Mr. Brightside

Chapter Three

Peyton walked through the doors in her uniform ready to go but once she saw everyone she felt sick; she wanted to go home. "Hey!" Franklyn emerged from the back doors. Why did she need this job again? 

Sheepishly she smiled, "Yo."

"Want to work up here with me today? Should get pretty busy near six since it's Friday." A few days had passed since her second day on the job and besides Felicia, Franklyn was the only person she'd gotten along with. 

"What about Dante?" She referred to the other hostess.

"Right," he paused, "Forgot about him," he laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"Is Felicia here today?" Peyton asked.

"No, she's off today," he shrugged. Damn it. Today was going to be a drag, she thought. Until she saw Damon from across the room, he was taking an order from a couple in a booth.

"I'm gonna go clock in," She smiled at Franklyn then brushed her hair into a ponytail as she went through the back doors to clock in. A rush of excitement took over Peyton. Damon had been texting her everyday but this was the first time she saw him at work since her first day.

"Hey," Brayden walked up to her side, "How's it going?"

"Good." She tried to cut the conversation short.

"That's good. We should catch up sometime outside of work," he suggested.

"Uhm.." she looked around, "Yeah, maybe. Do you know where Damon is?"

Brayden frowned, "Probably taking some orders... I should get back to work."

"Yeah, okay. Talk to you later." She called out as he walked away. Peyton pulled her earlobe as she leaned forward against the counter. Please be a good day, she prayed. Just as she reached for a notepad Damon walked through the doors and headed her way. As if sensing his presence, she glanced back and smiled.

"Hey." He smiled at her as he reached over her to grab a pen.

"Hey," she pushed the lose strains of her hair behind her ear, "busy today?"

"No but it will be. Friday's usually are." Damon adjusted his glasses before writing a few numbers down. "There's gonna be two other waiters so I figured me and you can take the left side of the restaurant. Have you memorized the tables yet?"

Peyton nodded, "I believe so." She purposely took a step closer to him.

"Great." He looked up at her, sliding the paper over, until his hand collided with hers. "These will be your tables. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."

"Okay," She continued to smile at him, unable to pull her hand away from his, that is until Dante interrupted.

"Hey guys." He beamed as Damon quickly took a step away from Peyton. "Damon is it cool if I leave early instead of closing with you? Since we've got that thing in the morning."

"Yeah, no worries, I'm sure I can find someone to stay the extra hour or two." He said.

"I'll do it." Peyton blurted without thinking.

"Really?"

She awkwardly shifted, "Why not, I've got nowhere else to be."

"Cool, well I better get back to helping Franklyn." Dante smiled as he purposely glanced down at both their hands before taking off.

"Well..." Peyton bit her bottom lip, "I should go check on my tables."

Time flew by for Peyton. Being busy had its perks. There wasn't really a moment for her to stop and count the minutes. Unfortunately that also meant she couldn't find the opportunity to talk to Damon. Texting him day and night, she would think it wouldn't be this hard to talk in person but every time she mustered up the courage, work got in the way. It wasn't until close to ten that things started slowing down.