The Game of Love and Losers

EIGHTEEN

But she was just happy that Dave wasn't going out of his way to avoid her, and he seemed to have moved on from the incident, so it had to get easier between them again.

That was what she assumed, until the following week, when Emily approached her in the apartment a few hours before Amanda was due to start her shift helping behind the bar

"Hey Amanda, I just called in wanting to run something by you, and if you would be OK with it for this evening or not" she said looking a little thoughtful

"Oh yes, what is it?" Amanda queried a little uncertainly

"Well, I was talking to Dave earlier, down in the bar, and he was just saying how he thinks you have gained what experience you have needed, working there this last month, and what a great help you have been lately, in fact, he said you were getting the hang of it so well, he was worried we might sack him and hire you instead" Emily chuckled in good-nature

"Really?" Amanda couldn't hide the surprise in her tone, laughing a little depreciatingly, that Dave thought so highly of her help, she certainly would not have rated it that great.

"Anyway, he feels he has taught you as much as he can teach you, working behind the bar, and he has suggested that perhaps, with that experience under your belt, you might want to try helping out in the kitchen a while, to see how that goes" Emily then explained

"I see," Amanda replied, taken aback a little by this unexpected news; or perhaps maybe she should have expected it under the circumstances.

The fact that the suggestion came from Dave himself, told her all she needed to know. He was obviously not comfortable being around her after all, and this was his way of putting some distance between them. Amanda felt her heart sink a little, it seemed he was far from over the incident that had happened that night.

Emily, seeing Amanda's troubled expression, and how she seemed to be ruminating over the suggestion about helping out in the kitchen longer than she imagined, now spoke up

"I mean it's fine if you don't want to do it, the kitchen can be a little crazier than the bar, so I wouldn't blame you, though I will admit I wouldn't mind the help, which was why I jumped at it when Dave suggested it" she admitted guiltily

"No, no, it's fine." Amanda now hurriedly interjected, "I don't mind helping you in the kitchen now, if that's where I am needed, it's really not a problem" she then reassured, forcing a smile on her face, and pushing down the sense of disappointment, that Dave obviously no longer wanted he around him. Well she wasn't going to push the issue, if her presence made him uncomfortable, then she would go along with his so-called helpful suggestion.

She only wished now, that he had been more honest and open enough, to let her know his true feelings, instead of pretending he was fine with it, and springing it on her like this,  putting her on the spot.

Obviously, he must have been more embarrassed by it, than she had been in the end.

But she decided she didn't want Emily to get any kind of inkling that something had occurred between herself and Dave, and for all intents and purposes they were still fine with each other,  So, Amanda acted as if his suggestion had been a great idea, and she was looking forward to helping out in the kitchen instead.

Amanda found that, Emily had not been exaggerating when she had told her working in the kitchen would be a lot harder, even though the shifts she done were far shorter, the heat and the steam and the constant rush of having things to do and prepare and fetch and carry, had been a bit overwhelming at first, but after a week she was starting to get the hang of it. But she really could not see herself being able to work under this sort of environment or pressure, even if she could mark it down as having some experience of it on her CV, just to baulk it out and make it look good.

The only reason she kept at it, and not pack after a week, was because she didn't want to admit defeat in front of Mick, or Dave, that she had been unable to handle it, especially Dave. She supposed, the only plus side was the fact she was too tired and exhausted to dwell on what had happened between them. 

 Now that their shifts were different once again, she was usually up in the apartment before him as the kitchen closed earlier than the Bar, So, it had gone back to seeing less of each other again, and  even though they remained friendly  and civil enough for appearances sake, in front of everyone else, there was a distance between them again that Amanda felt only to well.

Of course, there were times when she could chill and relax,  and have some time to herself, but it didn't help because it was then, she found herself wistfully wishing she was working back behind the bar again, not only because it had been a little easier on her physically and mentally, but she was also longing for the days when things had been good between her and Dave, before that night when she had taken such an interest in his bare chest with her roaming fingers.

Everything had seemed so much simpler back then, their friendship and the camaraderie that had developed between them, it had felt good.

Now it was all gone, and she hated herself for it feeling it was her fault, because as the weeks went on, instead of getting on with things and not letting it bother her, and  try to forget about Dave, she was finding she missed his company even more, and she wasn't sure how to fix it or if she could ever put it right.

She miserably imagined he couldn't wait for the three months to be up soon in the apartment, and then he would be relieved to be rid of her, and out of his life for good.