The Deep End ✔️

19 - another bite of the cherry

"And . . . kitchen's closed!"

I sighed in relief. The last two hours have been nothing but chaos. We kept the kitchen open an hour later than usual because of New Years since so many people often came to watch the ball drop at the bar. Lee, another cook, finished plating the order he was working on and leaned back against the counter to smile at me.

"Thank God," he groaned playfully. "I need a smoke. You coming?"

"Sure," I shrugged. We ignored the insane state the kitchen was in and headed out the employees exit. It was a small boxed in area in the back of the building, separate from the dumpsters and parking lot. It wasn't much, but we had a few chairs and the servers tended to use it to let out their frustrations every now and again.

Outside, another cook named Dante and one of the servers I was fairly acquainted with named Olivia were sitting down with cigarettes in their hands. Lee and I took some empty chairs, sitting carefully since usually the only ones they put out here were broken ones unsuitable for guests—bent legs, wobbly feet, missing cushions.

"Happy fuckin' New Year," Olivia muttered, putting her cigarette out on the brick wall. "My tables are all assholes."

Dante laughed. "Make that money, shorty."

I didn't usually smoke, but today felt like a good night to make an exception. Lee offered me a cigarette and I took it along with the lighter he offered. Dante eventually went back inside to start cleaning so the two of us were alone.

"Going anywhere after this?" Lee asked.

"Nah, I'll probably stick around for the free drinks and head home," I shrugged, hitting the cigarette. Honestly, I thought the taste of them were disgusting, but the nicotine offered a welcome, albeit brief, head rush. "You?"

"Got invited to a couple of parties but I think I might just stick around, too," Lee said, side-eyeing me not-so-subtly. "This is the first year in about ten years that I won't have a New Years kiss."

I cracked a smile at his crack at being casual. Lee was cute, in a drug dealer kind of way. He had tattoos on his neck and arms, walked with a certain swagger that you often found in native New York men, and often spoke like he knew exactly how good looking he was. He was objectively my type, but I almost felt repelled by the thought of kissing him tonight. I knew who I wished my New Years kiss was and that was exactly why I should kiss Lee.

"What a shame," I tutted. "I won't either."

Lee grinned at me. We finished our cigarettes, returned inside, and helped our coworkers clean the kitchen in record time. Everyone was excited to get the hell off the clock to celebrate the coming of a new year. It was eleven-fifteen by the time we found an empty table with two beers and two shots in front of us. Lee and I cheers'd and threw back the tequila. I sucked on the lime with a nasty pucker.

We made harmless small talk for a bit. I knew he was into me. He was the one I thought about inviting to Christmas, mostly to make Dallas jealous. I was glad I didn't. It was dramatic enough with my girlish antics.

"Are you seeing anyone right now?" Lee asked while leaning towards me. I stuck my lips out as if to think about it.

"Nope," I said, but it felt bitter on my tongue.

"Good to know," Lee said and took a sip of his beer.

I let my eyes skim the restaurant. Rarely did I actually eat here, let alone sit in the dining room. It was weird being on the other side. A large crowd of people was standing around the bar area, holding drinks and socializing. Lee and I weren't the only employees taking advantage of the comped bar tab. The servers who didn't have any tables left were smashed into one booth, some even accompanied by friends who came to celebrate with them.