“Hey, have you watched Gloom Falls?” I asked as I stood up and dumped the towels in the trash. Plucking at my drenched tank to get some air on my sweat-slicked skin, I turned to face him.

Greid’s eyes shot up to the ceiling, then to the side, then to the fridge as he turned to face it, his voice still hoarse and raspy from coughing as he said, “Uh-huh. Yep. It’s great.”

I watched him as he just stared into the fridge, grabbing a pack of deli meat then putting it back, then a jar of pickles before putting that back too.

“Can we watch it after we finish Our Neighbours the Humans?” I asked, wondering what he was doing. “I just watched an episode while working out and I’m fully invested now.”

“Yeah, sure, of course.” His voice was strangled but overly perky. “There’s like fifteen seasons, so. Big commitment.”

“I don’t mind.” I cocked my head and crossed my arms. “You okay there?”

“Totally fine!” Greid shut the fridge and turned to face me, but his eyes darted down my frame before flitting away again. His ears were fluttering so fast it looked like he was about to take off into the air.

As he power-walked over to the counter and grabbed a store-bought muffin—I hadn’t attempted to make them again—I hesitantly uncrossed my arms and glanced down at myself. Was he grossed out because I was all sweaty? I couldn’t imagine Greid caring about something like that.

Or… All my other clothes were loose and pretty shapeless. My workout clothes were tight leggings and a stretchy tank.

My gut bottomed out and I glanced at Greid just as he stuffed half the muffin into his mouth. Heat raced over my skin, and it had nothing to do with the hour I’d just spent on the treadmill.

“Well, better… back to work. Necklace,” Greid mumbled with his mouth full, keeping his eyes averted as he raced out of the kitchen and up the stairs. A second later, I heard him trip and let out a strangled, “Ow, fuck.”

“You okay?” I called.

“Great!” he shouted back immediately.

I didn’t move for a long moment after I heard his workshop door shut way above me. Letting out a slow breath, I walked to the sink to refill my water bottle. My workout clothes weren’t particularly revealing, but they were tight, and Greid had only ever seen me in loose shirts and pants, or the giant hoodie that swamped me.

I already knew I was attracted to Greid. I’d always known it, deep down, but adjusting to such a monumental life change hadn’t left much room for me to really acknowledge it. Now I had. I’d acknowledged it, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

And now I was wondering if Greid was attracted to me too.

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter Twenty-Two

Beryl

My trial shift at Abyss was… something.

Greid had walked me there just before four and got all shy when I gave him a brief hug to make myself feel less nervous. He’d told me he’d meet me at seven, got shy again when I asked him if I looked okay, mumbled that yes, I did, then watched as I took a deep breath and walked into the bar.

It hadn’t been all that busy yet—just a few people, mainly demiurgus, sitting in some of the low seating and sipping wine or mixed drinks. Mani was all smiles as she took me to the back office and showed me where to leave my coat, then handed me a little black apron with a big front pocket.

She’d introduced me to the two other bar staff who were working. A big, hulking demiurgus called Ron—yes, Ron—with a shaved head and thick hoops in his ears, and the only other human member of staff—a short, brown-haired guy called Gavin who gave me a cheerful grin as he loaded glasses into the dishwasher.

But it was Ron, not Gavin, who Mani asked to show me the ropes, and I quickly realised why. He was a big, cheerful guy who calmly showed me where everything was, didn’t mind at all when I asked lots of questions, and gently encouraged me to make my first drinks when someone came up to the bar and ordered. Then he stood beside me and quietly told me how to use the register, and gave me a huge grin and a high five when the customer walked off to their table with two gin and tonics.

“See? Not too scary.” He nudged my shoulder with his elbow. He was even taller than Greid, and twice as broad. “Here, let me show you how to pull pints…”

The first two hours passed in a blur, the bar suddenly getting busy in a rush at around five-thirty. I got a little flustered and overwhelmed when Ron left me to it for a while so we could clear all the customers waiting to order, but I managed to serve all my customers okay, and Mani only had to help me use the register twice.

Most people were really nice when they realised it was my first day. The bar had a lot of regulars, so it didn’t take long for someone to comment on the fact that I was new. It also didn’t take long for some of the customers to start getting drunker, and louder, and more boisterous as they ordered another round of drinks. By the end of my shift, I’d been called “sweetheart”, “darlin’” and “honey” more times than I could count. One douchey demiurgus in a shiny grey suit with slicked-back hair had even called me “sweetcheeks”, then guffawed with his friends, some of whom at least had the grace to look embarrassed.

I hadn’t wanted to fuck up and ruin my shot by getting angry, so I’d stayed silent. But Ron had noticed my unimpressed look and clenched jaw, and when we were standing side by side at the back bar fixing drinks, he’d quietly told me not to take any shit and that he’d kick out anyone who touched me or made me uncomfortable.

I’d felt a little better after that, and when I’d overheard Mani casually telling someone to fuck off and get out when they made a lewd comment toward her, I’d relaxed considerably. At least I wouldn’t be expected to put up with anything gross or inappropriate if I did get the job.

By the time seven started approaching, I was actually enjoying myself. It was fast-paced and manic at times, when a new crop of customers poured inside after getting off work and flooded the bar, but it was fun. At ten to seven, wanting to be as helpful as possible, I offered to unload the dishwasher with Gavin before I finished.

That was when I dropped the three wine glasses I’d been carrying over to the shelf. The bar, heaving with people, went quiet for a second before people guffawed as my entire face flamed with heat. Ron was already there sweeping up the shards, and Gavin gave me a quick pat on the shoulder as he passed, telling me with a chuckle that it was a rite of passage.

I still cringed when I realised Mani was over by the register, watching with her arms crossed. I knew my face was still bright red as my eyes met hers, and she gave me a tiny smile before jerking her head toward the back office.

Shit. I’d fucked it up then. This was when she told me that sorry, she just didn’t think I’d be a good fit. Or, even worse, that she’d looked into Orderly Winemakers and realised it was linked to a cult that worshipped her kind as sex gods and could I please get the fuck out and never come back?

The door swung shut behind me as I followed her into the office, muffling the loud voices and low music in the bar. I tried not to fidget as I stood there sweating while Mani walked over to the cluttered desk and perched on the edge.

“So.” She gave me a look that revealed nothing. “How did you find it?”

“I’m sorry about the glasses,” I blurted. “I can—I’ll pay for them—”

She laughed. “Babe, we smash about five glasses a night. Or they shatter in the dishwasher. It happens. At least they weren’t full, huh? That’s always a bitch, spending the rest of your shift sticky and wet. But how did you find it? Not too stressful?” She gestured at the door. “This is probably a medium in terms of how busy it gets at this time. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are obviously the worst. We’re always rammed until last orders.”