Closing Time

8.

New guys arrived everyday. New drinkers arrived everyday. Within a week, my bar was almost full. I only ever saw this during holidays and festivals. It had just been a week but I was already earned more in tips in those few hours than I would during the entire shift. It was nice, however the extra revenue in the register and the depleting inventory had started to worry me.

"Day off tomorrow, eh, Ryleigh?" Lou asked casually as I went about making a Bloody Mary.

"Yup." I replied curtly, pausing to use the shaker. "I could use it. Serving all these extra people is exhausting."

"Aww, don't say that, Ry-babe." One of the demons waiting at the bar snickered. "We'll miss you if you don't come tomorrow."

I gave him a dry look as I added a stalk of celery in the drink. "Right. I won't." He snickered as I gave him a sweet smile before I placed the Bloody Mary in front of him. "Enjoy your drink."

He laughed at that and winked at me. I stepped to the side and caught the eye of one of the demons who made the universal sign of the bill. A simply nod and I was on my way to the register instead of the sink.

A few minutes later, I walked back up to my place across Lou. I exhaled harshly as I let myself relax a bit. "I'm already tired."

"I can see that." Lou replied as he leaned forward. "I miss the days when it was just the two of us. You and me... and a drink."

I leaned forward as well, my chin in my palm. This game was normal between the two of us now. "Yes. The best thing about that up till now..."

"Is the... tension?" He smirked. "Attraction? The primal lust and desire I invoke in you?"

I had to stifle an eyeroll. "No. It's the fact that you and I both know nothing is going to happen." I smiled sweetly at him. "Because I. Don't. Sleep. With-"

"A customer." Lou completed as he licked his lips. "One day you'll break that rule."

"Sure, Lou." I pulled back and snickered to myself. "Keep your hopes up."

Lou laughed as well, but he didn't move awat. "You're just lucky I find you interesting enough for a human to let you decide."

"And I decided that I'd rather not sleep with a demon." My eyes went to the empty stools beside him, and then the full tables. "Why don't people sit with you? Are you an outcast or something?"

Lou slowly turned his head to side. He didn't seem bothered about it. He didn't even seem to have noticed it till now. "Maybe."

I recognized that tone. He didn't want to answer this. Not like that ever stopped me. "They scared of you, or something?"

"No. They aren't." He replied easily.

I looked up as the bell rang. A solitary customer this time. New. Pretty well dressed like the rest of the demons.

His eyes roamed the bar, settling on each table and each demon for a moment. He finally latched onto Lou's back, and his eyes narrowed slightly. I smiled as he finally looked at me. "Good evening. What can I get you?"

It was only as I said that did I realise that the bar was silent. Lou was still seated the same way, but the teasing smirk had vanished from his face. The other demons had tensed up in their seats, all eyes on the new person that had walked in. My eyes went to him once again. I looked over his form over as I tried to figure out what was going on.

Light brown hair, golden highlights coming out under the bar's ambient lighting. Pretty strong face structure, square jaw, sharp cheekbones and really pretty blue eyes. Almost icy blue. I hadn't noticed that. All the demons here had black coloured eyes.