Getting dressed for two different plans became irritating at some point. 

The birthday party after work put brakes on what I initially planned to wear that night. Normally, I didn’t care. If the club put me in something particularly ridiculous, I threw an oversized hoodie over it, changed into boots and rode the subway home pretending there wasn't something underneath that management had probably ordered from a sex shop. 

I stood in front of my wardrobe for another minute before pulling out one of my favorite tops. Black, fitted, with a diamond-shaped opening over my collarbone and chest. I left my hair down and added my favorite black pants with the silver-beaded belt. Rings. Bracelets. Two necklaces. By the time I grabbed my keys, something jingled every time I moved. 

I usually entered Bella-Donna from the front, but I still had time for a cigarette before my shift. Rather than circle the building, I took the narrow passage between Bella-Donna and Toscana toward the back.

Snow crunched beneath my boots. Halfway down the alley, another set of footsteps joined mine. I kept walking, as did they.

My shoulders tightened as I tried to glance back without properly turning my head. A large figure was walking several steps behind me, bundled beneath a black winter jacket. My fingers had already closed around my keys inside my pocket when they suddenly stopped. 

I could only hear my own footsteps, but I picked up the pace anyway. My hair blew back in the wind as I walked, and my breathing quickened until I could feel the cold air inside my lungs. 

Only when Bella-Donna’s back door shut behind me did I realize how tightly I had been holding the keys inside my pocket. I managed a chuckle as I caught my breath, leaning against the door. 

Probably nothing. The guy hadn’t followed me once I sped up. For all I knew, I had just terrified some poor guy trying to get to work. Better safe than sorry.

“What’s with you?” Min looked up from the vanity. “You look pale.”

“I thought somebody was following me through the alley.”

Her expression changed immediately. “What?”

“I don’t know if he actually was,” I clarified, taking off my coat. “He stopped. Just be careful if you go outside tonight, okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll tell the others.”

I nodded and went to clock in. By Saturday standards, Bella-Donna was almost disappointing. Christmas always did that to us. People preferred spending four hundred dollars on their families. It did leave me with enough time to entertain myself.

Table nine. Four men were already on their second round when I took over the section. Three of them were perfectly fine. The fourth kept trying to pay for everybody.

“No, no, put that shit away.” He pushed his friend’s card back across the table when I brought their drinks. “Are you insane? Tonight is on me, obviously.” They laughed. He did too, considerably louder.

I started to clean their table as they continued talking when my fingers slipped on one of the glasses. I caught it before it dropped, but he couldn’t let the opportunity to chat slip past him.

“Careful,” he chuckled at me as I retrieved their glasses, but his eyes had dropped below my necklace. “You made me forget what I was going to order.” He leaned forward as he said it, one hand curling around the edge of the table beside my thigh. 

“Another of the same?” I asked. “Or would you–”

“Something else,” he muttered as he handed me his card. “Just don’t disappear again, baby. Do I have to hunt you down every time I want something?”

“I’ll make it up to you,” I said as I took his credit card from between his fingers. 

“There we go,” he said, chuckling to his friends.

The man flicked his wrist when he handed it over, his watch catching beneath the lights. I had noticed it earlier. Unless I was mistaken, it wasn’t even particularly expensive. Which was fine. It was the wrist flick that annoyed me.

One of his friends gave me an apologetic smile. He went back to whatever story he had been telling his friends before I walked away.

I stopped at the bar. He wanted something else. I chose the bottle that cost four hundred and eighty dollars. That should make it up to him. I ran his card before bringing it over.

APPROVED. Well, good for him. I tucked the receipt beneath the tray and picked up the bottle.

When I returned, he was halfway through telling his friends about a hotel in Miami. I waited for a break in the story, but apparently it didn't have one, so I set the glasses down and popped the bottle open.

One of his friends leaned forward to look at the label. “Oh, shit.”

“What?” Another asked.

“Nothing.” The man reached for it before his friend could.

Only after the first glass was filled did he finally pick up the little menu beside his elbow and flip toward the bottles. His thumb stopped as I poured the next glass. I bit my tongue. 

“Four eighty?” Mr. Tonight Is On Me asked.

I looked down and caught his eyes wandering over my face as he tapped the menu. As I poured the last glass, I noticed his other hand resting on the edge of the table. The one with the watch.

“Oh, yeah.” I glanced at the bottle. “Sorry, I thought you knew. I can check if we’re able to refu–”

“What?” He closed the menu and scoffed. He took a sip and nodded as if the price had not surprised him at all. “It’s good. Thanks, sweetheart,” he said, taking a deep breath. 

“Anytime, Dominic.” I tapped the card tucked beneath the receipt before handing both back to him.

His eyebrows lifted slightly. “Right,” he chuckled and reached for his wallet.

I expected him to put the card away. Instead, he pulled out two twenties and slipped them beneath the edge of my tray.

“For taking care of us.”

“Enjoy,” I said, pressing my lips together. 

I survived another twenty minutes before deciding I had earned a cigarette.

The dressing room was empty when I went backstage for my coat. I was already reaching for my cigarettes when the red blanket caught my eye, still folded over one of the makeup stools where Cynthia had left it.

I had forgotten about that. Since I was going outside anyway, I tucked it beneath my arm and headed through the back door.

Toscana’s kitchen door was shut. I stood in front of it for a moment, suddenly realizing I had no idea what I was supposed to do with the thing. Leave it outside? Knock?

I knocked. Nothing. I tried again before opening the door just enough to peek inside. 

Heat and noise hit me first. Pans clattered somewhere farther in, somebody called something I couldn’t understand, and another voice answered over him. One man hurried between two stations, turning something in a pan before reaching across to check another.

Someone closer to the door was pulling something from a top shelf when he noticed me.

“Hi, sorry to bust in here.” I held up the blanket. “Someone working here gave me this the day before yesterday. I wanted to return it.”

He looked at the blanket, then at me. His head turned toward the kitchen for a second before his attention returned to me. 

“Someone here gave you that?” He smiled, glancing toward the kitchen again as he held out his hand. 

“Yeah. Some tall guy. I didn’t really see his face.”

His eyebrows lifted. “Pfft. Of course…” He snorted.

“Can you give it to him? And… tell him thanks,” I added as I handed it to him.

“Sure. Have a good night.”

I let the door fall shut again and moved closer to Bella-Donna's side of the yard to smoke.

I had barely made it halfway through my cigarette before Toscana's door opened behind me again. Two people stepped outside, talking to each other.

I glanced over once and returned to my phone. By then, my fingers were getting cold anyway. I finished the cigarette, crushed it into the ashtray and went back inside.

I clocked out at quarter past ten. The birthday party had already started, so I changed my shoes, grabbed my things and checked the address Romina had sent me before leaving through the back.

Halfway through the alley, I took my phone out again. Apparently, I had already forgotten which direction I was supposed to turn. I stopped beneath one of the lights and opened the address.

Footsteps sounded behind me. Again? I looked over my shoulder and saw another large figure coming down the alley. I froze, my fingers hovering over the display as I tried to figure out what he wanted. 

Bella-Donna was already too far back to make turning around feel like the better option, and the thought of letting him walk behind me made my chest burn. The moment my phone screen darkened, I shoved my phone into my pocket and ran.

I didn’t stop at the end of the alley. I made it another three blocks before slowing down, lungs burning as I looked behind myself. There was nobody following me.

“Jesus Christ…”

I bent forward with my hands on my knees. What was wrong with me tonight? At least I ran in the correct direction. The bar Romina had sent me was less than a block away. I walked in still trying to breathe normally, opened my jacket and searched the tables until an arm shot into the air near the back.

“Kento!” Romina waved at me like I had been missing for several years instead of being fifteen minutes late.

The woman sitting across from her turned. She was pretty.

Her curtain bangs had been styled around her face, and tiny bows and pearls decorated the soft pink pullover she wore. When I reached the table, she stood and gave me a shy smile that put deep dimples into both cheeks.

“Hello. I’m Nari.” She held out her hand. “Thank you for accepting the invitation.”

I shook it. “I'm Kento. Romina neglected to mention there was a formal invitation. She made it sound like I was crashing your birthday.”

“You did?” Nari turned toward her, her brows pulling together as her dimples disappeared. 

“What? No…” Romina laughed, pointing at me. “Don’t listen to him.” 

“I brought something for you. Here, I hope it’s to your liking.” 

I handed her the box. The chocolates were shaped like roses and airbrushed pink and red to make them look almost real, each with an almond in the middle as Romina had recommended. 

“Oh…” Nari looked through the lid before smiling at me. “Thank you.” 

Her cheeks flushed enough that I could see it beneath her makeup.

“You are not crashing anything,” she added quickly. “I don’t know a lot of people, so having someone close to Romina become my friend makes me happy.” Her voice dropped toward the end as she played with the chocolate box.

“Oh… I was joking.” I smiled. “So, midnight is the official birthday?”

She nodded. “Twenty-five.”

I looked at her again. “Really? I thought you were younger than me.”

“Haha! It’s the bubblegum-pink pullover! I told you!” Romina laughed, nudging her.

I started laughing with them when another large figure approached our table and slumped over the booth. For a split second, I stared at him. What was it with large guys today?

He pulled off his beanie and scarf, opened his jacket and leaned over to hug Nari, all in one quick motion. Almost immediately, he let go and brushed both hands over the front of his shirt with an ugly look on his face.

“Happy birthday or whatever, sis.”

“Thank you, brother!”

They stared at each other like they couldn’t stand one another. Then both started smiling. I noticed the dimples first.

His weren’t as deep as Nari’s. They faded into faint lines beside his mouth when he smiled, leading my eyes toward a long, defined jaw. There was a little more muscle on one side, like he clenched his teeth too often.

He was a handsome guy.

His nose was strong, the bridge slightly uneven, and a small break through his right eyebrow stopped the hair from growing there. Two moles sat near the same temple. A few strands of hair rested over his forehead.

He exchanged greetings with Romina as he took his jacket off. He turned toward me and extended his hand, slightly raising his right eyebrow with a friendly smile. He didn’t look me in the eyes for long, though. His gaze dropped as he spoke.

“Hi, I’m Nari’s older brother. My name is Geonsu.”