When Collin's alarm went off at 5:30 the next morning, he practically jumped out of bed. The quicker he got to work, the sooner he would see Heather.
She'd been the one to mention stopping by for a smoothie. That was a good sign, right? It meant she wanted to see him again.
After his shower, he stared into the cloudy mirror. The window was open, the vent was on, and he'd used a dry towel to wipe off the steam. At least he could see himself clearly enough to shave. He really only had a few dark hairs on his chin and upper lip, but his sideburns were thickening, and every time he shaved, his skin felt coarser.
He slapped on some Old Spice aftershave, and the burn gave him a rush. Not a straight girl in the world would be able to resist his sexy charms now.
When he drifted on his bike up to work, seeing Tom's red beanie under a cloud of cigarette smoke, Collin was still grinning like a fool.
"Why the fuck do you look so happy?" Tom asked as he stubbed out his cigarette.
"I'm just thinking about all that mon-ay you'll be giving me on tip day." Collin unlocked the door and walked over to the chirping alarm system.
"Sounds like you've made a smooth transition into the single life," Tom said as he clicked on the lights and followed Collin into the back.
"'Smooth Transition' should be my middle name." Collin licked his index fingers, smoothed down his eyebrows, and then made finger-guns, which he shot in Tom's direction.
"You've already legally changed your name once. Might as well do it again."
"You know it, bro."
They both punched in and changed into their work shirts. Tom chose a bright purple t-shirt from the laundry pile and Collin grabbed a black polo with the company logo embroidered on the chest. Then they walked out to the front of the store to set it up for the day: stocking the freezers, assembling the juicers, and filling up the sinks.
"So, what makes you feel so confident?" Tom asked as he poured gallons of soymilk into the dispenser.
"I had lunch on campus with Heather yesterday. Alone. And I swiped her in. Almost sounds like a date, doesn't it?"
"Almost," Tom admitted. "But not quite, especially because you've bought me lunch before on campus, and that certainly wasn't a date. I've never met anyone who gives as many free swipes away as you do."
Collin laughed, closing up the orange juicing monster and moving on to the disassembled carrot juicer. "I didn't say I had won the bet yet..."
"But you were about to!" Tom interrupted as he walked past Collin and into the back to grab tubs of sherbet and fro yo from the walk-in freezer.
"No," Collin shouted after him. "But you gotta admit that I'm making quick inroads."
A minute later, Tom came walking back holding two stacked 5-gallon tubs, dropping them on the counter next to the reach-in. "Yeah, but where are those roads leading? Friendship or something more?" He made a crude gesture to emphasize the "something more" he was referring to.
Collin rolled his eyes. "Just keep to your budget this month so I don't feel too guilty about taking my winnings when they're due." Then he squatted in front of the black cast-iron safe and entered the code on the keypad. Swinging open the door, he pulled out the pre-counted register drawers and the bags of cash deposits. Then he carried everything into the back office to set up the day's deposit.
Tom finished setting up the storefront as Collin did the accounting, placing stacks of bills on the electronic counter and rolling up loose coins. He added the totals up, filled out the deposit slip, and then put everything neatly into a burlap sack, which he would bring to the bank after it had opened.
Soon it was time for the doors to be unlocked. Marvin was the first to arrive, as usual. He shot back his two ounces of wheatgrass and then took his orange juice to go.
Two days ago, Avery had come in at this time. But that didn't matter anymore. Collin didn't care where she was right now. Or what she was doing. Or if she was happy with her choice.
He carried the empty blender over to the sink and washed out the streaks of orange pulp.
"Think it's going to be busy today?" Tom mused as he grabbed a spray bottle and cleaned the doors.
Collin blinked away the memories that he refused to care about and cleared his throat. "It's Saturday. It's always busy on Saturday."
"True." Tom said, his rag squeaking against the glass.
People slept in on weekends and the morning started off slowly. They had plenty of time to restock merchandise in the front, make the carrot display perfect, and prep many buckets of frozen fruit for the walk-in. But around nine-thirty, right after Greg–a high school kid–started his shift, a line formed. At ten, after Christy came in, things got really crazy.
"We need a second register open," Tom observed.
"You want to jump on?" Collin asked. "I can handle the smoothie orders as long as you fill any juice orders that come in."
"Sure thing, boss." Tom walked to the second register as Collin grabbed several empty blenders and started slapping on the incoming tickets that spit out automatically.
It was a hectic half-hour and Collin barely had time to think of anything except smoothie recipes.
Then, just as the rush was dying down, Tom called over. "Hey Collin, this one's for you."
Collin looked up from where he stood, both hands clutching ice cream scoops, and saw Heather, their eyes colliding like two asteroids. Sunlight flooded in from the large windows, catching the loose frizz of her hair, making her glow.
Tom walked over to the two half-completed smoothies. "Switch?" he offered.
"They just need fruit and ice," Collin said without breaking eye contact with Heather, and then he practically skipped to the register. "Good morning. How are you doing?"
Something about her smile made his breaths feel shallow. Like he couldn't inhale enough of her. And it had nothing to do with his binder.
"I'm good," she answered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Feeling like a smoothie. Do you have your recommendation prepared?"
"Well, are you in the mood for a fruit smoothie, or would you prefer something chocolatey?"
"Fruit," she said without hesitating. "We have chocolate things at the cafe."
"Of course. Makes sense. So, my next question is, soy-based or juice-based?"
Heather tilted her head. "Huh, never thought of that. Is that an important difference?"
"Incredibly important," Collin answered in a serious tone. "Soy-based drinks have a smoother, more creamy texture. Juice-based ones have a stronger fruit flavor, and depending on which you choose, they can be sweet or tangy."
"What do you prefer?" she asked.
"Well, I think of myself as a pretty smooth guy," he smiled, biting the edge of his lip.
"Ok, smooth guy. Surprise me," she said, matching his smile.
"Do you like strawberries?"
"Is the ocean deep?"
He laughed.
A balding man with a bushy beard cleared his throat impatiently behind her, and Collin quickly rang in the order, refusing to take the comp card and instead marking it as his daily free drink.
"Christy would be happy to help you," Collin told the bald man, rushing over to help Tom and Greg get the orders out.
"Heather!" Collin called out when he poured her drink a few minutes later. "I have a smoothie for a Heather."
"Thanks," she said, walking up to the pickup counter. "Hey, I meant to ask you, do you have plans for tonight?"
Collin hoped Tom was listening to this exchange, but he didn't dare avert his eyes to see. "If you're asking, then I guess I do now. With you."
"Don't you want to know what I was going to ask?" She reached for the smoothie, the tips of her fingers brushing against his.
"That would be wise. I need to know where to meet you."
She laughed. Light and melodic. "My girlfriends and I are going out dancing and I wanted to know if you wanted to join us. You could bring a friend, too, if you wanted."
Didn't sound exactly like a date, but he was getting closer. "Sounds like fun."
"Text me later," she said, sliding a piece of paper across the counter to him and then she turned and walked out.
Collin glanced over at Tom, who was giving him a thumbs up. "Are you going to ask me to go dancing with you?" he asked.
"Dude, you wish." Collin shook his head. His chest was suddenly abuzz with anticipation. Maybe Sam would play wingman again. He'd have to ask.