The Lamplighter was busy, but Laura wasn’t herself tonight. Caspian noticed it immediately. The sharp efficiency was still there, the way she managed the floor with ease, but something was off. Her movements were a little too precise, as if she was forcing herself through the motions. The smile she wore for the guests never quite reached her eyes.
To anyone else, she looked the same. But Caspian wasn’t just anyone. He saw the tension in her shoulders, the way she barely touched the drink Mariah poured her between shifts, the way she hesitated before answering simple questions. She was tired. Not just from the night. From everything.
By the time closing came around, the exhaustion was unmistakable. The staff filtered out one by one, murmuring goodbyes. Laura gave them the same nod she a
