“Don’t forget your helmet!”

Her gaze locks onto mine as she’s being dragged away by a very pretty girl in an elegant red dress. Again, Hana’s scent captivates me but there’s something different about it. It twists in my stomach, stirring into an unsettling mixture of excitement and jitters. I find myself envious of the girl. My reaction is almost instinctual, like a deep and primal wanting. My ears dull the music from the main room, intentionally blocking out anything that might distract me from Hana. For a heartbeat it’s just the two of us, our eyes locked and nothing else matters.

They exit the club. 

The shiny black helmet resting on the side of the counter reflects my clueless face. I stare at the empty doorway where they disappeared, hoping to see Hana coming back—in vain.

Embarrassment and frustration roil together in the pit of my stomach as I realize she either didn’t hear me, or did and didn’t come back, I’m not sure which is worse.

Well yeah, Casey. She’s probably too focused on following her hot date. 

My cheeks flush lightly at the thought of it. I shake my head in disbelief. More concerned with my reaction to the whole situation rather than Hana completely ignoring me while looking straight into my eyes.

The audacity.

The night has been busy until now, of course the moment I need a distraction is when the flow of clubbers begins to slow. My little coat-room is filled with other people’s belonging. Coats, bags, hats and purse that I wouldn’t be able to afford even with six to seven month worth of salary. I really need to ask a raise eventually.

The hallway is very quiet. I make sure that no one is coming in. When I’m certain, I head to the back of the room to my little “office”. I call it that because it feels more professional, but really it’s just a break room, little more than a plastic folding table, metal stool, microwave and a mini fridge. Movie posters decorate the walls, hanging at odd angles and barely held up by cheap tape. I never was really good at manual labor.

As I shove the popcorn pouch into the microwave, the room is infused with its buttery aroma and the loud pops echo around me. This is my favourite part of the job—finally getting to watch horror movies on my broken phone and enjoy some junk food. The hiss of my soda can signals the start of my cinephile session. I have maybe one to two hours without interruptions.

———————————————————

It’s now 4 AM. One by one, each item departs from its safe spot as its owner exits the club. That group of douches from earlier is too wasted to give me a hard time. Thank fuck, I didn’t have the energy to deal with their bad jokes. It’s an overall quiet end of night or start of the morning, depending on how you look at it. 

The last customer leaves and I sigh with relief. Until my eyes land on Hana’s forgotten helmet. What if she has an accident? Intrusive thoughts make their way into my exhausted brain. But I shake them off. 

She’s fine, she’s in good company. Probably at the motel. It’s all good Casey. All good. I tell myself that, but the tightness in my chest that I’ve been trying to ignore all night is telling me otherwise.

Cleaning and organizing the room serves as a good distraction from my thoughts. The helmet is locked safely in the lost and found. I check over one last time, once I’m satisfied that nothing else needs to be done, I start to put my coat on when I hear Seraphine’s familiar voice behind me.

“Ready to go home, hon’ ?” There’s a sweetness in her tone that signals she’s about to ask me for something. I turns and smiles to her.

“Yes, I’m about to leave but…do you need anything before I go?” I ask innocently, knowing perfectly well what’s coming.

“Say Casey, we’re short in cleaning staff tonight. Do you think you can spare another hour? Paid of course. Double.” Her smile is warm and sincere. As always, she looks fresh as a flower— perfect makeup, perfect clothes. I sometimes suspect she sleeps in her office while we’re working.

“Double pay?…” I think for a bit, I really need the money. My stupid rent is going up soon. I should ask for a new chair too. “Sure. Okay, lemme just remove my jacket.”

A little happy squeal escapes her as she rushes into the coat room. I barely have time to react before her arms wrap around me in a tight hug, drawing a half-laugh from me. I’m finally getting used to this; Sera is very tactile. On my first day of work, she hugged me just as tightly. The only difference is that today I’m overwhelmed by her perfume and her warmth. We’re the same size thanks to her high heels, so my face is right in her neck. My nostrils flare, eager to take in more of her scent. It’s as if my nose had suddenly developed a mid of its own, eager for a whiff of her scent like a detective on a case. She backs up to look at me and I’m grateful for the space. What the hell is wrong with me and my stupid nose?

“You’re the best, Casey!” A grin brightens her face. Her light blue eyes are smiling behind her square glasses. This woman is charming, and she knows it. “Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome, Sera.” I give her my best sheepish smile. I can’t help but feel awkward when she gets all affectionate.

“Let me go write you a check for that extra hour, yes? Come to my office once the cleaning is done.” She walks away, waving cheerfully and I hear her footsteps fading, echoing like hooves on a hard surface. Sometimes she really reminds me of a goat. She bounces around with contagious energy, her eyes always twinkling with mischief. 

When the club clears out, it feels like a whole different place. The bright lights make everything seem smaller, with no neon or smoke to hide behind—just a big, quiet, empty room that feels a bit eerie now. The vent system here is top notch, but I can still pick up the faint lingering scents of alcohol, sweat and the remnants of perfume and cologne in the air. It’s odd, I didn’t even really notice it last time Sera stuck me with cleaning duty.

The vacuum, bucket and mop are waiting patiently for me in the small back room.The floor of the club is sprinkled with bits and crumbs from leftovers snacks—chips and other finger foods the club serves. They’re no match for my heavy-duty vacuuming beast! It devours everything in its path, and I actually enjoy the little hunt for leftover crisps on the soon-to-be shiny floor.

A sudden familiar whiff catches my attention. I tilt my head unconsciously to get a better whiff of it.

Over there.

I leave my trusty vacuum behind and instinctively move toward the source of the scent.

Something small and orange is resting against the bottom of a velvet couch. It’s a little paper fox, just the right size to fit in my palm, perfectly folded and carrying a scent that makes my heart skip. Instantly, Hana pops into my mind. Yep, this is definitely hers— her perfume is all over it, like a reminder of our brief encounter.

I glance at the little fox, a smile spreading across my face— wait, how did I even catch that smell from way over there? The couch is like six or seven meters from my vacuum.

I pause, scratching my head and staring into space. Maybe I’m catching something—a cold or flu. I mean, after dealing with all sorts of people and their stuff every night, it wouldn’t be a shock. Yeah, that’s gotta be it.

I toss the little fox into my pocket, not wanting to dwell on it, and dive back into my cleaning.

Forty minutes of moping later and Seraphine receives me in her office in order to give me my well deserved check.

“Here, Casey. Thank you so much for accepting this.”

She grins at me from behind her chaotic wooden desk, which looks like a paper explosion went off. It’s hard to even see the surface— there’s a laptop trying to hide in there somewhere, too. I had no idea Sera could be this messy. She always looks so put together, but her desk is a total wreck!

She must notice my raised eyebrows at her chaotic workspace, because she feels the need to explain herself.

“I was in full accounting mode,” she chuckles “ don’t mind it.”

“I see. Well, Sera, I’m heading out now!” I say, feeling the exhaustion start to hit me now that all my tasks are finally done.

Sera gives me a final hug before I leave. The ride home is usually pretty calm—4 a.m. is too late for troublemakers and too early for creeps. I finally get to unwind, sinking into my favourite spot at the back of the bus. I rest my head against the windows, and the vibration of the glass feels reassuring, like a cozy ritual before finally getting home and in my bed. The low hum of the engine sets the mood perfectly. I don’t even bother with music; I just want to soak in this peaceful moment on an empty bus, watching the city lights flash by.

My eyes are heavy, so I’m grateful when my stop finally comes. I give a quick thank you to the driver and hop off. The dark stairs to my basement apartment look downright creepy from the outside. Seriously, the landlord couldn’t be bothered to put in a light? I’ve tripped on those stairs more time than I can count. 

This apartment is my cozy little hideout after those late shifts at the club. Despite being so small and overpriced, it’s got that calm and chill vibe that I love, with string lights hanging up to give it a warm and comforting atmosphere. The couch is a bit battered but oh so comfy— perfect for crashing after my long nights. The walls are plastered with horror movie posters, each one a badge of honour from the scares I’ve faced.

Takeout boxes are stacked up in the corner because, let’s be real, who wants to cook at 5 a.m.? The mini-fridge is always full of snacks for midnight munchies when I have my free day to watch movies. I’ve got blackout curtains on the ridiculously small windows that keep the morning sun out. The most expensive things in the room are definitely the TV and sound system. I can’t imagine life without a solid setup for my horror movie binge-watching sessions.

Thirty minutes max, and I’m already in my pyjamas. When I toss my clothes onto the growing laundry pile, something orange slips from my shirt pocket. It’s the paper fox! I grin at the sight of it. It’s like having Hana here with me. Even after spending some time in my pocket, it still smells just like her. I place the origami with my collection of cool soda cans perched on top of the mini fridge. It feels like it belongs there, watching the room. I sink into the couch, my eyes fixed on the origami, thoughts wandering back to the girl with the jet-black hair. I really wish our brief encounter had lasted longer. She had this amazing confidence and cool vibe— no wonder she left the club with someone. 

I hope she remembers her helmet and shows up to get it tomorrow! I mean, I can’t be the only one who’s trying to save the world from head injuries, right?

Maybe I should return the origami to her? But hold on, that could get awkward. Imagine saying, “ I knew it was yours because it smells like you”. Yeah, definitely not the best way to make friends, Casey.

If this nose thing keeps happening, I might need to see a doctor.

My thoughts are all over the place, and Hana is never far from them. I mean, I’ve got my course early tomorrow, so I should really get some sleep. Plus mom will be calling me in the afternoon, if I’m not well rested she’ll wind up worrying.

Maybe we could be friends, Hana and I.

Then it hits me—I didn’t even brush my teeth! I let out a frustrated grunt. I was getting so comfy too! The bathroom door with that Sadako poster, feels like it’s judging me.

Fine, Sadako. You win.

My eyelids feel like lead as I brush my teeth, struggling to hold my gaze in the mirror. A later, I turn off the lights and flop back onto the couch, my face buried in the pillow. The soft buzz of the mini fridge is oddly soothing.

Just as I’m drifting off to sleep, one last thought of the black helmet and little origami fox flutters to the surface of my mind.

I really hope she comes by tomorrow.