it's just a crush

chapter 24 - august 2019

"Great! Thank you, see you then."

Meg ended the call and pumped her fist, a huge smile crossing her face. After a couple of unsuccessful job applications, she had just received an offer from a bank for a teller position. It was entry-level, but with hard work and a little experience under her belt, she should be able to work her way up and see where things took her.

After calls to Nan and her mother to share the good news and catch up on the latest, she sent texts to the girls and Kassam. Chelsea quickly texted back suggesting celebratory drinks, and Meg was about to respond when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" she yelled absentmindedly as she set her phone down on the side table, before realizing that she was the only one home.

She got up from the couch and went to the front door. When she opened it, there was an unfamiliar young woman standing on the front step, biting her lower lip and looking out onto the street. She turned at the sound of the door, and her eyes widened slightly.

"Can I help you?" Meg asked.

"Oh! Hi. Yeah, I was just wondering if a guy named Bobby lives here?"

Oh.

Meg's stomach dropped, and she looked over the woman. She was short with wavy ombre hair, glasses, and plump red lips. She looked a little older than Meg and had a professional look about her – like someone who was confident and knew where she was going in life. Not someone who had literally just gotten her first job out of college.

"He does, but he's not home right now." The girl frowned, and Meg continued. "Can I take a message?"

She tilted her head as she looked at Meg, as if studying her. "I was hoping to see him. We went on a date the other night, and he left something behind."

Of fucking course.

"I can give it to him if you'd like. Or else, you could come back later..."

The woman sighed and looked at her phone, then gave her head a quick shake. "I'm not sure I have time to come back. I'm very busy..." She pursed her lips, then looked back at Meg. "Do you have a pen and paper, by any chance?"

"Sure, just a sec."

Meg headed back into the house to look for a scrap of paper, all the while thinking about the woman at the door. She was gorgeous, for one, with great style and an even better body. Her hair and makeup were flawless, and she looked like she was either successful or on the path to it.

She'd said she went on a date with Bobby, and she knew where he lived... but she didn't know his work schedule. How serious was it? She wanted to see him again, so the date must have gone well, but did he feel the same? She hadn't texted him to see if he was home... Maybe she wanted to surprise him?

Ugh.

Meg finally found a notepad and ripped a piece of paper out of it, then grabbed a pen and headed back to the door. The woman flashed her a bright smile – complete with fucking perfect white teeth – as she accepted the paper. She quickly wrote something down, then pulled a worn leather wallet out of her purse. She folded the paper and slipped it into the wallet, then handed it to Meg along with the pen.

"Thanks. Make sure he gets this?"

"I will."

"Great!" The woman smiled one more time before turning and walking away from the house.

Meg watched her for a moment before closing the door and moving to the window, keeping an eye on her as she crossed the street and headed toward the main road where the bus route was. When the woman was out of sight, she looked at the wallet she was holding, turning it around in her hands. It wasn't just any wallet – it was Bobby's wallet. Would it be wrong for her to take a look? She felt like maybe you could learn something about someone by what they kept in their wallet... It was something they kept near to them at all times. Something they try not to let out of their sight.