Corner Store
He sat in front of her, three chairs to the left. She didn’t think she noticed until she saw the deep browns of his eyes. She didn’t think she stared until her friends teased her about paying more attention to him than the lecture. She didn’t think she had fallen for him until she heard his voice.
He disappeared when summer started. She didn’t think she would get a chance to talk to him, even though she had already Facebook and Instagram stalked him. She didn’t think she’d see him again until fall when she walked into the open-late corner store by her best friend’s place. She didn’t think she’d be dressed for a sleepover when she saw him next.
He mentioned he worked there since it was his parent’s place. She didn’t think she’d be so stuck on her words, especially since she was in school for marketing. She didn’t think she’d blurt out the words “chicken nuggets” when she couldn’t think of anything else to say. She didn’t think he’d laugh like a chorus of angels and show her that “they only had microwaveable chicken bites”.
He rang her through and told her the total. She definitely snuck in that her name was Olivia as she handed him the $5 bill. She definitely heard him say Mason in reply, even though she had known that for 2 months. She definitely had to stop herself from saying anything else she might cringe at later.
He wished her a good night. She definitely almost ran back to the apartment, frozen chicken in hand. She definitely gossiped with Hanna about the whole encounter and everything else she knew about him. She definitely promised she would cover the snacks when she came over, which was going to be a lot.
He smiled when he saw her again for the sixth time in three weeks. She definitely made sure she came in at a time where she could have his full, undivided attention. She definitely feigned interest in the variety of the products they offered just to hear him talk more. She definitely bought the chicken bites again because she was so lost in him that she hadn’t heard a single recommendation he had given her.
He scanned the box and asked if she remembered the total. It was quiet when she handed him the $5 again. It became their own little world when he offhandedly mentioned this kind of math wasn’t even a thought for him because his degree in accounting. It changed when she told him she was a first year in marketing.
He gave her the change. It seemed like a quiz show as he asked her questions about how she found her first year at university. It turned to a diary entry as she told him she really struggled in her first semester, but believed she has a good handle on it now. It started to click when she mentioned a very familiar group presentation for a very familiar class.
He took a second look at her, scrutinizing her every piece. It slowed down as she tried to figure out what those deep brown eyes were staring at so intently. It sped back up as she asked him if she looked familiar at all. It became easier as they laughed when he realized they had taken a class together last semester.
He asked her for a minute and ran off to the back with her box. She didn’t think he would return so quickly with seemingly the same box in hand. She definitely was puzzled when he handed her the box of chicken bites back, telling her he noticed there was something missing from that box. It became perhaps the best day of her life when she saw “how about a date when you finish this box?” written on the top flap.
He glanced up at her from his balance sheet assignment. They were lost in their world because she was staring back at him with a grin on her face. They had postponed their plans for their 6 month anniversary because both of them had large core projects due that week. They smiled and leaned into each other because there was no one else they’d rather be stuck working on schoolwork with.
Them and the new box of microwaveable chicken bites.
“I work part-time as a cashier at the local corner store and you come here regularly to shop and bond with me over the microweavable chicken bites so how about I take you out on a proper date instead?”