Beyond the Ordinary

Chapter 61

KATE 

After school, I headed off to work, feeling the warm sun cast its warmth onto my face. Despite being excited for school that morning, the day still seemed to drag on even more than usual.

Why is it that when you're looking forward to something at the end of the day, clocks seem to say "I'm gonna make time drag on extra slow just to torture you"?

With ten minutes to spare before the start of my shift, I walked into the employee restroom to change into my uniform, tucking my hair up into a loose bun before tossing my original outfit into my backpack, zipping it closed. Releasing a hum of approval, I headed out of the bathroom, shutting off the light and letting the door swing shut behind me.

I tucked my backpack and phone into a small locker Penny had given me just a few days ago before heading into work. As I walked to the front, to my surprise, Axel was already there working.

"Hey, Katie," he said, brushing a dark strand of his hair from his eyes. "I didn't see you come in."

I nodded, entering through the double doors before joining him behind the counter. "Yeah, you were busy with a customer," I stated, picking up a damp cloth before wiping down the counter.

"You're here early," he declared, not sounding surprised.

"Always am," I responded, gently nudging him out of the way so that I could continue wiping off the crumbs from what appeared to be a croissant.

Axel came up behind me, pressing his hands intimately against my waist. As I leaned further over the counter to reach a stray crumb, my shirt rose up, exposing my hips and my lower stomach. Axel moved his hands further across my skin and I felt myself shiver.

"You're so skinny," he whispered into my ear, his hands still moving gently along my waist.

I leaned back, pressing my spine against his chest. He hugged me closer to him and the faint scent of his cologne and laundry detergent filled the air around us. I leaned my head back against his shoulder, feeling his soft hair brush against my cheek. Placing the damp rag onto the counter, I took a few strands of his hair between my fingers, marveling at the softness of it.

"Your hair's so soft," I stated, my voice sounding almost unfamiliar.

Axel just chuckled, his chest shaking behind my back. "Thanks, I try," was all he said in response.

Once the clock hit four, the restaurant started to die down, giving us more time to continue our game.

"Favorite childhood memory?" Axel asked me, his knee brushing against mine as we dangled our legs over the side of the counter.

I shrugged, trying to come up with one that didn't make my chest hurt at the memory of my mother. So, instead, I thought of one that only involved my father and me and answered with the first one that came to mind.

"Well, I remember this time when my mother was away at a meeting in Boston, which was a city near New York, so it was just me and my father," I explained quietly, and Axel nodded, silently urging for me to continue.

"My father and I never really had much in common," I stated, chuckling softly. "So he tried everything. He took me to all my favorite stores, restaurants, anything to keep me happy. In the end, it brought us closer together, even though I didn't need for him to do any of it, I was still appreciative that he had tried," I told him, smiling.

Axel took my hand, squeezing it softly.

"What about you?" I asked him, looking up to see that he'd turned away.

"Pass," he said, letting go of my hand.

"Axel?" I asked, reaching for his hand again.

He shook his head, jumping off the counter. "I should see if Penny needs me to do something," He said and began walking away without another word.

And I just continued sitting on the counter, silently wishing he'd come back.