Walking inside the shop, a small bell above the door tinkling softly, I was immediately greeted by a short, robust woman, whose curly hair was tied in a messy knot about her head, revealing flushed rounded cheeks and a wide, gummy smile that went all the way to her eyes.
"Afternoon, love!" the woman chirped, waving her hand from behind the desk. Being her height, I could tell that she was struggling to peer over the ledge, her head bobbing up and down as she rose and fell on her toes. "What brings you in today? Car trouble?"
"Oh, um, no," I said, laughing awkwardly. Rubbing the back of my neck, I glanced around the shop, Nico nowhere in sight. It was not unexpected; Nico would be working out the back where the repairs are done, not at the reception. Still, my heart couldn't help but tremble a little in disappointment.
"Oh? Then are you due in for a car service?" the bubbly receptionist asked, already moving to check their books. Shaking my head again, I tapped my fingers on the edge of the counter, an embarrassed grin on my face.
"Um, no, I'm not here about my car... if I had one," I said, cheeks flushing as the woman gave me a confused look. "Uh... I'm here to see my friend? Nico?"
The receptionist's eyes immediately lit up, her smile widening as she clapped her hands together.
"You must be him! Oh, you are really cute! No wonder Nico can't stop talking about you. Oh, your shy face really is so cute!" the woman gushed, and I felt that if she was tall enough to reach over the counter, she would have pinched my cheeks and pulled them this way and that as if I were a baby. "I'm Shelly, by the way. My husband owns this garage. He's Nico's uncle, on his dad's side."
"O-Oh," I said, a little overwhelmed. Nico's been talking about me... to his family?
Somehow, the thought did not make me uncomfortable. In fact, it made me feel warm, my cheeks heating up again. Shelly must have noticed my changing complexion, and her eyes lit up like stars.
"Oh, sorry!" Shelly immediately said, slapping her lips as if she were scolding them. "I always talk too much!" Leaning forward, her hand by her mouth and eyes darting around, Shelly gave me a tiny grin. "My husband always says that I blab too much, can't keep secrets to save my life!"
"It... it's okay," I said, coughing nervously. "Um... but is Nico around? Oh, but if he's busy I can just wait..."
"Oh, it's no problem, no problem! As his boss, I can just extend his break time, especially if you're visiting!" Shelly chortled loudly, pounding her chest as she gloated, before hobbling around the corner, the keys dangling from her neck clinking. "This way, this way. You came just in time, his break just started."
"Thanks," I said, giving Shelly a small smile, which she returned two-fold. Just as we walked through the door, my phone buzzed in my back pocket. Pulling it out, my mouth popped open in surprise as I saw that it was a message from Nico.
Nico Beckett - 4:31pm
Hey, I'm on my break
U free to talk?
I could feel my lips curl up into a smile. Sometimes I wondered if Nico ever thinks about me, like how I think about him. I wondered if he would lie awake at night after we've hung up the phone and just thought about me. I wondered if when he woke up he would first check his messages to see if I've wished him good morning. I wondered if he would see things on the street and be reminded of me.
I wondered how important I was to Nico Beckett, because he had become important to me.
When he sends me simple messages like this, I started to believe that maybe, just maybe, he thought a little about me too.
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Romance[BxB] Waking up next to someone after having a little too much to drink was no new, riveting story in this day and age. Waking up next to another boy, when you were also a boy, was a little more interesting, but still nothing to write home about. B...
THIRTY-TWO
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