Shattered

Chapter 55 (part 1)

lol I'll be back to edit this chapter sometime cause it sucks.

Nakoa – over 3 months ago

Take a break?

Breaks for me were virtually nonexistent; if I put my responsibilities on pause, Jae and Rin would be the ones suffering. Instead of taking breaks, I let the breaks find me. Today was one of those rare days. Jae was at a sleepover and mom, surprisingly, took Rin with her to dinner at her friend's house. I didn't want to think about what dad was doing.

As I always did when I could catch a break, I spent my evening in my workplace, one of those niche cafés, but this one was themed like an old library. I can't deny that the look of the place motivated me to apply. During the day, it was a coffee shop, and at night, an upscale bar. Oftentimes, I chose to work in the morning; I didn't enjoy the night crowd. Well, I should say I didn't enjoy serving the night crowd, but I enjoyed the ambiance of the bar, which was why I chose to spend my free time here.

I sat in a quiet corner, near the bathrooms, with my sketchbook and pencil, a now-empty whiskey sour on my table, the ice cubes slowly melting in the glass. From this nook, I could overlook the space, and I often found it to be ideal for my observational sketches. There was no particular subject today, simply a blend of the people, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

From my peripheral, I saw familiar shaggy brown hair and the slightly pudgy frame of Tyler, his strange haircut swaying with his steps.

"You look amazing tonight, Nakoa," my manager said to me, reaching my lonesome spot. I smiled sweetly, although the compliment made me feel more icky than anything.

"Thanks," I responded while turning my eyes away, hoping he would catch a hint that I didn't want to chat.

He chuckled a little, seeing my usual response hadn't changed.

"It'd be nice if you wore more clothes like this during your shifts."

"That wouldn't be practical," I claimed dismissively, growing increasingly uncomfortable.

"Well, that is true."

I cringed when his hand landed on my shoulder, staying there a moment too long, and then he walked back to the kitchen, hopefully to leave me alone for the rest of the night.

Sighing, I dropped my pencil for a second, throwing my head back and staring up at the dim lights, the chatter of the Saturday night crowd filling my ears while When the Night is Over played as background noise.

He always did little things like that, stuff that would make me slightly uncomfortable, but wasn't enough to get him into any trouble. If I complained, they would call me ignorant, defend Tyler, and send me on my way. That's what I thought, at least. While he was always around to make some inappropriate comment, I enjoyed this job a lot, and the pay was good. Getting fired wasn't worth it, I could put up with a little discomfort.

When I brought my head back down, small halos of green distorted my vision, which I tried to blink away fruitlessly. Somewhat frustrated, I took my pencil in my hand again, beginning to shade a corner despite my lack of vision.

"I thought people came to bars to drink, not to draw," spoke a voice from behind me, humorous and deep.

Startled, I quickly turned around to face the unknown man, my pencil slipping from my fingers and clattering to the floor. There was a specific reason I preferred this corner, no one ever bothered me here, so of course I wouldn't expect it to happen tonight of all—rare—nights.