My heart stilled in my chest. I felt my entire body freeze up as I heard that voice. My feet didn't get the memo as they quickly turned me around to face the familiar smirk and dark eyes.

"Lou." I exhaled whatever what was left in my lungs.

"Ryleigh." He nodded. His smirk got wider as he took a step towards me. "What a surprise seeing you here."

"R-Right." He blocked my way to the door. I could feel a chill off of him. "W-What are you doing here?"

"Confronting you..." He took another step forward. "... about why you left me hanging last night. I thought we had a date, Ryleigh."

I raised the clipboard to my chest to shield myself as he took another step forward. "I-I told you I had a day off." I felt some strength return to me as I said those words. "I'm human, Lou. I need a day off."

"No, you don't." With one final step, we were finally face-to-face, only the clipboard. He towered above me, his eyes had gone fully dark once again. I could see faint veins cunder his skin in the dim light from the open door. "You should have come... just to serve me."

I frowned up at him. My heart started to settle back into a normal pace. I gave him a slight push as irritation contorted my features. "Why the hell would I do that? I get one day off and you're not important enough for me to leave the comfort of my bed and trudge through the night for two hours of chatting and drinking." I paused, my eyes flickered towards the open door. "And where the fuck did you come from anyway? Were you waiting here all night?"

"I've been sitting by the bar ever since this place opened this morning."

I frowned. "No, you weren't. No one was sitting at the bar."

"I was sitting at the bar. You just didn't see me." He snickered as the veins vanished and eyes went back to normal. Leaning in, he grinned. "You even looked right at me."

"I..." That explained the chills I felt when I looked at his seat. "Oh... What?"

"You didn't see me because I didn't want you to see me. Human eyes are easy to fool."

So Dottie didn't see him. Sasha was a bit of an airhead so I doubt got a glimpse either. He barely leaves the kitchen.

"You have some good instincts." He cocked his head. My eyes flickered to his arm that trapped me by the side. "You've learned to sense my presence within just a week of being around me."

"I know I have good instincts." I sighed. I pressed my clipboard against his chest to maintain what little space we had left between us. "It's just a shame I never listen to them."

"Indeed." He leaned into the clipboard. It felt like holding off a boulder. I yielded an inch.

"Don't tell me you want a drink this early." I raised an eyebrow.

"Of course. I didn't wait all this while for nothing."

"Yes, you did." It was hard to keep him away. "I came here this early to do inventory, not serve you." I frowned as I placed some force behind the clipboard. "So, get away from me and let me finish my job."

Lou clicked his tongue, his other hand wrapped around the side of my clipboard. A chill went down my spine as his fingers brushed against my mine. "Get away from you? This is just getting interesting."

This lighting made him look pretty amazing. That smile on his lips was quite alluring too. I could j-

The bottles on the shelves rattled as I bumped into them. The sound broke me out of the haze he'd put me in. Irritation filled me as I realised there was no space left between us. The clipboard was still there, pressed against my chest with him on the other side.

"Get away from me, Lou!" I snapped as I tried to push his bulk off me again. "I said I'm not interested."

"Yes, you are." His voice was a seductive purr. It hit low in my gut. "You have been since day one. You're just denying it."

He wasn't wrong. "I already told you." I tried to maintain the irritation in my voice. He was swaying me once again. "I am going to lite-"

"Ryleigh?" I cut my rising voice off as I heard Dottie call out. "Who are you talking to in there?"

Shit. "No one, Dottie!" I yelled back in a panic. "No one's here! No need to come into the store room!'

"But I heard someone!" Her voice sounded closer. My struggle to get Lou off of me got stronger. He really didn't shift at all. My struggle seemed to only amuse him.

"Get off me!" I hissed, my panic rose. I don't want to be seen with him. I don't want him to be seen.

"Why?" He enjoyed this as he leaned in further. The clipboard was pushed out of the way with ease. I moved to keep a hand pressed against his chest, just to have something between us. "You ashamed of me, Ryleigh?"

"I just don't know how to expl-"

"Oh."

My eyes switched over from Lou's dark ones to Dottie's surprised gray ones. She was stood in the doorway, eyes on us.

Her eyes flickered over our bodies, and paused as she spotted the panic on my face. There was a long moment of silence in which her face darkened, eyes on towards Lou as he slowly turned to look at her. "Who are you and what are you doing to Ryleigh?"

Dottie was surprisingly perceptive when it came to stuff like this. I almost felt relief pass through me as Lou's body relaxed enough for me to actually push him a few inches away.

She narrowed her eyes and stepped inside the store room. "I asked you a question, sir." Her hands closed up into fists. She kept pepper spray in her apron.

"Oh, did you now?" I could hear the smirk in Lou's voice.

Dottie's scowl deepened. But before she could say anything else, her eyes went blank. After another moment, her face went slack, all the anger drained out of it. Worry crossed through me, I took a step towards her. "Dottie?"

No reply. "Dottie?" I repeated her name before reaching out to grab Lou's sleeve. I could feel it in my gut, he was doing something. "Lou, stop. Please. I..."

My voice trailed off as I saw the spark come back into her eyes. They lit up before they snapped wide open in surprise. A small gasp escaped her, colour rising in her cheeks.

"I-I-I-" she stuttered, her face now completely red and her eyes moving between the two of us as she backtracked. "I'm sorry for intruding!" She finally gasped out before she turned and bolted out with a fading giggle.

My worry had transcended into confusion. I looked up at Lou as he turned towards me with a chuckle. "Humans are so easy to fool."

"What did you do?" His earlier statement came to mind. "What did you make her see?" My stomach started to sink. I had a bad feeling about this.

"Something interesting." He replied vaguely.

Panic rose in me. I didn't like that look in his eyes. "What did you make her see, Lou?!" I snapped once again as I pulled away from the shelves.

Lou raised an eyebrow. "Will you calm down already? She only saw us making out." My jaw fell open. The hand I'd placed on his sleeve went slack with the shock. Lou regained his smirk and started to lean in again. "Now, where were w-"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" I finally snapped, almost on the verge of a yell. He raised an eyebrow, eyes on me in confusion. I moved forward, the panic fuelled my strength and let me push past Lou.

"Dottie!" I called out as I stepped out of the store room to look for her. Customers eyed me with a mixture of confusion and curiosity as I looked over them. But she stood by the kitchen door- half in, half out.

My gut sank further. "Dottie, stop! It's not what you think it is!" She poked her head back out, a wide smile on her lips.

'It's not what you think it is'? It's not what you think it is?! How the fuck do I explain this? It's easier for her to think of it as me getting it on in the back of the bar with a hunk!

Dottie stared at me as I ran up to her. The red on her cheeks hadn't gone down. She giggled bashfully. "I think it's exactly what I think it is." Her eyes flickered behind me to Lou, who followed after with a smirk on his face.

"You know, this explains a lot of behaviour recently." Sasha spoke from within the kitchen. I could hear the smile in his voice. "Sleepless nights, and what not."

"I-It's-I-" I bit my lip as frustration rose in me. "It's really not what you think it is. We're not-"

"Sorry you had to see that." Lou cut me off with his easy drawl. He draped an arm around my shoulder and pressing his lips to the side of my head. "New relationship- you know how it is." What the f-

"We very well do." Dottie replied breathily, grey eyes still wide open. She seemed star struck.

"What the- get off me!" My surprise from him kissing me made my reaction a bit slow. I pushed Lou away, but stumbled back instead as he didn't budge. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Lou formed an expression of innocent surprise on his face. "What did I do, babe?"

"Don't 'babe' me! We're not dating!"

"You're... not?" Dottie sounded confused now.

Sasha poked his head out of the service window. "Why not? It's about time you moved on from Brandon."

"I've moved on from him!" I turned my irritation on them. "I'm just not dating him!" I threw a hand out, it hit Lou's chest.

"Ouch." He mumbled, his brows down and genuine hurt on his face. "Did you forget that night?"

"That night?!" I turned back to him, confusion joined the absolute mess of emotions within me. "What night?!"

"The night you invited me over."

Dottie's face flushed the deepest, Sasha's lips formed the perfect 'O'. And the restaurant went silent as the customers watched me have a mental breakdown. I stared at Lou with nothing but contempt and confusion on my face. "Excuse me?" I spoke slowly with disgust in my voice. "Nothing fucking happened between us."

Lou rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you forgot already."

I crossed my arms across my chest. I could see what he was doing. The entire restaurant was on his side, my co-workers were on his side. I looked like the bitch right here.

Well, two can play at a game. "Forget what? We only kissed." I shrugged. "No big deal."

Lou raised an eyebrow as well. "'We only kissed'? You seemed to be enjoying it."

"You did." Dottie mumbled under her breath.

"You didn't see anything." I snapped at her before I turned to Lou. "And you're a horrible kisser." Sasha's mouth formed a bigger 'O'. "I was hoping you would take the hint when I refused to remember you, but you didn't."

Lou had a surprised look on his face as well. "You never pushed me away!"

"Because I'm a nice person, okay?!" I threw my hands up and turned away from him. "Gosh, Lou. Get the hint and leave already. I'm not interested in you and your sloppy kisses."

"That in there was n-"

"That in there was disgusting." I threw over my shoulder as I headed behind the bar. My heart pounded out of my chest. He's going to kill me, but I can't stop. "Do you not brush in the morning?" I shook my head to myself. "I need a mint."

"Stop lying, Ryleigh. You were clearly-"

"Faking it." I completed for him as I stepped behind the bar. "Completely faking it." I turned my head towards the sink and spat. "God, that was disgusting." I mumbled loud enough for everyone in the place to hear.

An insult. A punch right to his ego. Shocked faces around the restaurant, witnesses to his humiliation. I could feel the animosity in his body as I'd passed by him. He was really going to kill me this time.

"A-Alright, people." Dottie finally came back to her senses, clapping to break the stunned silence. "Sorry for the disturbance!"

"Yeah, sorry!" I smiled at the customers as well. My hands on the counter as I looked up. "I apologise for the two of us. Never expected this creep to show up here. A round of coffee on me!" I heard a solitary hoot at that. My eyes moved to Lou once again, still by the kitchen door.

I'd never seen him look like this. There was confusion on his face, and an interesting mix of emotions in his eyes. I reached into my bag. "Here, have a mint." I flicked one towards him, he caught it in the air. "Now, get out before you embarrass yourself any further."

I could see the amusement in his eyes, it terrified me more than the furious look on his face. He truly looked like a jilted lover.

He hid a smile as he ate the mint. Then he turned towards the exit and left without another word. I almost expected him to vanish past the door, but he just turned left and kept walking like a normal person. There was another solitary hoot, sounded like the same person.

I replaced the roll of mint before heading into the storeroom once again. This time, I closed the door behind me. My legs gave way and I slumped against the door as I exhaled shakily. I was shaking, my heart was pounding and my head spun. That was a trainwreck. That was awful.

Lou was going to be mad. He was going to come in steaming tonight. I'd tried to tip toe around him because I didn't want to see his real form, but I'd really lost it today. It was... It was his fault. He'd pushed me to that point. I'd had to react or I'd have lost face in front of everyone.

My groan was loud in the silence. My life was getting more and more messed up by the day. I didn't want to see Lou again, I wanted to wish that he wouldn't show up tonight but I knew that wasn't going to happen. He hasn't missed a single day so far, he wasn't going to miss tonight for sure.

*************

AUTHOR'S NOTE
Whoo! We're back! Five and six as promised (even if I'm a month plus in getting to it)!
Better late than never.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
How y'all been? I've been less sick so that's good.
Update are going to be once per week as I explained on my Page. College work is too much this time. I graduate soon. What a nightmare.
Anyway, Ryleigh might have fucked up badly.
And Lou might fuck her up badly.
Oh, we also might have some visitors next time so be on your best behavior y'all.
Vote and comment!