Page 14 of A Minute More

That question follows me around all morning, and when I finally make it to work and I see Simon shuffling around behind the counter, I let my eyes track across his face before dropping to his perfectly pressed shirt.

He peeks up at me and then looks away quickly, continuing his routine of not making eye contact longer than he needs to and then ignoring me for long stretches of time.

“How did it go with Dena?” Jude asks me when we catch a break in between customers. It’s been a slow day today, the weather a little colder than usual, keeping people inside. I love it, usually finding myself outdoors when the weather turns chilly, but I know that a lot of people hibernate until it’s warmer.

I shrug, realizing that I never texted her back after Simon infiltrated my messages. But not wanting to seem like a dick, I respond, “Yeah, she’s great.”

Simon fumbles with the knife he uses to spread mayonnaise on bread and it clatters to the floor. Jude and I both look over at him, and he quickly bends down to grab it, tossing it in the sink and washing his hands.

“Fuck,” he mutters, the word merely a whisper.

“What’s up with him? I’ve never seen him do that before,” Jude murmurs, and I shrug.

“No clue.”

And yet part of me wonders ifIhave anything to do with his odd behavior. He did text me last night. Maybe he’s just tired from being up so late. Or maybe I’m a narcissistic fool who thinks everything is about me.

When I catch Simon in the back room during his break, I initially move past him, telling myself I’m just gonna leave him alone, but on my second pass through I can’t help but ask, “Hey, um, how did you get my number?”

He doesn’t respond and that’s when I see the earphones in his ears. Damn things. What’s he listening to anyways? Podcasts? Music? God, I want to know.

Reaching out, I touch his shoulder gently and he jumps, pulling the small earbuds out and glancing up at me. I stare down at him and that’s when I notice the slight band of freckles across his nose. I’ve never noticed them before and now I can’t quite seem to wrench my eyes away.

“Hey, how are you doing?” I ask, and Simon’s eyes flit across my chest before falling to a place on the opposite wall. Must be a goddamn interesting wall with the way he studies it.

“Fine.”

I shift on my feet and shove my hands in my pockets. I’m supposed to be restocking the chips out front but instead, I’m getting waylaid by this guy. But hell, I can’t drag my feet away.

“Um, so can I ask you a question?”

He nods, still not meeting my stare.

“How did you get my number?”

He freezes, his eyelids flickering slightly. He doesn’t answer for such a long time that I wonder if he ever will. The only way I know he heard me is by the darkening of his cheeks.

“Did you look me up? Snoop a bit?” I tease and his skin grows even redder.

“Stop it,” he whispers, and I force my lips closed.

“Okay, yeah, sorry. I was just teasing, man.”

He glances up at me and shakes his head. “Yeah. I know…I just…I shouldn’t have texted. It won’t happen again.”

“I sure hope it does,” I whisper. “I liked it.”

His eyes flash to mine and his lips part, almost as if he doesn’t quite believe it. But it’s true. I liked it when he messaged me. I fucking need it now.

“I sure hope you do it again.”

He glances away and fiddles with his earphones before shoving them in his ears once more, drowning me out.

I watch him for a moment before moving away and getting back to work. He doesn’t talk to me the rest of his shift, but that night, before my eyes close in sleep, he messages me.

Simon:

I’m doing it again

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