Steps

Step 1: A Smile

It started with a simple smile.

She was standing to the side of the counter at Big Belly Burger. It was the lunchtime rush, so naturally it was crowded. And loud. And chaotic. Not her forte. She had ordered what felt like ages ago, and was waiting on her food to come up so she could get out of this place. The overstimulation was killing her.

She stared at phone, refreshing the few apps that she had. Nothing new. She hated this. So much. She had never felt comfortable in crowds. People were her natural enemy. She would much rather be on her computer, safe in the walls of her office. At least there it would be quiet, and calm. And that burger was going to taste so good, man she was hungry.

She glanced up for a second, just to look for any indication that her food might possibly be ready. No such luck. She sighed and looked at the crowd in front of the counter. Everyone seemed to be ill and impatient, just like her. A mother angrily huffed as she tried to control her two energetic sons. A businessman scrolled through his phone, glancing up every so often, then looking back down with a roll of his eyes. An elderly couple chatted casually. Ok, so maybe the crowd wasn't that chaotic, or loud, or really even a crowd at all. But there were still a lot of people, and that freaked her out.

She continued picking through the crowd, absent-mindedly observing what she could of the people around her. Why was her food not out yet? Maybe they had ran out of burger patties or something? Nah, not likely. Maybe it was the fries that they had run out of. Big Belly Burger did always have the best fries, after all. Her thoughts stopped as she locked eyes with a stranger near the back of the line. Oh no, she'd be caught. She whipped her phone back out and began pretending to be busy again. Eye contact had to be #5 on the list of the top things that freaked her out, blood and gore being #4. She had always hated it when people looked her in the eye. It always made her feel so vulnerable, like the person looking at her could see into the very depths of her soul.

"Number 52, your order is now ready!" Oh, thank goodness, she could finally get out of this place. She walked to the front of the counter and retrieved her food, muttering a small thank you to the cashier.

As she walked to the door with her prize, she scanned the line one last time trying to get a lock on who exactly she had made eye contact with. He had caught her off guard and caused her to panic, so she didn't exactly get a good look at him before. But she figured she'd better get a look at him before she left. After all, he could have been a psychopathic, mass-murder, stalker guy who had singled her out because she looked like a weak young woman, easy for taking. She would need to know his face if she were to get attacked or something. It would be easier to file a police report like that, right? Ugh, this is why she couldn't be alone with her thoughts.

As she reached the door, she turned her head to the line one last time. There! She found him. She paused for a moment to give him a quick lookover, studying what she could before people would notice her standing at the door, looking this strange guy over, awkwardly. Oh, this was not going to end well if she didn't leave now.

As she grasped the handle of the door, his eyes caught hers again. Crap. He'd seen her. She was helpless in his gaze, and she couldn't escape no matter how hard she tried. She felt her face and her ears heating up. Burning actually. She'd been caught staring at him. This was so embarrassing. And now she was trapped in his gaze, awkwardly blocking the door. Could this get any worse? Well, yes, if she didn't move soon.

And then she noticed it. He was smiling. At her. What?

Her jaw slacked as she attempted to offer a polite smile back. She could feel her right eye twitch just the slightest. She was pretty sure she looked like an idiot. She saw his smile widen as he began to chuckle at her. Yep, she looked like an idiot. She felt the fire returning to her face. She had to get out of there, now. She whipped her head back towards the door and scurried out as fast as she could. Man, she was stupid. This is why she always brought her lunch from home.