Kintsugi

How Much to Light Up My Star Again

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This story is told from two perspectives. 

The person will always be highlighted before the POV is switched

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Riko

I rubbed my temples and looked at the clock again. I could swear it was running backwards. The last half hour of this shift has felt like it's lasted 3 days and my head was pounding. God forbid that old, money-grubbing, asshole of a manager let me go a few minutes early. There's been one party in the whole bar for the last 2 hours and Yuji has them handled. I've polished every damn glass, refilled all the fruit, did all the dishes, restocked all the shelves, even counted my drawer already.

I was literally standing at my end of the bar counting the peanuts in the dish in front of me. Yuji walked down and stood next to me. "I kind of want to mess up your counting, but then again, I'm curious how many you've counted already." He said in that stupid smooth voice of his. He was good looking, I couldn't deny that, and the thought of hearing that voice calling out my name had most definitely crossed my mind, but he was a total fuckboy and he thrived off that image.

Women tipped well because he was hot, guys tipped well because he was "one of the bros". Overall, he just irritated the fuck out of me on a daily basis. "98. 99. 100..." I counted semi-ignoring him. "Hey," he whispered a little too close to my ear, "Get your tips and say you're going to the bathroom. Sneak out through the back. I'll cover for you if he notices." I turned to look at him, his face too close to mine, our noses almost touching. "Do you think I'm stupid enough to trust you?" I said with a little laugh.

He turned his face away and leaned his head back with a smirk on his face. "Yeah, I didn't think you'd go for that." He said as he dropped his head back down. "If it meant selling out your own grandmother to get ahead, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't think twice." I said as I scooped the peanuts into the trash can. He just nodded his head in agreement. "You're the worst." I said shaking my head. "But I'm cute." He replied as he turned to walk back down to his end of the bar. I just rolled my eyes at his back.

I looked up at the clock again and almost cried. It was finally time for me to go. I grabbed my tips, my keys, and my purse from behind the bar and almost ran out there. As I passed Yuji he turned and winked at me. I flipped him off in response. I clocked out without saying a word to my manager and was out the door. As I walked to my car, I took a second to appreciate how mild the summer breeze was, even at 2 am.

I made it back to my apartment in no time flat, thanks to the lack of traffic and, from what I've been told, my insane driving. There's been more than a few occasions when I've been asked if I street race. Growing up in the States, especially New York, that's just how you learn to drive. I know it's very different here in Japan, but old habits die hard. I parked in the lot, and sprinted up the 3 flights of stairs to my apartment.

I was greeted as always by Bruno the big, dumb, sweet mutt I've had since I found him as a puppy. He was waiting happily with his leash already in mouth to go out. He was big enough to be intimidating to people who didn't know him, but if anyone actually approached him, he'd just roll over and expect belly rubs. After I took him out, we went back upstairs where he promptly jumped up on my bed and settled himself in. He knew I wouldn't be joining him for a while.