NOAH

Chapter 12

~ Noah ~

"Guess what." Erik leaned backward on the bar, smiling. "I came up with a name for that berry cocktail."

The hand in which I was holding a towel stopped running circles over the bar.

"Were we supposed to come up with names so soon?" I shot out. "Did Ash say something about new menus again?"

"Relax, Noah." He lightly squeezed my shoulder. "Ash hasn't given us a deadline. It just came to me."

"Oh." I let out a sigh and he released my shoulder. "So, what did you name it?"

"Berry Brunch. Nothing that fancy, but..." He shrugged, not finishing the sentence.

"It's better than mine. Right now it's called 'that green thing I'm working on'."

"I'd offer to brainstorm some names with you, but we both know naming isn't my forte."

"Thanks all the same," I said and went back to cleaning the bar, hoping someone would come over, order something complicated and get my mind off the fact that the final version of the cocktail wasn't even ready yet. It was early in the evening and quiet - even the music seemed to be lower than usual - and no one had approached me or Erik in the past fifteen minutes.

As I looked about, my hand automatically wiping the bar simply so I'd have something to do, two people entered. With the dim lights and the distance between us I couldn't see their faces clearly, but Ash seemed even more angry than usual, walking in fast, long strides, and Dex... Well, he seemed... Stiff.

"No idea." Came from my side and I turned to Erik to see him also looking at the Bailey brothers. "But it's been a while since I've seen Ash so pissed off. I think the last time was when..."

Erik stopped himself, an uncharacteristically deep frown appearing on his usually smiling face.

"Excuse me for a sec." He walked around the bar, but instead of going to our boss on the second-level terrace, he headed to the corner where Jess was chatting with Toby, the two of them keeping an eye on the few clients we had, in case they were called to serve. Erik first said something to Toby, who nodded and left him and Jess alone. The two siblings huddled together, their faces hidden from my view, even though confusion and worry over what was going on made me stare at them shamelessly. Their conversation was brief before Jess headed towards the front entrance, every fiber in my being telling me she was looking for Gracie to hear her two cents on the matter.

Time seemed to slow down as I waited for Erik to return, my stomach twisting, and my fingers tapping madly over the bar.

"So..." I began, but he just shook his head.

"Jess doesn't know anything either," he cut me off, without looking at me, and my gut stopped twisting, a weight settling in it.

She didn't know, but they had a theory, and obviously, I wasn't worthy of hearing it. For the first time since I stepped foot in Nightfall, I felt excluded, and the rejection stung so strongly, it scared me.

When had I gotten so attached to these people?

I shook my head and went back to wiping the spotless surface of the bar while Erik busied himself checking in on how much alcohol each liquor bottle on the shelves had.

This wasn't about me.

This was about Ash, whatever made him angry, and whatever made Dex... Whatever Dex was. I'd only had my eyes on him for about half a minute, but I could tell something was off, even though I couldn't pinpoint what. Perhaps he was worried about Ash. That made perfect sense, given how close they were.