, here you are in my arms and I know

That beautiful strangers only come along to do me wrong

☼☼☼

Jaime's P.O.V.

Any bartender will tell you that Saturdays are the worst days. The Saturdays in the summer are even worse. So far we had to kick out three separate people. Two guys were so drunk, they started a fight in the middle of the floor, but neither of them could land a single punch. They looked like they were fighting in slow motion. It caused such a riot, Monica had to come out and break up the fight. She is not super short, but seeing her 5'6" body break up a fight between two meatheads pushing 6' 6" was comical, and ultimately terrifying. I learned the lesson of not pissing Monica off at sixteen. Never making that mistake again.

Then someone puked all over the men's restrooms, which I gladly made one of the summer staffers clean up. It was all around a hellish night. And it was only just beginning. I still had hours of my shift left. About an hour into the rush I saw Harry walk in. He actually said hello to me this time, but I was quickly pulled away to fix everyone else's mess. I looked back in his direction later to find Anette all over him but he stood there ignoring all her advances. Get the hint girl.

My back was hurting from running back and forth all night, almost slipping a few times. We were down Jess tonight so I was stuck babysitting. The bar was packed with people, and it was getting hard to move. At least James was working the bar though. He wasn't very personable, but he is quick at making drinks, which I was grateful for.

"Wannabe" by the Spice Girls was playing for the fourth time tonight, and I wanted to personally kill Monica for putting it in the jukebox.

"Hey Jaime, can you grab more Budweisers from the fridge?"

I rolled my eyes because these idiots can't do one fucking thing for themselves. I mean I can, but so could they.

I opened the heavy fridge door and left it propped open. I walked in and the drastic temperature drop went straight to my system. I wrapped my arms around myself to try and warm up. Just grab the beers and go. The Budweisers were in the back of the fridge on the back shelves so I didn't see someone come in when the fridge door slammed. I heard it close, but I didn't pay attention because I knew no one came back to this part of the restaurant. And why would they follow me to the fridge?

I reached up to grab the box. As my fingers grasped the cardboard two ring clad hands wrapped around mine and held them there with force. My nostrils were immediately flooded with the comforting scent of vanilla that seemed to follow him everywhere. My body that was once ice cold was now lit on fire.

"Hi Sunshine," the sound of his voice typically relaxes me, but in this scenario I am suddenly on high alert.

I kept my face forward, not knowing what his face would look like if I turned around. This is Harry. Right? All my senses are telling me it's Harry, so why am I freaking out? Is it because he is behind me? My hair is up, but my shirt should be covering everything.

"Stranger, what are you doing back here?" I ask, still trapped with my hands above my head. I could barely hear myself. Did he hear me? Why is he so close?

"I am going crazy J," he says, painfully. His hands release mine, and his fingertips go tracing up and down my arms, like little ballerinas in rehearsal, they twirl and move up my skin. First my arms, then my torso, until they land on my waist. My shirt must have lifted from reaching above my head. I can feel the coldness of his rings against my bare skin. He leans his head on my shoulder and I can feel him breathe heavily against my back as his hands squeeze my hips gently. A shiver shoots up my spine, and I can't figure out if it is from the constant temperature changing or from Harry behind me.