Liam woke up and the first thing he did was checking his phone. The screen glowed, 8:47. Shit.
Yesterday’s dungeon run had completely wrecked him.
His whole body felt like it had been run over by a truck, then backed up for good asure.
No wonder he’d slept through both alarms. He groaned and rubbed his face.
His stomach dropped rembering sothing important.
He had a shift at Bee Sting today. Starting at nine.
"Fuck!" The word ca out way louder than he ant.
He kicked the blanket off like it had personally offended him and rolled out of bed.
His sleep shirt and boxers were damp with sweat, clinging uncomfortably.
He peeled them off, tossed them toward the chair, and snatched yesterday’s jeans off the floor.
They still carried that familiar mix of spilled coffee and fryer grease. Good enough.
He dragged on a plain gray t-shirt that was wrinkled but at least clean-ish.
No ti for a shower. No ti to brush his teeth properly. No ti to pretend he was a functioning adult. He just bolted.
He slamd the room door so hard the fra rattled, he ran taking two stairs at a ti, his heart already pounding in his ears.
Thanks to clearing the dungeon yesterday.
He was still very weak, muscles aching, head fuzzy, and he really needed this job.
In this world, where the awkaneres are the pinnacle of the society. People like him needed this low level Jobs to stay alive.
The unawakened were getting squeezed harder every month while the city threw obscene paychecks at anyone who Awakened. Just for existing.
Just for signing so cosmic contract with an Aeon who treated them like toys.
He rembered yesterday, though. His "system" had handed him strength, skills, loot, no sponsor, no audience, no glowing entity watching him bleed for entertainnt.
That thought actually made him feel a little smug even while he was panicking about being late.
He shoved through the front door of Bee Sting. The bell jingled twice.
Olivia was right there near the entrance, wiping her hands on her apron.
She spotted him instantly and hurried over, keeping her voice low so the morning regulars wouldn’t catch it.
"The boss is pissed," she whispered. "She’s waiting in the back. I tried to cover, told her you had sothing important co up, but... she’s out for blood today, Liam. Be careful."
He gave her a quick, grateful smile. "Thanks for trying, Liv. I owe you."
She just nodded, eyes soft for a second before she turned back to the counter.
He walked straight to the back office, knocked once, more habit than respect, and pushed the door open.
Beatrix was sitting on the edge of her desk, legs crossed, glasses low on her nose.
That little mole on her cheek looked almost deliberate. High cheekbones, full lips, dark hair yanked back into a tight ponytail.
Green eyes that always seed to be sizing you up for burial. She was writing on a clipboard and didn’t look up right away.
Then she looked at his direction.
"You’re late," she said. Each word ca out slow and razor-sharp. "Again. Now what should I do with you?"
He nodded, his heart racing. "Yeah. I had... sothing to take care of. Sorry."
She set the clipboard down with a soft click. "I can’t keep ignoring this, Liam."
He hesitated, then, half desperate, half rembering how stiff her shoulders always looked, he tried sothing stupid.
"How about I make it up to you? I give a pretty decent shoulder massage."
She raised one perfect eyebrow. For a second he thought she was going to reject his offer.
Then she sighed. "I have been working nonstop. Fine. Make it quick."
He stepped behind her. His hands settled on her shoulders, tense as steel cables under the crisp shirt.
He’d done this before, many tis in his previous life worn Olivia, enough tis that his fingers rembered the motions without thinking.
His thumbs pressed into the knots near her neck, slow circles, working downward.
She let out a small breath, then another. Her head tipped forward slightly.
A soft, surprised sound slipped out of her, nothing like the controlled voice she used with everyone else.
A second later, a faint chi rang in his head.
[ 1 SP]
His eyes widened. Holy shit. Was his massage skill this good?
Beatrix cleared her throat and straightened. "That’s... sufficient. You can go now."
He nodded quickly, backing toward the door. "Thanks. Won’t happen again."
The rest of the shift passed in a blur of espresso shots, oat milk lattes, and the usual weekend chaos.
When they finally flipped the sign to Closed, he felt the weight of the day start to lift.
It was ti. To keep the promise he’d made to himself yesterday. That is clearing his relationship with Olivia.
In his previous life, even with plague, evil awkaneres, monsters. Olivia never left his side.
Always been there, showing support for him. A woman he’d loved more than anything.
But that was all in his previous life. Now everything he did would change her first impression on him.
For better or worse...
He walked to her, feeling his heart kicking fast. ’What if she thought I’m a creep. Am I hurrying things up?’ But he supressed this thoughts and reached her.
"Hey, Liv," he said as they stepped out of the shop.
"You wanna walk to the public garden with ? Just for a bit. It’s nice out."
Olivia looked at Liam’s face, then down at her watch, the ani she liked to watch would play soon.
Skipping this episode ant she would need to wait for another day.
She sighed, but looking at Liam’s face she then thought, "It’s better to be sothing important!"
They walked to the garden nearby. The evening air was cool. Streetlights were just starting to flicker on.
As they walked close enough that their arms brushed, mories of past life hit him hard.
The two of them walking this sa path before, laughing, her hand in his, then her getting killed before his own very eyes.
His fist clenched at his side.
Not this ti. I’m not letting it happen again.
Then Olivia poked his arm, "hey, are you okay?"
He suppressed his nervousness and nodded, "yeah, why?"
She looked at his eyes, "Honestly, I feel sothing about you changed lately, as if you beca more...bold?"
He asked her back, "bold..but is it good?"
She laughed, "yes, very good."
He stopped under one of the big trees at the edge of the garden and turned to her. His heart was slamming against his ribs.
"Olivia. I need to tell you sothing."
She looked up at him, curious, waiting.
He took a breath. "I’m in love with you. Honestly. I have been for a while."
Olivia looked at Liam’s face.
She honestly didn’t have ti for romance at all, the problems with her family.
And in this world where even forming a relationship demanded a lot of effort, she simply didn’t want that.
Yet, that all changed when she landed a job in bee sting and t Liam.
At first she thought of him like the cute shy colleague who always gets things done.
But slowly he started to give attention to her, noticing her face when she was fatigued and offering to help her. Ani recomndations and much more.
Slowly she even liked his company and looked forward to eting him at work.
But did she want to start a relationship now?
It was still a question especially with her history and pulling Liam to troubles.
Then she rembered the news she was getting lately. About many young won vanishing.
She looked at Liam’s face and thought, why not? This world was already dangerous, at least I would make good mories with him without living in guilt.
She looked at Liam face once more and said, "I accept"
Before he could process it, she went up on her toes and kissed him.
Soft at first, then deeper. When she pulled back, her cheeks were pink.
"I’ve been waiting for you to make the first move," she admitted quietly. "Like... forever."
"Sorry," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It’s okay." She smiled again, brighter. "Hey. Want to co to my place? We could watch sothing. Ani, a movie, whatever."
He nodded, feeling lighter than he had in years. "Yeah. I’d like that."
They flagged down a taxi together and slid into the back seat, their shoulders touching.
Her hand resting casually on his knee the whole ride to her house.
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