Caramel (wlw)

chapter 8 - the man

(we're back to Val, yall)

I woke up and I felt fine, actually, until I realized I wasn't in my room. A strangled yell from my throat, I kicked myself off of the bed and onto the floor. Then the heavy footsteps came.

"What happened?" Laura was gripping the doorframe as she almost ran into the room.

"Did we bang?" I managed to take the blanket down with me, so I wrapped myself in it best I could when she arrived.

Laura was obviously not fully awake, because it took her a few moments to answer.

"No?" She hesitated. "No."

Shrugging off the blanket, I picked myself up from the floor. I was fully dressed the whole time, but it's the principle of the thing, okay?

"I'm going to go take a shower." I felt sticky, somehow. She held on to my arm when I walked past her on the way out.

"Do you remember what happened," she said in a small voice, "last night?"

"You were drinking. That's it, really." Removing her hand, she stepped aside to let me through.

It wasn't until I got to my bathroom that my mind wandered; taking off my shirt made me think of Laura, and a glance in the mirror showed the twin marks on my chest. My fingers grazed over them, suddenly feeling her lips against my skin. I shook my head and stepped into the shower.

As the hot water washed over me, I remembered how she felt in my arms. Wordlessly, I cranked the knob to as cold as it could go.

When I got dressed and walked out of my room, Laura was snuggled on the couch, watching something.

"I'm going to work," I said. She waved at me.

The entire trip to the shop was spent thinking about what happened last night. The details I remember make me uneasy, and there's probably a lot more I'm not recalling. Before I knew it, I almost walked into the glass doors.

No one was in the backroom to distract me, so I put on my apron and stood behind the counter. Jonatan was on shift today, though.

"Good morning, Val," he said.

"No," I replied, and moved to pour myself a cup of coffee.

"When will you ever greet me a good morning?" He sighed, drama queen that he is.

"No."

He smiled; he knows it's an act. I'm grateful he sees through it, that I'm not just an angry pessimist. No one else does. Except Laura, maybe.

I don't like to be alone with my thoughts, but it happens so often that at this point I'm jaded to it. I'm glad Jonatan is here to distract me when it gets too much though, like right now.

"Hey, you know that guy?" He sidled up next to me and nodded his head in a direction.

"No, why?" I stole a glance and saw a middle aged man. He wore spectacles, a collared shirt with a bow tie, and a shoddy brown jacket that has obviously seen better days. This would be a normal person to see in the shop, if it wasn't for his death grip on his cup and his bloodshot eyes locked in an unblinking stare, directly toward me.

"I'm gonna go talk to him," said Jonatan.

"Wait, no, what are you going to say?"

"I'm gonna give him a free drink to maybe find out why he's looking at you like you killed his daughter."

I was too unnerved to reply back. He was still looking at me even when Jonatan approached him with a cup of something. Jon had his back to me, but I could tell he put on his customer service persona.

The older man stopped staring at me to look at Jon; the latter's shoulders shook and I could faintly hear his laugh. He might have told him a joke, but the man's face was impassive. I don't blame him, I react the same to Jonatan's jokes.

Suddenly, the both of them looked back at me. I wanted to leave. The other man didn't let up when Jonatan turned back to him, and he spoke. I couldn't hear; he was too far, but Jon was nodding. I guess it's fine. Soon enough, Jonatan comes back.

"Well? What did he say?"

"He told me you kind of looked like someone he knows. I didn't tell him who you are," Jonatan said, when I shot him an accusatory glance. Good, I don't want any creep knowing even just my name.

The creep had paused in scrutinizing me to hold his coffee cup to his mouth and stare at the contents. Then he drank all of it in one gulp.

After that, he didn't openly stare at me like he had before, but the occasional suspicious glances he sent my way were worse. There's something terrifying about a man who looks like he's on crack giving you the side-eye.

Finally, he left about three hours after Jonatan talked to him, but I could still feel eyes on me, somehow.

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Post-update note: I uploaded this with the fucking notes in brackets still in it I'm a dumbass