Lesson 54- Always be polite and knock.
I sleep right up until my alarm goes off. Probably because I’m dead tired. You would think having an extra, unscheduled night off would mean I have more energy but nope. I’m hungover, I didn’t wash off my makeup properly so my eyes feel crusty and sort of swollen AND I’m worn out from the adrenaline rush that comes with almost being kidnapped. Basically, I feel like crap. Laura probably feels worse than I do though, and I bet Kyle has a wicked bad headache. I stumble to the bathroom in my pyjamas and take the hottest shower I can stand. I feel quite a bit better after that, not GOOD, but better. I dash across the hall in my towel (one day I’ll learn to take clothes with me I swear!) Safely in my room I begin getting dressed. There is a knock on my door and it swings open all in one movement. Maybe I didn’t close it properly?
“Hey Rina, How are you feeling because-” Torin freezes as he takes me in. I’m standing there in jeans and a bra and Torin is standing in the doorway. He blinks once, twice, three times. Then he grabs the door and slams it shut. I hear his footsteps retreat down the hallway. I’m not actually all that bothered by the experience. My bra covers just as much as the bikini I wear to the beach in summer and it’s not like Torin was barging in trying to sneak a peek. I probably didn’t close the door properly since I was trying to hold a towel up and close the door with wet hands. Or maybe he did that thing where he knocked while holding on the handle and accidentally turned it? Or maybe he was just in a hurry to tell me something and didn’t wait. Impolite sure, but who hasn’t done that at least once in their life? It’s hardly an unforgivable offence.
I finish getting dressed and head towards Torin’s office where I suspect that he’s hiding. I knock and he answers the door, staring down at his feet.
“Hey, you were looking for me?” I say cheerfully. Torin nods then steps aside so I can follow him into his office. I’m barely in my seat when Torin blurts out.
“Sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to… Well… You know…” He trails off. He’s still staring at his feet and I can see that the tips of his ears are pink. The poor guy. I think he might be more embarrassed by the whole incident than I am.
“Relax, it’s fine. I know it was an accident.” I assure him. Torin looks up and meets my eyes warily, clearly trying to determine if I’m secretly upset.
“Seriously, it’s no big deal. I’m not bothered at all. People at the beach have seen more when I wear my bikini, Besides, if you really feel bad about it you can just walk around without a shirt sometime and we can call it even.” I grin and laugh but it trails off into an awkward giggle when Torin doesn’t smile back or laugh. Actually, he looks even more embarrassed than before. Oops, I think I made the scary demon shy. My bad? I get to my feet and place a hand on Torin’s arm to stop him from shuffling around so much.
“I mean it. It’s fine. I’m not upset at all. Are you alright?” I ask softly. Torin blinks at me and frowns in confusion.
“Am I okay? Why wouldn’t I be okay? You weren’t the one who…” He falls silent.
“I know that, but you look super uncomfortable. How can we fix that?” I smile up at him and he just stares at me as he processes my words.
“Huh?” He responds. I shrug.
“Well I tried making a joke to help you relax but that clearly crashed and burned.” I point out. Torin sighs.
“Can we just stop talking about it, pretend it never happened?” He asks. I shrug.
“I suppose. I mean teasing you forever seems more fun, but it’s only fun if you actually think it’s funny so I’ll be nice and let it go.” I pat his arm and take a step backwards to give him a little space. Torin sighs in apparent relief.
“Okay. Good. Thanks.” He mumbles. We both stand there silently for a moment.
“Uuuhm… So… You were looking for me… Before?” I prompt, breaking the awkward silence. Torin jumps on the subject change.
“Right. Yes, I was. How are you today? Do you feel okay to work?” He asks, his poker face securely in place.
“A little worse for wear but otherwise okay. Why? Hold up, don’t answer. I bet I know. Laura isn’t coming?” I guess. Torin nods.
“Yeah. She just called and asked if you would be okay working alone tonight. She isn’t feeling too well. She only just got home after staying at the hospital with Kyle half the night and most of the day. Catcher is looking after his kids and isn’t available last minute.” Torin explains.
“It’s fine, I can manage. How is Kyle doing?” I ask. I’ve been totally out of the loop since I don’t have my phone and there was no one here to update me.
“Laura said he’s doing okay. He has a concussion so he will probably take a few nights off. That is assuming that Laura can convince him to stay away that long. He really doesn’t like to share the kitchen.” Torin grumbles and I laugh.
“You’re right. I bet he’s back within three days. Headache or no headache.” I grin, Torin scoffs.
“I give it two days. He’s here almost as much as I am.” He responds.
“But not as much as meeee.” I answer in a singsong voice. Torin snorts out a laugh then freezes.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh at that.” He apologises. I wave him off.
“I made the joke, you’re allowed to laugh.” I assure him.
“Right… So we can just tell everyone the kitchen is closed until he gets back. This is a bar, it’s not our job to feed people, they can eat elsewhere if they want. Also… The bar will probably be fairly busy tonight. I’ll help out as much as I can, but…” He trails off. His expression is a combination of frustration and sadness.
“It’s alright. We can make do. Besides, if people start bothering me again it’s a great excuse for me to start enforcing mad up rules again. Is it weird that it’s a bit of a power trip? I control the booze and thus I control the customers. Muahahaha.” I smirk and Torin laughs.
“Abuse of power? In front of the boss too.” He jokes. I shrug.
“What are you gonna do? Kick me out? I mean I guess you could fire me but then you would have to tend the bar yourself and scare people into handing over their cash. Watching me sass them has to be more entertaining.” I wink at him and he nods.
“That it is. I suppose I’ll just have to ignore the blatant abuse of power and enjoy the show.” He smiles and I hold out a hand.
“Deal.” This time Torin actually laughs as he shakes my hand. See if people weren’t so busy avoiding him and spreading rumours about him they could see this side of him. He’s not scary at all.
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