A Thousand Words

12.

Ella

I sighed in relief as the line of customers finally died down. The morning rush grew larger as the days got colder. I was only two hours into my shift, and I had already burned my hand twice from the scalding liquid. I was annoyed and exhausted by last night's events. After arriving at home at 12 AM, I found myself tossing and turning until two in the morning.

I was grateful that Tyler wasn't working the morning shift today. Since the day I told him about my grade on the assignment, he was notorious in dismissing my presence. He only chose to speak to me if he had to. Other than that, we barely interacted. It felt as though I was working alone, rather than with a coworker. Thankfully, Lena was paired with me for the morning shift today. Other than burning my hand, the day was running smoothly.

I dragged my feet along the tiled floor as I grabbed the bagels from the back room. I opened the glass door to place them on display.

"Ella!"

My eyes snapped up to the voice. The tall, nicely groomed boy from last night stood behind the counter. He gleamed at me with a wide grin.

"Oh, um, hi Lucas," I responded shyly. I stepped away from the display and made my way to the register. "I got it, Lena."

Lena looked at me with raised brows, curious towards this interaction. I was never one to get to know the customers, so this must've intrigued her. She graciously stepped aside and walked to the back room.

"What are you doing here?" I lowered my voice.

Lucas looked at me with innocent eyes. "Just thought I'd grab a cup of coffee before Econ. Something wrong with that?"

I shook my head. He might've thought it was in response to his question, but it was actually due to my disbelief in his answer. There had more meaning behind his appearance. Maddie revealed where I worked last night, and he took it upon himself to use that information to his advantage.

"So, what would you like?" I asked while tapping the screen.

"12 ounce Americano, please." The man fished out a $5 bill from his pocket and handed it to me. I fumbled around for his change and placed it in his hand.

Lena returned from the back room, grabbing the white cup from the counter to start the order. I was left to talk to the customer, uncomfortably shifting my feet in place.

"Um, thank you for last night," I spoke sheepishly. I refused to look back up at Lucas's dull blue eyes. I found them intriguing the first time and didn't want to find myself staring again.

Although I put up a fuss about leaving with him last night, I was glad that he came with us. I never really walked around the city during the pitch black of night. I never considered what may be lurking in the alleyways of the streets. I found myself brushing my arm against his when something startled me. He didn't laugh at my nervousness, only reassured me of what could've made such noise. Maddie, on the other hand, didn't care about the people that wandered the streets. She talked the whole way home, even though Lucas and I weren't listening to a single word she said.

"It was nothing, really. I only live a few blocks from your complex. It was on the way," he smiled.

Lena interrupted us by placing the cup of coffee in front of me. Lucas grabbed onto it but remained in place.

"Yeah. Well thanks for staying with me on the balcony. I know I wasn't much company last night," I told him.

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "That's alright. Didn't expect you to open up to a stranger right away. The silence was...refreshing."

He was right. That's exactly how I felt about being on the balcony. Having Lucas around was refreshing. He didn't know about my past. He didn't know about Jenna. He felt like that fresh start that I was striving to achieve since I got here.

"Right."

Lucas check the time on his phone and looked back at me. "Well I better get going if I don't wanna be late. I'll see you around, Ella." He sounded so certain that he'd see more of me. Lucas sent me a virtuous wink before heading for the door, leaving me speechless.

"Who was that? He's cute," Lena teased. I watched as the boy looked from left to right before crossing the street.

"He's no one. Just someone I met last night."

****

My papers and computer lay sprawled out across the dining table. At the sound of the door opening, I looked up to see my roommate.

"Wow. Leave some room for me, would ya?" She chuckled as she set her backpack down next to me.

"Sorry," I said while shuffling things around.

Maddie pulled her legs up so that her heels were sitting at the edge of her chair. She stayed huddled as she scrolled through her phone.

"Hey, Mads. What do you know about that guy that walked us home last night?" I asked, staring at my computer screen.

"Lucas? Nothing much. He's in my sociology class and I guess he seems nice. Why?" She looked up from her phone, curious to my sudden interest.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "He showed up at my work today..."

Maddie formed an 'O' shape with her lips.

I didn't know what to think of Lucas. I wasn't necessarily looking for a relationship, but he seemed like a stand-up guy. I figured that it was time to step out of my small bubble. For the amount of time I spent in this city, I really lacked friends. Lucas could be my first step in that right direction.

He was a mystery to me. He was like Tyler, but he wasn't closed off. I was sure that if I asked Lucas a question, he'd be more than willing to give me an answer. But he also wasn't assertive or persistent with questions. He didn't try to pry into my life. Sure, he showed up at my work, but nothing more. He didn't slide me his phone number, as much as I wish that he did. He was slowly gaining my trust, waiting for me to initiate something. It's like he knew that there was something holding me back and he knew better than to force it out of me.

"Better hop on that, quick. He's attractive as fuck."

I scoffed at Maddie's vulgar joke. I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. "I will not hop on anything. Thank you very much."

Maddie laughed at my uneasiness. "I'm kidding, El. Take a joke," she teased. Her feet dropped from the chair onto the floor. She leaned into the table, elbows holding her up.

"But when was the last time you had sex anyway? Really should look into it." Maddie wiggled her eyebrows. My mouth hung open at her comment as I threw a pen in her direction.

"Shut up!" I groaned. I hid my face in my hands, obviously embarrassed by her comment. Maddie was quite open about her sex life, but I was the complete opposite. Didn't take much for her to figure out that I haven't slept with someone in a while, though. I rarely left my room, and when I did it was for work or school. There was no way that I interacted with enough people, let alone boys, for a long enough period of time.

"I have class with him in a few. I'll see what I can do." She shot me a mischievous wink, only forcing me to throw another writing utensil in her direction.

"Maddie! You will do no such thing!"

The girl tipped back in her seat, head falling back in laughter. In a split second, her body made contact with the ground.

Good. Serves her right.