redamancy // l.h au

eight

Luke had come to visit every one of my shifts for the past two weeks. We'd sit in the aisles in the mornings and read. Sometimes I'd read books to him and other times he'd do the same for me. It almost became routine, actually.

He'd help me with the work around the store, pretending to be a worker to bother me and frustrate the costumers. A few girls would come up to him each day and flirt, but he'd use me as an excuse time after time. I didn't exactly know why he didn't take their numbers, or at least enjoy the attention.

I asked him about it once after he turned away a tall blonde, "Why do you do that? Turn girls away who obviously like you?"

He shrugs after a minute, "I don't know," He was lying. I could tell. I didn't pry, though. I decided that if he wanted to talk about it, he would.

That was a stupid decision.

I wanted him to tell me, but I couldn't ask again.

This particular day, however, he was acting a little out of the ordinary. I had to snap my fingers in front of him a few times to get his attention when I read to him. After the fifth time, I put the book down next to me and sighed, "What's up with you today?"

Luke rubbed his eyes and then turned to me. He smiled, sloppily, and his blue eyes sparkled, "Nothin', I'm just tired."

"Okay," I nodded. Damnit, this whole 'keeping my mouth shut' thing is getting harder and harder.

I turned to face away from him and stare at the YA shelves in front of me. I could see his gaze on me from the corner of my eye and my cheeks tinted pink. After a few minutes of more staring and blushing, Sam walked up in front of us, "I hate to break up your little nerd reading fun time, but Luke is needed for a very important shipment."

"Are you having trouble lifting your Amazon package again?" Luke laughed.

Sam placed a hand over his heart, "Ha-ha. Very funny. That was one time and ya'll won't let me forget it. Anyway, this is actually for work. So if you would kindly come along." Sammy gestured to behind him and Luke got up to follow.

He began to walk off just as his phone rang on the floor next to me. "Pick it up! It's probably one of the guys, tell them I'm working."

I rolled my eyes and called back as he walked off, "Okay, working." He turned and stuck out his tongue at me before I picked up the phone to see the caller ID: Unknown.

Eyebrows furrowed, I picked up the call, "Hello?"

A high pitched Australian accent answered me, "Hello? Luke? You finally picked up I thought you—"

"Luke's working, who's this?" I asked , wearily.

The girl's voice perked up, "I'm Lindy. Luke's girlfriend."

The phone nearly slipped from my fingers as the breath was caught in my lungs. "What?"

Lindy chuckled, "I need to talk to Luke, would you please tell him to call me back? Thanks." With that, she hung up the phone. Leaving me with my voice stuck in my throat and the world spinning.

Why hadn't he mentioned a girlfriend? Of course he has one. He's too beautiful to be alone.

My feet worked for me as I made my way into Charlotte's office on the main floor and shut the door behind me. I sank into the seat in front of her mahogany desk before I could look at her. "Where's lover boy?" She asked, typing away on her computer.

I groaned in my hands as she continued, "Oh, aw, did you guys have your first fight?"

"Char, his girlfriend called his phone."