Secrets In The Sunset | KTH 18+ ✔️

Chapter Thirty-Five

The next day, I arrive to work an hour earlier to get started on cleaning up. Taehyung insisted he come help, but I refused his offer. He's done so much to help with all of this and he doesn't even work here. Plus, Lucas would be there to assist me with cleaning up.

Or so I thought.

Apparently he got super drunk last night with the brunette chick and cashed in on one of his sick days, leaving me to clean up all on my own. Now I'm regretting not allowing Taehyung's help.

At least Saturdays are our short days.

I shake open a large trash bag and kick off my heels so that I can get this all cleaned up as soon as possible.

It wasn't the dirtiest mess I've ever cleaned up. A party Madison had thrown our junior year when her parent's were out of town definitely had this beat, but since the gallery doors would be opening in less than an hour, I had a limited amount of time to finish.

"Good morning, Miss Young." Mr. Edwards beams as he walks in with two cups of coffee and hands me one.

"Thank you, Mr. Edwards! You didn't have to bring me anything." I smile and take a much needed sip.

"Don't worry about it." He swats at me with a smile. "No Lucas or Taehyung today?"

I shake my head. "No. He's not feeling well and I told Taehyung to sleep in."

"Ah. Do you need help?" He asks gesturing to the trash bag.

There isn't a way in hell I would ask this sweet elderly man to help me clean up and now that I have all of the trash picked up, it's just really sweeping and dusting anyway.

I'm almost finished wiping down the last sculpture when I hear the front door chime go off and I look over at the wall clock. Surely it hasn't been a whole hour already and who would be here this early?

"We're not open yet! Come back in fifteen minutes, please!" I yell out without turning around.

"I'm sorry. I thought I still needed to sign some paperwork." Ethan says standing a few feet behind me.

I quickly turn around and walk over to my heels laying messily next to the wall and slide them on my feet.

"I'm so sorry. Yes, follow me to the office please. I'll get that paperwork ready for you." I apologize and hastily walk into the office to pull out his file. "Please, have a seat."

I walk behind the desk and tuck my hair behind my ears as I dig through his file to pull out the needed documents.

"All alone today?" He asks standing back up to look around the office at the paintings he noticed hanging on the wall.

"Yes but it's okay. Short day today." I smile and continue to organize the paper in my hand.

He walks behind me to look closer at the painting of the woman behind me. And even though he technically shouldn't be back there, I understand the need to want to look at artwork closer up and analyze the brush strokes.

I hear him turn around and stop mid-walk. I see him out of the corner of my eye bend down and pick up something off of the floor. As he walks back to the front of the desk, he places my earring down on the desk that I had lost last night in the midst of making love to Taehyung. The jewelry clinking against the wood as he slowly lets it go.

"Oh. Thank you. It must have fell out last night when I was closing up." I lie while doing my best to avoid blushing.

"Don't mention it. They looked really nice on you last night." He says sitting down and manspreading in his hoodie and matching sweatpants.