What do the stars feel when they look at Us?

Chapter 24: Croaked oak

In that moment I truly didn't realize how fast I was moving. How fast my life was moving along. I felt invincible.

I had gone through so many stages of emotions that I just never thought my flow of growing could be interrupted.

Running towards Linda on that day made me feel like..., a regent to the world.

-

Linda was working in a small supermarket somewhere not too far from the city centre. It was in between a mostly outdoor, comfortable-looking Italian restaurant and a pharmacy with a bright, green neon sign on top of their doorsteps and a man in some sort of white overall standing outside to smoke.

I rushed into the shop and didn't see Linda at the checkout. In fact, I didn't manage to find her in the entirety of the store.

In an aisle I searched through, I startled an older, friendly-looking woman with a bright, yellow uniform.

I apologized.

And kept looking for Linda.

"We're closing soon!", she croaked, whilst I was already an aisle away.

Croaked? That's a weird word. Croaked? Croaked oak?

And they were closing soon? Maybe Linda had gone home already. That would be very bad. Very, very bad. Then everything would've been for nothing. Oh, that'd be bad.

The only room left to go through was the warehouse, off-limits for customers.

But was I really a customer?

I was more of a visitor, right?

And also it wouldn't have been the most daring thing I did that day.

It'd be alright.

So I just entered.

And found a nearly empty room with racks and racks full of boxes and labels and plastic and dust.

And if you followed the trails of boxes, labels, plastic and dust, you would have found Linda.

With sweat on her forehead, partly covered by a black cap.

Her reddish, dark brown hair falling messily in all directions.

She looked stunning in yellow.

Limbs could be melted by the way her eyes played catch with her hands.

She looked up as she heard me come closer.

Her cheeks had already turned red before she saw me.

But it might've been because of me, right?

She smiled.

And oh, could Linda smile.

"Ben..., how did you get in here? What are you doing?", she said while leaving behind her work, coming closer and gently touching my face with her pinkie fingers.

When our lips touched I could feel the sweat all around.

The smell was pierced through by a vague flower's scent.

I didn't want it to stop.

But I wanted to talk to her.

But she was still at work.

And I trespassed on private property.

Was it that bad?

I didn't really know.

The croaked oak old lady probably wouldn't mind.

"I might be trying to couple Merlin and Pedro."

"Merlin and Pedro?"

"Yeah."

"They do seem like they would fit each other..."

"Right?"

"But in a very weird way..."

"Right?"

"Very very weird way."

She bit her lips on some places that hadn't turned into dark red yet.

I think I wanted her to do that more often.

Not damage her lips, by any means.

Maybe just do it more softly.

I couldn't get enough of her at all.

"So why aren't you with them right now?"

"I..., kind of spied on them."

"You did what?"

"I spied."

"Do I wanna know?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm just really glad you're here."

"Not seeing you kind of sucks."

"Yeah..., yeah..., but it's reasonable, isn't it?"

"It is."

I sort of still held her in my arms.

I noticed she had tape stuck on her fingertips.

She still held all of them except the pinky ones away from me.

While trying to lean against my chest.

"Should I let you do your stuff?"

"Probably..."

"This", I tried to gesture that I meant the hugging position with my hands, "is very weird."

"It is."

"It's nice, though!"

"It's really nice."

"You're nice."

Lips.

Linda's lips.

"You, too."

I sat down next to her and watched her work.

Listened to her talking about different kinds of packaging.

And about something that happened with Gina.

The croaked oak old lady came in and said goodbye to both of us.

And in that moment, it felt like the whole world was just..., happy.