𝐿𝐼𝑀𝐼𝑇𝐿𝐸𝑆𝑆 | 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐍

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐄𝐍

—𝐵𝑜𝑏𝑏𝑦—

𝐈

𝐁𝐎𝐁𝐁𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐆𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍 used to the smell of bleach a long time ago.

This certainly wasn't the first job where he had to scrub the washroom floor with it. His hands were bare—he was sure they would've offered up gloves if he had asked, but, after all, his hands were already disfigured, so there wasn't really much to worry about when it came to years of using bleach.

He huffed as he crawled toward the back of the washroom. His knees were sore as they hit the tiles and his lower back was aching, but he had no room to complain. He grabbed the box of bleach and brought it closer to him. Once he was finished with this, all he had to do was wash some more dishes, and then he'd be free from Kings for the rest of the day. Not that there was much to look forward to in the night, anyway.

He had a match with the Lizard King. As usual, one that he was meant to lose, four rounds in. He wasn't so excited about getting knocked out, but money was money.

Footsteps made him glance behind him. He turned back when he saw that it was just a man positioning himself at a urinal. He scrubbed harder. The sooner he could get this job done, the better.

The kitchen was in chaos when he stepped back out. It was always like this when it was nearing dinnertime—chefs cussing at each other when they got in the way, stoves beeping, unattended pots boiling over, and the supervisor yelling at every other person. As annoying and boring as his odd jobs were, Bobby found himself quite thankful that he wasn't a chef. He was rather happy being a part of the background noise.

There was a tall stack of dishes waiting for him beside the sink, and he sighed. He readjusted his apron and began to wash a pan.

His body went on autopilot. His eyes drifted toward Aditi, who seemed concentrated as she whisked something together in a bowl. Her eyebrows were pinched together and her lips were pursed; he was sure her mind was far away from the batter she was stirring.

He frowned. It had been a few days since she went into the dressing room to ask about Riya, but he had no clue what had happened after that. She had returned to the restaurant only ten minutes after she left—he wasn't even sure if she had even gotten the opportunity to ask. She had avoided his gaze the rest of that night—or, at least, that's what it felt like. Every conversation they'd had since then was short, and he figured if she wanted him to know, she would've told him, so he didn't bother asking.

Of course, he wasn't entitled to the answer, if she had even gotten one.

The fact that she was still working there made him think that, maybe, she hadn't gotten her answer after all.

"Hey, Bobby."

Bobby tore his eyes away from Aditi and to the side, where Alphonso was leaning against the shelf. "Hi, Alphonso."

"You're working this weekend, huh?" Alphonso grabbed a mini-cupcake from the tray a passing chef was holding, and as he peeled the wrapper, he continued, "Big weekend. You two'll be working the VIP room."

His heart rate spiked, though he kept his expression neutral. "The VIP room?"

"All the top spenders." He nodded. "You won't be handing out drinks, though. Something a little more" —he tapped the side of his nose— "fun."

Bobby glanced at the box of bleach he had left on the counter at the side. He had to tweak his plan a little bit, but it seemed like the odds were in his favour.

"Anyway, just wanted to let you know." Alphonso took a bite of the cupcake and gave a hum of approval. "You better be on your best behaviour, Bobby. These clients are the most important."