Super Nova

1

I watched him enter the building. I recognized him instantly. From what, I'm ashamed to say. My heart fluttered. This was definitely who I thought it was. It's impossible to confuse that sexy, friendly grin with any other. I've see it a million times, but only on my phone screen. Remembering I'm at my place of employment, I turned my attention to the pile of shirts I had to fold. I was trying my best to keep my breathing shallow. My heart was trying to race, but I kept it calm.

I took a look over my shoulder just to make sure no one was looking before I slid my phone out of my pocket. I felt like a weirdo, but I had to verify. I opened the search engine and started typing the name I usually type into a different search bar. My eyes widened. There was no doubt now. Staring at my phone screen still, I hear someone clear their throat.

"Excuse me." The older woman's voice was blank and impatient.

I tucked my phone back into my pocket and smiled. "I do apologize about that. I was looking up an item for another customer." Her expression became less sever at this. "How can I help you, miss?"

"Oh," She exhaled. "I can't seem to find any pants in my husbands size. I was wondering if you could help me find a few pair for him."

I stepped around the corner. "Of course, I could. Follow me."

I lead her to men's apparel while asking for her husbands size. After helping her find a few decent options, she thanked me and asked me to ring her up.

"Of course, no problem. I'll take these and remove the tags so they're ready to be washed at home. I'll meet you at register 3 in no time." I offered her a smile, which she returned. The woman made her way up to the registers and I went back behind my counter to remove the tags.

I looked up periodically to make sure the woman wasn't getting impatient again. Carefully removing the tags from the men's pants and folding each pair neatly. I put each pair into a box and stacked them on top of each other to carry them to the register. Looking up before I make my way to my register, I'm met with a pair of brown eyes.

"Excuse me," The man started. My breathing almost stopped. "I was wondering if you could show me where those pants were. When you finish ringing up your customer, of course."

I nodded. "Oh, yes. I could, of course." I noticed I was starting to babble. "If you could just wait here for a few moments. This won't take very long." He nodded and smiled.

I turned and strode toward my register. This time, with a bit more haste. The transaction went smoothly and I was able to make my way back over to my counter. With a little spring in my step, I strode to my counter and found him still waiting. His hair was slicked back and short on the sides; a recognizable style to me, as that's how he usually wears his hair in his videos.  His V-neck white t-shirt only slightly hid the colorful tattoos decorating his arms. His dark wash jeans clung to him so nicely, it was hard to keep myself from staring.

"Hello," I greeted him, trying to keep my voice steady. "Thank you, so much for your patience. What was it you were looking for?" I knew exactly what he said he was looking for. But for some reason, I wanted him to think I wasn't listening.

"Oh, its no problem. I was just looking for some pants, too. You seemed to do a great job helping that woman." He grinned at me and I felt my entire face go flush.

I swallowed to get the frog out of my throat. "I can definitely do that. Please, follow me." I made my way past him to lead him back through men's apparel. "Were you looking for casual jeans or something a bit more formal?" I asked as I lead him through isles and sections of clothes and shoes.

"Actually, both. I need slacks for an event and jeans for a-" He cut himself off. "A project." I could practically hear the grin on his face.

We rounded the corner towards the men's slacks. "Here are some great options for slacks." I gestured to the rack of black, grey and tan trousers. "These ones are actually on sale, buy one get one 50% off."

I lead him to another rack. "These ones have great feedback from customers, though." Guessing his size, I plucked a black and grey pair from the rack. "I'm just guessing your size here to get an idea of what kind of fit you'd like."

He smiled and took the pants from me. "I can hold onto these. Let you make all the choices, you're doing great so far."

I felt my stomach flip.

Jesus, is he doing that on purpose?

I hesitated to reply, so I just nodded. "Let's go find you some jeans." I suggested before strolling towards men's jeans, just around the corner from the slacks.

He followed behind me close. Feeling his large shadow following mine made my heart race. I just hoped I wasn't concealing it poorly.

"Okay," I sighed. "We have straight leg, boot cut, skinny, slim fit, casual fit,"

You're rambling....

"Whatcha looking for?" I asked him directly. I decided that was better than listing every style and fit of jeans we offered.

"I like the casual fit jeans, but whatever you think is best." He answered, and again, my stomach flipped.

I cleared my throat. "I think casual fit is very flattering. You could dress it up or down with the right wash."

I selected a darker grey wash, similar to the ones he was wearing. Deciding he might want to try something new, I selected a lighter blue wash as well.

Taking the options from my hands, he looked them over. "You have an eye for these things, huh?" I blushed and shrugged. "Well, thank you for your help. Could you show me to the fitting rooms?"

Only if I can go in with you.

"Of course, I can." I respond with a smile. "They're just this way."