Him & I

35

"Okay."

I pause. "Okay, what?"

"Okay, I'd like to someone else." He shrugs. The shrug is so carefree that i want to rip off the shoulder that shrugged.

I can't, of course. "Fine."

He nods.

"Very fine then, I'll get you someone else."

Every step I take inside is supposed to be swift enough to not let Tyler catch up to me, but he does. His tall, lean muscle frame comes up beside so we're now walking side by side. Feet crunching against gravel is the only sound around us. And after a while of trying to walk faster, I give up.

"Look," he cuts in, smiling with a hint of laughter in his voice. "I'm not sexist."

"You have a strange way of proving it."

"Is not trusting just you alone to work on my truck, enough to prove me sexist?"

"In my books." I keep my gaze ahead, steps steady.

Steady till he comes up in front of me. "Come on."

"What?"

"Are you really that mad? I can't be blamed, 'cause not only do you look like a new employee, whether or not you aren't— but you're also pretty fragile."

"Fragile?" I echo in disbelief. "Fragile or I'm a girl?"

"Fragile."

"Well, you shouldn't judge books by their covers."

"Yet we all do, tell me you don't."

I do. If the cover isn't nice, the book just can't be.

But admitting that won't help my side if the argument so I make a face at him, then corner his large figure to keep walking. I hear a light chuckle before he once again shows up by my side.

Not long after, we get into the actual garage where cars are piled and about six workers are hoisted beside individual vehicles, performing their magic on them. I'm closer to a new guy named David. He's also one of the younger ones, being probably only two or three years older than me. And he smiles once he spots my arrival.

Laughing whilst getting up, he nods his head at me. "Don't tell me you need help? You've been doing great all day."

"I don't." I tell him. "But sexist here, Tyler—"

"Tyler Jones?" David's eyes grow a size bigger as he takes in the NFL player. And it's been so long since I acknowledged the height of Tyler's status. David's a football enthusiast.

"Jesus, I'm not sexist."

"Patriarchal." I correct. "And would rather have a man work on his truck."

"You're Tyler Jones." David says, completely ignoring me and my rant about how the aforementioned is definitely not a feminist.

Tyler stares to me as if to help. That's shocking for a second.

As normal as it's become to see Tyler, he's a celebrity. An actual one. But the first time I'm finding out celebrities are also humans like the rest of us, is right now.

"Yes, he is." I step in. "And he'd love his truck ready in about... ten minutes?"

"Yeah, ten minutes." Tyler confirms, nodding harder than he needs to. I swallow a laugh.

David slowly steps out of his awe-struck zone and back to work. Cleaning his hands on the rag again, he starts on his way outside. Then halts, turning back. "Um."