Ache and Hunger ~Complete~

Chapter 11: On Her Own

A/N: I hope you all enjoy!

Alexis' Pov:

I felt so nervous when I went into work on Monday. Even though I already rationalized in my head that Conner didn't mean what he said at my place. If he really did mean what he said, I turned him down pretty clearly. I even talked about it with Lilith and she told me to just act as I normally would around him.

It helped to calm me on my way to work. Yet, here I am at work, peering at the entrance to the shop like a weirdo. Waiting to see him walk through that door and give me a smirk as he gets in line. I wondered if our conversation would change our dynamic.

Would he stop joking around with me? Would he treat me like a stranger, like how I treated Marcus? As time passed my nervousness turned to disappointment when I didn't see him at all during my shift.

It felt weird since I have seen him every shift from when I first started this job a month ago. I made my way home and found a note on the living room table.

It was in Lilith's handwriting and read:

You won't be seeing a lot of me for a bit. Work is getting a bit crazy, so I need to be more hands on. If you really need me, text me. Remember to eat, you forgetful string bean.

I let out a little laugh and I placed the note back on the table. I made my way to the kitchen to make myself something quick to eat. I am an adult of 22 years. Of course, I know how to take care of myself. It's just that sometimes, I forget. I ate and showered and relaxed for the rest of the night. I wanted to talk to Lilith, ask her if it is too soon for me to freak out over the fact that Conner didn't come in today.

Just thinking that question made me cringe at how needy and clingy I sounded. I mean, I have no right to sound like that. I turned him down because I didn't want Lilith's brother to flip a lid if he found out I have a male friend that wanted more than friendship from me.

Lilith told me that her brother has a short fuse, and can be very tsundere about his emotions. She told me the stories of how he would protect her from bullies when they were in school together. He would leave the bullies bloody with a few broken bones. He would also yell at her whenever he was worried about her.

Lilith also told me that he has a soft spot for me, simply because I am her best friend. So, I can only imagine what he'd do to Conner if he made a joke that seemed a little too much to onlookers but was fine to me. Lilith's brother might really hurt Conner merely on principal.

I looked down at my phone as I thought about texting Lilith to ask her for his number. Just so, I can finally thank him for the phone that he got me. I looked back up at the tv as I played out the consideration in my head.

She wouldn't give me his number probably because she thinks it's too soon for us to meet. Or she'd want to be there for our meeting, but she can't right now because of her being so busy. I let out a sigh as I knew it would be better if I just didn't ask.

As the days passed, I didn't see Conner once, and I didn't have Lilith to talk to about it. Yeah, I could text her but, I didn't want to bother her when she's so busy with work. She's been so busy that she's been sleeping at her brother's place.

It felt a bit lonely being all by myself in this apartment. Going from work to home, without seeing the people I want to see. I wonder if I ran Conner off permanently. Was whatever we had not important enough to stick around for? Was I not worth the effort of trying to convince me to be his friend? Was this just a game to him? A conquest to add to his repertoire? Why do I keep waiting to see him walk into the shop?

I let out a sigh as I took a break from work. I walked into the break room and took a seat in the corner of the room. I pulled out my phone and headphone, popping them in my ears.