Just By Chance

Monday at Reed's

I had a long day at school on Monday. Alice was sick, so I couldn't talk to my best friend. Finals were next week, and I was starting to worry. I tripped over a ball in gym class, injuring my dignity and my arm. My only relief? Being able to spend a couple of hours at Reed's.

When I left school, I checked my Twitter. I saw a tweet from Dan: "Last couple of days in America! Where do you think we are?" I was betting on Florida or New York. Where else would YouTubers go to meet people?

When I finally got to Reed's, my mood instantly lightened. I saw the familiar face of Nicole at some shelves, and I went and asked her what I should do. I told her about my day, and she politely listened to me rant as we stocked the shelves. She even offered to help me study for finals after work. I loved getting to work with her; she was the nicest person at Reed's.

As we were stocking, Adam walked through the door. "Nicole, would you teach Emily to run the front counter? Chance couldn't come in today, and I think that Emily would enjoy that." I was excited. I really wanted to recommend a new book that I'd loved to a customer; maybe I'd even get to recommend "The Girl in the Corner"!

After a half hour of easy training, I was able to run the front. There was an hour left in my shift. Business was a little slower than usual, and no one wanted any advice from me on books, so I pulled out my tiny notebook and doodled for a few minutes. At about 8:40, I heard Hey There Delilah start to play and I started humming loudly while I drew tiny geometric designs.

I heard the bell that signifies someone had entered the shop door. I hurriedly closed my notebook and looked up with a smile. It was dimly lit in the shop and it had gotten dark outside, so all I could see was a tall male silhouette walking through the doorway.

"Hi, welcome to Reed's." I saw a smile form on his face as he said, "Um, hello." Was that an accent that I heard? My head started wandering. Great thing, accents. Why are they so attractive? I tried to stay focused as I gave my usual 'Welcome Speech" to the customer. "Have you been to Reed's before?"
"No, sorry."
"Welcome! Just so that you're aware, we sell local books and there's a cafe in the back with the best coffee around, guaranteed."

I turned to the cafe and saw Nicole give me a look. I'd seen it twice before; she gave it to say "that guy is hot". I hadn't really looked at him yet, but I turned back around to see a boy with distinct black hair, a pair of black jeans, and a colorful nerdy-looking t-shirt. "Cool, I'll make sure to try some. Actually, I was looking for a new book. Could you help me out?"
Finally, it all started to click in my brain, almost like putting together a puzzle; the outfit, the accent, the smile, and the iconic hair. I finally put it together. As I put it together, I fell apart.
Shit.