Closing Time

58.

"Wow, you're really distracted." He chuckled. "You just apologized twice."

"I did?" I shook my head to myself. "Sorr-I mean-I-" I exhaled harshly, throwing him a small, forced smile. "Just some stuff weighing on my mind."

Rob reached across the table, placing his hand on mine and leaning forward. "You can talk about it."

I really can't. It's not time to start pushing you away yet. It's only our second date.

Besides, literally crazy ex-girlfriend does have a nice ring to it.

"Just a bad night." I leaned back in the chair, resisting the urge to shake his hand off mine. "Nightmares, bad sleep."

"Really?" Rob looked me over. "It barely shows. You look amazing today."

I laughed. Boring. "Thanks. You look good too. Thanks for... calling me out today." I nodded in addition. "This was much needed." Couldn't have come at a worse time.

"I can see that." He smirked. "You need a drink."

I raised an eyebrow, looking around the place. "They don't serve alcohol here."

"Let's go back to my place. I make a mean Bloody Mary."

He's... really saying he'll make a cocktail for a bartender.

I laughed, shaking my head again. "No, thanks. I have to head back to work soon." I glanced down at my watch, feeling relieved that I was right. "Let's get the bill. I'll pay this time."

"Right." Rob scoffed, raising his hand to call the waitress over. "Like I'll let you."

"Yes, you will." My hand moved from under his to the top, holding it down as I pulled out some cash. The waitress walked over to me as Rob struggled to release his hand from my grip. There's no way he could reach the wallet in his back pocket with his non-dominant hand.

I let go once the waitress had taken my money. He'd given up struggling a while back, resorting to a tired glare. "You didn't need to do that."

"You paid the first time. There's no way I'm letting you pay the second."

He laughed, standing up right as I did. Leaning in, he pecked me on my cheek as I shrugged my jacket on. "Let me atleast drop you back off."

"You don't need to." I replied, turning to face him as I pulled out the hair trapped under the jacket collar. "You already drove so far on your lunch break to meet me."

"Your bar isn't far from here." Rob shrugged, falling into step beside me as I turned towards the exit. "Shouldn't take long. It's no big deal, really."

I sighed. As much as I wasn't in the mood to be social, I could use the distraction. My circling thoughts and distracted demeanour wasn't going unnoticed back at my work either. I'm sure Henry and the girls could use a break from me zoning out on them.

"... technically, I'm going to head home after this, not work."

"Oh, really?" I looked up as he held the door open for me. I'd zoned out again. "No more work for the day?"

"You pushed the timings of our lunch a bit back." He gestured to the sky with the almost set sun. "It's more like an evening snack."

"Yeah. Sorry about that." I got in the car. "We were busy discussing some hiring decisions."

I went quiet as he closed the door. He spoke up once he entered the driver's side. "Hiring?"

"Yeah." I nodded, reaching around for the seatbelt. "It's exhausting working as a waitress in the morning and tending bar at night. I didn't really mind it till now, but it made me realise that I barely have free time during the day to myself because of it." The clip clicked into the side of the seat. "Plus, that way we can have more consistent opening times that don't depend on me being in or out."