Chasing Blue

Chapter 1

Ellie

Ice-cold water hit her pale skin, a shiver racing down her neck and straight to her toes as brown eyes found her reflection in the mirror. Maybe some caffeine would be in order this morning. Ellie reached for her phone that she had snoozed three too many times, and let out a small breath.

She was now, officially, fifteen minutes late to the job she'd once loved. The love, however, had been short-lived — the job ending her unemployment spell. Anything had been far better than nothing. For a little while at least.

But the hours weren't cutting it. The money wasn't cutting it. Not in New York of all places.

Hell, the only reason she hadn't been kicked out of her complex was her parents helping her scrape by. But she wanted to be independent. Not a burden to her mom and dad, who was currently living two states away.

Her position as a simple bank teller at Fairlake wasn't anything to sneeze at. In many ways, she loved her job. But seeing transactions that far outweighed her meager paycheck only felt like a punch in the face.

Things had been looking up a few months back when a dangled promise of a full-time position, a step up from her current part-time role, was so close she could've almost grasped it in her own two hands. Only for the company to cut the position altogether, leaving her with a 'shit happens' and a pat on the back. But such is business, she supposed.

Pulling her messy brown hair back into a low bun for the day, she went to her dresser — opting for a white long-sleeve button-up, some black jeans and brown dress shoes. She'd certainly never been on any best-dressed list at her work, but at least her branch usually gave them some grace and tended to lean more towards the 'casual' side of business casual.

The bank was only a five-minute walk from her house, but as soon as she felt the chill on her way out of the apartment complex, she knew it would feel like double that time.

Feet making quick work of the pavement, she still had time to stop by Dave's. The local liquor store hotspot was just around the corner from her job.

She popped inside, and the man himself was sat behind the counter — a warm smile crinkling at the corner of his familiar honey-filled eyes.

She snatched up a bottle of Pibb, downing half of its fizzy contents before their eyes met — a deep chuckle sounding in his belly.

"You can put it on my tab," she teased.

"I'll send your mother the bill," he countered.

She smirked. "Well, what's the point of having my uncle thirty seconds away if he can't spare a soda or two?"

Another hearty chuckle left him as he filled up a bag with snacks and a couple more sodas for the road.

"I don't need-"

But once he set his mind to something, there was rarely any stopping him.

He shook his head.

"Take it. Mario said you haven't been stopping by his place for lunch."

"I can't eat pizza every day of the week," she reminded him.

Mario was a family friend and usually gave them all a pretty steep discount. Not to mention, he had some of the best pizzas in town. Admittedly though, funds had been tight — she'd been trying to cut costs where she could.

He raised a brow. "Take it. And hey, stay safe. Lots of banks have been getting robbed lately. I don't wanna see you on the news."

She offered a small, 'thank you' — still having that sinking feeling in her stomach. He seemed to pick up on it in an instant.