Page 30 of Glass Half Full
“The store lady was supposed to bring me a basket, but she’s busy now.”
Renee squints at the items I’m clutching to my chest, her head tilting farther and farther to the side as she takes in the stationary, hair accessories, and drinking vessels.
“Dylan, do you, um...”
“Do I like cats?” I finish for her.
“I think this exceeds simply ‘liking’ them.”
I chuckle. “Would you believe me if I said they’re not for me?”
“Considering you don’t have enough hair for those elastics, I’m going to have to go with yes.”
“Sorry about that, Dylan!” The purple-haired cashier returns with a wire basket in hand. “Why don’t you go ahead and pop those in here while I keep looking around for you?”
“Um, actually, Cerise”—we ended up on a first name basis somewhere in those ten minutes of feline frenzy—“I think I’m good for now. I’ll go through this stuff and let you know if I need any more ideas.”
“Great!” She flashes Renee and I a wide smile before leaving to greet a new customer walking in the door.
Renee’s eyes follow her before turning to me again. She hasn’t stopped squinting. “So...you know each other’s names?”
“I’m having a wild time at this store, Renee. A wild, wild time.”
“I’m not even going to ask.”
I attempt unloading my trove into the basket, but I’m still holding too much stuff to allow for ample movement.
“Do you want some help?”
“That would probably be wise.”
Renee starts prying things out from between my arms and chest, and I have to hold my breath to keep my cool. She’s so close I can smell the trace of something fruity in her hair. She doesn’t look up at me as she continues dumping things in the basket, and we’ve both gone so silent I can almost hear the whine of the tension ratcheting up between us. Her knuckles graze my chest, and I’m seized with an urge to let everything left in my hands clatter to the floor so I can pull her against me. I glance up at the ceiling to find some self-control.
By the time I’ve got empty arms and a full basket, I’m sure the whole store must be buzzing with the current she’s sent surging through me.
“I know I said I wasn’t going to ask...” I have to be imagining it, but I swear there’s a slight tremor in her voice when she speaks, her face turned away from me as she rifles through the basket. “But this has me very curious.”
She holds up the pink flask.
“Well you know what they say about curiosity.” I have to cough before I continue. I sound husky, fuckinghusky, like an old school film star about to make his move. “It killed the unicorn-cat.”
Renee glares. “That was terrible.”
“You loved it.”
We both start cracking up. I admit who I’m buying the gifts for after we’ve calmed ourselves down, and we end up reminiscing about Stella and her enthusiasm for backpack pins and all things fluffy and feline. Renee helps me decide which presents to buy; purple hair girl hooked me up with at least two hundred bucks worth of merchandise, and even Stella doesn’t needthat much cat stuff. We’re still joking about her infamous cat poems as I pay for the final selections and lead us out of the store.
“So what wereyoudoing in there, huh?” I ask as the rush of cold air makes us both pull our jackets tighter around us. “Do you have a secret avocado infatuation I should know about?”
“If I told you about it, it wouldn’t be a secret.” Another strand of hair escapes her ponytail. I watch her fingers as she tucks it behind her ear. “My shift at the bar ended early, and I’m meeting a friend, so I thought I’d kill some time in there.”
I nod. “Thanks for your help. I’m sure Stella will appreciate it, whenever I actually get a chance to give these to her.”
“Of course.” Renee shifts on her feet as the silence stretches on. “Well, I better get going.”
“Yeah, me too.”
I want nothing more than to soak in the feeling of being near her. I want to keep hearing her stories, keep making her laugh, but instead I let her go. I watch her walk away, and I can’t help thinking of a night three years ago—thenight, the one whose weight presses down on us whenever we’re together now, the night that pulls us together at the same time it pushes us apart.
