He Loves Me

Chapter Two

I pull into the parking lot at around 8:45am. I work at a grocery store. It's actually quite nice. I really enjoy working there. I love being able to buy food if Laura and I are low. Laura knows how to cook really well. I really lucked out when we became best friends.

Ryan is already there pushing carts to the lobby. He works long hours too. Usually he works from 8am-9pm. Sometimes 7-10. I don't know if he's in college or not but having him here everyday makes me feel better about having a learning disability and not going to college. Since he's here all the time I'd assume he's not in college. But what do I know? He probably already graduated and is a few years old than I am. 23 at the oldest I'd guess.

I wait in my car so Ryan doesn't see me walk into the store. It's not that I don't want to talk to him, it's just that if I start talking to him all I'll be able to focus on are his beautiful eyes and seductive voice and I'll never keep track of the time. I see him go to the back of the parking lot and I hurry into the store. Luckily he doesn't see me.

"Good morning, Evan" I hear a voice say as I'm walking into the store. I look up and see my manager, Alyssa. She's been a huge part of my time there. There's no one I trust more than her, aside from Laura. She is also, aside from Laura, is the only person I feel comfortable talking to.

"Hi Alyssa. How are you this morning?" I ask in a friendly tone.

"I'm well. How about you?" she asks.

"I'm good" I say in an upbeat voice.

"Is there anything you want to talk about before you start today?" Alyssa asks in a nurturing tone. I normally get to work a little bit before I start because Alyssa and I usually spend that time talking. About life, personal stuff and so on. She just cares that much. It's nice having that.

"Yeah there is" I say.

"Of course. Let's go up to my office" Alyssa says with a smile on her face.

We go to her office upstairs. It's a really cute office. Painted a light yellow, pictures of her family and friends, work stuff organized all neat and clean. There's a reason why she's the front end manager and this is why. That and she knows her shit.

I sit in front of her desk. To make it more personal and intimate, she sits in the chair next to the one I'm in and faces me. She's always been very careful of what she does around me. I'm sensitive. Get over it.

"What's on your mind?" She asks in a caring voice with a smile on her face.

"I had another dream about my parents last night" I tell her.

"Did you? What happened?" She asks.

"We were together as a happy family and they were in love more than anything. Pretty much the way it was before they died. I'd do anything to hear their voices again" I tell her.

"Evan, I know it's hard not having your parents around but you've come so far on your own. You've improved leaps and bounds since you started working here. You're pretty much trained on how to do everything on front end and every day I become more and more amazed at how well you do. Believe me when I say that" Alyssa says.

"I believe you. But it's really all thanks to you. You trained me on how to do everything on front end and I attribute all my success to you" I say back to her.

We continue talking for a few more minutes. Talking with Alyssa is something I've always enjoyed. Even if there's nothing I need to talk about I'll still talk with her before I start working. It really helps me with the work day ahead. Before I know it, it's time for me to clock in for the day.