There was shock on my face as I turned to him. Even the other patrons knew better than to directly insult me. Darius had made it clear one too many times but I didn't even care about Darius at that point, I was irritated that he had just insinuated that I was cheap. Serena was too far away to have heard what he said and I was grateful for that.
The person in question looked young, maybe nineteen at most. I knew a lot of teenagers were assholes especially when they hated themselves and carried a lot of self-loathing. I was in no mood to argue with a hormonal teenager or try to get them to change their ways.
I turned to him with a sickly sweet smile. "I don't know what your name is or who you are but if you are going to be an asshole then walk right out the door. If you want to be served, then take a seat and I will get to you."
I went back to my work after that thinking the entire thing had died down until I felt something wet being splashed on my body. The boy had taken someone else's drink and spilled it all over me. I stood there frozen because my body refused to act. Serena finally noticed and rushed over. The boy was standing there with a victorious smirk on his face.
"I won't let no bartending whore talk to me like that," the words were barely out of his mouth before Serena punched him so hard there was a loud crack. "You broke my nose, you bitch."
"I will break something far worse if you don't get the fuck out of here," she spat.
He looked like he wanted to say more but he clutched his nose and hobbled out. I let out a sigh of exasperation. How was it possible that my first two days back were filled with more drama than when I worked here in the first place? It was like the universe had some agenda against me and I wanted to know what it was.
"Hey," I didn't realize Serena was at my side until she spoke. "If you want to go home then it's fine. I can handle things here."
"It is filled to the brim. You will die if you try to serve everyone by yourself. I can stay until the bar closes."
"We can always just close it now."
"How would you do that?"
"Just get cleaned up first. I think there's a bathroom in Darius' office. I know it's closed but he asked me to give you a key."
I didn't know what she planned to do but I trusted her so I excused myself after taking the key from her. As soon as I was within the comfort of the office and I knew no one could hear me, I screamed. Once my throat was hoarse, I knew I had done enough. I made my way into the bathroom and took in the damage.
It was much worse than I thought because my entire shirt was ruined. It stuck to my skin in a way that made me want to rip it off. Instead of its usual white color, it now had a sickly pale color to it. I could not imagine leaving here with it on so I peeled it off and wiped down my body with some antiseptic wipes I found. I knew I couldn't put the shirt back on so I rummaged through the office for something.
After a while, I found a shirt that belonged to Darius. I didn't know if he forgot it or if he left it on purpose but I took it and slipped it on. It was large for me but it was better than nothing. I rolled up the sleeves and tried to style it so it would look like a cute crop top.
Once I was done, I left the office and to my shock, the bar was almost empty. I didn't know what Serena had done and honestly, I didn't want to know, I just wanted to be alone. I loved Serena but I knew she would ask too many questions so I waited until she went to the back to get her things then I left. I sent her a text apologizing for leaving her and I texted Ian to please pick her up.
I started in the direction of the house but I knew I would get questions there too. I didn't even realize where I was driving until I parked in front of the cemetery. I had not walked in since the day of the funeral and I had promised myself that nothing was ever going to make me walk in again. Up until today, I had kept that promise but I found myself getting out of the car and walking down that old and familiar path until I stood in front of their graves.
It felt weird to be there after so many years but I couldn't help but fall to my knees. Grandma had designed the writings and she kept it simple: Beloved Mother and Daughter, Beloved Father and Son. I always thought it was stupid and tacky because they were more than that. They were everything to me and to be reduced to those mere words felt like an insult but for the first time today, I was grateful for them. "I'm sorry it has been so long," I began unsure of what to say. "I left for five years and I came back. I'm seeing someone and he's a werewolf. It has been so complicated."
The moment I started, I could not stop and the words came pouring out. I didn't know how many minutes I stayed there just talking to my parent's grave until I heard the snap of a twig. I fell silent immediately and stood to my feet wondering who would be at the graveyard so late. I was tempted to ask who it was but I wanted the advantage of surprise.
I stood there for over a minute before Brandon made his way into the clearing. I was relieved that it wasn't a killer but I was also on edge because I could not imagine what someone like Brandon was doing in a cemetery so late at night holding white lilies in his hands.
"Hey," he smiled when he saw me. "I didn't know you would be here, I didn't think anyone would be here."
"Did you come to loot graves? It does seem like something you would do."
He rolled his eyes and instead of taking the hint to stay away from me, he made his way closer. He stopped in front of my parent's graves and a part of me wanted to shield it from him. I didn't want him to taint that part of my life too but I was too late. He read the names on the headstones and instead of laughing like I had expected, he split the lilies in two and placed them on each grave.
"Why did you do that? Why did you even have lilies? Take them back."
I picked them up and gave them back to him but he rolled his eyes and returned them to their spots.
"Normal people just say thank you when someone does something nice for them. I was taking them back to my room because I like the smell of flowers but there is something calming about cemeteries so I decided to stop by first. Believe me, I have no interest in stalking you and I would much rather not waste my flowers on you but seeing as you didn't bring any."
"I don't trust you one bit, Brandon."
"Good, it means you aren't as stupid as you look. Why don't we aim for higher next time."
He started to leave but I stopped him. He turned with an amused expression and I realized that I was the one who willingly stopped him. "Did you finally realize that I was the better man?
Of course, he would think it was for something special.
"You're the worst of the worst," I retorted. "I wanted to tell you to leave Darius alone. I don't know why you're here but we are staying out of your way so stay out of ours."
"If I remember correctly, your fiancé came to my room and not the other way around."
"I mean it, Brandon. I don't know what business you have with me but I want no part of it. You only know of Lunarius because of me. There is no other reason why you could possibly be here."
He shook his head. "You have always been so short-sighted, haven't you? Don't worry, you were never a topic of interest to me. Not even when you thought you were."
He winked and walked right out of the cemetery as if nothing had happened. I was shocked and confused all at once and I was left gaping. Just like that, the moment had been ruined and I glanced at the time. I cursed when I realized how late it was and I practically sprinted over to my car and rushed in. My phone was there and there were missed calls from Ian and Amy.
I drove back at record speed and prayed that Darius wasn't home and that he hadn't figured out I was out. When I got to the house, I didn't even bother parking in the garage before I rushed into the house. Amy was in the living room and she let out a sigh of relief when she saw me.
"Where is he?" I asked. "Please tell me he isn't back yet."
"Ian told me we have less than twenty minutes before they're back."
"I didn't park the car."
"I'll do it just get out of those leggings and maybe keep the shirt because it smells like
his. Act normal and do not let him know you're just coming home."
"Won't you ask where I was?"
"I'm not my brother. I don't ask questions that I don't want the answer to."