a/n:
this book has over 100 reads omg :,) thanks for reading and voting <3 i have a project to do and a latin midterm to study for, rip
it was 4:15 p.m., and salem was getting ready for work. it was monday, and she had the second shift, so she worked from 5 until closing time.
luckily for her, her job didn't require a uniform, so she was allowed to dress as casual as she wanted.
tavia was out doing a photoshoot for some clothing company, so she was all alone in their apartment as she got ready for work.
she blasted music, knowing it only took her fifteen minutes to get ready, but it took longer whenever she played music.
only girl by kali uchis, steve lacy, and vince staples came on once she put her music on shuffle, and she started singing the lyrics to the best of her abilities.
she changed into a casual outfit, like she always did for work. her outfits usually consisted of skinny jeans, some random pair of hightops, and any top that suited the weather.
she sat in front of the window, with a compact mirror in her hand, to do her makeup. it would be easier for her to go out and buy a ringlight, but she thought it would be pretty unnecessary.
her apartment already had good lighting, thanks to the massive windows, and there were rarely any overcast days that would dull the sunshine.
she rarely ever bothered to do her hair, but today, she decided 'why not pull some front strands of my back with a hair clip?'
when she looked in the mirror, she thought she had looked better than usual, which was her goal.
this recent breakup had an immediate effect on her. she wanted to make the most of her features so that her beauty was emphasized.
although, doing this required a lot of work, so she might just give up.
she checked the time, realizing she had lost track of how much time she spent fooling around. she grabbed her work essentials: her purse, lanyard, keys, phone; and rushed out of the apartment.
she drove to work, listening to the radio on a low volume since she really wasn't into the music that played. she just needed some sort of background noise to help her concentrate.
she pulled up to her workplace and clocked in, starting another regular, boring day at work.
a normal day at work was her organizing misplaced items, helping customers find what they need, and working at the cash register. when they had slow days, or if she was on break, she would converse with her co-workers.
they day went by slowly for her, but soon enough, it was thirty minutes before closing time.
she was talking to her co-worker, anne, when a familiar face walked in.
salem's eyes widened, and anne noticed the sudden distraction.
"you know him?" anne asked in a low whisper.
"yeah, i think i'm just gonna ignore him." salem responded just as quietly.
ciarán was one of the last people she wanted to see right now.
"how about you go talk to him?" anne suggested.
"i'm good—" anne nudged salem away from her, and quickled shuffled off somewhere.
"well shit." salem mumbled under her breath.
she knew she couldn't avoid ciarán, but she might as well try. when she was younger, whenever she saw someone from her school out in public, she would instantly run off and hide somewhere.
this was different now. she was older and this was her job, not a silly hide-and-seek game.
she sighed, knowing ciarán would spot her eventually, so she just pretended to organize some books.
"salem?" ciarán's deep voice asked.
she turned toward him, seeing that he still looked just as good as he did at the party.
"what are you doing here?" she asked.
"i go here occasionally with my friend, kevin."
the thought of kevin made her smile. she barely knew him, but by the little interaction they had, she knew he was a good guy.
"i met kevin on saturday." she said, refusing to make eye contact with him as she continued sorting out books.
"really? did he say anything?" ciarán was getting worried, praying that kevin didn't say anything that would expose him.
salem laughed, "he just showed me where the bathroom was, that's all." she finally mustered up the courage to look up at ciarán. "so how did you find out where i work?"
at this, ciarán's cheeks grew hot out of embarrassment. he knew she was going to ask this question. "i-i just asked tavia. i don't want you to think i'm like christian grey or something."
ciarán's response caused salem to let out a semi-loud laugh. although she was mad at tavia for telling him, she thought what ciarán said was hilarious.
"oh cici, i don't think you're a stalker."
ciarán glared at her. "really? the nickname?"
"it's cute." she grinned.
"you're cuter." he winked.
salem blushed at his remark, playfully punching his arm. "quit flirting with me before i get fired." she pouted.
"how about we flirt over text instead?"
his suggestion left her mouth agape.
"s-sure. uh, i'll give you my number later?" she was visibly flustered, and ciarán grinned at this.
now he knew how much he really had an effect on her.
"cool. now, where are the records?"
