Closing Time

57.

I don't really like handing out my mobile number.

But when Rob asked, and Carla glared at me, I had no choice.

And now, I was stuck with a lunch date I agreed to literally the day after meeting him.

I sighed to myself, staring at my fake cheery texts about meeting him in about twelve hours for lunch before dropping the phone and looking around the full bar. Demons and angels had taken absolutely no time in returning. This place being bigger than the previous one did not help me in any shape or form. But I did see a lot of new angel and demons faces.

The familiar faces I was looking for were not here tonight. No Lou, and still no Mike. And since there was no Lou, no guardian angel either. Just a packed counter and seating area, with a cheerful demon buzz in the air and the usual silence from the angels. Just like old times.

"Human. Drink."

I gave the angel that called me a scathing look. "I have a name, newbie. Use it."

"I don't see the need for it."

"Then I don't see the need to give you a drink." I returned to sorting receipts.

"Isn't that the purpose of your job?"

I didn't reply, raising a finger to blindly point at the right of admission passage pasted above the drink shelves.

There was a short pause. "That applies to humans."

"It applies to anyone in my bar." My reply was dry. "Unless you can say my name while ordering, you can take a seat with your mute friends and leave."

"I don't see the point of it." She repeated. "I'll just take a drink myself if you won't provide."

My head shot up from the receipts at the same time there was a gust of warm wind. The new angel appeared a few feet beside me, reaching for a bottle of gin.

"Hey!" I snapped, dropping the papers in my hand and moving towards her. "You're not allowed back here."

"You can't hurt me, human."

"I can't." I admitted, my fingers wrapping around the wrist of the hand she stretched out. "But I'm not going to let you get a drink."

I felt the heat rise as she turned to look at me. "Let go of me, human."

"No. I'm not giving you a drink until you say my name and return to the other side of the counter." I narrowed my eyes back at her. "Get back."

"Let's start with you." I felt her hand flex under my grip. "And I'll take that drink."

"Go back to the other side. And I'll make you one." My hand tightened around hers. "If you're in a human vessel, you need to learn some basic niceties."

"I don't need to learn anything." She hissed back, leaning in with her eyes glowing. "Just because you have a bit of essence in you, you think you can order me around?"

"My bar." I growled. "My fucking orders. Don't drag my essence into this. I did not ask for it."

"And you don't deserve it." The hand I was holding onto closed into a fist. The heat was a physical being pressing against me now. "You're a weak, pathetic human. You should be grateful for our presence in your measly establishment."

"I'll start being grateful when your ass makes it back over to the other side." I held my ground. Newbies like these came around every now and then to stir up trouble. They usually stayed quiet when Lou was in the bar because they knew about his soft spot for me, but when he wasnt- it was open season on bullying me.