Under the Influence

Chapter Ten: Saturday Night Serenades

   On Saturday, as soon as I finished my shift at Crawford Comics, I decided to head on over to Just Pie. Hunter told me that today he officially began working at Just Pie so I thought it’d be nice to drop by and see how his first shift was going.

   Every time I saw Hunter, my mind would wander back to that kiss we shared under the mistletoe on some stranger’s front porch on Halloween. I could honestly say that it had been the best kiss I ever had. Albeit, it was the only kiss I ever had, but still. I had nothing to compare it to because of my inexperience, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t perfect. I remembered how soft and velvety Hunter’s lips felt, and how the caressed mine in such a way that left my head spinning and my lungs begging for oxygen even though I didn’t want to part from Hunter to breathe. And though the whole experience was totally new to me, Hunter guided me through it and left me desperately wanting more.

   After the kiss that left us both feeling breathless and euphoric, Hunter just continued down the street, stopping at every house to receive his free candy. He just pretended it never happened, and even almost a week later he was still doing that—ignoring the fact that we actually kissed. He didn’t act awkward, nor did he avoid me like the plague; he just went on, acting as if nothing happened that Halloween.

   I wondered if I did something to upset him since that would explain why he was acting so weird (or not acting weird, depends on who you ask). Maybe I said something wrong or did something wrong or maybe I was just a bad kisser. Whatever the reason, Hunter being so nonchalant and casual around me was beginning to get more aggravating each day. I planned on confronting him about it, because if he liked me I wanted to know. The more I thought about it, the more I agreed with the conclusion I had come to after the kiss—I liked Hunter, and I hoped my feeling weren’t unrequited.

   If this was Hunter’s way of shoving me in the friend zone, I’d rather just have him tell me that he didn’t like me like that.

   As soon as I stepped inside Just Pie, the first thing I noticed was that only half the tables and booths were occupied. Hunter was lucky he didn’t have a later shift; he would have twice the amount of customers to attend to. Just Pie was usually packed on Saturdays. It seemed as though Hunter was going to have an easy first day.

   I saw Hunter collecting empty plates from a booth near the window as he talked—knowing Hunter, he was probably flirting—with the customer. For some reason, the casual flirting didn’t affect me as much as it should have. Hunter was just like that with most girls. What did bother me, though, was the fact that he could break someone’s nose in one punch, but he couldn’t bring up the fact that we kissed. I wanted to know how he felt about me because his sentiments weren’t as evident as I’d have liked them to be. He either liked me or he didn’t; it wasn’t as complicated as he was making it out to be. Either way, I’d still be his friend.

   The girl slipped a crumpled bill into the pocket of Hunter’s apron and promptly left as Hunter threw her a wink on her way out. He carried the plates back to the kitchen as I took a seat at one of the booths.

   Hunter grinned as soon as he emerged from the kitchen and noticed me sitting there. With one final glance around the diner, he made sure no more tables needed cleaning before joining me at the booth.

   “Hey,” I greeted with a wide grin.

   “Hey,” he replied just as cheerfully, “guess who’s the newest employee at Just Pie?” He jerked both of his thumbs at his chest and accidentally jabbed himself. “This guy!” Hunter gestured to the apron he was wearing with ‘Just Pie’ embellished on the front in a cool, retro lettering.

   “Well, congratulations. I never thought I’d see you this excited about work,” I remarked.

   “It’s not actually a bad place to work. Plenty of people here, music’s always playing, it’s a never-ending party. You can never get lonely here. Or hungry. And you know what?” He paused for dramatic effect. “The actual work part isn’t even that bad.”