𝐴 𝑅𝐼𝐶𝐻 𝑀𝐴𝑁'𝑆 𝑊𝑂𝑅𝐿𝐷 𝕪𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕩 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣

3

What a strange man.

She couldn't say she was particularly surprised to have interacted with someone like that- It was pretty late at night and so it was expected for weirdos to be around. As peculiar as that man was, he sure was handsome, to her at least. Y/n took a moment to recall all his features before they became a distant memory. His sharp gaze paired with the unforgiving seriousness of his expression that demanded the utmost respect from the people around him, made him, on paper, irresistible to any person that came within his perimeter and although his countenance wasn't one of a runway model, his above averageness somewhat made him alluring. Chuckling to herself she shrugged off her intrusive thoughts of the odd stranger as she started taking her bag as well as her coat out from the staff room locker. Slipping her item of clothing on she then reached in her old slouchy tote bag to get her phone.

On shifts, employees weren't allowed to use their phones, which seemed like a fair rule to follow, however, y/n couldn't help but break it at times- when the shifts were long and depressing, she needed a distraction to help pass time. She had to admit, it was kind of a risky thing to do since she could be caught by the boss at any time if she wasn't careful. That being said, she wasn't the only one to do this, in fact, most of her co-workers did the same thing. Leeann for example was notorious for using her phone during shifts, she made sure to stay away from the cameras dotted around the store to make sure that the boss himself wouldn't see her. Over her years of working in the shop she became an expert in the field of deception and secrecy to aid her phone addiction, everyone took a leaf out of her book, y/n was guilty of that too.

Clicking the button at the side of her old phone, her eyesight placed itself on the cracked screen of the gadget.

22:15

no older notifications

"I'm so popular..." the girl chuckled.

Sighing to herself she threw her phone lazily in her bag and made her way out of the staff room, as her palm made contact with the door handle she felt the force of the door being pushed in her direction slightly disorientating her- the sheer force of the push made her lose her balance resulting her in falling backwards. She waited for the impact of her body to hit the floor but it never came as Josh swiftly grasped her upper arm in order to save her from falling.

The brunette's eyes were wide in shock whilst his mouth was slightly agape,

"I'm so sorry y/n, are you ok?"

The girl couldn't reply, she was taken aback by Josh's genuine concern for her, he normally was dismissive or playful towards the girl but most importantly he actually addressed her by her real name. A moment passed before the shaggy-haired man tilted his head displaying a confused yet intrigued look on his face,

"Cat got your tongue?"

"You addressed me by my real name!" she replied enthusiastically with a hint of sarcasm in her tone completely disregarding the fact that she still hung from Josh's grip.

"Don't get used to it newbie." he tutted letting go of her arm smirking.

her body smacked the floor finally feeling the impact that she had expected.

"Thanks for that, you're a real gentleman."

"Of course."

The girl got up from the floor dusting off the dust on her uniform, and then shifted her focus to the man once again.

"Anyways I gotta go now, it's been a long day..." she said

"Yes it has...about that, I talked to the boss and he said that he will pay you for that extra time...eventually- my advice to you is to not get your hopes up too high.

"Of course."

Saying her goodbyes to Josh she left the shop closing the glass door behind her seconds after being opened by the nightshift employees begrudgingly arriving at their workplace. She made her way down the streets of the city. Thankfully people were still around and the murmuring of people's voices surrounded her giving her a sense of comfort, yet she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. It was probably her imagination, but the heat of an anonymous piercing gaze burning the back of her neck was simply something she could not ignore. She subconsciously quickened her pace, the action itself wasn't triggered necessarily by fear but more so precaution, hosting her chilling scenario of potentially being stalked.

She spotted her bus stop on the horizon, street lights illuminating the spot almost as if the lamps were desperately signalling her way to safety. Hurried footsteps tapping against the harsh and unforgiving concrete pavement. Arriving at the stop, she sighed in relief, the chilling feeling of being watched went as she imagined her probably imaginary stalker disappearing amongst the semi-crowded streets.

♱♱♱

The bus ride wasn't too long, she found it somewhat calming, she recalled the gentle humming of the vehicle's engine rumble in her ears trying to lull her into slumber. Unlocking the door to her tiny dingy apartment she threw her belongings on the floor of her rented accommodation and threw herself on her old couch. The girl was in pieces. Her limbs sore from muscle strain and a long day of packing shelves, she just wanted to lay there unmoving. The girl finally closed her eyes.

Buzz Buzz

The girl frustratedly opened her eyes and roughly grabbed her phone in annoyance.

23:45

☆ MESSAGES
Leeann
Thanks for covering for me girlie xx

Y/n's previous negative emotions left her, it felt nice being appreciated. The girl pressed her thumb on the screen then then swiftly swiped across it opening the messages app.

Leeann
________________________________

Thanks for covering for me girlie xx

No problem ＾＾
How have u been? Josh said u
were having some family problems

Yh that was a cover up... lol
I just didn't want to go to work 

Oh- r u coming in tomorrow?

Meh I'll think about it, I've been
feeling very "sick" lately (◞‸◟)💔 🙏

😀

Wutt??? I just need breakk

Fine I guess I'll have the super hot
mysterious dude that came in during
YOUR shift to myself then 😌🙏(^_-)

I'm coming in tomorrow.

I'll see u tomorrow.

Yes.