Twisting Faith

Chapter 4 - Eros

Eros

I'm just about done sifting through the stack of time cards to finish up payroll. I don't need it done until tomorrow evening, but with the extra time I've had this evening waiting for Juliet. Why not finish up the job early, I'm sure everyone being paid a day early because I got to it sooner wont be something that'll upset anyone.

"Haven't seen you eat anything, boss... Michael's about to pack up and leave, and I just wanted to check in and see if you wanted him to whip you up anything before he calls it a night," Elliot, my best friend, asks with a brow raised.

"Nope, I'm good. What's your face about?" I ask while flipping through another time card and validating it on the laptop.

"I mean... nothing, it's just... almost 11, and you have usually already gone up to your apartment by now, and I haven't seen you eat anything. It's just weird." He starts to get nervous with the explanation and fiddle with this fingers.

"It's okay, Elliot. I'll either go to the kitchen or go home if I need food. Let Michael know he's good to go." I give Elliot a small smile and hope he's on his way.

"Oh, yeah sure. I can let Michael know he's free to go. I'm sure he's going to be happy to leave before midnight. He's going to be so happy to leave early." A genuine beaming smile lights up Elliot's face as he speaks. Despite the late hour and the mundane task at hand, his enthusiasm is infectious, a stark contrast to the weariness that gnaws at my own soul.

"Oh, there's a note for you at the front desk, your brother booked the room across from Jane Doe for this coming weekend. Same deal as always, and there is a wedding party that's coming in from out of town next weekend. I believe it was for a reservation of 19, but Ciara was dealing with it, so I'm not sure. I just know there's a note for you." Elliot turns and heads for the kitchen, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

At the mention of Jane Doe a small part of me sinks with disappointment that Juliet hasn't come down yet. I know I told her I'd be down here for a couple of hours, but I was hoping she was going to have already come downstairs. I'm starting to run out of paperwork to do, and I'm running out of motivation.

All I've been thinking about was when she started to panic. She looked so detached and trapped in her own personal nightmare. How could someone fake that? Or how she got so embarrassed and hid herself from me in her hands. The way she squeezed her eyes shut like she didn't want what was going to happen next. She's afraid, and that knowledge tears at the empty pit of my stomach.

Lost in my thoughts, a high-pitched noise brushes across my ears, but I hardly notice. It's as if the world around me has faded into the background, leaving only the echoes of Juliet's distress ringing in my mind.

"Boss!" Elliot's voice snaps me back to the present. "What the fuck are you doing, dude?" His eyes widen with shock as he pushes through the kitchen doors, Michael fast on his trail.

"This fucking paperwork is enraging, okay? Fucken hell, do you see me rushing over to you every time you accidentally break something?" I snap, my frustration boiling over as I gesture towards the scattered papers on the table. My hand throbs with pain, as I look down at the fresh blood that starts to pool in my palm. The sight of it sends a jolt of annoyance coursing through me, the physical manifestation of my own carelessness.

Taking a deep breath, I clench my fist, trying to ignore the throbbing ache that pulses through my hand with each beat of my heart. I open my eyes meeting Elliot's shocked and fearful eyes. He keeps a steady stare on my hand until something pulls him out of it. My eyes are ringing with the rhythm of my heart, but I can feel the air around me grow thick as I watch Elliot's eyes bounce from my bloodied hand to whatever was the cause of the thickening air behind me.

I rise from my stool, following Elliot's eyes where I see my head of security, Matthew, and my head of Customer Service, Ciara.