Pacifier

"You're late." Thomas smirked as Mel entered the shop.

"Am I? Or are you just early?" She smiled back at him, taking off her coat in the process. That had been their saying since she first started working there and accidentally over slept causing her to arrive 30 minutes late to work on her first day. Thomas, would have fired her then but he didn't. He couldn't. The way she looked at him that day, as if she knew all the secrets in the world, made him fall for her right from the start.

"I suspect it's going to be a very busy day today." Mel yawned sarcastically. It was never a busy day at the shop. Mel actually got most of her reading done here.

"Actually I wanted to talk to you about that." Thomas stated, the playful air in the room suddenly turning serious.

Mel got a strange feeling in her stomach. What if she was being fired? Or worse, what if he found out about her secret crush on him and he didn't like her back?

"What's the problem?" She mumbled avoiding his gaze. His deep brown eyes always seemed to pierce right through her very soul. Or at least that's what she described it as. She could picture Thomas in any romance novel as the leading man. He was perfect. Tall, had a deep caramel complexion, curly brass hair, the sweetest dimple on his left cheek, and always dressed with style, but that wasn't even what made him so special. The real reason she had developed such a licking for Thomas was easily because he was the only person who was really there for her after her dad died.

"I think I have to close the shop." Thomas whispered.

"What?! Why?" Mel gasped.

"I just can't afford it anymore. Let's face it, the kids these days don't play records they buy shit off of their phones or listen to YouTube. You and I both hardly make enough money to live and keeping this place open is getting harder and harder everyday."

"Can't you take out another loan? What if we sold coffee or something?" Mel panicked walking over to Thomas who was cooly leaning on the counter, as if none of this affected him.

"Loan? I'm already in debt. I don't think anyone would allow me to take out another loan Mel."

"Ok." Mel sighed. "But we can't just quit. Not now.. What am I suppose to do for a job. Thomas you know I need this job."

"No Mel you needed this job. But you don't have to take care of your dad anymore." Thomas could see that Mel was getting upset so he softened his tone placing his hands on her small shoulders.

"Look, I'm not saying I'm closing the shop today, you know it might not even be this week or the next. All I'm saying is that you should think about your options." Mel's bottom lip trembled and she pulled it between her teeth.

Don't cry.

"What options Thomas? Go work at Maccas? Or start delivering pizzas? What options do I have!"

Thomas pulled her in for a hug, the rosy scent of her thick curly hair engulfing him and making him dizzy with every intake of breath. He hated seeing her like this but he knew that if he didn't tell her now she'd never leave the shop and get a proper job.

The sound of the door opening made the two awkwardly pull apart flushed.

"Hello and welcome to the shop." Mel somberly greeted the customer, paying them no actual attention.

"I'll be back." Thomas stated before slipping into the back room of the store were they kept their personal things and ate lunch.

Sighing, Mel made her way behind the counter and sat on her stool pulling out her emergency romance novel that she had hidden behind a stack of 90s classics. Before she could get deep into the next chapter the costumer spoke up.