Adam:
He saw her walk into the store. He was about to leave his car and go grab a few things from the grocery store. It was four in the afternoon on a Monday. Why was she here? He saw the sway of her long black hair when she tipped her head back and laughed. He did not know what it was but something deep inside him actually ached at the sight of her. She was smiling. She was laughing. A rare sight, if he really thought about it. When had he ever even seen her smile?
He sat in his car debating what he should do. He knew this place like the back of his hand. Should he run into the store and quickly get what he came for and dash back out before she saw him? Should he just leave and go to the other store just down the road? Should he do the logical thing and go into the store, say hi to her if he saw her? He doubted he would even see her so that he could do the latter. Not with his luck.
Before he could over think things, he flung himself out of his car and walked into the store. God, he was sweating already. Where was she? If he knew which isle she was in, he could at least avoid her. He decided to take the vertical corridor and peek into all of the horizontal ones so he knew which to avoid. Was it a good plan? Yes. Was it pathetic? Absolutely.
So he all but ran through the vertical corridor, casting a quick surveying glance over everyone. He saw her in the isle with the shampoo.
Holy God.
She was dancing.
The song was one of those amazing classics he used to listen to when he was younger. How did she know this song? Her feet shuffled and her arms moved in rhythm to the music, so she had to have heard it before. He almost crashed into someone since his neck was craned into the isle she was dancing in. God help him. He pressed a hand into his chest to will his heart to slow down. She seemed so open. So free. Should he go talk to her? What if she does not want to see him. What if she has a boyfriend? What if...
God she was so cute.
The dance moves were adorable and she was dancing by herself. He did not see the friend she came in with. Now would be the ideal time to talk to her!
...But about what?
They literally had nothing to talk about. From what Jess had said about her, he wanted to be extra careful with her since apparently she had a mean streak. But those dance moves burned into his mind. The sway of her large shirt in tandem to the music, revealed a few of her curves that he never saw. He felt his face heat up.
Ok, he knew what isle she was in...now what?
He stood in the freezer section, unsure of what to do. His heart beating wildly in his chest did not help him focus. He realized that if they were going from isle to isle, they must be headed in this direction. He swerved up the meat section and decided that since he knew where she was now, he could safely avoid her and get what he came for. So he strode quickly up the other vertical isle, parallel to the first and glanced down the isle she was in once more.
Her friend was now with her and they were both singing and dancing. He could not help the smile that stretched across his face. She seemed so carefree. So joyous! When was the last time he saw someone dancing in the store? The little kids don't even listen to these classics so he did not see much dancing even from them.
He turned up the second horizontal isle where he knew the milk was. He stopped dead. There she was, walking up to the first horizontal isle with her friend. The same friend he nearly crashed into. He glanced up quickly to see if she saw. She was looking straight ahead. He paused and motioned for the friend to walk passed him and he turned to walk in the opposite direction.
God, this was too much. It means that while he was walking up the vertical isle, she was walking up the other at the same time. He could not take it. He bolted out the door and went straight back to his car to calm the hell down. He crossed his arms on the steering wheel and put his head on his forearms, taking deep breaths.
He would wait her out. She had to be done soon. He looked from his vehicle and after a while, saw her come out with her friend. And one of the baggers. He kept circling her like a dog. Adam hated the man instantly. He was going to ask her for her number. He saw his friends do it a million times. He squinted but could not get a close enough look. He pulled out his phone and opened the camera app. He zoomed in to where she was standing and he sighed. He saw the way she glanced down as she spoke, gave the guy a cautious smile.
God, that smile. This one was a bit strained...the guy was about to be rejected. He took it graciously and left. How many times in a day did she get asked out?
Adam was not sure he wanted to know the answer.
He saw her and her friend instantly turn and were shoulder to shoulder, whispering to each other. She had to have been with this friend for years for them to be that in sync with each other. After a while, they were both laughing and eventually came out with their groceries... only to wobble into the nearby Starbucks. He smiled and shook his head. Girls. Starbucks was almost every girl's kryptonite. Even Lucy. He chuckled to himself. As they walked in, he saw one of the junior doctors come out and touched her arm, she instantly turned and waved him. Could he have done that? Would she wave and smile at him like that? God so help him, he might faint if she did.
He let out a breath and finally went to get his own damn groceries. He saw the same guy who tried to get Lucy's number and felt the sneer distort his features. That was the exact reason he never wanted to ask Lucy out. What if she rejected him the way she did this poor bastard?
There was no second chance. Once you asked, there was no asking again without looking like a creep. If he was ever going to grow the balls to do it, he wanted to make sure he had everything to offer her. That he was almost guaranteed to get a "Yes" from her. He did not want to blow that one little window of opportunity he may have with Lucy.
He was now consultant. He was at the top of his game. He was single, had money and a good solid career. But was it enough? When he had spoken to Dr. Brennon who was like a father to him, he advised Adam not to rush anything with Lucy. That she sounded like a woman of quality and would likely be waiting for "Mr. Right". She was a Christian and seemed to be a strict one since she was still a virgin. Yes, that conversation had come up and that's what she said. Adam would not have cared if she weren't, would not have treated her any differently. But just knowing that she was, made her just seem so sacred to him. Precious and priceless.
And there was this hole in his heart that never closed. The shadows always enclosing around him never went away. The ice around his heart constantly made him feel cold. He only felt warmth, only felt the shadows chased away when Lucy had been around him. When she spoke to him, touched him, stared at him. Remembering the way her doe eyes raked over him so often made his skin heat. He sighed heavily as he totted his bags into his trunk. He turned to face Starbucks.
Was she still in there? He could go for a coffee, couldn't he? Would she think him weird for it? He could just walk by, walk inside, buy something, say "hi" to her. God, any of these options would be ok. So why was this so hard? He was a certified overthinker and he knew it. He made things much harder than they seemed. He knew that too.
He walked toward the building. He glanced at her inside, laughing with her friend. She did not 'pretty' laugh like other girls. She laughed bawdy and opened her mouth wide to do so. She laughed dramatically, but to his surprise, not loudly. She put a hand to her chest the same way he normally did when he laughed. It made his eyelids heavy and his palms sweaty. It was thrilling to see her so happy. He sighed and walked back to his car.
Could he ever bring her such joy?
