Closing Time

52.

"Feels like yesterday." He replied easily as I uncapped a fresh bottle.

"Does it now?" I replied dryly. It will always feel like that to him. "Feels much longer to me."

"Eight months is barely anything."

"Wish it had been longer..." Lou raised an eyebrow expecting me to continue as I finished pouring the whiskey into a glass. "But, it's good to see you anyway."

"I bet. Where have you been?" I capped the bottle, picking up the tumbler to place in front of him. "It's impossible to track you now."

I visibly grimaced as he said that, seeing my regulars aura's flood with curiosity. The ones that were still fairly sober anyway. "Uh, let's talk in a while." I rolled my wrist, eyes shifting behind him for a moment.

He pressed his lips together, raising his hand. I felt my gut sink. "It's been eight months, Ryleigh." The single snap echoed loudly in the quiet bar, the air vibrating with it as he got everyone's attention. "Leave."

I sighed to myself as the command floated in the air. Eyes glazed over, backs went ramrod straight as the chairs were pushed back from the tables, almost in sync. Money was slapped down beside their drinks before they marched out of the bar, into the night... and hopefully back home.

"They won't remember I was here." Lou replied easily, resting his chin in his palm as he met my eyes like a kid expecting to be praised. "Happy?"

Running a hand through my hair, I headed to the side to exit the counter. "Sure. Let's assume that."

"So... not happy?"

I paused at the end, forcing down the irritation in my voice as I replied. "There's a reason I left the city, Lou."

His face fell a bit. "Oh. Sorry." He paused, holding my gaze before raising an eyebrow. "I... can bring them all back."

I couldn't help a smile at that, giving a dismissive shrug as I turned away. "It's fine. It's been a while since I closed up early."

"Working hard?"

"And enjoying it." I completed, walking around the tables and tucking the cash into my pockets. "The owners have left this place for me to look after for a few months. The extra work keeps me busy when I can't sleep."

"Where are the owners?"

"They left this place to get better medical care." I picked up the glasses, tucking them under my arm and walking back to the counter. "I was surprised when they asked me, a stranger who'd only been working here a month, to take care of it while they were gone."

"No wonder. Your grace has really grown since you left."

"Yeah. I figured as much." The glasses clinked on the counter. "Still kind of weird."

"It's to be expected. With the amount you're constantly exuding, you're probably already a popular member of society."

"No." I wrapped my fingers around a few more glasses. "I don't interact with people here apart from work. I have like two friends, and that's it."

"You only had two human friends back in the city too." Ouch.

"Hey!" I turned to glare at him, seeing a smirk on the side of his face. "That was entirely your fault!"

"Whoops." He replied easily, raising his empty tumbler in the air. "I don't remember that."

I rolled my eyes, striding towards the counter and placing the rest of the glasses on it. Lou's smirk vanished from his face as I whacked the back of his head before snatching the tumbler out of his hand. "What was that for?!"