Late Night Shift - Chance

[Echo]

Maya rubbed her eyes as she looked at the clock. It was only ten pm and she was already getting to that stage where she just went through the motions and only a shot of tequila would liven her up. Maya found that once she got back to Boston she wanted to keep a busy schedule in order to keep her mind off of things. Off of her relationship problems.

After her reunion with Chance, Maya's emotions weren't the usual steady stream of sarcasm and logical reasoning. More than once this week someone asked her if it was her time of the month, where she replied with her signature death glare. Her job teaching her students how to dance only worked during the day. Her nights were free, but Maya didn't like having that time for herself to be left in her own mind. She'd taken another job at a high end club called Alco-hole. They needed a new bartender and she was more than able. It did take sometime getting used to making the drinks without looking at them, seeing as she needed to see what the people ordered, but it wasn't hard for her. She wasn't the only one working, there was another girl tending with her, Crystal. Crystal had bleached blond hair and a dark tan that made her look like some Malibu Barbie doll. Maya thought she was nice enough, but she knew that she would be funny about her being a mutant.

Maya played with the silver hoop earrings in her ears as she had a short lull in the orders. She let out a sigh and ran her hands through her straightened hair. Crystal looked over at Maya and gave her a small smile. "Almost there girl. Wanna shot to keep ya going?" she asked her. Maya shook her head at her co worker dressed in a black tank and jeans, just the same thing she was wearing. "Nah, I'll save that till last minute before I crash." Maya replied while starting up again on someone's Cosmo.

[chance]

The blond on his arm was named Tiffany, Tabitha, Terri or something like that. Chance really didn't know. He'd met her earlier that evening when he was attending one of his dad's functions. She'd left her date behind and decided to head out with Chance. So there they were, her in a tight, high cut, low cut dress, that sparkled and him in a pair of tuxedo slacks and a white button up. The top three buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up his forearms. They had stopped to get something to eat, made out in the limo and were now about to walk into Alco-hole. At her request of course. Apparently, her friends go there often and she wanted to show him off. No big deal to him, he had gotten used to it over the last couple of years. Besides, he was guaranteed to get laid, so more power to him.

The girl was hanging all over him as they walked into the club. As soon as she spotted her friends she leaned up and kissed him deeply. Then murmured the drink that she wanted. Chance kissed her back and smirked. After a wink he made his way to the bar, and didn't even bother to look up. "I need one Cosmo and one bottle of Bud." He pulled out his wallet and put the money on the bar. "Keep the..." His voice trailed off as he came face to face with his ex. The girl who broke his heart and all because she was embarrassed. "Change."

[Echo]

There were three things that her next customer did that annoyed Maya about dealing with drunks. One, he didn't even bother to make eye contact with the person giving him drink. Two he didn't say please, just "I need". Third, he said keep the change, as if he was too important or trying to impress someone to actually care how much his order would cost. Most of all he was her ex.

Maya resisted the urge to scrape her hand down her face in attempt to block out the person ordering drinks. Chance was the last person she wanted to see at this particular moment. Her voice didn't wave as she responded to Crystal about her shot and her eye contact never broke from his gaze. They never covered how they were supposed to act when they saw one another again, let alone in public.

"Hi, since when do you drink Cosmos?" she said loud enough to be hear over the even louder music. She wanted to treat him like any other customer, smile and make some small talk. That was the extent of where she could allow herself to talk to him. He could ignore her and just pay for the drinks she just finished making. That was what she told herself she should hope for, but then she wanted him to stay. Why? Maya didn't know.

[chance]

Chance rested his hands against the bar, but didn't lean on it like he normally would. "Hello." His head tilted at her question and he shrugged. "I don't. But she does." He turned his head and thumbed back towards the blond that was making her way to them. Tina! He'd finally remembered her name.

When she got to him, her arms went around him and she kissed the side of his neck. "You remembered I liked Cosmos. How sweet." Chance stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Kind of hard to forget that she liked them when that was all she was drinking at the function. "Of course I remember, Tina. It was the only thing you drank earlier." He smacked her ass and sent her to go brag to her friends that he was buying her drink. His attention turned back to Maya as he waited for their drinks.

[Echo]

Maya nodded, of course Chance wouldn't want a vodka, cranberry and cointreau. It was too sweet and a girlie drink. The only thing girlie about Chance would be - Maya couldn't think of one thing that was slightly feminine about him. Well he did take good care of himself, his skin mostly, but that wasn't really girlie to her. No she'd known guys to cry at the end of the Notebook and that wasn't a turn on for her. Just as Maya was about to say something else to Chance, hopefully something witty and sophisticated, a Tina came up to the bar and threw herself at Chance.

A flash of jealously flared in her eyes as she kissed his neck and cooed over a simple drink order. Maya raised and eyebrow at this public display of affection. However she resisted the urge to say or anything to Tina as Maya saw the affection one sided. Maya shook the cup of the Cosmo and ice harder just to give her hands something to do. She poured the drink into a martini glass, making sure not to spill any. Part of her was jealous, but then smug at that little fact. It pained her to watch him smack the other girl's ass as she unknowingly felt hers to see if it was any better than the Tina's. Most people knew that Echo was competitive, even when it came down to who had a better ass.

Once she left to go brag to her friends about her hot date, Maya smiled at him put the finished drinks on the counter, tossing a lime twist into the Cosmo gently. "So how old is Tina? She seems.... sweet." Maya said.

[chance]

Once Tiffany, or Tina was back off with her friends, he turned his attention back to Maya once more. He still loved her, that was something he'd had to come to grips with when he had seen her that last time. Part of him wanted to shove Tina off and just focus on the woman who broke his heart. Another part of him, wanted to make out with Tina and all of her friends, right there in front of Maya. Kind of one of those 'See what you lost' moments.

At her question about Tina's age he just shrugged. If he remembered correctly, she just turned eighteen, he knew she was at least that old. "Eighteen, I think. Yesterday or today was her birthday. Don't know if she's sweet, just met her tonight at one of dad's functions. I wanted out, so did she, so figured, what the hell." He shrugged and grabbed the drinks. "Keep the change. I'll probably be back." Probably gonna end up buying for her friends as well. Blue eyes rolled as he turned away from the bar. Then, as if someone flipped a switch, the smile was back in place as he made his way over to the girls.

[Echo]

Crystal was kind enough to take on most of the orders while Maya talked to Chance. Maya knew that she'd want an explanation later on for her help. She put both of her hands on her hips and looked at Chance with a curious expression. So he was into younger game now. Maya took her right backhand and rubbed her nose quickly, there was only six years difference between her and Tina. Now Echo felt older than before, even though she could beat that girl down in a heart beat. However she wouldn't do that. It wasn't her fault that she feel for Chance's charms and good looks.

"Hmm... not sure she can drink. But just make sure that you come up for them, kay?" she said in a calm voice. Maya didn't want to risk her job to impress a guy that she cared about, possibly even love, but she didn't want to be a bitch either. As long as she didn't see it happening, she could play dumb. "Erm thanks." she said while taking the money from the counter. Maya let out a sigh as she put the money in the tip bucket she and Crystal pooled in.

Her partner slid over to her and raised and eyebrow, curious to know what just happened. "An ex, not sure if I'm over him yet. " she admitted while looking up at her next customer. He flashed her a silent smile as he ordered his beer. This guy was the type that was bad ass and probably owned a few guns, he wasn't bad looking either. Maya got it for him and took the money from the counter. "So I overheard that you and pretty boy over there use date. Wanna make him jealous?" he asked in a devious manner. Maya smirked and shook her head. "Not interested. Even if I was you're going to have to do better than that." she replied. Ironically this would be the type of guy that Maya would be attracted to, but she hadn't actually given any men the time of day.

[chance]

At her comment about the girl drinking, Chance looked over his shoulder at Tina and smirked. He turned back to Maya and leaned in like he was whispering, knowing full well she couldn't hear, but could still read his lips. "Yeah, I don't think she can drink either. This will probably be her first one, save for the sip of bubbly her parents let her have once or twice a year at holidays. She'll probably be slobbering drunk, of the first sip. But, she wants to look cool and sophisticated in front of her friends." Kind of like when you told a person not smoke, and they did it anyway, and started hacking up a lung.

Chance gave Tina a kiss on top of the head as he handed her the drink. Very much the good date, making sure that the girls knew that he was with Tina, and making Tina feel special. Fucking hell, he should be charging for this, then when he felt like a fucking escort, at least he'd be getting paid for it. He took an extra long pull from his beer, a sure sign that his patience is being tried and he was getting irritated at his 'date' and her friends.

[Echo]

The man who she was talking too was one of the regulars that started coming in more and more. Maya had only been working here for a week, but Crystal had filled her in on a few of the locals that enjoyed this bar's staff. According to her this guy, Damien, was a Cassanova when it came to getting college girls. He did have a very cool older guy look to him, Maya guessed that he could have been 26 or 27. From her experience he was just a harmless flirt. He'd tried a few lines on her the other night, but had no luck. Maya just didn't have the mindset to start dating again - especially when her ex was just over there.

"Alright Maya, you sure know how to hurt a man." he said with a grin while taking a pull of his beer. Maya let out a short scoff, how true that was. "Don't you have some barbie doll to woo?" she asked while putting her hand on her hip. "Yeah I guess I should. You want me to snag that guy's date?" he asked while pointing over at Chance and Tina. Maya flashed him a grin and would have said yes. However she didn't want to spoil his fun no matter how jealous she would get. The woman just watched the young couple across the club and saw Chance take a long drink from his drink. He was bored, she could tell that from her station. "Nah that would be wrong. I'm not trying to get fired." she laughed. Knowing her boss, harassing customers or sending customers to do her dirty work was frowned upon.

[chance]

Chance smiled and nodded when he was supposed to, and was mentally eye rolling. Except for her hanging on him possessively, Tina was too busy showing off for her friends. These were the kinds of girls he used to avoid. Yup, time to be a real ass. His eye caught a red head about his age out on the dance floor. A brow went up when Tina called him her new boyfriend. "Sorry, sweetheart. Ain't gonna happen. Enjoy your drink. Ladies." He gave them a smile, untangled himself from the girl and headed toward the red head. He set the empty beer bottle down on the table and walked up to the red head.

The Hellion leaned down and whispered in the woman's ear and he smirked as they started to dance. Now this was more his speed, this was the kind of girl that he'll probably end up in the back room with later on in the evening. No names were exchanged as they danced close and he doubted any names would be exchanged later. Every so often his gaze would flick towards the bar and to Maya.

[Echo]

"Alright then sweetie. Damien said while taking another sip at his beer. Maya gave him a short glare, she didn't like being called sweetie. The man's brown eyes met her glare and he gulped, something within her look made him not want to try again. "Well I'm going to check out the ladies. Thanks Maya. " he said while leaving a ten on the counter for his drink and her tip. Maya nodded her head in thanks and changed out the ten and slid her tip in the bucket. The bartender let out a sigh as she looked at the clock. Only an hour had gone past.

However it was the 11th hour and Maya started to get slammed with drink orders. Apparently it was some twenty one year old's birthday and this princess was a big deal and loaded. The champagne alone on that tab would buy Maya a new .45 Colt. However Maya didn't mind, having more people shout orders at her provided her the perfect distraction. It was either that or watching Chance dance with an attractive red head. She preferred the rush.

Before she knew it, another hour had passed and her 15 minute break was here. Some how Maya had gotten her break at 12. The last call was at 1:30 so there wasn't that long to go, but she still wanted a minute to herself. She waved to Crystal to signal her that it was her turn to go into the alley. Maya walked out through the back door and let the cool night air rush over her blushed face.

[chance]

The red head kissed Chance before she and her girlfriend headed off to the bathroom together. Their tongues down each other's throats, and their hands all over each other. The young man chuckled to himself and sighed when he saw Tina and her friends heading towards him. Quickly he made his way through the crowd and slipped out the back door. He pulled a cigarette out of his pack and lit it up. Chance wasn't even aware that Maya was out there at this point in time as he took a drag and leaned against the wall. His eyes closed as he exhaled. Smoking was something he took up that first year that Maya was missing and he hadn't given it up since. There was quite a bit that he started doing a year or two after Maya left, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to continue it or not.

[Echo]

"Ah." she breathed. The sticky air inside the club was unnoticeable to her while she was working, however compared to the cool breeze it was a sauna in there. Maya closed her eyes and let the world put itself on pause. Her sense of sight was her strongest, the second being her smell. She could smell the rotting garbage and faint smell of piss, but it was masked by the new scent of cigarette smoke, alcohol and a mix of leather, sage and other similar scents. Maya knew that type of cologne or body-wash, it was John Varvatos - a very expensive body wash in fact. Chance used to wear that. Maya remembered jut laying next to him smelling that very scent.

She opened her eyes and look at the figure standing by the backdoor light. Maya's heart raced as she saw him there. They were alone in the alley, there were so many things that could go wrong yet right at the same time. She watched him as he take a drag of his cigarette, she wrinkled her nose at smoke. Smoking wasn't a trait that she admired. The woman crossed her arms, then uncrossed them again. Her black hair was swept away from her face in the wind, but then made it fall in her face just again.

[chance]

Chance felt eyes on him and wondered if Tina had followed him out. He took another drag off his cigarette and opened his eyes. His head turned and his blue gaze landed on Maya. He knew that she didn't like smoking, but she hadn't been here when he started. It was the stress of not being able to find her that made him start. One would think with the resources at his disposal he would have been able to find her. But like most of them, if she wanted to vanish, she vanished.

"Maya." He was so damned tired. He hadn't quit thinking about since she came to his room. "How many jobs do you have?" A slight frown touched his features. He would have taken care of her damn it, and she would have probably told him not to. It sucked and he didn't know what do about things anymore.

[Echo]

Maya furrowed her eye brows as he continued to smoke. She was exhausted and wasn't in the mood to start a fight or even continue the one they had in his room a week ago. Her hand ran through her long hair, obviously feeling a bit awkward that she'd caught him out on a date. To her defense she was the one who was there first and worked there. Maya tried to avoid any place that she knew Chance liked to go drinking at. When they were going out he'd take her to expensive clubs that were very exclusive - frequent to celebrity Alco-hole was for a lower caste, somewhere Maya felt more comfortable.

"How many? Well I work here, at a studio and at the Academy." she said, in a tired voice. "It keeps me busy. I hear you're working for your dad and a TA at the Academy. " Maya said .