Chapter Text
'I liked you so much better before you opened your mouth'
Krystal wanted to blurt that out to the world, but she figured it might be a little rude, especially considering they weren't even halfway through the appetizers.
Tonight it was some big league businessman whose name she couldn't remember. She'd barely been attracted to him since the start of all this, even before he started blabbering off about how the gays were ruining society. He was in his mid twenties, but had the political views of an eighty year-old man.
"And you know what else?" He asked, spit flying from his open mouth. "Maybe I'd be okay with it if they weren't so in-your-face about it, y'know?"
She'd been on calls for him at least six times by now, solely because of his bank account. Then again, this was her major income source. Everything was about the bank account in this world.
"Absolutely." Krystal said, hoping she sounded somewhat convincing. 'I wonder how he'd feel if he knew I was with a girl last night?'
The man across from her beamed. He looked like a fish when he smiled, his pale skin stretched sickly across his face. "I like you, Krystal. I like you a lot."
"I like you too." Krystal smiled a toothy grin, breathing in through her mouth and out through her nose so she wouldn't have to smell whatever stench was clinging to his breath.
"When all this is over with," he continued, "maybe we could go out for real. Would you like that?"
'Oh hell no'
"Although that sounds-" disgusting "- lovely, I make it a personal rule not to mix business and my personal life."
"Oh." He sounded disappointed, the whining baby. Last time they had been together he tried to add another person into the mix without telling her. She should've cut this guy lose weeks ago. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Krystal replied, a bit too eagerly. He eyeballed her and went back to eating the shrimp platter.
Taking a shrimp and dipping it in some sort of mystery sauce, he offered it to Krystal.
"Thank you, but I'm trying to watch my figure." And prevent myself from getting poisoned by desperate assholes like yourself.
The man smiled and shook his head. "No woman has ever said no to me before, honey."
"Aren't I a woman?" Krystal replied evenly. Maybe if she closed her eyes really tightly and then reopened them he'd be gone.
"Women!" The man huffed, tossing the shrimp back onto the platter. It hit with a splat and sauce splattered all over Krystal's turquoise dress. That's $500 she wasn't getting back.
The man grabbed his coat from the back of his chair and pushed the chair into the table, spilling their wine glasses onto the floor. "You're all the damn same!" He shouted. The people at surrounding tables looked at the spectacle unfolding before them.
"Enjoy dying alone, you stupid harlot!" With that the man departed, leaving Krystal with flushed cheeks and running mascara. She hates being embarrassed in public, she always ends up crying.
Krystal bent over in her seat and picked up the wine glasses, one cracked and the other shattered.
"Excuse me, miss?" A voice behind asked. She jumped at the sound. "Are you alright?"
"Yes!" Krystal reassured them, turning around to face them. "I'm fine, I- my-" client? "boyfriend got upset. I'm fine, really."
She knew she shouldn't have called him her boyfriend. Now the woman is going to ask if this thing happens often, then she'll call the police no matter Krystal's answer, and all of this will lead up to Krystal's arrest for being a sex worker.
Luckily the other woman wasn't feeling too protective, as she let it drop at that.
Krystal grabbed her purse and coat, tossing the faux fur designer on to help cover the stain she knew she'd never be able to get out.
This always seemed to happened to her. Her recurring clients would get too close, ask her out on a real date, and then either would have a hissy fit or would just stop requesting her. That was the pattern and she seemed unable to break it.
"Excuse me! Excuse me, Miss?" A man called from behind her. Their waiter. Krystal internally groaned, but she turned and faced him with a smile.
"Yes?" She said in her best bubbly blonde voice. "Is there a problem?"
"Yes, ma'am, I think you and your date forgot to pay."
Krystal opened her mouth into a large 'o' shape and widened her eyes. "Oh my gosh!" She said, lightly tapping herself on the head. "We completely forgot! Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!" Of course she would get stuck with the bill.
The waiter gave her a skeptical once over and motioned for her to follow him to the register.