Chapter 6

"Here at Sunny Side Up, what should we be...?" Matteo inquired with his fingers up and a stupid grin across his face.

"Sunny," I grumbled.

"That's right. Now, no more distractions and make sure to smile," Matteo emphasized for the third and final time today.

I gave him a half-hearted, tight lipped grin that seemed to satisfy him enough to leave. As soon as his back was turned, I slumped over the bar counter and looked at the bustling of customers enjoying their brunches.

"Matteo's being a real pain in the ass today," Kay whispered while carrying a tray stacked high with plates of half eaten eggs Benedict, French toast, and an ungodly concoction of all other breakfast foods smooshed together.

Working at a brunch place was fairly easy for the most part since no one was expecting a 5-star experience, but hell would break loose if you don't refill the mimosas fast enough. Unfortunately for me, there were too many distractions in my personal life to keep up with the demands of customers. Three complaints had been made about me, and each time Matteo, the manager, had to step in. I don't blame him for lecturing me, but I could do without the blatant passive aggressive tone.

Kay was my sanity here. We never spoke or hung out outside of work, but she was always quick with the jokes whenever I felt down. Sometimes we would share tables like a team and pool tips. It definitely made some of the other servers jealous of how close we were, but she wasn't my work wife for nothing.

"I don't blame him. I've already pissed off a bunch of customers today," I sighed defeatedly.

"Yeahhh. What's up with you today? Customers usually love you." Kay's eyebrows furrowed with concern.

I looked at her, trying to decide if I should divulge the turn my life had taken the past week. All she knew was that I needed time off due to some accident related injuries, but she had no idea why I was actually gone. I wasn't sure who to trust when it came to the situation with Damien. They would judge me or ridicule me for sure. I mean, what normal person gets mixed up in a situation where they have to nurse a stranger back to health? I shook my head. I liked Kay and I knew Kay, but I didn't really know her.

"It's nothing. Just some personal stuff," I took a sip of the orange juice I kept behind the counter.

"Is it about Damien?" Kay asked calmly.

I began choking on my juice, face filled with bewilderment.

"How do you know about Damien?" I struggled to say between coughs. I could feel some dirty looks in my direction from customers who probably thought I was going to make them sick any minute.

Kay gave me a playful smirk. "You left your phone behind the counter, and he sent you like a thousand texts. I didn't read any of them, but I had to move your phone away from Matteo's gossiping ass. Come on. Tell ol' Kay your boy troubles."

I groaned with frustration. How can a man I'm not even dating be so clingy?

"I'll tell you about it later. I think a customer's calling me," I scurried away to attend to some tables.

"I didn't hear anyone calling you," Kay shouted after me.

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I was beginning to finally get my head straight with only three tables left. We had already been closed for about 15 minutes, but Matteo made me stay behind until they were finished. It was just Matteo, a dish washer, and me. I was sweeping when I got yet another call from Damien. Since we were packing up to go any minute, I decided to pick up this time.

"Damien, I'm still at work. What is it?"

Damien was breathing heavily and his voice was raspy, "Val, please come back. I need help."

Damien had called earlier that day only 5 minutes into my shift, but after some interrogation, I realized he was just being a big baby. This time, something was definitely wrong.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming right now, okay?"

He hung up without saying anything else. I ran over to Matteo, who was busy counting change in the register.

"Matteo, I have to go. It's a family emergency."

Matteo turned to me with a piercing glare, "No. You have to stay until the last customer leaves."

I shook my head, clutching my phone, "I can't. I'll see you tomorrow."

"If you leave now, there's no need to come in tomorrow," Matteo's tone was much harsher than his usual passive aggressive approach.

I nodded my head and stormed out. I had taken the bus there initially, but there was no time for that. Instead, I ran nearly 3 miles to Damien's apartment.

Once I got inside, I nearly toppled over. Sweat had caked my shirt against my body, and I was breathing hard. None of that was my concern, though, because I was more worried seeing the bed empty.

I looked around frantically trying to see where Damien had gone. My heart was beating out of my chest, ready to burst. Then I heard it. A faint voice coming from next to the bed.

"Valencia?"

I ran over to see Damien lying on the floor next to the bed. His shirt was off, and he was sweating profusely. His thick hair was matted to his head. He looked as if he was in agony. I cupped his face in my hands.

"Damien! What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It's just.. so... hot," Damien said quietly through labored breaths.

I placed my hands on his face, neck, and forehead. Although it was cool in his apartment, Damien's body was burning up. I leaned over and wrapped his arm around me. Adrenaline had overtaken my exhaustion, allowing me to safely take Damien back into bed. After I made sure he was secure, I ran into the kitchen to get him water, which he drank greedily. His temperature reading showed he had a high fever of 103 F. The guilt of leaving him alone washed over me along with the exhaustion re-entering my body. I wrapped my arms around Damien and buried my head in his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry. You trusted me to take care of you, and I left you here," I choked on my words, attempting to hold back tears. It had been a rough day, but not nearly as rough as what Damien probably had to put up with.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. It's just a fever. I'm fine. You probably shouldn't be hugging me, or you'll get sick, too," Damien patted my head softly.

I jerked my head up and looked at Damien dead in the eyes. Why was I always being the one comforted even though he's having to deal with so much shit? I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. But the best thing to do was to hold it together for his sake.

"No, it's not okay. I should've been there for you. From now on, you're not leaving my sight," I pointed at him, my eyes filled with determination.

"Maybe you should shower first before that because you smell like eggs and dog shit," he responded with a small chuckle.

I gasped. Every time I thought he was being sweet, he turned it around into something bad. I threw a pillow at his head and promptly left to go shower. The realization I was fired finally hit me mid-shampoo.

If I thought I was spending too much time with Damien before, it's about to get a lot worse now.