No Strings Attached | ✓ 18+

eight .ೃ࿐

The books placed on the shelves are driving me mad. My coworkers can never seem to get it right when it comes to that. It's to the point where maybe I should just ask them politely to leave the new shipments behind the counter for me to come in and shelve them on my own shift. 

I would probably be a lot happier with the results. 

Shortly after what happened yesterday, I left in a hurry, (much to Gina's dismay) and rented a few days at a hotel nearby. It's not the best place to stay, but there was not a chance I was climbing back into bed with her at the end of the day. Who knows how many other girls have been in there.

I can't lie, I also chose the hotel because even though I'm mad at Gina, I know how much workspace she needs to keep her company going. All of her things are there and I just work in a local bookstore that sells crystals. It felt unfair to kick her out, even if it's well deserved. 

My mood's been fluctuating, I will admit I did cry in the bathroom for twenty minutes on my short little break I took while the store was at its least busy points of the day. Since then, I've been moody but nothing more. 

I haven't checked my phone since I told Clay where I was staying, that was yesterday night after I'd finally settled down in front of the television with a Bubly, trying to ignore the banging of the headboard from the couple staying in the room next to me.

When I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check it now as I was crouched down behind a shelf where I'd attempted to fix the novels in a way that pleased me, I was distracted by the sound of the entrance bell and the very charming voice I'd heard right after.

"Where are you, sunshine?" 

I didn't have to shoot the door a glance to know it was Clay. His voice was warm and memorable, his presence can very easily fill a room in a non-overwhelming sense. It was almost like a hug. I quickly tucked my phone away, completely disregarding what had been on the screen. 

"What, no 'love' today?" I pushed up off of the floor and wiped the dust from my knees with my hands. 

There was no use hiding my bitterness in my response, though. I was in a very bitchy mood, though I didn't think I was the one at fault for it. But maybe I was. If I'd figured out earlier my girlfriend was unhappy, maybe I'd have avoided this entire cheating scandal and I'd be in a much happier place. Or maybe Gina should have just fucking told me she was unhappy to begin with. 

Clay laughed and gave me a once-over. "You look fucking miserable, love." 

I crossed my arms and shot him a look. "Real nice of you to mention, Clay."

"What, I thought we were past the first-name basis?" He pouted. "I thought a cute nickname was well deserved at this point."

"Sorry, is 'asshole' considered a cute nickname?" I pondered. "Oh! Or maybe 'dickwad'? I really think that one suits you."

Clay's laugh filled the shop again, he was clearly amused. He didn't seem to take offense to it at all and that almost pissed me off. But I was too busy fighting off a grin at his antics. 

"The shop is busier than usual," he noticed, glancing around at little clusters of people taking books off of the shelves and adding them to their baskets. 

I glanced around, then turned back to him with a wink. "Must be the new shipment we got in from a special someone."

Even though I replied to him with a sly comment to hide the fact that I was so out of it that I wasn't aware we even had this many customers in here, he was right, there really were a lot more people here than usual. Some were busy picking through the New Arrivals section, and the New Adult section was also buzzing. There were even people looking at the crystals in the glass casings by the till. 

Clay shot me a smirk, then he went and picked up a book from the New Arrivals shelf. "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. The title itself is a novel."

I shook my head, unable to start and argument without getting defensive, and walked back toward the till to help the customer waiting patiently. I shot him a kind smile. "This one's a good pick."

He had grabbed The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. That book had been one of my favorites ever since I'd read it in the fall. The generic review for this book was that it was long and very slow paced, but I fell right in love with it. The detail and Celia and Marco's story was beautiful, I'd really enjoyed that it didn't just focus on their love, but the aspects that surrounded it. 

"Thanks. It's for my girlfriend's birthday, I'm really hoping she'll enjoy it." He offered me a shy smile, seeming proud of himself. "Hey, can I also get your best crystal for her star sign? She's big on astrology."

"I'm not sure it'll be completely accurate, but I have a small list that was curated by one of our other employees. I can check that one out for you if you know what her sign is?"

He responds with Gemini, so I quickly go through the list and find him one of our howlite crystals. The crystal is marbly and smooth. 

After giving him a run-down of the crystal and its properties, he leaves feeling satisfied and happy, the crystal in a small velvet baggy and The Night Circus tucked carefully away under his arm. 

"You don't seem in such a miserable mood anymore, love," Clay pointed out as he rested on the counter in front of me. 

"I am in a terrible mood," I replied, holding my head high. "But maybe you make it slightly better. Besides, I have to be happy, otherwise I'll get poor customer ratings and this is all I have right now."

"Now, why would anyone want to give you a shitty rating?" 

I shook my head, scanning another book at the checkout and offering an attempted smile to the customer paying. 

When I turned back to Clay, he was smirking. "Because, I can be a bitch." 

"Ah, but you look too sweet to be a bitch, love." He tilted his head and grinned playfully. He knew that I knew he was full of shit. 

I stare at him a little longer, watching his face grow serious. "What?"

"Do you want to go grab a bite after this?" 

I opened and closed my mouth for an answer, but I found none. My phone itched in my pocket and I was dying to check it. As furious as I am, I just want to see if she cared enough to send me a text asking if I was okay. I bit my lip again, quickly shaking off the depressing feeling looming over me again.

Clay was observing me, I could feel it. It was almost as if he was waiting for a reaction, as if he already knew what was wrong. 

When I looked up again, his eyes met mine quickly. And when I agreed to go out with him, his smile grew even quicker.