The Run In

Chapter 7

Read to the end! It's worth it :)

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"So you work at a greenhouse?"

"Yes." I clicked the stall door closed behind me.

I just finished explaining why I smelled so gruesome to Aiden. He was putting a shirt on and laughing about how he thought it was my shoes.

It most likely was.

"That's cool. I still need to find a summer job. And soon." Aiden put the clothes he had been trying on in the pile by a mirror in the dressing room.

"Why?" I dropped the dress that I was about to try on on top of his lump of clothes.

"I just need one. I want to get some money to paint my room by myself. And maybe get like a cool sound system- you know, personalize it. Make it my own."

"I get that." I did. I love making things my own.

"Yeah." He stared at one of the posters on the wall. That cute thinking face from yesterday was back on his face. "Hey you weren't on the trail this morning."

"Yes I was." I defended.

"No you weren't. I went all the way to the trail head and then up to the bench. You weren't there."

I eyed a blue mass of fabric. It looked like a frilly skirt.

"I went from 9:00 to around 10:15... when did you go?"

His shoulders slumped and he looked down at his running watch. He let out a long breath of air. "About 10:30."

"See? That's why." I shifted my weight from my left foot to my right. "You could've- I don't know- called me."

"I thought about it briefly."

"Oh." I turned around and walked out of the dressing room. I heard him following me out.

"Yeah." I heard him say behind me.

"Yup." I popped the p as I veered around a sales rack.

"But I did. I mean call you. You just didn't have your phone."

"I know. Sorry about that."

"Well running into you was a good thing then."

I smiled to myself and said just loud enough for him to hear, "I agree."

"Well there you are!" I looked up and saw Kate glancing down at her phone, a pile of clothes wilting over her elbow.

"Oh, um, Aiden?" I turned to him and put on a nervous smile. " This is my best friend Kate. Kate this is, er... Aiden. Aiden Brooks."

She shoved her phone in her back pocket and swiftly moved to shake his hand. "Hello Aiden. It is a pleasure to meet you."

I looked at their shaking hands. What the actual fudge is going on.

"Nice to meet you too." He smiled at her and then looked at me and grinned.

I returned the grin.

Kate turned to me and smiled. "Oh, you don't mind if I try these on do you?"

Oh god.

Every time Kate and I go shopping, she takes too long in one dressing room and then we have no time to look for other clothes at other stores.

I bit my bottom lip and tried to get out of the situation. "Maybe I-"

"Maybe you can go to like Hollister or something." Kate answered, sheepishly. Then she looked from me to Aiden and back to me. A small smile creeped onto her face "With Aiden. Just for some help, you know. Like with picking out..." she looked at my shoes and then up to my t-shirt. Her green eyes widened.