Ring Em Up!

The Beginning

Kai leaned over the counter, resting his head on his palm. It was his first day back since his surgery, and...
Things are so goddamn slow!

Barely anyone was coming inside the shop and he was getting bored of watching people pass the shop, thinking they were going to walk in through the door. He whistled, since that was the only way for him to hear anything in the shop. It's so quiet here...

Before he left, it had been bustling and booming with customers. He knew it was just a holiday week, but he hoped to find the shop that full on his return. Sighing loudly, he tapped his pen, staring blankly at his notebook. The door to the upstairs swung open, his best friend , Maurice, yawned loudly and checked his surroundings.
"Daaang. Dad said it was a quiet shift but he didn't mean this quiet."

"Afternoon, Maurice," Kai smiled. While he was at home recovering, Maurice had held up shop for him along with his brother, who was in town at the time.
Maurice took a two pieces of salami and stuffed it in his face, gloves on of course. "All this food and nobody to eat it, what a shame man."
"You could at least save some for the customers if they show up," Kai chuckled, Maurice taking two slices of cheese.

"So? Freezer's full, we'll just restock it. It's not like anyone's gonna show up anyway-"

The bell rang as the door slowly but briskly swung open. A young woman, had to be close to Kai's age, slowly entered. Her skin a natural tan and her golden locks over one shoulder. She had a pink and gray sweater and bright blue denim shorts. Her bag was swung over her shoulder. Her big brown eyes looked to side, scanning the place.
"Are you guys open?" she asked in a small , delicate voice.
"Open all day, you're our first customer this afternoon."

Kai couldn't take his eyes off of her. She rushed over to the counter, her bright blonde hair flowing behind her beautifully. Her gaze swept over the menu and her lips tightened in deep thought. Maurice took her order and made her sandwich. He heard only bits and pieces of their conversation as he admired her.
"Can you make it fast? I'm kinda in a hurry."
"Of course! Running late?"
"My lecture starts soon and I don't want to miss it again, haha!"
The girl made her way to the chashier, where Kai was.
"Ring her up, buttercup!"
Kai flinched. The sandwich. He's supposed to ring up the sandwich. He was getting distracted.
"That'll be $4.95"
"Wow! For a sandwich?"she reached into her bag and took out the amount in dollars. "You take change?"
"We take anything," Maurice called from the tables, wiping them off. Kai took her money and handed her her change. "Thank you so much!" the girl waved at Kai and Maurice before rushing to the door, the bell ringing as it swung open.
Right as she left, Maurice shouted a "Have a nice weekend" before it shut. He looked at Kai and smiled. Kai knew that smile. He braced himself for impact.
"What a smitten kitten!"
"Hush."

"Good afternoon!" Maurice's dad, Mr. Tate, waltzed in as if he were on air. A bit more cheery than usual. He looked at Kai and grinned. "Special K! Welcome back, we missed ya!"
Mr. Tate knew Kai since he and Maurice were in elementary school. He's also the owner of the sandwich shop. Kai's probably the only one of his friends who has a close relationship with his own boss.
Mr. Tate was known for being very friendly and even befriending the customers whenever he was in the shop that day. But he's never been as cheery as he was now.
"Dad, what's with the heel clicking mood?" Maurice was still wiping off the tables.

"Your brother and his family are finally coming up here to visit. And not just for the weekend, half the month!"
"Mike? He was just up here last week, didn't he have to go back for his next semester?"
Mr. Tate shook his head. "No, Marcus. He and his wife are gonna come visit with the kids! Oh it's so exciting! My boy is coming back home after living abroad!"
Mr. Tate was always so passionate about his kids. Kai couldn't name a day where he wasn't excited about Maurice's accomplishments.
"Oh, someone left a book here."
Mr. Tate picked up a notebook off the floor. It didn't look like any of Kai's notebooks. It was also a different brand and had a lot of stickers on the cover front and back.
"Oh, that girl must've dropped it," Marcus took the notebook and examined it, "We could keep it until she comes back for it, she probably needs it."
The thought of her coming back made Kai's heart race suddenly. It could be possible, she was in a rush and will probably come back later in the day to try to find it. Why am I so nervous? People leave things here and come back for it all the time. So why is this different?
"What's with the flushed face, Special K?"
"He's in love with one of our recent customers."