Love In The Mall

𝑺𝒊𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒆.

The beauty of working at a candle shop is how it is only busy around Christmas time. Otherwise, people only visit to get a birthday gift, which means I only get four to five customers a day. Lucky enough, Josephine or Jo, as she lets me call her, lets me read and do my homework on the job. Jo has always had a kind nature and she loves this shop as much as I do. At the age of 25, Jo and her husband, who passed away five years ago, opened this store. The kind couple never had any children, but Jo treats me like her own.

Just as I was about to pick up my book after being done my homework, a group of boys come barreling into the store fooling around. I put on a smile, "Hi! Do you need any help with anything?"

"No, we are good for now," one boy with brown hair and brown eyes replies.

"Okay, just call me if you need anything."

"Okay, thank you," another boy says.

I decide to walk back to the cashier rather than looming around their shoulder's. I plop myself down on the chair and busy myself with putting price tags on the candle jars. I hear murmuring, so I decide to look up, but once I do the murmuring stops and the boys are busying themselves with test out candle scents. I look back down and the murmuring continues. I decide to keep my head done and listen. "Just say something to her. I can't be that hard."

"Well, I am shy. I don't know what to say, I've barley talked to a girl before besides my mom and cousins."

"It's easy, just go up and say 'Hi'."

"Then what?" The boy exclaims. "I'll embarrass myself and start to clam up. Not all of us can be cool, you know. All people have known me as is the shy nerd boy who hangs out with the popular kids. Like we are in college, why do they still have popular kids? I thought we left that in high school!"

"Thomas, calm down. It's fine. Maybe you need some more time before you talk to her for the first time. You see her everyday, you have time."

The boy, whose name I am guessing is Thomas, is silent. The boys continue to look around the store smelling different candles.

"Hi, umm," one boys says while scratching the back of his neck. "Do you have coffee beans by any chance? After smelling so many candles, I can't seem to smell anything."

"Sorry, I forgot to put them out. " I turn around to the shelf behind the cashier and grab a coffee beans cup. "Here you go."

The boy takes the cup to where his friends are. I start to pick up the coffee beans cups and places them around the store. I  make my way back to my sit behind the cashier. I look up at the boys and see them still smelling different candles. One boy is looking at me with a smile on his face, he blushes and looks down. I start to blush.

I decide that I can read as the boy are taking a while. I get sucked into the world of Hazel and August from The Fault In Our Stars, that I don't hear one of the boys calling for me. I look up, his eyes drift to my name tag, "Simone, I was wondering if you could help me find something."

"Okay, sure! Who and why are you buying a candle?" I get up and walk around the counter.

"It's for my sister. I want to get it for her birthday."

"Okay how old is your sister turning?" I ask kindly.

"Nineteen," he whistles and laughs. "Getting old!"

I laugh, "I have another question, do you know what perfume your sister wears? That can help us narrow down what kind of scents she likes."

The boy stands there trying to think, he shake his head, "No I don't. But, it smells like vanillaey."

"Okay, that's good." I guide the boy to the section that has all the vanilla scents. "Here are all the candles that have a vanilla scent. I am just going to assume your sister likes sweeter smells. So, I would recommend these two candles."

"Okay, thank you so much!" He smiles at me. "Boys! Come tell me what you think about these two candles!"

The other boys gather around and each take a waft of each smell. "I think your sister will like this one. It is sweet, but has a hint of amber and musk, so I think it is a good mature scent that still fits her personality."

"Wow, um," the boy buying a gift for his sister draws out. "Thanks, Thomas. Hey Simone! I'll take this one."

I help the boy check out. I include a nineteenth birthday card for his sister in the bag. I put tissue paper. "Okay, that'll be five dollars. I also included a birthday card that you can sign."

"Oh thank you so much! Here you go, you can keep the change!"

"Bye, have a great day, guys, and happy birthday to your sister," I exclaim with a grin on my face.

"Thank you again and you too."

They all leave the store. I busy myself until I notice a presence in front of me. It is one of the boys from before. The blond hair boy says, "I hope you enjoy that book. It made me cry, but it truly is amazing. Bye, have a great day!"

"Bye, thanks you too."

I open my book and read without any interruptions until it is time for the mall to close.