Chapter 55

how long had it been?
A week
Two weeks
Three weeks.
Finally, after a lot of sleepless nights and weird dreams, I finally got over him, i started to feel like myself again and I could look at Kellan without comparing him to Hades.
“Babe! I’m gonna go for my shit!” I yelled. Not hearing anything from kellan as I walked out. I took in a deep breath. he probably was in the shower'I thought as I slamed the door shut.
“Its going to be a long night” i muttered to myself as I made my way to the bar.
**
The bar was packed tonight, a typical Friday with people piling in, eager to wash away the week with alcohol and loud music. The noise didn’t bother me; it was a welcome distraction. I moved through the crowd with practiced ease, balancing a tray of drinks as I made my way to a table of rowdy regulars.

“Val! Over here!” one of them shouted, waving me over with a grin that was more teeth than anything else.

“Coming right up,” I called back, sliding the tray onto their table with a practiced smile.
“hey, over here” another one called. Just immediately as I finished serving the regular.
This one seemed new, or maybe not. At this point, I wanted nothing More than to fall head first into my pillow and sleep.
“what took you so long!” He snapped, sizing me up and down
‘ahhh, the rude ones’ I thought as I prepared myself for his rude talks.
“are you deaf? Can’t you hear me?” he shouted above the music, looking a bit red.
He was drunk.
I sighed internally, I did not want to have to deal with this, not now when infelt like shit and wanted to sleep. “I am sorry sir, I should have gotten to you sooner.”
I made my way back to the Isle to make more drinks and take to the executive branch when I felt a hand on my bare thigh.
I had worn a skort with a knee length socks and a simple blouse.
“I don’t take half asked apologies” he said, stumbling as he tried to stand up. “if you want to do it, do it right” he said, shoving me in the crowded place.
“Sir, i would advise you let go of me this instant” I said in a shaky breath, trying to keep myself from snapping.
“You crazy bastard, I would do what I want, when i”
One Mississippi
Two mississipi

“ sweetheart,” he drawled, leaning in closer. “How about you and I get to know each other better?”

I glared at him, disgust coiling in my gut. “How about you back off?”

He chuckled, clearly not taking me seriously. His grip tightened, and I could feel his breath on my neck. “Come on, don’t be like that. We’re just having a little fun.”

My hand instinctively reached for the tray i was using to serve drinks and I gripped it tightly, anger simmering just beneath the surface. I could feel the tension in the air shift,
I felt my back burn before I even saw the person that was behind me,

Hades.

I didn’t need to turn around to know he was watching, his eyes burning with an intensity ‘when did he get here? What was he doing here? Was he about to save me?’ The thoughts ran freely in my head as I gripped the tray tightly

But I didn’t need saving, not tonight. Instead, it was the man that needed saving from me, for treating me like some piece of meat.

Before the man could make another move, I swung the tray with all my might. It connected with his head with a loud crack, and he stumbled back, eyes wide with shock. He hadn’t seen it coming, and neither, it seemed, had Hades.

The bar went quiet for a split second, and then the noise returned tenfold. The man groaned, clutching his head where I’d hit him, but I didn’t wait around to see if he’d recover. I stepped back, giving myself some space in case he tried anything else. The anger in me hadn’t subsided; if anything, it had only grown stronger.
Bar fights were so common that no one really baited an eye lash.

He swore under his breath, stumbling towards me with a dazed look in his eyes, but I didn’t flinch. I raised the tray again, ready to strike if necessary. I wasn’t about to let anyone treat me like that, not here, not ever.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him—Hades—moving towards us, his expression a mixture of concern and something else, but i as too focused on my oray floor decipher what it was.

I lowered the tray slightly, breathing hard as the man backed off, cursing under his breath before stumbling away, too drunk or too embarrassed to fight back.

Hades stopped a few feet from me, his eyes scanning my face as if searching for signs of distress. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice low, almost hesitant.

I nodded, wiping a strand of hair from my face. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just some idiot who doesn’t know how to take no for an answer.” He looked at me a few more times before grabbing my hands unexpectedly and then dragging me out.
“hey! Let go of me, I am still on shift!” I yelled, trying to pull out of his hold but he had an unyielding hold on me. “Fucking hell! I SAID LET GO!!” I boomed just as we stood outside and him letting go of my hand.
“Do you also need a fucking beating? Cause I swear!” He turned to look at me in the quietness of the night.
He looked at me, staring at me longer than necessary that I hugged myself, an attempt to shield myself from his gaze.
“Are you fucking stupid? What did you think you did in there”