I guess you could say I was jealous. I tried to justify being jealous by saying I was hurt or angry at Harry but I couldn't be, I was just jealous.
I never thought after the few years we've spent closely together that I would have to let him go be with another woman to have a family with and when he told me he was seeing someone, it quickly became a reality that I couldn't control.
So after a night of lonely drinking wine and a few almost sent angry texts to Harry after he left, I decided maybe I was simply deeply jealous of this girl.
Which had me then thinking; do I still love Harry?
What I would like that answer to be is a no, but what I fear it is, is a yes. And so it was probably time for myself to start moving on too. Which is why I was walking into work the next night with a lot more make up than usual.
I never usually dressed up for work, often times it was a ponytail and some mascara but that was the furthest I'd go.
Tonight, however, I was walking in with my hair curled and my makeup making me look like I was definitely not a member of staff.
My shoes squeaked against the tiles of the kitchen as I walked through the back to avoid Harry's office but it only drew more attention to me. I was getting looks from kitchen staff and I couldn't figure out if they were good or bad.
"Mae what are you doing in the kitchen?" A voice yelled.
I turned to look right, seeing Harry standing in the corner with a hairnet on beside the chef as they read over something. I rolled my eyes and kept walking, I wasn't talking to him.
Eventually I reached the staff room for the nightclub and sighed in relief as I pushed the door open. The heat from the kitchen had made me sweat and I felt all sticky, I don't know how people work in a kitchen.
"Wow, what a milf." Lisa hollered at me. Lisa reminded me of a younger version of my mother and it deeply disturbed me sometimes yet maybe it's why we've grown so close. Her accent rung through my ears for a few seconds as I took off my coat and hung it up in my locker, along with my phone and keys.
"That's the look I'm going for, thanks." I laughed. I slid my name tag and employee number onto my shirt and ruffled my hair in the mirror before shutting the locker door, facing Lisa. She was doing the same and I figured we were doing g a similar shift, thank god.
"You're shot girl tonight, Harry wants you on the floor." She told me as we walked. I raised my brows, "Shot girl? Me?"
She nodded, "Si, pero like I don't know why he didn't choose me." She shrugged and we walked through the back and into the club. The crappy techno songs erupted through my ears immediately and it still amazed me how it could be so loud yet no one could hear a thing outside of the club. Magic.
"Clocking in, Maelyn?" Jerry asked me. He was the general manager for the club seeing as Harry had duties to fulfill all over the hotel and I was glad. Harry in work mode was a dickhead. Jerry was fun.
I nodded. "Shot girl tonight, lucky me!" I falsely enthused. He laughed at me knowingly and whipped a cloth over his shoulder as he took down a few things on a piece of paper.
Shot girls were known for being the runt of the litter, the worst job going. Between sleazy men rubbing up on you and groping you or being covered in spilled drinks, girls robbing from you - it's just a crappy job compared to working the bar.
Jerry handed me the tray and we began to load it up with shots as Lisa strapped the neon bumbag to me for the money. I was a little nervous, admittedly, I haven't been floor staff yet and found comfort in hiding behind the bar. Tonight was different.
"Good luck!" Lisa chirped. She pat my shoulder and began to tend orders at the bar whilst Jerry instructed me on where to go and what to say.
I nodded and as soon as I stepped onto the floor, the crowd engulfed me. It was mostly a younger crowd with a mix of some older hotel guests. A lot of bachelor parties dropped in from time to time. I smiled widely as I walked around to seem approachable but my mind was goi g crazy with my anxious thoughts.
"Hi, shots anyone?!" I yelled over the music to a group of friends sitting at one of the booths. They cheered and nodded, I began to pass them the shots. "One pound each!" I yelled again.
I filled my bum bag with ten pounds and moved on quickly, almost letting the tray topple over at some points.
I hate Harry for this.
I spent the next hour doing this and finally it was my time for a quick break. I handed the empty tray to Jerry and headed into the staff room quickly where a few others were sitting and chatting.
I got my phone and checked for any updates about Ana, but there were none. I sighed and slid it into my back pocket while joining a table with a few friends.
"You look so different." One of the guys stared.
"She's wearing makeup, dumbass." Lisa seethed. He nodded and smiled, "oh yeah."
A low whistle sounded from beside me and I turned to see who it was, rolling my eyes when Alex's face came into view. He was a knobhead.
He was floor staff too and was notorious for booking up with girls on the floor to sell his shots. It worked, but he was a tool.
"Hi partner," he winked. I scoffed and folded my arms. "Hi, Alex."
"No Harry tonight?" He false cried and I rolled my eyes. He liked to tease me about Harry following me around, claiming he was like a lost puppy around me. I didn't see it.
"You're quite obsessed with Harry, aren't you?" I asked him, turning in my seat to face him. His dark brown hair was messy looking and a few curls poked out which actually reminded me of Harry. His face was nothing similar though.
Alex looked choppy, messy and rough while Harry was gentle and handsome, yet frustratingly hot at the same time. They were opposites.
Alex's stubble was in need of a trim and I smirked as he struggled to reply. His smirk soon matched mine. "Not quite. It's just unusual for you to be walking around without your shadow." He shrugged. "Especially when you're the shot girl. Bit dangerous, huh?"
I scoffed. "Dangerous? I'm passing out shots to people." A few laughed and I felt a little adrenaline as Alex and I continued to argue.
"Sorry; I forgot you were boring."
My cheeks heated up. "Boring? How."
A few laughed and I could feel knots in my stomach. Was I boring? Maybe I was. It would explain why no body really interacted with me besides Jerry and Lisa and well, Harry. Oh god, I was boring.
"Mae- he doesn't mean to offend you." Another guy chimes in, Dylan. I looked at him instead. "You just kind of play by the rules and have no fun." He grimaced while telling me. My lips parted slightly to defend myself but I couldn't find words to say.
"So what should I do then?" I asked them.
Alex perked up. "We could have a little bet?" He smirked. Everyone seemed interested now. I nodded for him to go on and leaned forward. I was willing to do a bet, what harm could it be?
"Shot girl vs. shot boy, who sells more?" He suggested.
"Not fair. You have advantages to selling." I reminded him.
"You could also have those advantages, if you weren't so boring.." He snickered.
I looked to Lisa, who was sitting in her seat looking very excited as she nodded at me. I breathed deep and nodded, sticking out my hand. "Fine."
He took my hand and we both shook. "Whoever sells the most shots from now until closing wins the other persons salary from tonight." I boldly added.
He raised his brows and a few others hollered as he nodded. "Feeling confident. I see?" He asked. I just nodded and we were quickly getting ready to get back out there.
"Man I have to tell the others about this." Dylan said as he went back out to the club.
I, however, was so fucking nervous that I ended up doing a few shots before we even went back out.
I was standing beside Alex, both of us kitted up and ready to go as Lisa held her phone out. "3,2,1..GO!"
I went in a different direction to Alex, immediately spotting a target. A group of younger lads by the Dj booth. I smiled flirtatiously and held my tray forward. "Shots!?" I yelled over the loud music.
"How much?" One asked back as the other guys let their eyes rake my body.
"One pound," I hollered back.
He laughed and shook his head. "I mean for you,"
I was actually quite disgusted. I looked to my left, seeing Alex watch me from further away and I gasped at his half empty tray already. I looked back to the guy. He was kind of cute- in a non cute kind of way.
Fuck it. I bit my lower lip nervously and quickly replied. "The whole tray!"
I felt like a different person, but I was not letting Alex win. He was too cocky for his own good. I couldn't believe I was someone mother.
"Shit, okay." He croaked out. His friend took the tray from me and he wasted no time in pulling me into him. A few cheers erupted from his friends and what seemed like a cameras light shined down on us until eventually I could pull away after an acceptable thirty seconds. I wiped my lips and smiled as they handed me a fifty pound note. I shoved it into my bag and headed back to the bar with my empty tray to restock.
"More," I yelled to Jerry. He looked from the tray then to me in shock.
"How did you sell fifty shots in five minutes?" He asked, slightly perplexed. I shrugged and smiled at him as he stocked it back up, laughing as Alex returned to restock as I was heading back out. "Better catch up!" I sing-songed.
I made my way trough the crowd again, finding it easier and easier to make out with strangers for their service as the hours flew in. It was finally time for another quick break and I was officially seven trays in. I handed the money to Jerry and walked to the staff room tiredly.
"Three hundred and fifty shots get in!" Alex yelled as I walked in. I groaned, "you mean to tell me we're at a tie?"
He stood from his seat. "There's no way you've sold seven full trays."
I nodded triumphantly. "I have, you're not the only one that can do a job around here."
I sat opposite him, only now noticing we were the only ones in the room. I sighed in relief as my feet rested, not even realizing how sore they actually were from walking around.
"We have to make it harder," he thought.
"How?" I furrowed my brows.
"I don't know. We have an hour till closing and we're both going at the same rate so far so, we need something extra." He told me.
I pondered. I couldn't think of anything else to throw in the mix. But Alex looked like he did.
"At 2.30, when they do the champagne pop, I'll nominate you to go up and you nominate me. Whoever gets the most votes combined with the most shots wins."
My mouth was wide. As fuck. There was no way.
The champagne pop was a Saturday night tradition, where a male and a female go stand up on the bar and chug as many beers while being drenched in champagne. People vote for the winner then at the end. It was so extra and I know Alex has done it a few times where I'm extremely inexperienced.
He raised his brows again, waiting for my response. "Are you too boring?" He sneered. I scoffed and stood up, "No. I'll do it."
I pulled my shorts down slightly and adjusted myself before we headed back out. I had a half an hour to make more money then do the champagne pop. Fuck. Why do I do these things to myself?
Alex pat my shoulder, "Enjoy." And we were off.
I worked my way through the back of the crowd and even ventured out to the smoking area, glad that some guys were decent and bought shots without having to make out with them. It went like this until I was sold out with twelve trays gone. That was a whopping six hundred pound made. And Shot girl gets to keep 10% of the profit if it's over five hundred.
It was finally time for the main event and I was slyly downing the shots as the minutes went by to calm my nerves. It was working alright. I nominated Alex and he nominated me, like we said, and I handed in the money and tray as we both climbed onto the bar wile the DJ announced the event. I was surprised Harry wasn't here, he usually manages the club on a Saturday night after twelve but as my eyes blurred and scanned the crowd, he wasn't there. Probably with his new girlfriend.
Phones were out and I rolled my eyes. Everyone records shit these days and I was just glad that Ana didn't have one to see her mother chugging beer while soaking wet for the enjoyment of men. I was a mess.
"Alright guys and in THREE, TWO, ONE..GO!"
The loud pop of the champagne bottles and the cold feeling of the liquid spraying my body shocked me and I found myself frozen still as Alex downed beer by beer until I eventually saw Lisa shaking her head, screaming at me to go and I did. I blocked out the crowds shouting and music from the DJ and downed each beer I was handed. It was like my throat didn't even exist I was just throwing them down my mouth and not swallowing. Beer after beer, I began to feel sick to my stomach but there was nothing left to drink and a loud air horn went off as it announced the end. Alex looked defeated as he struggled to drink his last few.
It was obvious I had won and I jumped around on the bar in glee, glad Alex was laughing and taking it fairly. He jumped down from the bar and put his arms up to me to help me down and I gladly accepted. At least I thought it was Alex, everything was blurred.
Warm hands wrapped around my waist and I wrapped mine around his neck, "I won!" I drunkenly cheered.
"You're so fucking fired." The voice yelled back.