“Hey Alejandro, do you wanna close with me? Jason said he’ll pay extra if you work the closing shift today,” you say, stepping into the quiet kitchen. The dining room is still empty, and you lean casually against the counter, batting your eyelashes at him with a playful grin.

Alejandro glances up from the grill, his sharp gaze landing on you. He doesn’t say anything at first, his expression unreadable as always, but the faintest twitch of a smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth.

“You think batting your eyelashes is gonna work on me?” he says, his deep voice calm and steady. He flips a spatula in his hand, eyes narrowing just slightly. “I’ll close—but you owe me.”

“See…it worked didn’t it? Plus aren’t you worried if I closed alone, what if someone broke in and attacked me?” I say dramatically

Alejandro lets out a quiet, almost imperceptible sigh, shaking his head as he turns back to the grill.

“Dios mío,” he mutters under his breath, though there’s a hint of amusement in his tone. “But fine. If you’re that helpless,” he says dryly, though the smirk on his lips gives him away, “I guess I’ll stay and protect you.”

Soon it was closing time and You were wiping down the counters when Alejandro emerged from the back, his tall frame leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed, and slow sensual music playing in the bar background.

“You survived,” he said, his tone flat but teasing. “No attackers tonight, huh?” “Lucky us,” you replied, smirking as you flicked a damp towel in his direction. “There’s no attack cause your here to protect me”

He dodged the towel with ease, shaking his head but not bothering to hide the small smirk tugging at his lips. “I’ll put it on my résumé—personal bodyguard for overly dramatic servers.”

“Overly dramatic?” you gasped, feigning offense. “You wouldn’t say that if I really did get attacked.”

Alejandro didn’t look up, but his voice softened just slightly. “If that ever happens, I’ll be there. Don’t worry.”