Chapter 8: Heavy cream

Skyscraper.

Shizuo had never really paid much attention to the word, but now that he stood in front of the seemingly endless front of glass dipping into clouds he remembered its true meaning.

It was late afternoon.

The streets, usually so vibrant with life, were still trapped in a sweet slumber. Staff of the club as well as various vendors were yelling orders to each other in a volume that was not unpleasant, as there was no level of noise needed to be surpassed yet.

Faint bits of music, for once pleasant and slow, mixed with the instructions Evelyn gave as Shizuo followed her to the front of the building.

"I doubt you will ever have to change shifts with anyone outside the lounge, but just in case you know," she finished what had been a very detailed tour of the club, the building and various tasks done by an even larger variety of people.

Evelyn was aware that Shizuo's contract included nothing but the lounge's location and the mixing of cocktails, but just in case the unpredictable happened she had wanted Shizuo to know his way around.

A smile grazed Shizuo's lips as he looked down the still quiet street.

While most shops were starting to close or gathering the last of their strength to finish their day, Shizuo's was about to just start.

"I appreciate the guidance," he assured with a quick nod and the brunette woman nodded relieved.

The sound of a clock striking six p.m. resounded through the generous halls and merged with a soothing melody of classical music stemming from the main hall.

The skyscraper consisted of multiple floors made to forget one's life for at least a couple hours. It was only midway that the interior changed to that of rented company assets and a few luxurious flats at the very top.

And so Shizuo's entire evening had been filled with excerpts of pleasant sonata and even more fitting silence.

There was still some time left until the heavy bass and powerful beats were going to traverse the walls again and Evelyn knew as she reached for her pocket.

"Do you mind if I stay behind five minutes?" The request came as unexpected as the package of cigarettes emerging from Evelyn's pants.

"I was going to ask the same," Shizuo agreed, reaching for his own.

A lighter was replacing half of the cigarettes inside her box in order to make both utensils fit into her tight pockets and after lighting her own she quickly offered the flame to Shizuo as well.

All too soon the peaceful silence and bright evening sky were clouded by the fine streaks of smoke and the two of them sighed in unison- which caused them to look at each other and snort in a moment of pure amusement.

"I didn't know you smoke," Shizuo pointed out, and the woman shrugged, "Just once in a while. When I'm in a good mood."

"You are in a good mood before your shift?"

Sweet laughter, faint and angelic just as Evelyn's entire appearance followed. "I've been in a good mood ever since you appeared."

Cute.

In a way her words were a compliment to Shizuo's help and the blond smiled as he took another drag of his cigarette. He knew he was saving her by filling the position needed as the second bartender of her bar, but hearing it was pleasant nonetheless.

"Ah," she suddenly added," but don't worry this one will be the last for me this week." By this, she meant the cigarette she was smoking and Shizuo couldn't help but snort.

"I can hardly judge."

What was he to her? A father scolding his daughter over sabotaging her own health? They were equal in age as far as he was aware and Evelyn chuckled upon realizing her missheap.

"True. I don't know why but your expression reminded me of my sons for a second," she chuckled, having been about to take another drag from her cigarette and paused midair and she looked at it with eyes a bit too distant to remain in the present. "I will probably stop smoking entirely soon anyway."

Surprise mirrored in Shizuo's expression as he spoke, "You have children?"

A soft breeze hurried down the street, tugging at the vendors' goods and plastic wraps, keeping their cartons steady. The movement bringing Evelyn's curls to life only accentuated her pretty, and foremost young features.

"You thought I'm single, didn't you?" Evelyn laughed, but despite the guarded smile, Shizuo could tell that her words didn't address her age but capability of sustaining a relationship.

As confident and capable as she seemed and acted down at the bar when it came to her job, he suddenly found himself realizing that her personality knew none of that. Her question held the faintest hint of a self insult, waiting for proof in Shizuo's words, confirming that there was no way someone would date someone like her.

It was as surprising as it fit her vibe and Shizuo shook his head.

"I thought you were too young actually," he shrugged and the faintest hint of embarrassment tinged her face at the unexpected answer.

A soft bump, aimed at Shizuo's arm, served as a playful jab as she complained, "You and your flattery I swear, I'm five years older than you, you know?" she scolded, not taking the compliment seriously at all. But that was fine, because Shizuo's goal was met anyway as she stopped talking bad about herself.

Taking a deep breath of her cigarette Evelynn sighed before tipping the ash of the tip.

"Twins. They are turning seven this year," she continued what she had started to reveal earlier, "They keep hiding my cigarettes at any chance they get."

Shizuo had expected a lot but two boys at elementary school age were not part of that. Especially when it came to Evelyn's job.

"Isn't it hard to work this job then?"

Working the entire night had to leave her quite drained. But it seemed his worries were baseless as she shook her head vehemently.

"The opposite actually. It's perfect. I get to work while they sleep, rest while they are at school and when they come home we cook together," she chuckled with full honesty and Shizuo smiled.

It was a cute idea. Evelyn waiting for her kids at home in a set of pajamas and bed hair, asking about their kid's day while she was trying to wake up properly.

Since she had failed to mention him, Shizuo guessed the father was not in the picture anymore, or had never been. He might have left before they were born, or simply died. It was not his position to ask about his whereabouts and at the end of the day, did it matter?

Looking at Evelyn he could tell that she was happy. With both, her kids, and her work.

A soft smile grazed his lips.

"You should really quit smoking then." He whispered, and pointed towards the cigarette she was holding.

The tip was dying from lack of oxygen as she hesitated to bring it to her lips. "They are worried for you, just as much as you are about them."

Shizuo was probably the last to tell her what to do. He realized as much and for a second he regretted overstepping the invisible boundary of their relationship as colleagues.

Glancing at her new coworker a playful joke sat at the tip of Evelyn's lips. Something about listening to his own advice or a similar retort. But those words were never born as she looked at Shizuo.

All of a sudden it was as though a certain kind of sadness and nostalgia she couldn't quite pinpoint had claimed his voice and sealed her lips shut.

She couldn't tell why, but somehow she got a feeling this wasn't the first time he wanted to convince someone to look out for themselves.

A thoughtful glance was cast towards the culprit of the moment and she looked at the cigarette as if it were a difficult book of another language that she was trying to study.

He was right.

She knew that.

Just like her sons.

But somehow being told off by Shizuo served a different kind of conviction than her kid's repetitive pleas.

A painful minute of contemplation and a possibly very frustrating upcoming week circled her mind before she finally sighed.

"You know what you are right. This is my last," she announced and moved the cancer stick to her lips for the last time. A deep breath of smoke filled the air as she relished in the sweet taste she used to enjoy- And as if having been stung by a bee she extinguished the cigarette right after, with as much force as was needed to crush the lemons in their glasses.

The package she had been holding onto was quickly extended towards Shizuo and he took them without second guessing her actions.

"You can have them," she announced with a kind of confidence that left Shizuo baffled. A smile sat on her lips and gratitude swayed in her words as she turned on her heels. "I will head down and prepare the fruits, feel free to stay a few more minutes," Evelyn spoke quickly and with those words she headed down.

Her gorgeous curls of hair bounced on the way down the stairs, just as much as her generous bust. She was small, but she was cute in every way and the doormen looking after her only seemed to agree.

It wasn't a lack of beauty or confidence that kept her single it seemed, but rather the fact that she wasn't aware of the impression she left on others.

She was a good mother.

That much was apparent.

And yet, somehow receiving the package of cigarettes and reading their specific brand, Shizuo couldn't help but feel a certain kind of sadness crawling onto his shoulders.

He hadn't noticed earlier because of the soft breeze that had combed through the streets, but he knew the brand she was smoking.

Shizuo should be in a good mood.

He had stopped her from damaging her health further. And yet the sadness that suddenly lingered refused to leave.

Extinguishing his own cigarette he pulled one of Evelyn's from its confines.

Careful, as if worried he were going to destroy the cancer stick he lit the drug between his cupped palms.

The tip ignited, the flame buried its way into the tabak and screamed as he took the first drag.

The taste was awful and Shizuo cringed at the bitterness grazing his tongue.

But he loved the smell.

Enveloping him as a whole, he looked at the sky that was finally shifting to its nightly attire of blue and purple.

"This one is for you. I hope you can smell it up there," he whispered into the descending night as the silence of the evening slowly came to an end.

It was funny how quickly surroundings could change.

He was aware of the opening hours of course, just as much as he was aware of their visitor's habit to show up early, and yet it was amazing just how quickly these empty streets were filling themselves with life.

As soon as the sun set they appeared, women, men, people of importance and those who sought to become such.

Shizuo had long joined Evelyn back behind the bar when the true rush hour started.

The reason he had wished to work at this place had always been the same. He enjoyed his work. He enjoyed the distraction. And yet, somehow today he couldn't quite shake the memory. Was it the smell of Evelyn's cigarettes keeping him trapped?

The customer's easy attitude?

There was not a single one causing problems, nor was there an order too large or stressful to make. Shizuo had started to work here to get his mind off things, but today he seemed to fail miraculously.

One order after the other came in. "Coming!" Evelyn announced for the twelfth time in a row with a beaming smile grazing her lips. She was in a good mood. An outstanding mood even.

She was probably thinking about her kids, about telling them that she had decided to quit. The guests were nice too and the shift with Shizuo was a piece of cake.

There was every reason to be happy right now, and yet Shizuo's mood remained dimmed.

Lemons and limes in spades found their way into Shizuo's hands as soon as the rush hour ended as a way to keep himself busy.

Lemon after lemon found its way into his palms. Peeling, skinning, cutting, he was treating his newfound task with more care than most cocktails and it seemed to show.

"Are you scared to cut yourself or what's the concentration for?"

Had it been this distraction? His thoughts? Maybe just a general sense of carelessness? Shizuo couldn't tell, but he knew he had been pretty out of it when this way too familiar voice grazed his ears without him having noticed his approach.

Eyes lifting off his dedicated work Shizuo looked at the pair of mesmerizing reddish eyes owned by no one else but his virgin wave.

"Yo," he greeted once again, obviously having noticed that Shizuo had yet to acknowledge his appearance.

Shizuo should be happy to see his favorite guest.

Really.

As much fun as mixing cocktails was, going an entire shift without a single guest to exchange words with, proved to be exceedingly boring. His virgin wave was the perfect antidote to that, and yet right now Shizuo couldn't quite bring himself to feel joy at his appearance.

"What can I serve you?" The bartender smiled the smile of a professional and Izaya hesitated.

Sadness sept of Shizuo like cream of a strawberry cake. Heavy and suffocating.

Most wouldn't notice, actually no one noticed it seemed as the bartender's female colleague seemed beyond happy serving her guests.

But Izaya did.

And it caught him off guard in a way he hadn't quite expected.

Heavy beats traversed the lounge and a couple guests cheered in the distance as a round of shots was served to their table.

A lot of witty comments and remarks swarmed Izaya's mind as he searched for words. When he laid eyes upon the bartender he had been more than ready to start another banter of carefully crafted games.

But now?

He found himself speechless.

A sensation he rarely felt.

"I'm fine with whatever you come up with," Izaya found himself answering with the dullest response ever made by humankind. Adjusting in his seat his casual position was reverted to a more orderly fashion and Shizuo caught a glimpse of his guest's pants.

The shape of a flick blade clearly protruded from one of his pockets and Shizuo blinked.

"Is that a knife?"

"Are you a bartender?"

The reply came quicker than expected and the content was more confusing than it was enlightening. The glass he had been fetching from the counter rested motionless in Shizuo's palms. "What?"

"I thought we were asking obvious questions," Izaya smirked, giving the answer the bartender had sought, but somehow the edge was off.

A glass of club soda mixed with the faintest streak of an unfamiliar syrup and lime juice was served before his eyes. Cubes of ice drifted inside the liquid, fitting the temperature inside the room. Adding a set of lime wheels to finish the newly transformed Gin Rickey into a non alcoholic beverage the bartender looked at it for a second before speaking. "Is everyone carrying weapons here?"

A funny question. At least to Izaya.

He had thought the bartender was aware of what kind of environment he had chosen to work in.

Was this his attempt to lead a conversation despite his mind obviously lingering elsewhere?

Taking a sip from his refreshing drink Izaya hummed and noted absentmindedly that the bartender had successfully substituted the gin with a mix of ginger and spice.

"You sure you want to know the answer?" Izaya's implication of more than a handful of people owning weapons inside this lounge seemed to neither scare nor impress the bartender at all.

"A simple yes would have been shorter," he answered without batting an eyelid and the fascination Izaya felt the day before only grew.

Izaya was expecting the guy to flinch at least, or show a decent reaction to the potential danger all around.

The way he didn't only caused his curiosity to triple and the urge to find out what had soured his mood peaked.

"So, do you like the job?"

A casual question.

The most casual of all casual questions, really. But right now he felt he wouldn't be willing to answer anything else.

"Why are you asking?"

As expected the bartender seemed fairly on guard considering the innocent inquiry and Izaya shrugged. "You seem decent. Would be a shame if you bailed."

Garnering one's favor had always been Izaya's forte, along with both false and true flattery. There was no human who would not show appreciation when met with approval and yet this bartender seemed to prove him wrong all over again.

"I take that as a compliment."

Nothing.

Not a single twitch of a smile or appreciation showed on the bartender's expression. It was as though Izaya had announced the weather of the next few days or a topic of similarly boring nature and it irked Izaya beyond understanding.

"Bartender!" another guest called from afar and the bartender turned as his colleague had left to serve another table.

"Coming."

He was losing.

Izaya couldn't even quite tell what kind of game they were playing, but right now he was definitely losing.

He turned in his seat as his eyes followed the bartender, moving over to the guest's table to inquire which cocktails it was that they desired to order.

It was then that he spotted not only the individual whose attention he was set to capture, but also one more that just happened to meet his gaze.

Izaya regretted turning around even before the stranger moved and sighed internally as he faced the bar.

But too late.

Only seconds later he could spot the newest admirer from the side of his eyes as he approached the bar.

Eerie smile, confident strides and an appearance made to hook up, served as an indicator of what kind of conversation this was going to lead to. Wealth and prestige was shown off in various forms as the well dressed stranger approached Izaya with an attitude used to winning what he wanted.

to be continued~

I know I know second time I end a chapter with an intruder xD But I swear it's a coincidence hahahah