Orange

Twenty-Three

The moment I strode into the girls' side of the warehouse, all eyes were on me. I could hear the girls talking amongst themselves, muttering unheard comments as I lifted my head just a little higher. I wouldn't let them get to me, this time. No—not when I have someone looking to me for confidence.

But more to my surprise, Sandra actually approached me with a welcoming smile.

"Clementine," she began, seeming apparently indifferent to all the shocked stares as she spoke to me, "Some of the girls saw you with that one guy. Wasn't he one of your regulars?"

"How'd you know?"

She laughed. "He used to come in literally every day, remember? Of course I know."

"Oh, um... Yeah, I guess."

"You don't have to answer this, but I was just wondering: why'd you have your best buyer work here? Isn't that taking away some of your revenue?"

I gave her a legitimate smile. Sandra didn't expect that, I bet.

"Yeah, but it's alright. He really needed a job, and I tried to talk him out of it, but he was pretty serious about it."

Sandra glanced behind her. From where we stood, we could hear the cheers of boys from the other side of the glass barriers. I wondered if they were treating Orion well.

"That's cool. Hey, there's actually something else I wanted to ask you: did you want to come hang out with some of us tomorrow? Reina, Chou, and I were thinking about going for some drinks and... I thought it'd be nice to extend the offer to you."

Words wouldn't form. The sincerity of her smile beamed down at me, and I could easily tell that she wasn't just pulling my leg. She was serious, genuinely offering to hang out. With me. Sandra wanted to hang out with me. Whoa.

"... Are you... sure that'd be alright with them? I mean..." I could easily see Reina and Chou in the corner, whispering away with bewildered expressions. "...I'm not too sure if they'd appreciate that."

"That's alright. If you're not comfortable, that's totally fine. Maybe another time. But if you want, you and I could grab a coffee together. Get to know each other a bit more."

My arms resting by my sides, I inspected Sandra's expression a little longer. Breath-takingly beautiful in a seductress kind of way, that expensive red lip-stain coating her lips beyond realism. But, in all my years of working beside her, I knew she wasn't a girl who outwardly treated people badly. She was more silent than to be expected, always quietly listening to the world around her with a patient smile.

"...I guess that'd be fine."

"Great. Maybe we can go this Sunday? Feel free to bring Orion with you, too."

"Oh, yeah, no prob—"

I paused. Just as Sandra was about to walk away, I cleared my throat.

"I didn't tell you his name."

"What?"

"I said: I didn't tell you his name. The guy I was with. How do you know his name?"

She playfully rolled her eyes at me.

"Relax, Clementine. A lot of the girls suspected that it was Orion Rutherford for a long time. He's pretty well known, you know."

I felt a bit embarrassed, but something in me didn't budge.

"Oh, right. I forgot about that. Sorry..."

Sandra seemed more than satisfied with my apology.

"It's alright. Just feel free to make it up to me this Sunday, alright?"

I nodded and let her walk away. Following along after her were Chou and Reina, both of which barraging Sandra with questions hidden within tight lips. I stood there for a few minutes, trying to process what had just happened. Yet another strange feeling curled its way into my body; I looked down at my hands, feeling them tingle with a warmth I hadn't quite been familiar with before. It was almost a happy feeling. Almost.

With that, the day started. From my booth, I could see Orion; he sat awkwardly on the stool provided, playing with the hem of his tight white V-neck that had been loaned to him. His skinny jeans seemed a bit uncomfortable, and he attempting to straighten his back without revealing his stomach from the much-too-small-of-shirt he had been loaned. I chuckled a bit. Almost immediately, he caught my eye, offering me an awkward smile as he shrugged his shoulders across the way. I gave him a meek thumbs up.

Sandra glanced over at me, but I paid her no mind. I just wanted to focus a little longer on Orion. But it was short-lived. The doors flew open, and the morning crowd wandered through, the sounds of people looking for an hour of love filling the giant building.

My arms propped up against the stool I was sitting on, I watched the crowd meander about; some people would stop at every booth and analyze the product, others would just keep walking without much care on who they picked. People of all different ages and social backgrounds managed to exist amongst each other in relative harmony when it came to looking for a comfort person. It's almost comical how well it works out.

An hour passed and I had just finished up with a client. My skin was still soft from the shower as I took a seat back in my booth. I looked up to find Orion, to see how well he was doing, when I realized that his booth was empty. I bit my lip. A wave of anxiety settled like a blanket on my shoulders, chilling me to the core. I hope he's alright, I thought to myself, and that he got a gentle buyer first. It wasn't long before the bell chimed in my booth, and just as I was about to look down to see who had bought my time, I gasped.

Oh god.

How could I have not seen this coming?

With trembling legs, I stood up. And yet my eyes just couldn't part from those vicious baby blues.

The whole walk to the loading room was agonizing. I tried in vain to catch my breath, but just couldn't. It was as if my lungs had a hole inside of them, filling up like a cup of water beneath a waterfall with my boiling blood. I practically whimpered at the sight of him as he walked up to me.

"Blaise," I tried to start. "You shouldn't be here."

He pulled down the mask he wore and grabbed my wrist with his other hand.

"Don't you think that this isn't the time or place to be talking, Clem?"

I didn't like the way he said my name. It used to sound so sweet on his tongue. Now it just sounded like a knife being wretched into his throat. I struggled to keep a calm disposition, but I knew that I was visibly shaking. A smile worked its way onto his face. Blaise started to drag me away. I had no choice but to follow and obey, just like always.