Evening Promises

eight.

"Can I get you anything else ma'am? If not that'll be $12.57" I smile back at the short middle-aged woman who tilted her head slightly to check out the various shelves of books stacked behind me.

"I don't mean to be a bother but this is my first time being in this area since 01, so much has changed. I wanted to know if there were any great schools around? My children will be starting high school and I wanted a fresh start for the two of them." She turned behind her, eyeing two identical individuals laugh and tug at each other.

Long flowing curls, and huge smiles to match the mood they project, I feel a smile grow on my lips as the thought of my brother and me when we were just starting high school surges. As much as we claimed to hate each other and always argue, we were closer than anyone knew. Ash has been my best friend since birth and no matter the opposite gender and or differences we were forced into, we always came out the same and stuck by each other. We laughed and play fought like we did when we were kids.

"Funny thing, I have a twin brother and we attended RobinOak High. It's honestly an outstanding school, they give out plenty of scholarships for overall achievements and they offer to pay for two years of community college if you start the sophomore year. best of all school lunch is free" I chuckle out near the end of my explanation, as I go to make her coffee while the food is being brought in.

"Thank you so much, I'll check it out. And to answer your question earlier, is the library for the public?" she questions and I nod my head without looking into her directions.

I turn back to her, topping her coffees with lids and putting them in a carryout, "of course it is, you can browse every section freely. As for borrowing the book outside of the shop, I recommend filling out this form for permission, deadline for every book is four weeks; after that time it's a 5 dollar fee for any overdue date. That doesn't include the shop being closed." I hand her the form and she takes a quick peek at it before folding the small piece of paper and placing it in her purse.

"Thank you miss, I'll be back tomorrow." She hands me the cash, places a tip in the tip jar, and grabs all of her food while waving her kids to follow her out the door.

I send the three of them a fair-well wave just as Sebastian walks in. He holds the door for them and has a brief chat with the women before making eye contact with me and conveying a boyish smirk.

"Phoenix" Sebastian calls out, dragging out my names as he walks in. His smile was brighter than before as he walked in proudly while his entire atmosphere screamed passionate and amused in every which way.

"Fulton." I breathe, just as he reaches the counter. He leans in placing his forearms directly on the counter while crossing them over. He caresses a layer of skin where his tattoo is placed while smiling carelessly at me.

The smell of his cologne feels my nostrils and I breathe in the scent effortlessly as I feel myself relax at the smell of him.

He sighs shaking his head and I cock my brows in confusion, "You look glorious even when depleted at work" he says facepalming.

"Ugh, you can tell that I'm exhausted? I've been trying to cover it up" I frown and he stands up straight catching my frown with a chuckle.

"Don't stress yourself, I assure you that it's not noticeable" he says pushing my hair from blocking my view.

"You should try pinning this back" he goes for his pocket and pulls out a hair tie, my gaze softens from the gesture. I reach for the hair tie but he moves closer; extending his arms and pulling my hair into a loose ponytail before leaning back and admiring his work.

His thumb goes up instantly signaling things look decent and my cheeks heat up just as fast. "Is that better?" He asks and I nod not being able to open my mouth. He notices my nervousness and lets out a laugh, causing my cheeks to heat up more.