Welcome to Racer's

Chapter 11

It was such a beautiful day that most people clearly weren't planning on spending it at the bar.

So, once Bruno had done literally everything he possibly could in the back office, he came back to the bar, and for the most part, spent the whole day chatting to Tammy.

Eventually the conversation turned to Levi.

"...I mean, he clearly adores you."

She shot him a look, laughing. "Mmmm... does he, though?"

"He comes to get you every night"

"I assume Dad told you why."

Bruno paused. "No... he didn't. He said Levi put up a fight about doing it, but he never told me why it was so important that you don't go on your own. You don't have to tell me though, it's none of my business, really."

Tammy hated telling people about why, usually. But for some reason... she felt like she wanted to tell Bruno.

"It's because I'm terrified of being alone in the dark. Like, properly diagnosed PTSD"

Bruno paused, and for a moment she wasn't sure why she'd told him. But he immediately looked at her with a truly sincere look in his eyes.

"And Levi knows that? And he still didn't want to do it?"

Tammy shook her head. She watched an obvious insult forming on his mouth, but he tactfully avoided it, and said nothing. He just pursed his lips together.

"He still complains about it. Every morning when he gets up. He complains about being tired from being out so late." she laughed.

"I'll do it"

What? She thought.

"Do what?"

"Walk you home. If it's that big of a deal to him. I'm happy to. Long as you're happy to stick around until I'm done here every night, I'll walk you."

The thought of spending every single night walking home with Bruno filled her with the kind of butterflies that threatened to lift her off the ground.

"Well... shit, I mean... are you sure? I don't live far from you."

He smiled warmly at her. "If it makes you feel safe, I would be more than happy to. Maybe I can teach you how to close up stuff here in case I ever need to leave early."

She smiled back at him. "That would be awesome"

A comfortable, appreciative silence fell between them.

"You're allowed to ask, by the way" she said, quietly.

"Nah. That's the kind of thing you're meant to volunteer."

"It's a bit heavy"

"It's okay, I'm pretty good at lifting heavy things."

He flexed overdramatically, and she giggled.

"Strap in then. You're about to hear the reason that a grown woman is still afraid of the dark."

He leaned back on the bar, giving her his full attention.

"Mum and Dad spent a lot of time here when I was little. And because we don't have a lot of family around, they had this girl they paid to babysit me every night of the week that they were here. She was young, only about 17 or so. So when I was about 4 or 5, she suddenly turned 18. And instead of babysitting me, she wanted to go out. But she needed the cash from my parents. So she'd take me with her, and hide me in an alleyway outside her favourite club. She told me if I moved or made a sound, that bad people would hurt me and my parents. So I just sat in an alleyway behind the club by myself, in the dark, crying. For hours ."