Breathing

Chapter 5:

I gave up on looking for clues as to who this mystery woman was when my servers came up and started unloading drink orders at me. They were not very good yet at organizing their tables.

My hands moved quickly, filling glasses and mixing drinks, trying to sort out the mess. Jules needed to teach these girls the fine art of selling shots, not mixed drinks when we were this busy. My arms felt the familiar burning of the workout they got while shaking and pouring drinks into glasses. One side benefit to this job, your arms looked awesome in a tank top because of the workout you get.

"Hey Riley," Kiera asked me while she was waiting for me to finish her table's order. "Have you seen the band who is playing tonight?"

"No, I didn't know anyone was on the schedule tonight. Jules said jump and I came to bail him out. He didn't tell me I had to worry about a band too. Have you heard them before?" I asked her, making small talk as I finished up pouring the drinks.

"Yeah, they played here last weekend. They were really good." She smiled as she spun a stir stick between her fingers.

"That's cool, I guess. I don't listen to music much anymore. I'm not sure if I would remember what good music sounds like." I wiped my hands on my rag when I accidentally overfilled one of the glasses.

"I thought I heard someone say Jessa's Dad was in a band. Is that true? Musicians are so hot." Kiera asked, popping her chewing gum bubble.

I didn't really want to talk about him again. I had spent a long time trying to get over him and the things I let him do to me. It had taken me a long time to forgive myself for letting him back in. I didn't want to seem rude, but I had survived by keeping memories of him to myself over the last three years. I didn't want to start breathing life back into the past.

"Yeah, he played guitar, but he's gone now." I said, trying to end the conversation.

"He died?" Kiera's eyes went wide in horror.

"No, he's still alive. He just isn't someone I want in our lives." I told her. I don't know why I keep telling her more. I wanted her to go serve her damn table instead of prying into my personal life.

"What happened?" She asked. Either I was terrible at dropping hints or she was really bad at receiving them.

"Kiera, I caught him on drugs with my best friend in my bed." I said slamming a glass on the table in anger. She didn't know when to stop pushing. She was young, so I felt bad being so harsh, but sometimes people needed to learn when to stop. I wished I was back at my bar tonight instead of this horribly trendy place.

"Ouch, heavy." Kiera said with a look saying she still didn't know she was pushing me over the edge. My heart started racing and the walls started closing in. My anxiety was starting to get the best of me. I had to take a breath and get through work tonight. I didn't have much of a choice.

"Kiera, hon, your table is looking for their drinks. You need to get them over there before they start complaining." I said each word slowly and through my clenched teeth. I nodded at her section and she looked back horrified. Kiera grabbed her tray and dashed off to her tables in the back of the bar.

Once most of the drinks were all passed out, the bar quieted down and I began prepping it for the next rush of drinks that would be due in soon. I hadn't seen the band that was supposed to be playing here tonight. I had to check them in and find out who to pay at the end of the night. Anytime a band played, they got half the cover charge and twelve percent of the drink sales. Jules marked up the drinks at this bar to cover. It was a terrific deal for the bands who could draw in huge crowds. From the looks of the crowd tonight, this band had a following.

I glanced back at the table where the blond girl was before and didn't see her. Maybe she had left. I really wanted to get another look at her to see if I could figure out where I knew her from. I shrugged my shoulders and looked down while I wiped down the bar.

A couple of guys walked up to the stage and started setting up the equipment. The band was here finally. They were due up soon, but I could have cared less if they showed up or not. I didn't like the music nights this bar had. It always reminded me too much of my past. The band tonight was probably pretty terrible anyway. I didn't have much passion for music anymore unless it was watching Jessa sing to her stuffed animals.

"Another Sex on the Beach." A woman's voice slur at me from the other side of the bar. I grabbed another glass and poured it, sticking a napkin under it before handing it to her. I looked up and the blond girl was smiling at me again, which made me a little uneasy. She seemed nice enough, but also very strange. It felt like she was circling the bar watching me. "Can I also get a coke for my fiancé? He doesn't drink anymore." She moved her hand to hide her mouth like it was a secret.

I grabbed a second glass and filled it to the top with Coke and slid it across the bar to her. "You really do look familiar." I said to her again. "Maybe you just have one of those faces."

"Maybe." She said, winking and sipping her drink. "I still feel like we have run into each other at some point."

She was starting to creep me out.

Her eyes grew with excitement and a smile spread over her face as she turned. She started waving over the crowd. She must have spotted someone she knew, probably the fiancé by the look I saw her give. I ducked back down to pull out a few more glasses and placed them on the bar. When I looked up, the girl was wrapped up in a tall figure wearing all black. I watched her pull the man to her and kiss him. His large muscled forearms moved over her body passionately.

I just figured out where I knew her from.

Fuck my life.