Another Day, Another Dollar

Ben had once again spent the night in the bottle, he didn't care he had the morning to sleep it off his shift didn't start until 1pm that day. He could not remember anymore how long it had been since he started his slave work at the bar, but something had to pay for the room and the booze.

The Jug and Bottle, what an original name for a bar he always though, but he knew one of the other would kill him one day and that was what he deserved, no that anyone else needed to know that.

After his shower and lunch it was off to the bar, and it was going to be a long day, just like all of them are. Walking into the place it was already packed with those finishing up from their lunch drinks, some of the guys had been there since the place had open.

Walking towards the back of the bar to where the employee break room was some guy had turned to get off his stool and ran right into Ben, of course the guy was not completely at fault, but Ben never saw things like that.

"Hay, I was walking here you know" Was Ben's nice way of telling someone they were in his way.

Finally making it back to the room he placed his things in his locker and grabbed the apron that he had to wear. The was only one thing that made his day at the bar bearable was Lainey. Of course he was just as rude to her as everybody else but somewhere inside she had caught his eye, but of course it was never known to anyone.

Heading back up to the front he placed somethings in the pockets of the apron and went to help the first table that needed something.

"Yeah what do ya want?" Ben asked in his usual rudeness

"Bloody git," Lainey muttered under her breath as she made her way into the Jug and Bottle. The woman was having a rather horrid day. First, she had overslept, then she had missed her bus. Not to mention the stupid taxi driver who totally ripped her off. Now... well, now, she was quite certain she was late.

"Move!" the redhead snarled at someone blocking her path to the break room. Stepping around him, she hurried to her destination, quickly clocking in... which set off a round of foul cussing. Late. By two bloody minutes.

Groaning, Lainey took a moment to calm herself, taking in several deep breaths. Her hands came to rest on her rounded belly, a smile pulling at her lips at the slight movement she could feel there. "Hey..." she murmured softly. Five months, already. God, it was hard to wrap her head around, sometimes.

Finally grabbing an apron, Lainey tied it about her waist and went back out to start working. Lainey rolled her eyes as she passed Ben, overhearing his usual charming addressing of customers. Putting on a polite, friendly smile, she made her way to the bar to serve those seated there.

"What can I get for you, hun?" the redhead asked a woman seated at the bar.

Ben had started getting busy and when Ben got busy he got even more grouchy. Walking around to a couple of table he would take their order go back to the bar, and tell the barkeep what was wanted and he delivered the drink.

He had looked at the clock a few times and noticed that Lainey was running late for her shift, he hoped that everything was ok, at least that was what he told himself on the inside but on the outside he was completely different.

Dropping off a couple of drinks to one table the people there asked where Lainey was and he had to smirk at them, "Obviously not here." he spat and walked away.

Ben knew it was not like her to be late because of the bus she took always brought he in early. When he saw the door open and Lainey walked in he sighed a little bit of relief knowing that she was fine. But he would never let her know he was worried.

He knew she was single and going to be raising this baby on her own. No one knew this but sometimes he would slip extra money on her tables so she would have it.

Walking up to a table he slammed the drinks down on it and then walked away. Walking past Lainey he whispered towards her,

"Nice of you to join us today, what did you do..Get lost?" Ben said rather rudely.

Lainey had taken care of those seated on the stools, and was preparing the order for one of the tables when Ben finally made an excuse to pass by so he could be his typical bastard self. And for a while she had believed he might actually know how to be nice. He must have been sick or something.

"Isn't that what people usually tell you to do?" the redhead quipped back with a saccharine smile. There was actually something cathartic about her relationship with Ben. She could be as bitchy and horrid as she felt like and not feel guilty about any of it because the man had been awful to her right from the start.

It wasn't the friendliest of interpersonal interactions, to be certain, but in many ways, it was more honest. Lainey wasn't a nice person - not really. She hated herself, wizards, and the world, in that order; though her views on the last two were more charitable these days. Eli was largely to credit for that, but not even her brother could reverse years of self-loathing in a few short months.

"I see you haven't scared anyone off, yet," Lainey remarked lightly, reaching past the man to grab a glass. "Must be a good day. ... or would that be a bad day? I forget."

Ben would never understand his need to be rude with Lainey other than it gave him some excitement for the day he guessed. Picking up the drinks that the bar keep had ready for him he could not resist commenting back.

"People never have time to tell me to get lost, your the only one I bother long enough to be told off like that" Ben said rather frankly, before turning away from her to deliver his drinks

It was true, Lainey was the only company that Ben could stand for more than 5 seconds. He carried the drinks back to a table that was waiting for them. He didn't say anything to them just placed the drinks on the table and walked away.

Ben noticed that a few more tables came in and since Lainey was busy he went over and took care of them. Then went back and noticed she was still standing there.

When Lainey reached in front of him he resisted the urge to touch her, smiling inwardly then he whispered to her again.

"As long as you are around it is always a good day." Ben stated quietly not sure if she heard him or not. He walked away to deliver the drinks.

The redhead gave an indelicate snort. "Oh, well, in that case, I'm honored," she remarked sarcastically.

Lainey temporary left the tray she was preparing to wait for the bowls of stew from the kitchen. Replacing the drinks at a nearby table, she returned just as the meals were prepared. The redhead looked back over her shoulder to watch Ben's retreating figure.

"Okay..." she mumbled to herself, shaking her head and turning back to her task. "Now, I'm having auditory hallucinations." Picking up the laden tray, she made her way to the table that had ordered it.

Ben looked at the time and it was about time for the lunch rush to be over and then he could eat. He went around busing and cleaning the rest the tables that were not occupied.

He went into the kitchen and got himself something to eat and then went out to a table and began eating his food.

As he ate he sat there watching Lainey work while he ate. He tried not to be to obvious while he was doing it. She really was a beautiful not that he would ever tell her that. He did worry about her a lot, especially with her being pregnant and he hoped someone who help her take of the baby.

Taking a couple of bites of his food he noticed her wiping off a table and could not help but comment,

"Hay, I think you missed a spot on that table over there" Ben smirked as he pointed to a table.

Lainey paused to rub her hand against her lower back. She had always taken for granted the absence of back pain. It hadn't even been injured; it just... ached, sometimes. One of the joys of being pregnant, she supposed. God, and it was probably going to get worse.

The lunch rush finally passed and Lainey focused on getting everything cleaned up before she took her own lunch - which was after Ben's, since he'd started work earlier. Raising a skeptical brow at the man, Lainey cast a glance at the table in question.

"You mean the water rings?" She didn't try to mask her sarcasm. "The ones that have been there since before I worked here? I'll get right on it." Lainey rolled her eyes and continued her task.

Ben finished up his lunch while he watched Lainey finish up her task. He noticed that she kept rubbing her lower back, he felt a little bad for her she had to be very uncomfortable. He was glad he did not have to carry the extra weight.

Glancing around he noticed the bar was completely empty, and that included the bar keep who had went in the back to get some stock.

Ben did something that had there been anyone around he would have never dreamed of doing, but watching her try and rub her back pulled a little at him. Ben went over to where she was bent over wiping off a table and placed both hands on the small of her back and started to rub it a little trying to get some of the stiffness.

He was able to do this for a couple of minutes until he heard the door open then he went back to his normal self.

"I was talking about the crumbs right there." He pointed to the crumbs that had falling off of the plate he had sat there.

Lainey initially stiffened. Ben was touching her. For a moment she was very acutely aware that his hands were on her back. She opened her mouth to give him a blistering rebuke, only to break off before a single work crossed her lips.

Oh, god - that felt good!

Then, suddenly, he had moved away again, leaving Lainey to gaze blankly at him. A very funny feeling had settled in her chest. What was... Why had-?

Her gaze went to tabletop in question. "Oh," she said very quietly, still feeling somehow... off. "Right." Lainey gave herself a mental shake and wiped the table over again, shooting him a mutinous look.

"Prat," she muttered. Somehow, it lacked some of its usual heat.

Finishing up, the redhead put the supplies back in their proper place. Grabbing her own lunch, she retreated to a far table. She tried not to think about the feel of Ben's hands on her back.

Ben could not believe that he had his hands on Lainey's back and she hadn't yelled or screamed at him, he supposed it was a good thing. He felt he was doing a good thing for her because he could tell she was very uncomfortable.

He kept thinking about what he did and kept watching her out of the corner of his eye while he waited on the few tables that had just come in. He discovered that he was not being his normal rude self to these people he seemed to have his mind some where else.

Walking to the back he got a few things he needed to finish having things ready for the dinner rush. He had offered to stay over and work it today because someone had called in, which did not bother him because he had no life anyway.

He sat down at the bar to wrap some silverware while he continue to watch Lainey do her thing. She really was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, but he didn't deserve anyone like her.

"Why does my life have to suck" Ben mumbled as he continued what he was doing.

Lunch finished, Lainey went back to work. Which really meant that she proceeded to kill time with an assortment of odd, menial tasks until people started coming in for dinner. She kept pausing, half-certain someone was watching. Most times, she resisted the urge to look, but she did, the place was just as empty as behave. Just her and Ben and their coworker, wherever he had gone.

"Because you're a complete wanker?" Lainey suggested, having caught what Ben was mumbling to himself as she passed behind him on her way to make sure the bar had been restocked.

Ben had to chuckle to himself with a smirk on his face so a person would not know he was actually laughing. He could not believe she called him a wanker. Looking over at Lainey, "Wanker, thats the best you can come up with.". He had been called many things, but this was the first time for this one.

Having completed the silverware task he went to clean off the table that just had left and came back around Lainey, "So what excatly does a wanker do?"

Ben was trying really hard to keep a straight face when he asked her, trying to be a smart arse. At least they were chatting.

"Why should I try to come up with something better when wanker fits you perfectly?" Lainey countered.

She looked up from her task at his question, gazing at him incredulously for almost a minute before laughing openly in his face. "You did not just ask that," the redhead smirked in amusement. "Where are you from that you don't know what a wanker is?

"It's a detestable person, yeah? And someone who..." Her hand moved in front of her pelvis to make a crude gesture, indicating precisely what wanking was. Lainey smirked, then shook her head. "You probably just wanted to watch me mime it, didn't you?"

Part of her pointed out that her last statement came rather close to flirting, but the redhead decided to ignore it.

Ben smirked a little as she laughed at him, "Well I guess I have been called worse things, before"

Of course Ben knew what it was, he was just getting some excuse to have a conversation with Lainey.

Ben tried the best he could not to laugh when he watched her demonstrate what a wanker was. Ben went and grabbed a few things trying to think of the right thing to say without laughing. Coming back over to where Lainey was,

"I must say you do that rather well, have lots of practice have you?" Ben said with his normal luster, but still trying not to laugh.

"I'm sure you've been called everything, at least once before," Lainey quipped back. She rolled her eyes as he went off to do something else. The woman had it on good authority that everyone knew what a wanker was, especially someone like Ben.

"Oh, lots," Lainey drawled out with a naughty little smirk, completely unabashed.