Chapter Text
For a night so busy it must have been one of the quietest of nights. Almost every table was taken, every seat filled with people, the air was full of chatter, laughter and music. There was no promise for a silent moment until it was time to let the people know that it was the time to go home. Yet behind the counter the silence had taken over everything.
Something was missing from the world.
As tonight you were somewhere else.
Not that I was going to let such matters bother me. Why would I even notice that someone else was sitting on the chair that you usually took when you came to visit the tavern? Why would it bother me that I could not locate your sound, your laughter, among all the others? Your absence promised a more relaxed evening for me, so why would I be bothered?
After delivering another round of drinks for people who should have ceased drinking three beers ago, I rested my hands on the counter, allowing my back to have a moment of rest before we’d be running on another round of drink delivery. Part of me expected the warmth of your hand to meet mine, by accident of course.
But tonight you were somewhere else.
And for that moment I missed those accidents.
Oh how I fought for my nights to be silent.
Yet not like this.
Not without you.