Started With a Lie

Chapter Twenty-Three

            Inside the store, it smells like coffee beans and sugary treats. There are basically no people there except for a couple of cops grabbing the morning donut and coffee. Just like I thought, it’s warm and I can feel the ice peeling of my skin. A young boy, maybe younger than me, is at the counter. He looks around sixteen. It reminds me that I have to go to work later on and I frown.

            “Hi,” I say to the young boy and read his nametag, which reads Ben. “Hi Ben. Could you fix me up with three coffees and maybe two chocolate donuts?” 

            He seems to snap out of his sleepy daze. I’d probably be like that too if I had to work this early in the morning. I get that it isn’t like 3 a.m. in the morning but around here, it’s early in my book.

            “Sure,” Ben replies quickly, tapping some buttons in the cashier and adding all my purchases up. “That’ll be eleven dollars and ninety-nine cents.”

            I dig up my money again. I have about ten dollars and eighty cents. Frowning, I turn around at Lee who’s busy looking around. It’s like he’s never been outside the office before. “Lee!” I call. He turns and walks over to me.

            “What?”

            “I need a dollar.”

            “A dollar?”

            “Yeah, I’m short,” I explain. Lee stares at me like I’m crazy. It’s not like I’m asking him for a thousand dollars. I mean it took a lot to even ask him for help. If anything, I don’t want to look weak and poor to Lee.

            “It’s okay, I got it,” Lee suddenly says. What? Is he actually going to help me? He pulls out his credit card and hands it to Ben, also sending him a glare while he’s at it. I’m still shocked he’s actually helping me.

            “Uh, thank you?” I say quietly and he just shoots me a small smile.

            Ben hands us our receipt and goes to make our coffees. It’s just Lee and I at the front counter and it’s quiet. To strike up a conversation, I ask him, “So why do you always look around so much? I noticed you doing that in Wal-mart and now here. It’s like you’ve never been outside.”

            “Well, it certainly was the first time going into Wal-mart.”

            My mouth opens wide. “What? Are you serious?”

            “Yeah, I’m usually at the office and I have chefs giving me food and I have maids that come in once a week to get me groceries. I don’t really do it myself.”

            I scoff. Rich people. “Well isn’t that easy for you.”

            Lee chuckles softly. “Yeah, it is.” And then he stops and the crinkles by his eyes disappear and suddenly it’s that jolt electricity moment again; like the moment outside of Wal-mart. It’s only us. Just us. There’s no Ben, no coffee, no store – just us. His blue eyes are watching me. It’s perfect and—

            “Here are your orders.” Ben appears again, with three coffees in a holder and a bag with our donuts. He stares up, shifting his eyes at Lee and I, like he came at the wrong moment.

I snap away from Lee and take the bag and holder.

            “Thanks, Ben,” I grin.

            Ben nods and smiles back and I turn around, Lee by my side instead of behind me. What was that? Why was it suddenly so strange? I avoid Lee’s eyes and stare at my shoes as I move towards the exit.