Teach me to trust

4. Lily

Tonight is my first weekend shift in around 3 weeks, having worked weekdays the last few weeks to cover for Samuel and so I could train the other new bartender we recently hired.

The other new bartender who's name I finally learnt was Ryan, and the newest bartender, Violet. Both younger than me, at 18, are newly allowed to serve drinks, legally anyway.

Samuel was very adamant that he needed time in the week to see Luca, his boyfriend, which is understandable, and I don't really mind much, it has been nice to have weekends to myself for a while.

I am surprisingly looking forward to this shift though, it's always busier on a weekend, which makes tips better and the shift seems to go by faster than normal. I make sure I have some level of cleavage on display for the shift tonight, having been missing out on tips the last few months I could do with the boost.

At least tonight it will be my choice to have men pay to ogle me, rather than them just doing it when it makes me feel the most uncomfortable.

I head into the bar 5 minutes before my shift starts at 8, so I can get all of my stuff away and get myself a drink before the rush starts and I head to the toilet to touch my face up quickly and sort my hair out after coming in from the wind outside. Taking a couple of breaths to steady myself, I take myself back out to the bar and start serving for the night.

I slide a glass down the bar toward one of the people who shouted their order at me a few minutes before and hold up the card machine for them to tap so they can move out of the way for the next person to step forward. A few orders later, a man steps up to the bar who I faintly recognise but it is a high possibility that it's just somebody who's been here before, so I smile and ask what I can help them with.

"Two beers and two JD and coke's please" he smiles at me and asks if there's any way I could bring the tray over to their table, and he seems nice enough, so I agree and tell him I'll be over soon.

On my way over to the table he indicated to me I realise why he looked familiar; he was at the table with JD the last time I served them. The blonde with the pretty red head girlfriend. I push my shoulders back and put a smile on my face as I approach the table, met with a friendly, excited smile from JD.

"Emily! Hi! I didn't know if you still worked here, we've been the last three weeks but didn't see you?" he seems genuinely happy as he asks me this, so I inform him of my shift change and that I'm back now, to which he nods his head excitedly. He reminds me of a golden retriever puppy, always happy.

Then like déjà vu, a large hand reaches around me to pick up a glass, but instead of sitting down this time, he leans one of hands of the table in front of me and leans around to get a look at my face. Eye contact as usual.

I look up at him and give him an easy smile, be professional, don't make a fool of yourself.

"Can I get you guys anything else while I'm here or are you good for now?" not only do I look at him as I ask, I make sure to look around the whole table for good measure.

I cannot afford to give away how much he's been running through my mind.

After I receive all answers but one, I collect my tray, smiling at him politely as I go, and return to behind the bar.

I find myself foolishly proud of myself, after worrying about this guy for no good reason, I needed him to feel like I did, odd, embarrassed for giving special attention.

I still have no clue who he is, but that's not my problem. He doesn't know who I am either, and flirty eye contact with someone that looks like that is not an issue in my book.

Surprisingly, it only takes around 20 minutes for another member of their group to make an appearance at the bar. This time it's the woman, who sends me a shy smile and leans over the bar towards me, to avoid shouting,

"Hi, please can I order some shots? Um, sorry, of course I can this is a bar and that's what you serve" this last part is mumbled, as she shakes her head.

"Sorry, my name is Lily, and I can confidently say we would like some shots" she says this with a firm nod of her head, a look of concentration on her face.

"Of course you can, no problem at all. You don't need to apologise to me either, what would you like?"

I see her think for a moment, then deciding on tequila, my kind of girl.

She is clearly anxious in some way; her eyes keep flitting back over to their table and she's wringing her hands together on top of the bar. I find myself reaching my hand out to her, placing it on top of hers and giving her a kind smile.

"Why don't you go back to join your friends and I'll run these over to you? I won't be long" and with the sharp breath she releases when I say this, I can tell she is relieved, and she sends me a shaky smile before turning back to her seat.

I make sure to take the drinks quickly, I know she's probably sat there worrying she's ordered the wrong thing or said the wrong thing. I don't want that.

But when I make my way over, I find myself angry.

A man, around 6 foot is leaning over her, blocking her way back to the table and she seems to be folding in on herself to get away from him. From where she is stood it's not possible for any of her friends to see her, and I know that this man is clearly aware of the fact. So I make my way past her, to their table where I place the tray down and turn back around to her, ready to bring her back to her comfort.

"Excuse me sir, can you step back from this woman, you're clearly making her uncomfortable" my first approach is to be professional; Samuel has granted me one attempt to try.

The oaf just looks at me over his shoulder and scoffs which is entirely what I expected.

But the tears in Lily's eyes as she spots me behind him,and the fact that he has now grabbed her arm is what makes me move. Stepping in front of her and pushing him away from her.

"Listen disphit, clearly you can't seem to tell when someone isn't interested. So why don't you fuck off back to whatever hole you crawled out of and leave her alone"

I feel a small pair of hands cling to the back of my t-shirt, and a forehead rest against my shoulders, and I know this is about more than me berating someone.

So, I turn and put my arm around her shoulders, moving her around the man, who is still stood mouth ajar, and take her to her seat. I lean over with her to sit her down and she throws her arms around me, muttering thanks repeatedly in my ear.

I smile at her when she's seated and tell her not to worry.

I look up and notice two sets of eyes planted firmly on Lily, care and concern written all over their faces, as the blonde skinhead reaches over to hug her, rocking her from side to side in a soothing way. He looks over at me and mouths 'thank you' over her shoulder, and I send him a nod in return.

I can feel the eyes burning into the left side of my face, and I don't want to look because I know I will find those green eyes.

But I can't help myself, as I look over and there he is. This time with a small smile on his lips, a look of gratitude towards me and maybe something else, and as I lean to place the shot glasses on the table, his fingers find mine on the tabletop, gently.

I find myself wondering that maybe it isn't just all in my head, as his eyes rest on mine again when I stand up.