Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
Sophia
“It’s weird,” I say, bumping my hip against the door of the washing machine to close it. “It’s one thing for him to know what I do, it’s another entirely for him to see what I do.”
Ava hops up onto one of the machines behind us, picking through her own laundry basket. “At least he’s familiar. Maybe you can treat it like a night off.”
“Maybe,” I sigh. “Or maybe my sparkly new relationship ends tonight.”
Things have been going so well with Ethan over the past few weeks.
It took some time for me to tell him what I do at Envy, but when I finally did, he didn’t seem horrified or run off scared or act like I was dirty, like I’d expected him to.
Instead, he told me again that he wants to come visit – and tonight is the night.
Ava tosses a shirt from her basket into one of mine, pursing her lips at me in thought.
“If he judges you, he’s not worth the space he takes up in your life,” she tells me, treading carefully with her words.
“If he can’t understand the position you’re in.
..bye. Onto the next. I’m serious about my brother, you know. ”
“Me too.” I waggle my eyebrows at her while I toss the last of my clothes into the dryer, dropping a few quarters into the slot next to the power button. “He’s been in love with you since he was in second grade.”
“Pffft. Who hasn’t? I’m wonderful.”
“An angel on Earth,” I chuckle with a roll of my eyes as I hop up onto the machine next to her.
I might say it with sarcasm, but the words are true. Ava is my safe space, my biggest supporter, and my twin flame. She keeps me grounded when I start to spiral, and she has known and loved every version of me, no matter where we each were in life. Every friendship needs an Ava in it.
·
My legs are Jell-O when I step out of the lounge and onto the floor, making my way toward the stairs that lead up to the VIP section.
Anxiety drenches every inch of my body and mind, worsening with every step that I take, only to be intensified again as I round the corner to find not only Ethan seated on the couch, but six of his friends, as well.
I can’t help but look over my shoulder at the security guard waiting near the steps. I was happy to work the table alone when I thought it was just going to be my boyfriend, someone that I was at least somewhat familiar with, but this?
This makes me nervous.
The last time that I was sent to work alone with a group of men like this…
I stuff the memory down, shaking off the clamminess that it brought with it, and I throw on a wide smile. “Good evening, boys! How are we doing?”
“We need vodka!” One of them shouts, and I hide my grimace with a smile.
They’re not going to be creeps tonight, but they are going to be obnoxious frat boys.
“Guys,” Ethan chides, “can you say hi first? This is my girlfriend.”
“Ohhhh shit,” the ‘vodka’ guy laughs. Turning to me, he asks, “So do you really fuck dudes for money?”
“Jake, dude!”
Even though he called his friend out, I didn’t miss the blip of discomfort that crossed Ethan’s face at the comment. Not one that said that he was horrified by what his friend had said; one that said that he was horrified about what I do.
What I have to do.
He doesn’t understand that I’m stuck here, that my boss is a dangerous man that I can’t risk running off on. He doesn’t get it, and he never will.
You can’t get it unless you’re in it.
“It’s fine,” I tell Ethan as crimson heat burns its way across my chest. “Do we just want the vodka? Or are we mixing it up a little?”
I can’t exactly wrap my head around this not being a normal group of guests – or at least, one of them not being a normal guest. I have a feeling that if Ethan weren’t here, his friends would be having a heyday, and I would be going home feeling completely empty.
Ethan’s friends leave just after two in the morning, but he hangs around until the end of my shift to walk me to my car. It’s a nice gesture – sweet, honestly – and I appreciate it.
“Do you want to come over?” I ask him as his hand rests on my waist. “We can make a little cheese board, watch a movie…”
“Oh,” he says. His eyes flick toward my car, toward the club behind me, and back to me. “I think I’m gonna go home. But it was good to see you.”
With a quick peck to my cheek, he’s on his way to his car.
And just like that, I’m still left feeling empty, anyway.