True and Unrequited Love

"I'm worried," Geale said as he sat on one of the restaurant bar's tables.

Only the warm lights above the bar counter. Shadows lurked beyond the windows. It reminded Geale of the late night hours after the restaurant bar officially closed its doors.

He wasn't sure why he said those words, but he sounded genuinely concerned.

"About Marnthe?" a familiar old man's voice asked from behind the bar.

Geale looked toward it and found Pierre holding two steaming mugs of tea that he seemed to have prepared. The old man had a warm smile on his face as he approached Geale's table with the drinks.

Pierre placed them on the table, offering one of them to him...No! Geale's eyes went wide when he saw his reflection on the drink. He was offering it to Lapiz.

Geale was dreaming about the past again.

"You're not?" Lapiz replied as she looked at him.

"I do feel protective of Marnie, but you're worried about something in particular, yes?"

"Eli."