Chapter 7

We arrived at the bar a few minutes later, and I settled at one of the corner tables while waiting for Liana. Jack placed a glass of beer in front of me, and I stared at it, startled. He sat beside me, and my gaze drifted down his body. Today, he’s wearing an open black sports suit and a moss green shirt.

"What is this?" I asked, confused.

"Try it, I made it," he emphasized proudly.

I held the 500 ml glass, which was chillingly cold, and brought it to my lips. I tasted it and was met with a delicious apple flavor. I tilted my head toward him, smiling.

"Wow, it’s apple?" Jack smiled at my excitement.

"Yes, it’s something new I’m trying. What do you think?" I stared at the glass again, savoring a bit more.

When I pulled it away from my face, I shared my opinion.

"It’s simply amazing, you’re a flavor artist." I complimented him while being consumed by his intense gaze.

His fingers touched my lips, wiping the foam around them. A firm, warm touch, and he made sure to slide slowly to feel the texture of my skin. My cheeks flushed, shy.

"I noticed you like apples! The ones I used to buy always lasted days in the fridge, and I know your mom hates that fruit. I thought you might enjoy a beer with this flavor. It’s just experimental, reminds me of cider, but it’s more refined."

"I didn’t think you were even noticing my presence," I commented, embarrassed.

"I may not be seeing you physically, Clayre, but your presence is impossible not to notice. After all, your scent is in every corner of that apartment. I observe the way you organize the cups after making your apple cinnamon tea, and even some songs I always hear when I pass by your room—what was the last one I heard..." Jack tilted his head, trying to remember. "Ah, I remembered, 'Creep' by Radiohead."

My hands began to sweat, and I froze, unable to react. No one had ever paid this much attention to me like Jack.

"Why is that song always repeating? I wanted to understand why you and your mom grew apart." I froze at his question, and before my mind could connect the dots, Liana arrived and sat at the seat in front of us.

"I’m here! Is everything okay, Clayre? You look a bit pale."

I quickly placed my hands on my face and stood up hastily.

"I’m fine, I just need to go to the bathroom."

I left the table and walked toward the private area. I rushed through the door, nervously pressing my hand to my forehead. Since I found out I was sick, I’ve had dizziness and body aches from time to time. It’s been exactly a year since I discovered I have Aplastic Anemia due to Fanconi’s Anemia, a hereditary disease that manifested when I turned 10, but it’s still a mystery why I have it if there’s no family history. The suspicion is that my mom carries the gene, but didn’t develop the disease. We never confirmed it because she never showed symptoms when my father asked, so we decided to treat it and move on. I live every day with the feeling that one day, everything will change for the worse.

I leaned my hands on the sink, took a deep breath, and splashed water on my face. I stayed like that for a few minutes until I felt ready to return. When I got back to the table, I found Kal, the waiter who had served me on the first day.

"Good evening, Clayre, are you ready to tell me what you think of Florida?"

My eyes searched for Jack, almost like an addiction, but he wasn’t there anymore, and I sat down excitedly.

"I’m loving Miami, the beach definitely won me over. I’ll start looking for a job tomorrow. I’ll be at college in the morning, I need to find something for the night."

"There’s a shopping mall close to your house," Liana said, smiling.

"Don’t worry, I’ve got the perfect job!" Kal said, spreading his arms to emphasize the place. "We’re down one employee; you could work with us."

"Work here? With Jack?" I asked, startled. "I don’t think that’s a good idea. He seems annoying. No..." I replied hastily.

"Wow, great idea, that’ll bring you two closer," my mom agreed. "Also, having you here will encourage him to attend the meetings."

"What meetings?" I asked, lost.

"Jack and I are getting married, we’ve set the date for two months from now."

"Too much information."

"I’ll be trying on the dress, choosing the invitations, plus the tasting of the sweets and cakes. Jack has his fitting for the suit, and we have meetings with the sound guys, with the venue. Having you here will make everything easier. You can push him to stick to the schedule."

"Are you really trying to tie him down, Liana? Want to ruin our bad boy’s free life?" Kal joked.

"I love him too much."

"Oh God, why do I want to scream right now?"

Jack approached as I sipped the beer.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Your stepdaughter needs a job, so I invited her to work here at the bar."

"Here? At the bar?" my stepfather responded, surprised.

"See? Jack doesn’t like it! It’s a bad idea! Don’t worry, Kal, I’ll find something at the mall!"

"Sweetheart, Jack is a good boss," my mom said, and Jack’s words, "I’m a bad man," echoed in my mind.

"I have no problem with it; she can work here!" Jack agreed, to my utter despair. "It’ll be good to have a female presence." I went silent.

My plans were to stay away from him, and working here goes against what I had planned!

"This isn’t going to work!"

"Let’s do a trial." Kal got excited.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Are you scared, little girl?" he teased, in a mocking tone.

"I’m not afraid of anything."

"Great, go to the bar and serve those guys." Jack immediately stared at him. "Let’s see how you do."

"The bar will be packed, watch and learn. Only a woman has that kind of power. I’ll increase your earnings, Jack," I declared, ready to show that a woman can work at a bar and make a difference.

"I want to see that!" Jack challenged, raising an eyebrow.