Gracie Weiss- Los Angeles, California

10:00 pm PST

Gracie sat behind the bar and bit back a tired sigh while she placed her chin on her hand, feeling bored and tired. Her eyes were partially closed while she listened to the sound of the music filtering throughout the whole bar while she waited for last call or for her boss to tell her to do something else or tell her to go home.

The base of the music matched the beating of her heart, both of them going thump, thump, thump, and she tapped her foot to the beat while she waited for something to happen, even though she had no idea what.

"Miss Weiss," a voice said from behind her, and she opened her eyes and turned to look that way to see her boss "scowling" at her, with his arms folded across his chest and finger tapping at his side.

She looked at him and offered him a tight smile while she cocked her head to the side. "Yes?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question while she studied him, silently wondering what it was that he wanted. "What is it, Jim?"

Her boss, Jim, scowled and narrowed his eyes further while he stared at her. "Aren't you supposed to be working, Miss Weiss?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question, studying her. "Or aren't you supposed to be looking busy until it is time for you to go?"

Gracie shrugged and grimaced, pressing her lips into a thin line. "Everything has been finished," she replied, "or at least what I can do now until the bar closes up. No one else has come over here yet."

Jim bit back a small chuckle and slowly nodded while he relaxed his face, and his eyes seemed to grow brighter without him pretending to be mad at the young female in front of her. "Of course," he said and cleared his throat while he grew serious. "How long ago have you checked everything?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Thirty minutes ago," she said and shrugged, pressing her lips into a thin line. "Why? Has something else happened that we need to take care of?"

"Do you mean you?" he asked and winked playfully, and Gracie rolled her eyes and scowled, even though a small smile wanted to appear on her face. He cleared his throat to hide a chuckle before he grew serious. "I think that there is a mess in the girl's bathroom again. I heard people say that someone had clogged the toilets as well as some other things that happened, but they wouldn't go into detail."

The hair on the back of Gracie's neck stood at attention as soon as he said that. Her scowl grew deeper while she narrowed her eyes at him and studied him with something in them. "And what about these other things?" she asked, her voice holding a certain warning in it that her boss never liked. "What happened?"

Jim scowled and narrowed his eyes while he looked at her with a hard look in his eyes. "Excuse me?" he asked, his voice holding the same warning in it, even though Gracie didn't bat an eye and wasn't scared. "What did you say?"

Gracie shrugged and pressed her lips into a thin line. "It's nothing," she said before she cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. "However, I am wondering what you need me to do."

Jim bit back an annoyed sigh and slowly nodded, moving a hand through his hair and across his face, pressing his lips into a thin line. He set his jaw and narrowed his eyes while he studied her, trying to intimidate her, but she didn't get intimidated easily while she studied him, waiting for him to break first.

Finally, Jim relented and broke eye contact first before he sighed and shook his head while he moved a hand through his hair some more. "Anyway, can you go ahead and clean the girl's bathroom before you throw some of the trash out, mainly the ones in the back, please?" he asked. "Some of them have become full before they were needed to."

But it hasn't been that busy, Gracie thought while she bit her tongue so that she didn't say her thoughts out loud. Why has it become so full?

"Please, Gracie," Jim said and tucked his head closer to his chest, and a small smile appeared on her face. "Go ahead and get everything done. Afterward, you should be able to go home early. I do not think we will need you for the rest of the evening because it has not been busy."

And yet, I still have to take out the trash even with it not being busy, she said and bit back a tired sigh, nodding. "Ok," she said and stood. "Are you sure that there isn't anything else that you will need me to do after that?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

Jim nodded in confirmation, biting back a small chuckle while he slowly relaxed. "I will call you if something changes. I mean, you do live just upstairs." He flashed her a small smirk and a wink, and she rolled her eyes and bit back a small smile.

"I know," she said and moved a hand through her hair and across her head, biting back a tired sigh. "I will get that done and then go home. Call me if you need something else done, and I will go ahead and clock back in to do it."

Jim nodded. "You will only have to do the trash in the back and then the female's bathroom. If you need any help, then let me know, please. I will help you when I can while I make sure that everything runs smoothly."

Gracie bit back a tired sigh and slowly nodded. "Ok, then I will go ahead and do that." She started to walk away but paused when Jim cleared his throat.

Oh, what now? she thought while she pursed her lips in annoyance. She turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow in question, silently waiting for Jim to tell her to do something else. "Yes?" she asked and cocked her head while she studied him, trying but failing to keep the annoyance in her voice. "What is it? What happened? What can I do for you?"

He bit back a small chuckle while he slowly nodded. "Have you eaten at all today?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question while he studied her.

Oh...

Her cheeks turned red, and she shrugged and shook her head, earning a small smirk from him. "I have not," she said before she cleared her throat and shifted on her feet. "I have not eaten anything yet, nor have I taken a break yet."

"Hmph." Jim nodded and set his jaw while a look of worry flashed through his eyes. "Go ahead and get something to eat after you are done with the trash and the girl's bathroom. Ok? I will see you later."

Gracie bit back a small smile and slowly nodded. "I will see you later. Thanks, Jim."

And with that, she turned around and left, leaving Jim to watch after her with something on his face that she should have caught but didn't.

Oh, Gods, protect her...