Page 30 of Echoes of Eternity

Chivonn was finishing up with a client at the next station. As soon as Riley was out of the store and driven away, she walked over, a curious look on her face.

“Girl, what’s the deal with you?” Chivonn asked, raising an eyebrow. “That guy was a total catch. I thought you’d be all over that.”

Just then, Jake strolled by, overhearing Chivonn’s comment. He leaned against the counter, arms crossed, a teasing smirk on his face. “Chivonn, how would you even know what the guy looked like if you had your head down, concentrating on your client the entire time?”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a smile. “I’m a professional, Jake. I can multitask. It’s what I do. A girl’s got to keep some ninja skills up her sleeve.”

Sam laughed, piping in from the other side of the shop. “Multitasking? More like you’re making it way too complicated.”

“Whatever, Sam, you stay out of this.” Chivonn turned back toward me. “He was totally into you! You should’ve at least flirted back a little harder.”

“That kind of flirting leads to complications,” I replied, trying to sound more authoritative than I felt. “And I’m not looking to complicate my life further.”

“Oh, come on. A little harmless flirtation never hurt anyone,” Jake chuckled, shoving a snack in his mouth. “You can always practice on me, you know.” He wagged his eyebrows and Istifled a laugh.

“You were just waiting for that opportunity, weren’t you, Jake,” Sam chuckled, wiping his client’s arm.

I shot Jake a playful glare. “I don’t want to practice flirting with you, you’re practically like a brother to me. And I’m not trying to make you cheat on your plants.”

Chivonn burst out laughing, and even Jake smirked, shaking his head. “Alright, fair point. But you could use some practice. Just saying!”

I shook my head, half-amused and half-annoyed. “You’re all ridiculous. But thanks for the vote of confidence.”

Chivonn leaned closer, her voice lowering conspiratorially. “Seriously, Mae. You never know where it might lead. It could at least be fun.”

“Fun? What’s that?” I replied dryly. “I’m not sure that’s in my current vocabulary.”

I shrugged, wiping down my station and trying to act nonchalant as my coworkers continued to banter about their own struggling love lives.

“He was definitely not hard on the eyes, but I didn’t feel a connection. Just because someone’s attractive doesn’t mean I have to be interested,” I threw out to them all.

Chivonn looked at me with disbelief. “Seriously? You had a hot guy practically throwing himself at you, and you just turned him down? I thought you’d be into that kind of distraction after… you know.”

“Know what? What am I missing?” Jake interjected with a frown.

I chuckled, shaking my head, ignoring Jake. “I’m justnot into him. It’s important to me that there’s more than just physical attraction. I need to feel a genuine connection, something deeper, and I didn’t get that from him.”

“Sam, what am I missing over here?” Jake interjected again.

“Heck if I know,” answered Sam before he addressed his client again. “Alright, man, I’ll see you at the next session. It should be our last one.”

Chivonn studied me for a moment, then sighed. “It’s your call, boo. But don’t be surprised if the next hot guy who comes in here gets your attention. Dry spells can only go for so long, especially when external circumstances get you frustrated, if you know what I mean.”

I laughed, appreciating her attempt to lighten the mood. She knew as well as I did that if things got that bad, I could always self pleasure myself. “We’ll see.”

Chivonn shook her head with a smirk. “Alright, if you say so. But remember, if you ever want to change your mind, I’m always here to give you a nudge… in exchange for some juicy deets of course.”

“Ugh. No. Nah. Stop right there,” Jake held his hands up dramatically as if at gunpoint.

“This is exactly why you should stay out of their conversation, Jake,” Sam chimed in, giving him a friendly pat on the back as he walked by. “Being too nosy might land you in the middle of something you really don’t want to deal with, like dick pics.”

Just then, the door swung open again, and a delivery person burst in, shouting, “I got a pizza delivery addressed to Inklusive Studios.”

“Did someone order food without me?” Chivonn exclaimed, hands on her hips.

“Without you? You mean, for you. For us.” Jake wrapped his arms around Chivonn’s shoulders with a triumphant grin. “I did it for the team since we’ve been working so hard.”

Chivonn rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her smile. “You just wanted an excuse to indulge, didn’t you?”

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