A Falling Sky

Chapter 6

The night continues and people begin pouring in. It is only Harry, me and two other guys working behind the counter, along with the waitresses constantly visiting to fulfill drink orders. Harry hangs back and watches me work for an hour before jumping in and helping people as it gets busier. There is really nothing to it. You have to be quick, and it doesn’t hurt to be charming like he is—that gets you a lot of tips. The area behind the bar is spacious during the day but feels small when there are four people constantly moving around: three full grown men and me, a little five and a half foot tall girl.

I am painfully aware every time Harry moves near me; every time his hand grazes against mine; every time he reaches over me to grab the pen; every time he stands almost chest to back with me while waiting for the soda nozzle; every time he gets close enough that I can smell his gum even over the scent of whiskey and smoke; every time he has a question that he has to bend down and whisper in my ear over the din of a hundred drunk people—his hot breath tickling my ear lobe... I am relieved when the night is almost over.

Tom walks through and begins shouting, “Last call! Everyone out!” Drunk people groan and try to finish the last drops of their beer before stumbling out and finding a taxi home. There are only a few stragglers left behind closing their tabs. My eyes are drawn to Harry at the end of the bar, leaning on the counter, talking to two young girls. I walk up and catch the end of their conversation.

“…sometime we can all go out when I’m not working.” He takes a piece of the blond girl’s hair and twirls it around his finger with a dazzling, cheeky smile. Her and her brunette friend both giggle and write down their numbers for him as I walk up.

“Um, Harry. Could you refill the coolers with ice?”

“Yea, in a second,” he says, never taking his eyes off of the girl’s pen gliding across the page.

“Harry. I mean now. Do it now.” My tone makes him look up at me. The girls are still giggling to each other, paying no attention to me.

“Yea, alright.” He grabs the piece of paper from the girl’s hand. “Ladies…” he bows his head slightly, saying goodbye to the dippy, skinny Sorority girls with fake IDs. He walks past me, never glancing my way.

The bar is almost completely cleared now and I dig my hand into the tip jar to break the money apart evenly for everyone who worked behind the bar. Harry returns, heaving the jugs of ice in both hands. I can barely even lift one of them, half full, and here he is with two as if it were nothing. He begins pouring it into the cooler, biting his lip while concentrating to make sure none of it falls to the ground. I see him out of the corner of my eye, but I keep my icy silence.

“So, I haven’t seen you over at ours this week.” Harry says, obviously referring to Heath’s and Bradley’s apartment.

“You haven’t seen me over at ‘ours’ this week? Last time I checked, you don’t actually live there.”

“Well, yea. What I meant is that I haven’t seen you come over…to Heath’s and Bradley’s apartment that I am so graciously crashing in.” He says, finishing up dumping all of the ice in. “I wanted to apologize. That last jibe just before you left was unnecessary. Especially after I made an ass out of myself just minutes before that. I told you, you could kick me if I ever annoy you.”