on a first name basis after one short conversation with him? Was I missing something here?
“He and some of the other people in first class heard a lot of what they were saying, I suppose.”
I was saved from having to answer anything else when Stephan strode into the galley.
He looked at the other two women. “Last passenger is off, ladies. Bianca and I need to speak to the police and write incident reports, but you guys are good to go, since you weren’t involved. We’ll see you first thing in the morning.”
Brenda smiled, grabbing her bags and saying goodbye before hurrying off. Our employee bus was on a twenty minute timer. She’d have to get down to the bus stop in three minutes or wait another twenty, I observed as I checked my watch.
It was a plain metal watch with a dark blue face. It was looking a little the worse for wear, I noticed for the first time. It had lasted two years, and it looked like I needed a replacement, by all the nicks and dents in it. Watches in good condition were actually a job requirement for us, so I’d have to buckle down and go shopping for once.
I’d been on a super tight budget for the last six months. This would be the first time I’d gone shopping for anything besides food in that time. Shit . That gave me an uncomfortable thought.
I looked up at Stephan, who was staring at Melissa. I could tell he was wondering why she hadn’t left yet.
She just beamed at him. “I’m gonna stick around for a bit, make sure you guys get everything squared away okay.” She put an awkward arm around my shoulders. Especially awkward considering she was six inches shorter than I was, even in her ultra-tall heels.
Stephan and I shared a look.
“She’s been through an ordeal, poor thing, with those men saying those awful things about her,” Melissa said, her voice dripping with false sympathy.
I ignored her, talking to Stephan. “I forgot to pay for my drinks last night. I’m sorry. What do I owe you?”
He’d been on a budget similar to mine lately, and for the same reason, so I knew he couldn’t afford to be buying me drinks at the bar.
We had both saved money from working steady amounts of overtime over the last four years. We had taken that savings and found two nearly new houses that had recently been foreclosed on, right next door to each other. We’d both been able to successfully buy the small houses, and were now proud homeowners. And neighbors.
It had been something we’d fantasized about as homeless teenagers. We’d talked about it endlessly, how someday we wouldn’t be homeless. Instead, we had promised, we’d always live right next to each other. And we’d been serious about it.
We’d worked and saved, and it had been one of the happiest days of my life, the day we moved from our small shared apartment and into our small, side-by-side houses.
He grinned at me. It was a shit-eating grin. “You don’t. James bought out the bar for the night. That’s why it emptied out so fast. He covered all of our drinks for the night, and Melvin said his tip for last night was a month’s worth of his normal pay. And all thanks to you, Buttercup.”
I stared at him, stunned speechless, my mind racing.
“Why thanks to her?” Melissa asked him, her voice sharp. “What is going on with you two? It almost sounds like you’re pimping your girlfriend out.”
Stephan looked at her, and his eyes were as cold as I’d ever seen them. I’d never been on the receiving end of that icy stare. Melissa took it better than I would have.
“Bianca is the most important person in the world to me,” Stephan told her coldly. “She’s my best friend and my only family. She is not, however, my girlfriend. And it’s thanks to her because James Cavendish is crazy about her. So crazy, in fact, that he rented that entire bar
“He and some of the other people in first class heard a lot of what they were saying, I suppose.”
I was saved from having to answer anything else when Stephan strode into the galley.
He looked at the other two women. “Last passenger is off, ladies. Bianca and I need to speak to the police and write incident reports, but you guys are good to go, since you weren’t involved. We’ll see you first thing in the morning.”
Brenda smiled, grabbing her bags and saying goodbye before hurrying off. Our employee bus was on a twenty minute timer. She’d have to get down to the bus stop in three minutes or wait another twenty, I observed as I checked my watch.
It was a plain metal watch with a dark blue face. It was looking a little the worse for wear, I noticed for the first time. It had lasted two years, and it looked like I needed a replacement, by all the nicks and dents in it. Watches in good condition were actually a job requirement for us, so I’d have to buckle down and go shopping for once.
I’d been on a super tight budget for the last six months. This would be the first time I’d gone shopping for anything besides food in that time. Shit . That gave me an uncomfortable thought.
I looked up at Stephan, who was staring at Melissa. I could tell he was wondering why she hadn’t left yet.
She just beamed at him. “I’m gonna stick around for a bit, make sure you guys get everything squared away okay.” She put an awkward arm around my shoulders. Especially awkward considering she was six inches shorter than I was, even in her ultra-tall heels.
Stephan and I shared a look.
“She’s been through an ordeal, poor thing, with those men saying those awful things about her,” Melissa said, her voice dripping with false sympathy.
I ignored her, talking to Stephan. “I forgot to pay for my drinks last night. I’m sorry. What do I owe you?”
He’d been on a budget similar to mine lately, and for the same reason, so I knew he couldn’t afford to be buying me drinks at the bar.
We had both saved money from working steady amounts of overtime over the last four years. We had taken that savings and found two nearly new houses that had recently been foreclosed on, right next door to each other. We’d both been able to successfully buy the small houses, and were now proud homeowners. And neighbors.
It had been something we’d fantasized about as homeless teenagers. We’d talked about it endlessly, how someday we wouldn’t be homeless. Instead, we had promised, we’d always live right next to each other. And we’d been serious about it.
We’d worked and saved, and it had been one of the happiest days of my life, the day we moved from our small shared apartment and into our small, side-by-side houses.
He grinned at me. It was a shit-eating grin. “You don’t. James bought out the bar for the night. That’s why it emptied out so fast. He covered all of our drinks for the night, and Melvin said his tip for last night was a month’s worth of his normal pay. And all thanks to you, Buttercup.”
I stared at him, stunned speechless, my mind racing.
“Why thanks to her?” Melissa asked him, her voice sharp. “What is going on with you two? It almost sounds like you’re pimping your girlfriend out.”
Stephan looked at her, and his eyes were as cold as I’d ever seen them. I’d never been on the receiving end of that icy stare. Melissa took it better than I would have.
“Bianca is the most important person in the world to me,” Stephan told her coldly. “She’s my best friend and my only family. She is not, however, my girlfriend. And it’s thanks to her because James Cavendish is crazy about her. So crazy, in fact, that he rented that entire bar
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