Page 8 of Stronghold

It's as busy as Molly says. Busier than it was before, so I approach a customer to take their order, totally avoiding looking in the direction I last saw the Skyler apparition.

"You might want to serve that dude over there," Molly says.

"Who?"

"The blond Henry Cavill in the corner. He's asked for you three times. Serve him so he can give up the space to a new customer."

I look over, and sure enough, Skyler's still there. He waves at me, and his smile throws me a little, but I have years of practice letting people see only what I want them to see.

"What can I get you, sir?" I take a wet cloth to wipe the bar and avoid making eye contact.

"Jud, it's me, Sky."

He puts his hand on mine, and I finally look up to meet his gaze. It's not fair how good he looks.

He still has that smile, with slightly longer canines and one tooth crooked enough to make his smile perfectly imperfect.

"My name is Judson. Can I get you something to drink or a snack? Would you like to see the menu?" I ask, pulling my hand back.

"Judson?" He laughs. "It was Jud for the first eighteen years of your life."

"Sixteen."

"What?"

"Sixteen, you didn't talk until you were two."

He crooked his head. "So youdoremember me."

"Of course I do. I still need to take your order, or I'll need to serve someone else. It's quite busy." I hope he takes the message that I’m at work and can't talk.

"Four Shipley ciders."

Thankfully, he's asked for something I do know, so I won't make a joke of myself asking for help from one of the other bartenders.

I give him the bottles and wait for him to put the money on the bar. He drops a couple of bills, but when I go to take them, he holds onto them.

"When did you get back?" he asks.

"Why?" A different question is on the tip of my tongue, but I'm still not ready to process what's happening right now.

Skyler's brows furrow, and his smile dwindles. I feel bad for a hot second until I remember who he is and what he did.

"Because—"

He's interrupted by a guy who sidles up to him. "Dude, the troops are getting thirsty. Flirt all you want, but don't leave us dry."

Skyler says, "I wasn't." At the same time, I say, "What?"

The guy narrows his eyes, looking me up and down. "Oh fuck. He's not gay, is he? Damn shame." He shrugs before taking three ciders and leaving Skyler behind.

"I should probably…" He points to the table where his friend is sitting with two other guys.

I nod and go to the other side of the bar to serve customers.

What did the guy mean about flirting? Did he think I was flirting with Skyler? Like that would ever happen.

The rest of my shift goes smoothly and without any more breakages, but I feel Skyler's eyes on me all night.