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“I was including myself.” He looked over my shoulder. “Things might get a little hectic tonight. Don’t be scared to take breaks and ask for help when you need it.”
Turns out that was the understatement of… well, James’s life.
The mid-afternoon shift crept by easily enough, but by the time the day ended, the weekend began. Shi moved around me like they’d been slinging bottles their entire life. For the most part, they held their own, but then we made the mistake of blinking, and a crowd formed out of nowhere. That’s when Shi started to stumble.
I tried to ignore it at first, knowing they might panic if they thought I was watching. But when they wound up with a group of rowdy, drunk frat boys shouting in their face, that was the end of the line for me.
I knew what a rough night behind the bar felt like. I remembered one specific shift in particular, and I might’ve walked out that night if not for my coworker—forDani. So when I saw Shi’s frustration after fumbling a drink they were mixing, I captured their hand as they reached for a towel to clean it up.
“Can you get some more cocktail stirrers please?”
As I suspected, they looked at me in confusion. “What? You’ll drown without me. Besides, we don’t need any.”
Their hand shook in mine. I kept my voice low so the customers didn’t hear. “I’d send you for napkins, but we clearly don’t need those.” Shi flushed. “Go. Take five minutes to breathe. I’ll survive.”
Their hesitation let me know that I’d won. Using the grip I still had on their hand, I sent them toward the partition. They threw their towel onto the rail and stormed down the hallway while I tended to the crowd. I could manage it on my own—I’d dealt with much larger crowds in far worse conditions—but I wanted my vampire next to me.
I spun and grabbed a bottle of Cuervo to line up a round of shots, muttering loud enough for him to hear. “I could use a hand.”
Seconds later, James emerged from the hallway and let himself beneath the partition. “Shiloh okay?”
“They’ll be fine.”
He moved past me, his hand sliding across my lower back. I shivered. He didn’thaveto pass by so closely, but I wasn’t going to complain. When I handed off the shots, I received a glare of disapproval from one of the frat boys. Less than impressed with how he spoke to Shi, his comfort was the least of my concerns. I shot him a wink and went about tending to the crowd, working in sync with James. We moved together flawlessly, knowing the other’s move before it was made.
Shiloh reappeared, red in the face but breathing a little easier. The crowd had dispersed from the bar and found seats, so James skirted past them to give us more room to work.
“Feeling okay, Shiloh?” he asked.
“Yeah, sorry—bathroom break,” they mumbled.
James gave an encouraging smile and disappeared down the hallway.
Shiloh and I tended to the stragglers wandering up to the bar for third and fourth rounds. When it seemed like everyone was taken care of for the moment, Shi turned to me.
I spoke first. “Don’t you dare say you’re sorry.”
They mopped a spill in front of them, intent on anything that didn’t require looking directly at me. “I cracked.”
“You didn’t crack. It got busy and people got rowdy. That can be a lot.”
They scoffed. “I feel like I’ve been doing this long enough to handle it.”
“How long is long enough?” I asked.
“A couple years.”
“Aw, you’re just a bartending baby, aren’t you, Shi?” I gasped. “Oh, my God: I am totally calling you Shi Baby. Don’t you love a good nickname?”
“I’ll tell you when I hear one.”
“Oh, come on, Shi Baby. Please tell me I can call you that. It works on so many levels.”
They rolled their eyes, but I saw the grin they were fighting. “Only if you tell me about a timeyoucracked.”
“Deal.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Okay, so I used to be this hotshot bartender in Vegas?—”
“I know who you are.” Then, realizing what they’d said, they let out a sound I could only describe as a squeak and turned the most adorable shade of red I’d ever seen.
