Write Me A Love Story

Chapter Sixteen:

Who thought the fairies could guide your life, too?

*

"Hey!" Nancy's hands appeared around the cereal shelf, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Clutching my chest, I looked at her with wide eyes. It'd been a long shift, and the last thing I needed was to be scared to death.

When I didn't say anything, Nancy' came into the aisle and scooted my inventory box with her foot. "Didn't see you at lunch. You weren't at your register. It is seven forty-five, my friend." She crossed her arms. "Is this where you've been all day?"

I reached for the box she moved and placed it beside me again. The fruity cereals called to my growling belly. "I've been at my register. I'm just bouncing back and forth. See?"

Across from the cereal aisle was my register, empty and alone. Do you know what's worse than a long workday? A long slow workday. I think I saw five customers all day. And because of it, I was pulled away from my station and given extra tasks; but kept close enough that I could still ring someone up if needed.

That someone didn't come.

"Okay, well, you didn't call me." Nancy raised her brows and poked out her lips. "What happened?"

"I just told you," I pressed the cereal box neatly on the shelf, "it's slow so I'm here putting away food—"

"Girl!" Nancy scoffed. "I'm not talking about work! I'm talking about you last night with that fine specimen of a man!"

My eyes widened. My hand quickly shot out and pressed a finger to her lips. Frantically, I shushed her. "Are you serious?" I hissed.

"No, I'm nosey," Nancy said with her lips squished by my finger.

Of course, she was nosey. Last night, the moment I said his name, she was thirsty for the tea. And I did say I'd call her. But before work, I was with Reece. And on the way to work, I was writing the story on my phone. I didn't have time a moment... to call her.

Responsibilities. And desires.

Bending over the box, I grabbed more cereal. "He spent the night," I whispered.

"What?" Nancy whisper-shouted. "Girl, I knew there'd be more than tea and reading. So, how was it?" She came closer. "If he stayed, then I know, you know, happened."

Shooting her a side glance, I bit my bottom lip. "No, not really. We didn't have," I shrugged, "you know. So, it was a little one-sided."

Nancy's brows pinched together. She scoffed, rolled her shoulders back, and pursed her lips so hard she'd give herself premature wrinkles. "Oh, that motherfucker!"

The cereal fell out of my hand. "Shhhhhh!" I tried to shush her, but she saw red.

"How's he going to go to your house unprepared and expect you to—"

Oh, I knew where she was going with this. She'd experienced it. A man who wine and dined her, only to expect offers in return. That wasn't Reece. He was far from it.

"I didn't!" I grabbed her hands and shook her. Then reddened, because when I thought of last night, every part of me came alive. "Reece took care of me."

"He what?" Nancy leaned back with a look of disbelief. "His clothes stayed on?"

I nodded.

She came closer to whisper, "But yours came off."

"Sort of," I whispered back.

"What do you mean 'sort of?' Either you were half naked or—"

Pulling my bottom lip into my mouth, I quickly grabbed the fallen cereal box and used it to hide my face as I said, "He moved my panties to the side."

When I lowered the box to look at her, Nancy's mouth hung open in an 'o' shape. A quiet squeak slipped out. Then she whispered, "Just his fingers?"

I nodded.

Nancy's brows lifted. "Was it good?"

Again, I nodded.

Nancy moved back. "Camila, a man with good hands? Imagine what he could do when—"

The bell beside my register dinged. It was put there when they pulled me away to stock. When Nancy and I looked toward the sound, she made one of her own. A louder squeak, squeal, nearly a scream.

Reece stood beside my register. Dressed in all black, shirt and matching jacket, with his chain visible, he grinned at the both of us before looking at his watch. "It's eight, but I wanted to know if y'all are done or do I wait outside?"

"You're here for Camila?" Nancy asked.

"I'm here for both of you," he said.

"Me?" With an exaggerated gasp, Nancy faced me. "Why's he here for me?"

I laughed, tucking strands of hair behind my ear. "He wanted to walk me home because I work late, but I told him how we walked together—you know, safety in pairs. And," chewing on my bottom lip, I glanced back over at Reece as he leaned against the register with his crooked grin, "he said he could be the third to make sure you get home safe, too."

"Oh." Nancy smiled playfully as she flipped her hair and blew me a kiss. Slow steps took her over to Reece. Inwardly, I groaned. What was she going to say? She wouldn't ruin this for me, but Nancy could be unnecessarily extra.

Instead, she wasn't extra. She leaned beside him and gave him the friendliness, warmest smile. "This is nice of you," she said to him. "Really, it is. If it were up to Joe—"

Reece's brows raised. "Your manager? The guy who was a real shit that one day I was in here?"

"Yup! Him. Up to him, we'd be here until midnight with the planogram team helping them restock waffles." She lifted her brows high and then looked at me. "I fucking hate waffles," she hissed.

Reece laughed, shaking his head. "Well, that's bullshit. But y'all are almost done, right? I can help if you need me." His gaze slid over to me with the huskiest smile. "I've got a movie loaded up for us to watch."

"Oooh, movies." Nancy slapped her hand on my register before walking toward me. "Did they come and grab deposits yet?"

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I glanced at the time. Five past eight. "Honestly, I don't remember." I looked ahead at the store's front doors. The light was still on above them; the power in the entire place at full capacity. "Come to think of it... I don't think Joe has started to shut down."

"Of course, he hasn't." Nancy rolled her eyes. "And yet he got the job. Dude can't even count to ten."

I snickered, covering my face. I couldn't argue with her because she was right. A part of me always wondered how he really got the job. But what business was that of mine? I just worked here.

"Look, grab your register's cash and put it in the night bag. You, sir," Nancy turned toward Reece and pointed at the main door, "there's a lock on the inside. Before you step out, can you turn it? We'll be outside in like... ten minutes."

"Closing up that easy?" Reece clapped his hands together, then proceeded to walk backward. "I'll help however I can. Turning the lock will be my job." Finger guns in the air.

"What about the alarm?" I said to Nancy. "We don't have those codes."

"No." She batted her lashes. "But it'll be Joe's ass for leaving the store like this, not ours. We're securing the cash and locking the door. Everything else is out of our hands."

This was the spark in Nancy I always wanted to have. To do. To take. The ability to grab the reins and just go. As I watched Reece turn the doors, his hand wrapping around the front lock, I knew I was on the baby-step path of doing just that.

"You're right," I neatly closed my inventory box then hurried over to my cash register, popping open the till, "let's start closing."