Something Unexpected(ON Hold)

Chapter One

"Cut the shit, Jason. Give me the bottle, and I will call your sister to come pick you up, again."

"Ahhh, Maya, please," the man across the counter jerked his hand away from me, sloshing the beer out of his bottle in the process. "Just one date, okay? I've just been trying for so long."

Rolling my eyes, I forcefully grabbed the bottle from his hands, "No. The answer has been and always will be no. I've been here for two weeks." Walking away from him, I threw his bottle in the trash and grabbed the landline from the wall. I sent him a look over my shoulder, "You haven't been trying for that long."

Typing in the number to his sister, I ignored his pleads and put the phone to my ear. Within seconds, the groggy voice of Jason's sister answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey Marian, it is me."

"Maya?" she groaned, "Not again?"

I nodded my answer, though I knew she couldn't see me, "Yup. He didn't stop when I told him to. Seems you will have to head down here again."

Marian groaned again, and somewhere on her side I heard her husband grumble something at her. "Not tonight, Maya. We just got Laina down and I am not going to chance her waking up without me here. Kyle has to work early tomorrow and needs his sleep."

Sighing, I looked back at Jason, "That's fine. I'll take him."

Marian laughed softly, "Just take his keys and make his ass walk home. You have done enough."

I rolled my eyes and agreed with her before hanging up and turning back to Jason. I leaned on the counter across from him and held my hand out, "Keys."

"Awh, baby, you can't kick me out," Jason slurred, shaking his head.

Closing and opening my hand, I raised my eyebrow and waited as he growled under his breath, digging in his pocket for his car keys. I grabbed them from him and took his house key off the ring, handing that back to him. "Here you go. We will be closing in," I looked at the watch on my wrist, "five minutes."

He grumbled again, and stood up, wobbling on his feet, "Stone cold, Maya."

I laughed, "Nah, just safer than having you drive."

I watched as he stumbled to the door and swung it open, letting the stale air of the bar out and the cool air of the night in. The moon was high and full, and I could see stars dotting the sky. It was a nice change from the murk of the city sky.

He turned back and waved at me, sending a wink and a laugh before he let the door shut behind him, and I was left alone in the bar.

My boss was an old man, who hated the environment his bar had become. He didn't ask questions when I showed up one night, asking for a job. All he did was shrug and nod, giving me the keys and any other information I would need. I was surprised, and questioned him about giving it to someone he didn't know.

"I am an old man, young lady. I have seen many things, and have been through a lot in my lifetime. I can tell enough about you to trust you. There is a room in the back that you can use. There is a small bathroom. Nothing fancy, but I am getting too old to run this place."

I had blinked at the old man, wondering if I should be trusting him. Lincoln was an old school kind of guy, and I liked him. He was like the grandpa I had never known.

Sighing, I shook my head and looked around me at the mess the patrons left for me. Hopping over the bar, I walked to the door and locked it before I turned all the LED signs in the window off, signaling to any passerby's that we were closed for the night.

It was the same every night, I would clean the bar from top to bottom, before I restocked it. When I had first come here, the bar was a dirty place, and I could tell the owner, Lincoln, didn't spend much time cleaning. My first week, I had to redo the whole ordering system, because the patrons that did come in did not like the alcohol we served.

I quit cleaning around four in the morning, and slumped down into one of the bar stools. Being only twenty-two, it was another surprise for me when he handed over the keys.

Stretching out, I threw my feet onto the bar and stared out the window at the sky. It was one of the first towns I had been in that I could actually see the sky. Before coming here, I was living off the streets in New York.

That was someplace stars just didn't seem to exist.

I sat there until it was five thirty. The sun began to rise and my eyes began to droop. I stood up from my chair and dragged myself into the room I had been given.

It wasn't much, but I didn't have any issues with it. It had a bed, and an attached bathroom with warm, running, water. That was more than I had had in years.

I changed into an over-sized t-shirt before I crawled into my bed, pulling the cool covers over me, I closed my eyes and tried to tune out the singing of the birds.

 I drifted into a fitful sleep before I knew it.