Roommates

Chapter 4

As Aurora navigated the dark, rain-soaked streets on her way home from work that evening, exhaustion weighed heavy on her shoulders. She was practically falling asleep at the wheel. The rhythmic swish of the windshield wipers echoed her weariness.

After arriving home, she was asleep before she collapsed on her unmade bed. The next morning arrived too quickly. The alarm rudely interrupted her restless sleep. The world outside her window was still cloaked in darkness as she reluctantly climbed back into her car, the worn leather seats cold against her tired body. The cycle continued a relentless loop of late nights and early mornings. Today was day four.

She arrived at the store on time, but she waited in her car until she was ten minutes late. Then, a knock on her window brought her consciousness back from the void it was exploring. A man with long blond hair and a black beanie with the store's logo on it stood outside her door. He waved with a perky grin.

Aurora opened the car door, being slapped in the face with the north-western winds. "Good morning," she greeted the strange employee. His name tag said Trey. She hadn't met him before, but she had seen him with her supervisor. "I'm new here. I'm Aurora."

"Beautiful name. I'm Trey." He smiled. "I work in e-commerce. Where do they have you working?"

She tried to remember what her job title was. "I am a bagger, but I am training to be a cashier. Eve is the one training me."

"I see why you're late," he sighed. Trey chuckled, the sound carrying a hint of mischief. "Don't worry, she makes me scared too, little one."

Aurora tried to formulate a response to that, but the script was fleeing her train of thought. Trey put an arm around her shoulders and encouraged her to go inside. He offered some words of advice. "If you want to get out of cashiering, I can always fake a heart attack. I've had four this year."

"Oh my God!" Aurora gasped. "Are you okay?"

Trey accounted for her literal comprehension. "Ah, I'm sorry. That was a joke. You know, my brother is autistic, too."

"I'm not autistic."

"And I don't have a boner for my best friend," he lied. "The truth does set us free, you know."

Aurora grappled for something to say, but there was no way she could respond to him. He was around her age, but beneath the blond stubble and cigarette hanging from his ear, he seemed more like a perverted teenager.

As they entered the bustling grocery store, Aurora couldn't help but notice the organized chaos around her. Shelves stacked with products, customers navigating with purpose, and employees engaged in their respective tasks created a lively atmosphere. Trey announced their arrival to the grocery store community. "I found her outside, Jeff! Can we keep her?"

Jeff raised his to-go cup of coffee and laughed, playing along. "Glad you both made it."

Trey led Aurora to the time clock. Inside the break room, their coworkers lingered in packs. There were the older women who liked to sit and gab, there were some teenage boys who were going through the staff candy bowl, and there was a girl at the bulletin board. Aurora smiled. "Hi, Eve."

"Morning," she sang. "Isn't it great? It's not raining."

Trey, always the jester, laughed with her upbeat charm. "Did you get lucky last night or are you just happy to see me?" He swooped in, lifting her off her feet, planting a playful kiss on her cheek, and spinning her around. "God, you're the love of my life."

"Put me down," she begged. The feeling of being eye to eye with a seven-foot behemoth frightened her. She was only five foot three. She rested her hand in his and turned him to the board. "Look what I did. It's called moving on."