how you get the girl

one

november 3

my fridge is almost completely empty. aside from a dwindling bag of two week old gapes, a jar of mayonnaise, deli ham from who knows when, and a bag of frozen peas, the refrigerator is barren. i sighed and checked the time on the microwave, 1:08 a.m.

in my head, i went through my list of options:

1. go to sleep right now. eat mcdonalds in the morning, again. postpone grocery shopping for yet another day.

2. go to the 24 hour market two blocks away. no sleep. good breakfast tomorrow (technically today).

3. move back in with my mom or michael.

my mind led me towards option two.

once i pulled on some loose fitting sweatpants, a grey sweater, and my vans, i headed out the door of my apartment.

stepping out into the cold new york air was a sensation i had grown to love. as the apartment complex doors swung open, i was embraced by the chill nipping at my tanned cheeks.

i enjoyed the sensation for eight minutes until i arrived at a crusty building. a fluorescent sign in the window read, "24 Hour Super Market". i came here often as it was the closest place to home that sold cheap food. it was only an additional cool factor that my best friend worked here. a bell chimed as i stepped in, scaring me a little.

"new bell, ash?"

the curly haired boy nodded, "sure thing calum, now if anyone comes in while i'm asleep, i'll wake up. tonight's a slow night though, just one other customer."

"genius."

i grabbed a plastic basket and headed to the back aisles to pick up something for breakfast. as i turned into the corridor between cereal and breads, i discovered a frustrated looking girl standing by the fruity pebbles. she looked up at the lucky charms on the top shelf which was out of her reach.

"hey, uhm... do you want some help?" i ask her.

she squeals, obviously not having noticed my presence, "no that's okay, i've got it."

i nod and grab myself some frosted flakes, chocolate poptarts, and a loaf of bread. i leave the aisle, but not before taking another glance at the petite girl.

just a few minutes later, while i was deciding which apples to buy, i felt a small tap on my shoulder. i turned around to see her standing behind me. in a small voice she said, "i take it back. i need help."

i laughed under my breath and followed her back to the lucky charms. "okay," i said, "we can do this the easy way which is technically the polite way, or we can do this the fun way."

a grin spread across her face, "i've always been a sucker for adventure."

i smiled and squatted down. "get on my back." i said.

she hopped onto my back and i stood up. it was now simple for her to get her desired cereal. she laughed and grabbed the red box. a smirk appeared on my face. i took the cereal from her and placed it in her basket. she giggled, "are you going to put me down now?'

"nope." i then started off towards the front of the store in a full out sprint. we were both laughing uncontrollably and zig-zagging in and out of aisles. ashton gave the pair of us an amused expression but didn't say anything.i looked over to wink at him but only succeeded in tripping over my own feet. the girl- who was still unnamed- and i tumbled to the floor. she landed on top of me in a heap of contagious giggles.

we both sat together until ashton spoke up from behind the counter, "c'mon kids, no loitering."

she leaned over, her lips grazing my ear, "i'm lacey nolen by the way"

i blushed, "i'm calum hood i guess."

lacey stood up, grabbed her basket, and paid for her food before waving to me on her way out.

i repeated her actions, stopping to talk to ashton.

"she's amazing." i sighed.

"well, if you buy me a pack of gum, i'll tell you some imprtant information about her." he said, a grin toying on his face.

i groaned but grabbed spearmint trident gum, his favorite, and paid.

"okay," he said, "she comes here every monday at one in the morning. she's been doing it for three months now. i don't know why, and i really don't care. but if you want to see her again, that's going to be the best way."

"oh my god ashton. thank you so much!" i snag my plastic bags and skip out of the door, yelling behind me, "i'll be back next week!"

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(a/n) ok hi. im really liking this so far and i have it mostly planned out and its going to be so adorable im fangirling over my own ideas. anyway, tell me what you think or something :-)

-aly