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He wasn't mad at Liam, just irritated. It was hard enough to be running the club all on his own. But when an employee tells him they were going to be gone for a certain amount of time he kind of expected them to be back by the end of that time. Instead, Liam failed to tell him that he was extending the vacation. If someone else were taking charge, he was sure that the male would be out of a job. He was certainly lucky that Samuel was out of the office. Still that was no excuse. Alaine sipped on his coffee and picked at his muffin. It was too early to be this irritated and yet here he was. Last night had been horrible. Two employees were over an hour late to their shift and a third didn't show up at all. The club had been busy and it was exhausting to keep things in check. He was so tired, it was all he could do to drag himself home.

Nibbling his muffin, his phone soon buzzed beside him. Even through text he could tell that the male was teasing. It was a bit unfair. Here he was trying to sulk the morning away and in waltz his on-again, off-again lover. Sighing heavily, he pulled his phone closer and picked it up. He wished he had the energy to be just as teasing. But it was too much. Breakfast was only keeping him awake enough to get home without rear ending the next car that cuts him off. "I never said that. he replied. He thought of leaving the message like that, but thought it best to continue. "If you really wanna work tonight be there by seven. You can do a bit of cleaning before we open for the early crowd." Hitting the send button, he set his phone back down and continued eating his breakfast. It was annoying how much he hoped the male might be there tonight. As much as he hated to admit, he did kind of miss him. But only a little.

If it wasn't his little soft spot for the male, he most certainly wouldn't have a job to return to. In the past month, every fiber of his being urged him to just get it over with. He knew that Samuel would have gone ahead and fired him if he had been here. But Samuel had been M.I.A. for so long he didn't even bother trying to consult with him. For all he knew, it was business as usual and all the employees were accounted for. Alaine picked at the rest of his muffin until just a few crumbs were left. Gathering his trash, he rose from his chair and was preparing to leave. His phone had gone silent for a couple of minutes and he was ready to go home to bed. Waving goodbye to the owner, Alaine took his coffee and walked out of the shop to his car. After unlocking the door and slipping in to the drivers' seat, his phone buzzed once more. He quickly read the message and smiled. He hoped the male would not disappoint.

Tossing the phone in to the passenger's seat, Alaine ignored it for the rest of the drive. The morning sun was bright and traffic was already starting to pick up. By the time he reached the city, it was already bumper to bumper. As he sat behind a line of unmoving cabs, he picked up his phone, reading the message again. "See you." he text back. Throwing the phone back on to the seat, he looked back to the slow moving traffic. He really did hope to see him again. Alaine shock his head and tried to force the male from his brain. He would deal with it later.

Another thirty or so minutes later, he was pulling up to his home. Parking in his usual spot, he cut the engine and dragged his tired bones out of the car. With his keys in one hand and phone in the other, Alaine locked and unlocked and relocked the doors. The house was quiet and just as he left it. Slipping off his shoes, he padded down the hall to his bedroom and plopped down belly first on to the bed. Curling in to a ball, he made himself comfy and soon drifted off to sleep.

Sleeping the day away was not his favorite way to spend it. But given the last couple of weeks, it was the only way he knew how. From the time he got home at close to seven-thirty in the morning til five in the afternoon he slept like the dead. No phone calls, text messages, or passing noise from outside could wake him. When he at last awoke, he was feeling well rested. He pealed back the heavy comforter and swung his legs over the side of the bed. His clothes clung awkwardly to his body as he hadn't bothered changing before going to bed. Alaine padded over to the bathroom and stripped down to nothing to take a quick shower. He grimaced as he caught sight of himself in the mirror. His hair was an absolute mess and the small braids he'd put in it earlier were frizzy and all over the place. Time to take it all down. After nearly ten minutes of struggling to take the mop down, he was finally ready to step in to the shower. Turning the knobs, he stepped beneath the warm spray and let the water wash over him.

After some much needed washing and scrubbing, he soon emerged from a cloud of steam. Alaine grabbed a fresh towel from the closet and headed in to his bedroom. Unlike Samuel, he wasn't too concerned about what he wore to work. He simply plucked a pair of destroyed jeans and an over-sized sweatshirt. He then went back to the bathroom and spent another twenty minutes blow drying his hair. He didn't bother styling his hair as he normally would. He figured for now it would be fine. He could mess with it later. Gathering his things, Alaine headed out the door and locked up. At this point he was starting to wonder why he even came back here. The most he ever did was sleep and occasionally eat. But even the latter was becoming a rarity.

Alaine crossed the lawn and slipped in to his car. He followed the same route he took home, making only one minor detour to crap something for dinner from his favorite drive-through. He quickly ordered and paid for the meal before continuing on to the club. Traffic leaving the city was just about as terrible as it was when he came in this morning. By the time he reached the club it was nearing six-thirty. He parked in his usual spot and wasn't the least surprised to find that he was the first to arrive at the club. Alaine went in through the back door, shut off the alarm, and started flipping on a few lights. He then walked down the hall to his once shared office and switched on the light. Coming in to the room, he shut the door behind him and came around the desk, dropping the bag of food on top of it.

He made himself comfortable behind the desk and started in on his dinner. Alaine hadn't really been paying attention so he didn't hear anyone come in to the club. He ate quietly and booted up the computer to check his e-mail and go over the schedule. He didn't realize how hungry he was as he scarfed down his burger and fries until his fingers were prodding at an empty box. He quickly shoved his trash in to the paper bag and rose from his chair. Stepping in to the hall, the club was just as dark and quiet as he left it. He walked down the hall towards the main area to find a trash can. As he walked, Alaine flipped on more lights and unlocked any needed doors such as the restroom and locker room. As he came in to the main area, he stopped in his tracks as he saw the tall figure of his lover. "You're early." he said, once he collected himself. Moving past him, Alaine went around the bar to throw his trash away and turn on a few more lights.

With nothing to keep his hands busy he was only able to stand there awkwardly. It was true that Liam deserved his attitude but the angry he felt wasn't from anything he'd done. He was tired of playing boss and wanted to go home for a couple of days and not see this place. Alaine nodded as the male spoke, accepting his apology. As he heard a bit of movement in front of him, he looked up to see the male taking a seat at the counter. Alaine stayed rooted to his spot in front of the counter. Neither taking a step front nor back. He nodded again, though it wasn't really the answer to the question he was asking. "It's fine.You're lucky we had enough part-timers to fill your slot." he replied. This time he chose his words carefully. Though there was still a small bite to his tone. He looked around again, wanting an escape. Even though he'd been thinking about it all month, he still wasn't ready to have this conversation. "Did you meet anyone while you were gone?" he asked, since he obviously wasn't going to get a response for his first one.