Lesson 123- It’s wrong to lie, but sometimes you should wait until the right time to talk.
Tori stares after my brother, looking completely confused. Meanwhile, I start cleaning up. There really isn’t all that much to actually clean because we never really opened. Just the few drinks that we had and the stuff that was out in preparation for the evening. Still, I want to give the floors a proper mop. It might have been late for Damien, but it’s early for us since we’re on a night shift schedule right now.
“He just… Left.” Torin says, still sounding completely baffled.
“Well yeah. I told him do. What, did you think you were going to have to throw him out on his ass or something?” I joke. Torin looks away and I realise that is exactly what he thought he was going to have to do.
“He just wants to be sure I’m okay. He knows he can trust me and I told him I was fine. It’s not like you’re planning to keep me here forever, right?” I say pointedly. Torin sighs and mumbles to himself.
“I want to keep you here forever.” I raise an eyebrow.
“What did you just say?” I ask. Torin’s eyes go wide.
“Did I say that out loud?” He seems alarmed. I nod.
“Yeah, you did.” I say firmly.
“Oh. Oops. I know I shouldn’t say things like that, probably shouldn’t think about them either. But… You’re so nice to me, to everyone actually. I admire that. And you’re so pretty, sometimes I get distracted watching you and then I don’t hear what people say to me. And I-” I cut him off with a hand over his mouth. I take back my earlier thoughts. Torin might not look drunk, or SOUND drunk. But apparently alcohol does loosen his tongue because I seriously doubt that he would say all of this sober.
“What are you doing?” He asks, apparently confused by my covering his mouth. Then he goes red.
“I was still thinking out loud… Shit. Sorry.” He apologises. I laugh.
“It’s alright Tori. I think maybe you should go home and sleep it off, before you say something that you don’t mean and regret it.” I suggest. It’s VERY tempting to keep him here, to let him keep talking. I want to know every thought he’s been having about me. But I’m also pretty sure that’s a bad idea. Not to mention kind of unfair on him. He wouldn’t do that to me, so I’ll behave and send him home.
“I always mean the things I say about you.” He objects.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you don’t regret them.” I say pointedly, thinking of the time we kissed. I suspect he is thinking about something similar because he flushes red then opens his mouth to speak again. I just shake my head and since I actually have my phone (yay!) I call a taxi for him. He does point out that he can do it himself, but I’m still enjoying the novelty of being able to make calls again, so I am more than happy to do it myself. I see Torin out before taking a quick shower, then curling up with Crash and a good book. I read until the sun is creeping up in the sky and my eyes are feeling dry and a bit blurry. Then I reluctantly set it aside, close my eyes and fall asleep.
When I wake up, it’s mid afternoon and my phone is ringing. This might be the first time I’ve resented having it back. It’s way too early for me to be awake and I’m definitely a little bit hungover. I answer the call angrily.
“What?” I demand.
“Morning sunshine.” Damien greets me cheerfully and I groan.
“Why are you calling me so early?” I whine.
“Huh? It’s after twelve. I left plenty of time for you to sleep in.” He says, confused and I sigh.
“I didn’t clarify this enough yesterday. I’m helping out at Tori’s bar while I stay here. It’s open at night, meaning I’m working at night and sleeping during the day. This is just about the worst time you could have called me.” I point out, my voice is a bit prickly, but what can I say, I’m tired. My brother can take it, he’s used to seeing me cranky.
“Oooh, my bad. I was going to ask if you wanted to come out for lunch. I guess not, huh.” He explains. I’m confused for a second until my sleepy brain remembers that he doesn’t know that I CAN’T leave the bar. He thinks I’m hiding here to be safe, but he also thinks I would be safe with him. He has no reason not to invite me out.
“I’m working a lot, not really going out during the day right now.” I say vaguely.
“Alright then, maybe I’ll have to come by the bar on a night when it’s actually open. Was last night some staff meeting or something? You had a full staff but no customers!” He jokes.
“Uh, something like that.” I agree. Then his words register. I can’t let him come by when the bar is open. There is no way I could keep the magic stuff a secret then. He would know everything in a matter of seconds. Subtle our customers are not.
“Um… Maybe stop by before or after the open hours. It would be weird for you to hang out while we’re working, not to mention distracting.” I say vaguely.
“Huh? But you’re clearly friendly with your customers, how would I be in the way?” He questions. Dammit. I don’t have a good answer, luckily, he comes up with one all on his own.
“You’re just scared I’ll see your weird work persona or something.” He laughs.
“Alright, I’ll stay away while you’re working. For now. But we’re hanging out again soon, okay? I know it’s pretty uncool of me to admit this, but I actually miss having you around all the time.” He says jokingly. I laugh and he continues to tell me about his plans for the day and stories about the guys at his work. I find myself nodding off.
“Hey Dami?” I interrupt him mid-story.
“Yeah?” He asks.
“I love you, but I am not listening at all and I really want to go back to sleep. So can this call be over now please?” I ask. He pretends to be offended for a moment, calls me an unloving brat, then tells me to sleep well and get my beauty rest because if anyone needs it, it’s me. Ugh, brothers am I right?
I manage to sleep for a few more hours, and when I get up I take another shower because I still feel groggy. It helps a bit, but not nearly as much as the ridiculously strong tea that Kyle makes me when he gets into work. I have no idea what is actually in that drink, but it works. Damn does it work. Laura and I get the bar ready while Torin shuffles around the room and blushes whenever he looks my way. Yep, he’s regretting his drunken honesty. Although he didn’t really say anything I didn’t already know. Still, he’s almost acting normally again by the time the bar opens. I think it helps that he isn’t alone with me. It makes him feel less awkward. Still, all awkwardness is forgotten when a handsome guy with golden blonde hair and ocean blue eyes strolls straight into the bar, hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. It takes about half a second for Torin to get up out of his seat and position himself between me and the guy. What the hell is the Kelpie guy doing here?
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