it's just a crush

chapter 33 - april 2020

"Do I, like, attract dicks, or something?" Meg asked into her phone as she walked down the street. She was on her way home from the most recent of a long string of bad dates, and she was just about ready to give up on dating in general and dating apps in particular.

She listened to Chelsea's response on the other end of the line, then let out a frustrated sigh.

"Chels, I'm telling you, this guy might've been the worst yet. He owns a fucking castle!" She dodged out of the way of a couple kids running past. "What's so bad about that? Oh, y'know, just that he seemed to think that was supposed to impress me. Like it matters that his fucking ancestors happened to have money. From the sound of things, it's just a pile of rocks now. He said he wanted to restore it; do you realize how much fucking money it takes to restore something like that?"

A raindrop fell on the tip of her nose, and she tilted her face up to the sky, peering at the dark clouds gathering. It was as if her own dark mood had brought them on.

"He seemed like a pretentious ass to me. Kept bigging himself up, telling me these stories that seemed like they were meant to make himself look cooler than he actually is, when in reality, he's just another boring accountant."

Another raindrop, and then another, as it started coming down steadily, and she realized with disappointment that she wasn't carrying an umbrella.

"Fuck, it's raining. I think I left my umbrella at the restaurant. Look, I'll call you back later, alright?"

Meg slid her phone into her purse and started jogging, thinking maybe she could at least catch the next bus. But before she was able to make it to the bus stop, the bus drove right past her. She swore as she watched it continue on without her just as the rain grew heavier.

Rather than continuing on, she ducked into the nearest business. A bell rang above the door as she opened it to find herself in a music shop. Records and posters lined each of the walls, and the unfamiliar notes of an unknown song sounded over the speakers. The store appeared to be empty other than her, with no employees in sight.

"Meow!"

She looked down to find a cat at her feet, and it rubbed against her leg as it mewled again.

"Oh, hello, there," she said, kneeling down to pet it. As she ran her hand over its soft, charcoal fur, the cat purred contentedly, pushing its head against her hand for more.

"She likes you."

Meg had been so absorbed in giving the cat the attention it wanted that she didn't hear the approaching footsteps, and she started. Looking up with wide eyes, she met those of a bearded man with long dark hair pulled into a bun.

"Oh! Sorry!" She pulled her hand away and moved to stand.

"No, it's fine," he said, gesturing for her to continue what she was doing. "She just doesn't normally do that. Go up to people right away when they come in, I mean. Usually needs a bit of time to warm up to customers. Kinda like her owner in that way."

"Oh, really?" Meg smiled up at him. "Is her owner some sort of grouch?"

A pink flush formed on his cheeks, and he slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he rocked on his heels. "Something like that, I guess."

Meg's eyes widened, and this time it was her turn to blush. "Oh, shit! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's alright, really," the man said with a shrug of his shoulders. "It's the truth, innit?"

She gave the cat one last stroke before finally standing up to face him and take in his appearance. Tattoos covered his arms and disappeared under the sleeves of his black t-shirt, which bore the logo of what she assumed was a band she'd never heard of. A small scar above his eye gave his eyebrow a jagged appearance, but it wasn't enough to distract her from the deep brown eyes that stared back at her and lips that twisted up into an amused smirk.