I didn't see much of Chris for a while after that.
He would pop in and out of the club at unpredictable times. We had a few brief conversations here and there, but nothing substantial. He always seemed to be distracted, focusing on something else.
Paige told me about the increasing number of demon hunts he was sending them on. She'd complain, but I always tried to remind her of his good intentions. He was helping them to save our future after all, and if anything seriously bad happened, he'd be able to heal them. She'd just roll her eyes and scoff at me in reply, probably jealous she didn't have that ability yet.
We moved on to more mundane topics after that. I was pleased to hear she was finally getting back into the workforce after being unemployed for over a year. Paige was always a very driven person, so it was no surprise that now she knew the basics (and more) of being a witch, she was now looking for something more. It may not bring as much happiness as her last career as a social worker, but at least she would have more flexibility to go save the world at a moments notice.
I had only been back to the Manor once since the orbing incident, just to let them know about my broken phone. While I was there, I told Piper that I was here for her if she ever needed a babysitter for Wyatt so she could have some time alone. She brushed me off with a too happy grin and said she had it all covered.
Her demeanour still made me unsettled. Piper was a strong woman, there's no denying that, but this was different. I'd seen the state she was in after Prue's death. Her emotions ran deep, especially when it concerned losing a loved one. Which was practically what happened with Leo becoming an Elder - or so Paige had said once during a late night at P3.
Things had been pretty busy at the club lately. One of our best employees, Rachael, had finally graduated with a masters in education and moved out of state to start her new life. We were all happy for her, but it was going to take a while to find someone new to cover her shifts. In the meantime, things would be getting a little hectic.
Fortunately, my latest shift passed relatively smoothly. It was close to closing time, and there were only a few regulars still lingering around. After I made the last call for drinks, I tried to encourage Ray, our bouncer, to head home early to his family - but he refused to leave until every single patron had left. He was a good guy.
When it was finally closing time, we were able to herd them all out pretty quickly. Ray left me with a warning to be careful, which I assured him I would. He knew by now that I'd only ever leave on time of Derek was in town, so he had given up trying to convince me not to stay late.
Oh! I should really let him know I have a new number now... I haven't memorised his number, otherwise I would call him now while I was thinking of it. Guess I'll just need to ask Beth to give it to me after I get home, for now there's still work to be done.
The reason I stay is simple - I hate leaving the club in disarray. It isn't fair to our janitors, they already have enough maintenance to do without needing to pick up our patrons trash! To help ease their load, I try to collect all the hidden cups from around the bar. I also make sure to note how many are broken each night, so Piper will know when it's time to restock the collection.
I've almost finished washing the dishes, absorbed in my battle against a particularly suborn lipstick stain on the rim of a glass. Just a few more to go after this, and then I can get home and call-
"What are you still doing here?"
The abrupt voice startles me, causing the glass to slip from my hand and shatter into a burst of sparkling glass on the side of the sink. I yelp as a few bits rebound and slice through my hand, blood seeps out from the fresh wound immediately. Well, there's one more tally to add to my notes.
I whip around to face the intruder, seeing him leaning on the side of a door frame with a smirk on his face. "Chris!" I exclaim, "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
I'm preoccupied holding it under the running water and hoping any lingering glass will wash out easily, so I don't see how his face fall at the sight of blood slipping through my fingers. I don't even notice him approaching me until his hand carefully grips my arm to turn me to face him. The feeling of his fingers ignites sparks under my skin, and I find myself unable to resist his gentle prompts. I can feel his breath on my face, light and minty, as he brings a clean tea-towel gently down onto my open wound. Aww noo, not that one! It's one of my favourites. I can't help but pout slightly, it's going to be stained forever now.
I'm glad he misses my childish expression, he's too focused on wiping the blood from my wound. It's quite a small cut, but the water made it look a lot worse than it is.
"I wish I could heal you," he murmurs quietly.
I cock my head with a smile and say, "But that's only for demon attacks, right? It's okay, we have a first aid kit by the phone."
He looks a little guilty as he nods. "Here, keep pressure on it," he instructs me, and gently grips around my waist. The warmth of his hands seeping through the fabric of my shirt makes me tingle. It reminds me so strongly of a time when I had been nothing but floating atoms, and he was my only constant.
I loose my breath as he lifts me up and holds me firmly to his chest, his hands grip my thighs and my legs wrap around his waist in reaction to the new position. I want to question what the hell is happening, but he speaks before I can get a word out.
"I have to move you so I can clean this mess up," he explains, voice breathy in my ear.
Pleasant shivers roll down my spine at the sensation. I nod shakily, unable to form coherent words.
My injured hand is pressed between our chests and the other grips around his neck. He slowly makes his way to the bar phone, clearly not affected by the weight of my small frame. He gently places me on the counter across from the phone, and I take a second to breathe. He makes quick work of orbing the shattered glass to the bin, and if I wasn't so flustered, I may have asked why he couldn't have done that from the start.
Once he has the first aid kit, he makes quick work of cleaning my wound and patching it up. The action seems rehearsed, I wonder how many non-demon related injuries he's had to fix up in the past- wait, no, future. Paige told me once that whitelighters can't heal themselves, only others. Maybe that's how he got so good at this.
I'm lost in my thoughts about the timeline and don't notice he's finished until the noise of the zipper on the first aid bag pulls me to the present. We lock eyes and he stares at me with that same look on his face. The one that reminds me of Leo, of lo-.
I don't allow myself to finish the thought as I quickly look away. I shouldn't be letting myself get so caught up in his gaze. It's not fair. Not fair to anyone. Especially not-
"All done, then?" I ask quickly, wanting to move out of this position but unable to. He's standing so close if I got of the counter now I would squished against him. The thought is tempting, but I definitely shouldn't because... because... I loose my train of thought as those gorgeous green eyes come up to meet mine. What was I thinking about?
"Uh, yeah," he mumbles, but doesn't take a step back a step back. Instead he brings a hand up to my face and pushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear, reigniting my skin pleasantly with sparks where he touches me. "I'm really sorry for stating your earlier..." his voice trails off like he wants to say more. I lean into him without thinking, wanting to hear more, wanting to be closer to him.
His eyes flicker up to mine as if asking permission for something, but I don't know what. They flick down to my lips, as his tongue darts out.
Oh! Does he.. surely he doesn't want to kiss me?
My eyes widen at the realisation. It's a startling thought, but not an unpleasant one. It's so temping to lean in further, I want to feel more of him. If just the feeling of his skin makes me light up I wonder what a kiss would feel like. But I shouldn't, really... Why shouldn't I again? I'm really struggling to find a good reason here! My internal struggle is cut short by the sound of my new phone dinging cheerily from inside my bag.
It's like a spell has been broken. My body, which I had not realised was leaning in so close to him, snaps away suddenly as if he had burnt me.
I see a glimmer of disappointment and frustration in his gaze before he shoots a deadly glare at my bag. If looks could kill my new phone would be a goner!
"I better go, it's really late." I want to tap his shoulder to let me out of the position he had me pinned in, but I don't trust myself enough to touch him.
His arms were on either side of me, pinning me to the counter top. He doesn't say anything, but clearly isn't pleased as he steps back and gives me room to jump down.
I avoid looking at him as much as I can as I grab my bag and throw a "Thanks for your help! Have a good night!" Over my shoulder at him, waving my bandage covered hand up at him with my back turned.
I'm already up the stairs before he can respond.