"Hey!" I smiled at Trace as he opened the door.
He beamed back at me. And then leaned in first to plant a gentle kiss on the side of my lips. "Hey." He replied as he pulled a few inches back. "Good morning."
"Good morning." I smiled back and countered with my lips against his. It was like he expected it. He held my lips for a few second before gently tugged on my lower lip with his teeth. The move sent sparks down my body. Everything south of my belly button twisted in an exciting way. It had been a while since I'd felt like this.
I pulled away slowly, surprise clear on my face as colour rose up my cheeks. "H-hey."
Trace smirked. He laughed to himself as he stepped to the side. "Come in already."
My hand brushed against his chest as I walked past him. What a way to begin the second date. He'd invited me over for breakfast. I was kind of interested in seeing where Trace stayed and this invitation was quite a good chance.
I walked in and looked curiously at the living room. It was sparsely furnished, but what few pieces there were, were pretty tasteful. There were still a few boxes scattered by the glass doors that led to the balcony. He did say he had just moved to a new place. It wasn't a very big place. A one and a half bedroom apartment where he used the half as his office.
I could see two doors further down the place. Behind me was a kitchen island built into the wall. I could see some eggs, a mixing bowl and a spatula with batter on it.
"Like the place?"
I turned to meet Trace's eyes. His hands were stuffed in his pocket with his head slightly lowered. I could see that he wanted me to like it.
"It's a nice place." I pointed at the balcony. "You probably get some really nice setting rays."
"Yeah." He smiled, kind of relieved at my reply. "It was one of the reasons I bought this place."
"It's cute." I looked around once more. I did like the place. It was small and cozy... smaller than my apartment, but cozy.
"You were working out?" Trace asked. He moved towards the kitchen as he looked over my sweaty form.
I nodded and looked down at my tank and shorts. "Yeah. I did promise Antonio that I would join him. I was kind of surprised when you called me though. Our first date was just yesterday."
"I know but..." He spoke a bit louder from inside the kitchen. "I felt like cooking and then I figured I'd call you over."
"I'll help." I piped up. My bottle rested on the dining table as I headed towards the kitchen.
Trace grimaced as I said that. It made me stop in my path. "Please don't. I have a thing about hygiene in my kitchen and you just came from a workout."
I sheepishly scratched my head and backed up. "I'll remove my shoes. Just give me an apron to wear over this and I'll help."
"I don't have an extra apron." I heard him walk out of the kitchen. "I can give you one of my shirts."
"Sure." I replied easily. My shoes were placed by the entrance with my socks in it. When I turned around, Trace held out a grey shirt.
I took it from him, my hand brushed against his as I did. It was still fresh from the laundry. I could smell the detergent as the fabric moved over my nose... I could smell Trace.
He smiled as I poked my head out of the shirt. "You look cute in my shirt."
I blushed slightly at that. "Thanks. I like this shirt."
"It even matches your leggings. Wear it to work, or you'll catch a cold in that tank."
"I..." I stopped myself from mentioning the extra set of clothes I kept at the restaurant. Just nodding instead and fell into step beside him as we walked to the kitchen again.
I washed my hands up till my elbows as he questioned me about the workout session. Wiping my hands down, I asked what I should work on as he mixed up the batter.
"Uh, do you like fruits with your waffles?" He paused. "Wait, do you like waffles or pancakes?"
"Both." I placed my hands on the counter and leaned on it as I looked at the batter. "What fruits do you like?"
"I have strawberries, kiwi, some blueberries..." He trailed off, trying to remember. "There's also apples. Sauces?"
"Maple syrup, chocolate sauce, strawberry." I shrugged. "I'm up for anything."
"Great." He pulled open a drawer. "Here, take a knife, start chopping."
"Yup."
I rifled through his fridge for the fruits, seeing most of the groceries we'd ended up shopping for together. It brought a small smile to face as I pulled back with the whatever fruits I could find in the fridge. We chatted easily as I picked up a few bananas from the fruit bowl in the kitchen. It took a few minutes to wash them all. I revelled in the satisfaction upon seeing the dirty water drain from the fruits drain off. The bananas would be peeled and cut last.
Trace cracked a few eggs for the batter as I removed the stems from the strawberries. Halfway through cutting them, I paused. "Wait, how do you like your strawberries cut?"
"Uh..." He looked down at my handiwork. "I like smaller pieces."
"Alright." I popped a piece of strawberry in my mouth. "By the way, do you have icing sugar?"
"I... don't. Why do you need it now?"
"I like to dip strawberries in icing sugar." I looked around the kitchen. "You have sugar, but I don't see a mixer."
"It's in... one of the bottom cupboards."
"Mm-hmm." I replied with another piece in my mouth as I turned away from him. A minute of opening and closing empty cupboards later, I frowned. "There's nothing here."
"Oh... Ah... I... What?"
I stood up straight, turning to look at a slightly blank looking Trace. I raised an eyebrow at that look. I knew it very well. "Were you staring at my butt?"
"Uh... No." He shook his head, and some sense back into himself. There was slight guilt in his green eyes. "Not at all. I was thinking of where the-uh- the thing you were looking for is kept."
I laughed at that blatant lie. "Sure, you were. Which box is it in? I'll get it."
"No!" The intensity in his voice surprised me. I turned to look at him. His eyes were wide open, but look on his face turned sheepish right as I met his eyes. "I'll... find it later. Can you do without it for now?" Was that panic?
"That was... kind of aggressive for just a mixer." I mumbled to myself as I turned to resume my chopping. "You okay?" I asked slowly with a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, I just..." He slowly lowered his head. "There's some personal stuff in those boxes that I've never shown anyone and I..."
I felt something in me melt. The surprise and slight hurt I felt vanished. Shifting closer to him, I slipped an arm around his waist. "It's okay. No need to feel bad about it."
"I'll show you eventually but just..."
"I get it. We all have something personal." Turning my head up, I planted a soft kiss by his jaw.
He smiled a moment later and shifted to face me. "Thanks for coming here today."
"No problem." I smiled back at him before I looked down at the fruits. "I enjoy spending time with you... and it's nice to have someone to hang out with outside of work as well."
"I work from home so..." He sighed to himself. "I'm always at work."
I laughed at that. "You told me you usually head out to work."
"Yeah, but... it's most comfortable at home, you know?"
I shrugged. "Maybe? I've never worked a job like yours."
"Always on your feet, huh?"
"More or less. I was never one for studying. You know that."
"Uh, yeah, right. You still used to get pretty good grades."
I scoffed at that and slid the strawberries to the side with the flat of the blade. "Barely average."
"Better than my failing grades."
"I remember how our foster parent at that time used to get mad at you." Frowning down at the fruits, I struggled to remember. "What was her name again?"
"I... don't know."
"Well, it's been over ten years so..." I shrugged dismissively and let the topic go.
We worked like that for a few more minutes before beginning to cook the pancakes. They actually turned out pretty alright, if a bit grainy. I craved some icing sugar as well but I let it go. It didn't matter right now. I don't want to get him in the dumps about whatever personal stuff he was had in those boxes again. We all had our demons. And we all had to hide them.
I tsked to myself as I pulled my shoes back on. Demons reminded me of Lou again. I'd actually managed to go the entire date without thinking of them for once.
"Wish you didn't have to go." I felt a light tug at my shirt. His shirt. I was still wearing his shirt.
I straightened up to face him, the laces could be tied in the cab. Stepping towards him, I reached up and locked my arms behind his neck. He lowered his head. "Wish I didn't either."
"Then don't." His hand trailed along the side of my jaw to push some of my hair back. "You can stay." His hooded eyes were glued to mine
"Hmm... I can." I pressed my forehead against his, my in his lips. "But what will I do?"
Trace smirked. He in a bit more till our lips were barely an inch apart. "You know what we'll do."
"Maybe you should..." He kissed me and cut off my obviously very suggestive phrase. This time, we didn't keep the kiss short.
Trace didn't waste any time. He deepened the kiss within seconds, his hand behind my neck to arch my head further. I pressed my body closer to his as I felt the heat from the kiss flood through my body. The world faded out. It was just me and him, lost in the harmony created between us, by us.
I felt my back hit the wall beside me and our lips parted for a moment. Just long enough for me to hear Trace growl with need before he resumed his attack. My hand rose to his hair, tightened in it and pulled him closer to me as the other moved down his chest. The stupid apron hindered me. Or I'd have removed his shirt a long time ago.
"Don't... go..." Trace whispered as he pulled away. The two of us gasped for breath, his eyes glowed in the darkness of the hallway.
I moved my head to gently brush my lips against his. "We've both got... work, Trace."
"I wish I didn't... I wish you didn't." He reciprocated by tugging my lower lip with his teeth.
"Wishes don't always come true." I whispered. A moan pushed down as he pulled away. An unexpected one left my lips anyway as he moved down to my neck.
"What a shame." He whispered against my skin, his warm breath incited chills through my body. "Stay... Ryleigh."
The way he whispered my name in his rough voice almost made me crumble with the intensity of the arrows that shot through my body. But I really couldn't stay. I had pushed it way too close with just this goodbye kiss anyway.
I pulled my hands back from his body to grasp his face instead and bring it back up to mine. My lips pressed against his, eyelids lowered as I didn't push further. I could feel some resistance as he tried to lean in, but I held firm. I whispered. "I really have to go now, Trace."
"I know." He sighed. He lingered by my lips for another moment before he pulled entirely away from my body.
I reached for the hem of his shirt and started to raise it. "I'll return your-"
"No. Keep it." He pulled the door open and smirked as he turned to look at me. "I'd rather see you remove your own shirt someday. This would just be a let down."
I laughed at that and let go of the fabric as I moved to leave. "Is that so? Maybe we could fast track the next date."
I winked at him as I saw his green eyes light up with interest, before he grimaced. "About that... I won't be able to meet up with you for about a week or so. I have a deadline approaching and I really need to crunch it on this one."
"Oh." What a shame. I shrugged easily and to look at him as I stepped outside the door. "Just text me whenever you're free again."
"Yup." He reached out to grab my elbow and tug me towards him for another quick kiss. I smiled as I met his lips again, and let myself mt against him for a few short moments before I pulled away. He smiled wider, casually leaned against the doorframe as he let go of my arm. "See you later, babe."
I laughed at that pet name. I'd always found it weirdly endearing. "Bye, babe." I replied the same way. I waved at him as I headed towards the stairs.
Dottie and Sasha somehow exactly knew what I'd been up to when I got to the restaurant. I stared at them bewildered as I wiped my hair down with a towel. They both grinned at me as I emerged from the changing rooms in the back, arms crossed over their chest and eyes hungry for details.
I looked down at myself. The dress I was wearing had gotten slightly loose from the last time I wore it, but it still fit me pretty well. I tried to dress modestly for my job, but this was fairly short.
"Soooo..." Dottie stretched out. She wagged her eyebrows at me. "Finally getting it on with Trace, are you?"
"We just... made out when I was leaving." I replied slowly, my eyes flickered between the two. "How do you guys... know?"
"It's aaaaall over your face." Sasha sounds rather weird with his accent when he's impersonating Dottie. "Everywhere over your face."
"That's not a phrase." Dottie mumbled. She raised her voice immediately as she continued. "Have you looked in the mirror yet?"
"There isn't one there." I gestured to the back. "But the ladies washroom by the bar has one."
"Right." Dottie nodded. She turned away from me to return to the customers. "You should check it out." I could see the smirk on her face as she turned away.
I frowned to myself, and looked up at a snickering Sasha as he returned to cooking as well. There was no choice but to ignore his giggled as I some more time in the kitchen. Sasha was updated on the impromptu date and I dried off my hair some more before I headed out. I'm so glad Carl agreed to our suggestion of having a proper shower built in the back. It was only the three of us but we all needed a proper place to get ready and freshen up after festival nights. Christmas, and Halloween, and St Patrick's Day, meant customers stayed quite late and we stayed up all night in costumes... left with smudged makeup and sweaty bodies when they all finally left. The shower was a true boon t-
I have a hickey.
I stopped in my tracks the moment I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror. It took a few moments to comprehend before I let myself step closer to figure out what was up.
Fortunately enough, it wasn't very dark. But it wasn't light enough to be dismissed either. I sighed to myself as I ran a finger over it, remembering Trace's lips on my skin. Ah, well. I can't do anything about this now.
I met Dottie's eyes as I left the washroom, shrugging helplessly at her with a half-smile on my lips. She giggled and winked at me before returning to her customers.
The topic didn't die down for the rest of the day. Dottie and Sasha eventually stopped bringing it up but I couldn't hear the end of it from my regulars. Everyone made the same joke, asked the same questions, had the same laughs to the point where it had started on me by the end of the day.
The night customers normally kept to themselves. They would choose a booth, take their drinks and sit there in silence till they had to pay the bill and leave. Night time was peaceful. I enjoyed the silence up until I saw Lou walk in.
My mood immediately dropped as his eyes flickered to my neck. He stopped in the middle of the floor, whistling lowly to himself. "That's a heck of a-"
"Mosquito bite. I know." I rolled my eyes. "Just sit down, shut up and take your drink."
His eyebrows shot up right as the bell above the door dinged and Mike walked in. Mike's eyes went to Lou before me and my neck. He didn't say anything. Just stared for a short while. "I-"
"Yeah, yeah. Shut up already." I cut him off and turned back to the register with a defeated sigh.
"Did I do something?" Mike asked slowly.
"Not. Not really. Someone else did." Lou replied with a snicker. "Also, you're here pretty quick today. You're finally able to match my timing, huh?"
"It's not easy to keep up with you, demon." Mike sighed. I could hear his footsteps get closer.
"Here are your drinks." I walked over to them a minute later with a stool and sat down.
"Had an interesting morning, Ryleigh?" Lou waved his glass to gesture at my neck, as if I didn't already know what he was talking about.
I smiled at Lou. I smiled as sweetly as I could to sugarcoat the words coming out of my mouth. "If you want to see another glass of whiskey tonight or over the next few days, I'd rather you keep your comments to yourself till this is gone."
Lou paused in the middle of a sip and pulled his tumbler away from him to place on the counter. "Come on. You wouldn't cripple my humour like that now."
"I would and I can." I raised my hand to run it through my hair. "I do not want to hear the same recycled jokes about hickeys from another person after an entire day of work."
"Well..." Mike stared at the wall as usual as he talked. "Maybe you should cover up with some makeup then."
"I only came into work with my keys and phone today. I have nothing to cover up with and Dottie's foundation is lighter than my skin." I got up as a customer started approaching the till. It was a welcome relief from them my reasons until everyone who walked up to the register started to repeat the corny jokes I'd heard in during the lunch rush.
I had hoped it wouldn't get any worse but it did.
Demons who knew I held no power over them went pedal to the metal about these jokes. Hooting about it across the bar from booth to booth as I watched on with a tired look. It was funny at times, funny enough to bring me to a laugh but it soon died down with the entrance of the grim-faced angels.
They'd increased in number and gotten a lot more regular these past few days. The bar was almost split right down the middle with either species. It kept tensions high and everyone tense. Good times.
I prepared the angel's drinks. Walked back and forth behind the counter as I juggled Lou and Mike's glasses alongside everyone's else's orders. My cheeks were sore from all the fake smiles and laughs. The camaraderie was actually quite fun whenever it wasn't aimed at me. Tonight wasn't one of those nights.
I rolled my neck to gather myself for a few moments. My eyes on the ceiling as I tried to ignore the crass comment one of the demon made about my legs. My eyes fell shut as another demon joined in the joke. Loud snickers from his friends.
Do it for the tips, Ryleigh.
Hickeys don't stay, these guys do. Just do it for the tips.
The bell dinged. And-
"Oh, hey Ryleigh. That's an interesting mosquito bite."
I gritted my teeth. I could feel my brain cells die off at hearing that for the thirtieth time this day.
"Haha, thanks." I replied tightly. The same words repeated over and over in my mind.
The tips. Do it for the tips. That's it.
Hickeys don't last. Money does. I just gotta bear it fo-
"I've got a very lucrative proposition for you if a girl was involved in giving you that."
I'm going to kill myself before this hickey heals.