22..
1304 Words
It had been a week since Dean's escape from the prison. He was staying in a hidden bunker at the bar. It was hidden by a trap door in the back room that I could now enter. The bunker held a bed, sink, and toilet. It's the same thing he would have gotten in a jail cell. But I guess somehow it was different.
Colin and I have been having problems since Dean's escape. Colin was sure I knew something about where he was, but I didn't tell him. I didn't want Colin to get upset with me working at the bar now that Dean stayed there. I knew he would have a problem with it, but I wasn't sure what to do. Colin was upset with Dean. He said he could have gotten him out of jail in a year if Dean had trusted him.
I woke up this morning, and I was still so tired. Lying was tiring. I was wondering how long I would have to keep up this lie. I quickly got a shower and then did my make-up. I don't know why, but I wanted to look my best at work now. I knew it was because Dean was there. I knew it was because I wanted him to see that what was going on wasn't affecting me even though it was.
"Hey, Love, you're up early," Colin noted as he rolled out of bed.
"Yeah, Owen wanted us to get an early start painting today. I love painting."
"I know you do," he replied, smiling and pulling me to him.
"Well, they want to get back up and running here in the next month, so we must get everything done soon."
"Once everything is complete, Are you going to be done working there, or will you return to being a server?"
"I can't just quit. I have to keep the bills paid here."
"Yeah, I know. I guess I was just hoping you would get a different job," he replied sadly.
Colin has been asking me to get a different job for the last week since I told him that Owen and I were almost done fixing the walls, floor, and ceiling. He doesn't like me working at the bar because all the guys come in and hit on me. I told him he had nothing to worry about because I didn't want to complicate my life. I had a boyfriend, and I had a stalker. The last thing I needed was another man.
"I like this one," I said, knowing full well that it would start a fight between us. We had been fighting a lot lately, and I had almost had enough.
"Of course, you like this job. You're an attention w***e," he replied, which instantly set me off. How dare he?
Instead of fighting, I just got up and left the house. I got in my car and headed to the bar. On the way, I decided to stop at the bakery and get some food for everyone. When I went inside, I noticed Blake, Danny, Zac, and, surprisingly, Daryl all sitting in the back booth. They, of course, yelled at me to come over.
"Hey boys, how is it going?" I asked. It had been a long time since I saw any of them.
"Come sit," Zac said while scooting over.
I took a seat next to him, and he wrapped me up in a hug. I also stood up to hug Blake, Danny, and Daryl. I missed them all. I didn't expect adult life to separate me from my friends. We used to be so close. I wanted to know why I saw them together. Usually, they didn't hang out with each other- at least not when I knew them.
"So, did you all just run into each other, or was this planned?" I asked.
"Well, we come here once a week every week to keep in touch with each other. We started doing it after you and Ozzy kind of forgot about us. We didn't want to split up the group anymore," Danny said, tugging at my heartstrings.
"I'm sorry, Boys. You all should have told me. I would have shown up," I replied sadly. They all looked happy with my response, though.
"Well, we're here every Saturday at 09:00. We would love to start hanging out with you again. Like, how have you been?" Blake asked.
"Yeah, we heard that Dean escaped the jail. Has he tried anything with you?" asked Zac.
"I haven't heard anything from Dean," I replied, keeping up on my lie. "And I have been doing okay for myself."
"Are you seeing anyone?" Daryl asked.
"Jeez, Daryl, don't make your want so obvious," said Zac.
A slight pink hue came to my face. Daryl was still a good-looking guy, not to mention my first boyfriend. "Leave him alone, Zac. I'm sure he was just curious," I replied. I wasn't in the mood for another guy.
"Ma'am, what can I get for you," the waitress came and asked.
"Four glazed doughnuts, five chocolate-dipped doughnuts, and three bear claws, please," I said, and she went to work grabbing my food.
I turned my attention back to the boys, who were all staring at me. "Where do you work now? Where are you living?" Blake asked. He looked worried, and I could tell he wanted to ensure I was okay being alone.
"I am working at the bar again. If you all want to stop by, I can accommodate you. Now that Dean is MIA, I live in his house. You are welcome there, but I wasn't sure you would want to come over."
"We would love to," Danny said, making me smile.
"Maybe I should throw a party and invite all our old friends."
"Oh, hell yeah," Daryl replied. He was always up for a good party. I wanted to know more about what was going on in their lives, but soon, the waitress came back with my food.
"Well, I have to get to work. I will see you all soon."
They all said goodbye to me and hugged me. I left the bakery and returned to my car, only to find a rose with a note attached to it.
Baby
I love you so much. I will be cleared soon. Don't forget that you're mine...
Yours' Endlessly
I smiled as I read the letter. I then wondered how often Dean had made his partner-in-crime put notes on my seat for him. I knew Dean never left the bar. Maybe he was becoming bolder, but I doubted it and figured this was his partner doing these things. I got to the bar and went inside. Owen was already waiting for me with paintbrushes. I smiled and got to work.
The main room was done by the time it was time to go. We also had started on the kitchen, which was good considering those were the two rooms we needed done the most to reopen the bar. Tomorrow will hopefully be a better day.
"Ivy, I need to talk to you for a minute before you leave," Dean said. It was awkward being around him right now.
"About what?"
"Just come back here, please," he replied, calling me into the back room.
I walked in and took a seat in one of the chairs that was there. Dean wasn't sitting but pacing back and forth from one end of the room to the other. He didn't seem to be in the best of moods, and I wasn't sure why.
Because of having to split chapters, I have to sometimes add words to make them fit into the word limit. I'm sorry for the short chapter. I hope you enjoyed it either way. Thank you for reading. -Marsha Nash
- Writer
