Trading Heartbeats

"What're the odds?"

I dropped my keys.

I don't know why. Maybe because I didn't see him before I heard him. Maybe because I was purposely early to work since I'd been gone for so long and was focused on getting back to it. Maybe because I didn't expect to see him at all. I don't know. But I jumped when I heard his stupid voice and the next thing I knew, my keys were on the ground.

I crouched down to retrieve them and he was suddenly in front of me, doing the exact same. I almost smacked my head right into his. Because what else would happen in a situation like this, right? My hand bumped his as we both reached for the keys. I smacked his away and grabbed them, standing up quickly.

"Jaysus," he groaned, rubbing his hand as he rose to his full height.

I let my eyes travel over him. He had on dark sunglasses with a light blue polo and plaid pants. "You look stupid," I said.

"Like whatcha see?" he asked at the same time. Then, upon realizing what I'd said, he chuckled. Per usual, he wasn't the least bit phased by my verbal abuse. "Back to work, then? 'Bout time if ya ask me," he said.

I rolled my eyes. He couldn't see since they were hidden behind my own dark glasses, but I was sure he knew. "Why are you lurking around in the employee parking? I asked impatiently. "What do you want?"

Again he chuckled. Fire raged inside me. I hated him. "You get some kind of break today?" he asked.

"My parents are meeting me for lunch, care to join us?" I snapped. I guess you could say I was still a little bit pissed that he'd blown me off yesterday but ended up at the same bar I was at. Apparently venturing out in public to meet up with that girl wasn't the inconvenience it was when I suggested it.

He held his hands up in surrender. "I don't do parents, Sweetheart," he said.

I gave a curt nod. "Kind of like how you don't do things outside of this resort. Oh, wait, that actually only applies to me, doesn't it?"

Niall's expression didn't falter. "Would truly love to have this chat with you but you know how they are with tee times 'round here." He motioned to his golf clubs he'd left abandoned a few yards away. "Should really get to it."

He turned his back on me, which only further fueled my rage fire. I didn't have anything to throw other than my keys, but that seemed cruel even for me. In a swift motion, I slid my keys into my pocket and pulled the hairband out of my hair. Stretching it, I shot it at him with precision, hitting him in the back of the neck. His hand went the spot immediately and he spun to look at me.

"The hell?" he practically shouted.

"You're lucky my bow is in my car and I don't have any arrows with me," I snapped back before turning to walk toward the building. Hopefully that would leave a welt. If nothing else, he was so pale it would leave a red mark.

+++

Jessilynn Rae @neatojessi
I may not be a cactus expert but I know a prick when I see one

+++

I was mildly disappointed to find that Joie had switched her regular shift, which would have overlapped with mine, and I was working with Travis instead. Only mildly because I like Travis, and when it's slow I don't mind that he prefers to be in the kitchen. Except today, because I'm feeling a million different things from the week I've just had and all I want is for someone or something to distract me.

From my inevitable post-vacation blues.

From how pissed I am at Niall.

From how shitty I feel about Aaron.

But instead, I cleaned. Because, for some reason, it seems like I'm the only one who does it. And since I've been gone for a week, the bar is disgusting and nothing is where it belongs and the floors are sticky and even the sink is dirty, which always pisses me off the most. That's where I started. After I scrubbed the sink like a maniac, I grabbed the mop and got to work on the floors. I mopped so furiously that my arms started to ache and when I looked at the clock I realized it might be partially due to the fact that I had been mopping for nearly forty five minutes. I went over the floor behind the bar one last time before plopping the mop back into the bucket so I could push it back into the closet.

For just a minute, I stood against the closet door, hands on my bent knees, leaning forward with my head down as I took deep breaths. I'm already sick of this funk I'm in and itching to call Aaron and see if he wants to hang out once I'm off. Just hang out. Because he's always had this weird calming effect on me when I'm worked up about something. But I can't, and I know it. And I hate it. I hate that I ruined our friendship and I hate that I don't think we'll ever get it back.

When I stepped back out from the hallway, one of my regulars was sitting at the bar. "Heya, Skip," I said, mustering up as much cheerfulness as possible without sounding overly happy.

"There's my favorite bartender!" he exclaimed. "I heard a rumor you were back from vacation and I just had to come see for myself. How's my girl doing?" he asked.

In spite of my sour mood, I smiled a real smile. Skip is an older gentleman, probably in his late-sixties or early-seventies. His given name is actually Skip and he's always got a good story to tell. I genuinely like the guy.

I flipped the switch on the coffee pot so it would start brewing. Skip hoisted himself up onto a stool. "Do you want the real answer, or the one I'm supposed to give when I'm on duty?" I asked, grabbing a rag so I could clean the filthy bar in front of him.

He offered me a smile. "Young lady, I want you to answer however you feel comfortable answering. It's your job as a bartender to listen to everyone else's problems, but if you need to unload, I'm your guy," he said.

The sigh that escaped was contradictory to the smile that pulled across my face. "Well, Skip, I'm not great, to be honest." I leaned my elbows on the bar, forearms stretched out between us. "It was a rough weekend coming back from vacation. I don't know. I'm in a bad mood, I guess," I told him.

He considered that for a moment before reaching out and putting both his hands around mine. "Let me tell you something, Jessilynn," he said. I nodded for him to go on. "I've been seeing you around here for some time. You started out when you were just a little thing, cleaning rooms, emptying garbage bins, right? Then you worked in the lobby and now here you are. Do you know what sets you apart from everyone else?" he asked. I shook my head slowly. "You're always smiling. Even right after your mishap with that arrow. You came in here and you limped around with the brightest smile on your face." I smiled wider at him. I couldn't help it. "You're a happy person. And you just don't meet too many happy people these days," he said. "But you are, and you're special because of it."

"Thank you," I said softly.

He patted my hand and then let go. "I'm not just blowing smoke up your ass," he said.

I laughed. "I know, Skip," I said, turning to check on the coffee. It wasn't finished, but there was enough to pour a cup. I grabbed the handle. "What'll it be today? Black or Irish?" I asked.

"Can you put the alcohol in a to-go cup?" he asked.

"Afraid not."

He sighed. "Then black, I suppose. As much as I would like to, I can't stick around today. Just had to see if the rumors of your return were true."

"Nothing could've kept me away any longer," I said as I poured the coffee and secured the lid on the cup. I moved back to the bar and set it on the counter between us. Skip reached for his wallet. "It's on the house today," I told him.

"Like hell it is," he said, dropping two singles next to the cup. Then he pulled out a fifty. "Don't you dare put this into the tip pool. Take it and go do something nice for yourself." He practically stared me down as he waited for me to take the tip from him.

I shook my head slowly. "I will lose my job if I keep it for myself," I explained.

Skip sighed again. "Fine." I still didn't reach out to take it from him. "Well if you're not going to take it," he said, dropping the bill and grabbing the cup of coffee, "I guess I'll just leave it. It was wonderful to see you, my dear." And with that, he turned and headed out.

I stared at the money on the counter for a long time before taking it and punching the amounts into the register. It was a nice gesture, if not totally unnecessary. But one thing I had learned since working behind the bar was that you just had to let people do what they were going to do. Sometimes it meant an extra generous tip and sometimes it meant no tip. There was no controlling it.

It didn't take me long after Skip left to resume cleaning. His kind words had helped to improve my mood some, but I could still feel my grumps and tried to rid myself of them by scrubbing the bar maybe a little harder than necessary. When I finished with that, I set myself to the task of getting things put back into their proper places. I couldn't figure out how anyone was functional with eight different kinds of glasses shoved together underneath the counter, and I wasn't planning to find out if the bar happened to suddenly get busy on this slow Monday.

I don't know how long I was crouched down trying to organize the mess, but it was long enough that my bad leg had started to ache. Still, I didn't want to stop what I was doing. I had pulled everything out, cleaned the shelves and was so close to getting all the glasses put back where they belonged.

I stopped for just a moment to try to rub away the ache. It didn't work, of course, and I knew I would pay for it later. But I had to keep on. I couldn't just start a task of this magnitude and leave it half finished.

"Could help you with that, if you like."

I knocked over the glass I was reaching for. Luckily it didn't break. I don't know when I became so clumsy. I righted it and slowly turned, allowing my eyes to travel up the plaid pants that were next to me. Up the blue polo. Right to his face. My eyes closed and I wondered how long he'd been standing there watching me. I hadn't realized I'd been so oblivious to everything around me.

Quickly, I put the remaining glasses back on the shelf and then grabbed onto the counter, slowly, painfully, pulling myself up. Niall reached for my free hand to help me but I swatted him away. I didn't need or want his assistance.

He huffed at my stubbornness. "Alright?" he asked, brows pulled together like he might actually be concerned, but it seemed highly doubtful.

"Swell, thanks for asking," I said, rolling my eyes. "Those are truly the ugliest pants I've ever seen," I added.

"You're more than welcome to take them off me."

I rolled my eyes again. "What are you doing behind the bar?" I asked. Annoyance was flowing off me and I didn't care.

"Was just thinking," he took a step toward me. I stepped back. His mouth twitched, but I couldn't read its meaning. "You get any other break besides lunch?" he asked. He stepped toward me again. I took a step back.

"I'm supposed to, but as you can see, my counterpart has been making himself scarce today," I said.

Niall nodded, taking another step toward me. "Mmhmm." His eyes flicked down to my leg then back up to my face. "Your leg okay?" he asked.

I stepped back. Again. "It's fine," I insisted. "And you really should be on the other side of the bar," I told him.

He nodded again and took a much larger step toward me, this time grabbing onto my hip before I had a chance to back up. His eyes wandered all over my face and then settled on my lips. "When's the last time you let me kiss you?" he asked, his voice low.

"You kissed me last night, you asshole," I huffed, giving him a shove. He barely moved. For such a skinny guy, he was strangely solid.

A chuckle slipped out of his mouth and his grip on my hip tightened as he took another step toward me. His eyes never strayed from my mouth. "I know that," he said. "When's the last time you let me kiss you?" he repeated.

It was the stress he put on the word 'let' that made me understand his meaning. I hadn't exactly allowed him to kiss me last night, though I actively participated when he did. Same thing on the roof at the hotel in Disneyland. I thought back. Mostly I had been kissing Aaron recently. But Niall? It had to have been the night at the hot springs.

"Almost three weeks ago," I said. His head dipped. "You may not kiss me right now," I told him. His head dipped lower. "I'm on the clock."

He breathed out hard, his breath ghosting over my lips before he straightened to his full height. "What're you doing later?" he asked.

I thought for a moment. "Probably not you," I said. "And I really need you to get back on the other side of the bar."

A sigh tumbled past his lips. "Don't be like that."

"Other side of the bar, and then we can continue this conversation," I instructed him. "If anyone comes in here and sees you back here, I will probably lose my job."

"Fine." His hand dropped from my hip and he walked around the bar. "Better?" he asked.

I nodded, grateful for the space and the bar between us. I could think a lot better when I wasn't sharing personal space with him. I reached underneath the counter for a glass and filled it with water, setting it on the bar in front of him.

He took a drink. "Thanks," he said. "Now will you talk to me?" I shrugged. "If not tonight, when can I see you?" he asked.

"I don't know, Niall," I said with a sigh. "Tell me why I should even see you at all, after the shit you pulled." His face screwed up in confusion. "You were blowing up my phone from the minute you and Liam left Disneyland until a day before I came back. Then it was just radio silence. Then, you finally do call me and you end up blowing me off when I suggest you leave this place for a couple hours. Then you show up at the same bar I was at last night, but with another girl," I explained. I was trying to keep my cool, but I could feel the frustration bubbling inside me.

He sighed. "That's what this is about? That girl? 'Cause I thought we weren't allowed to ask questions about that," he snapped.

I rolled my eyes. "You're such an idiot. I don't care that you were with another girl. I'm mad that you blew off my suggestion to meet somewhere other than a hotel room here but you had no problem leaving to meet someone else. I get that this is just sex," my stomach flipped as I motioned between us, "but I'm not going to just drop everything and bend to your whim. You've gotta give a little, too," I told him.

Niall was quiet for a long time. "Sorry, I'm not sure I follow," he said finally. "What exactly are you saying? You want me to, what? Because when I think back to rules you set down, I'm not breaking any of them."

A heavy sigh escaped me and I shut my eyes. We'd had this conversation before. More than once. And I was beginning to feel like a broken record. "I'm not," I started, opening my eyes again. I saw my parents walking toward the door. I hadn't even realized what time it was. "You know what?" I said instead. "Maybe this was a bad idea."

His expression faltered. "What was a bad idea?" he asked, gaze flicking back and forth between my eyes and my mouth.

The door opened. My parents walked in. I shook my head. "Drop it," I insisted.

"What?" he asked. "No, I'm not goin-"

"Drop it," I said again, shifting my gaze over his shoulder. "Hi Mama!" I exclaimed as she and my dad headed toward the bar. "Dad!" From the corner of my eye I saw Niall's face fall. The door opened again and in walked Jaelynn, Jameson, and Afton. "Oh wow, I didn't realize everyone was coming. Let me just pop my head in the kitchen and tell them to double the order," I said.

"No need," Mama drawled, stopping me mid-turn. "I already called and spoke with Travis. He's taking care of everything."

I smiled at her as she and my dad reached the bar. "Great. Drinks?" I asked.

She glanced quickly at Niall and then shifted her gaze to me. "Go ahead and finish helping this nice young man," Mama suggested.

Afton snorted loudly. "Nice young man," she repeated. "Good one, Mama."

I breathed in slowly, deeply, taking in the confused look that had crossed my mother's face. "It's fine, Mama. He's been helped to the best of my ability," I said. I watched as Jaelynn and Jameson both greeted Niall warmly. Afton, however, stood to the other side of my parents, looking like she would claw Niall's eyes out if she had to be any closer to him. Mama's confusion only deepened.

"Dad, Mama, this is Niall," I said with a soft sigh. I wanted Niall to meet my parents even less than he wanted to but at that point I could see no other options. "Niall, these are my parents, Ray and Jessica Lynn."

With that, Niall was all charm and media training. "Nice to meet you, sir," he said, extending his hand toward my dad, who accepted with a firm shake. "Ma'am," he said, reaching for my mother's hand as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Jessilynn is named for you, then?" he asked. Mama nodded. "And you're from...?"

"Savannah, Georgia," Mama said with a wide smile.

Niall gave a quick nod. "Ah, that explains that drawl Jessilynn gets every so often," he observed. Again Mama nodded. "And where she gets her looks," he added, glancing back and forth between my mother and me. I wanted to roll my eyes. This was nothing like the Niall I knew.

"Uncanny, isn't it?" I said dryly.

Jaelynn shot me a look. "You should join us for lunch, if you're not busy," she said, trying to smooth out my roughness.

"Niall was just leaving, actually," I cut in quickly.

But Niall shot me a look before fixing his gaze on my sister. "As a matter of fact, I was just waiting for my order to come up, Jaelynn. Would love to join you, if there's room for an extra body at your table. Sure beats eatin' alone," he said.

I paused. It was like everything around me stopped for just a moment. What just happened? My gaze shot to Afton, who looked as astounded as I felt, and I could hear my mother assuring Niall there was plenty of space. My dad, on the other hand, had been uncharacteristically quiet since they had arrived. I looked at him and saw him looking at me. All I could do was shrug.

With a sigh, I turned and headed toward the kitchen, poking my head inside to tell Travis it was time for him to cover the bar. I didn't wait for him to come out, but instead hurried out from behind the bar. When I was close enough, I grabbed onto the waistband of Niall's pants, jerking him back a few steps.

He looked down at me. "Alright, Sweetheart?" he asked, flashing me a grin.

"What are you doing?" I seethed through clenched teeth.

His eyebrows raised. "Your sister-"

"My sister," I interrupted, "is seventeen. If you even so much as think about putting a hand on her, I swear to god I will rip off your penis and shove it down your throat."