elizabeth:
roy gave me one more chance.
just one.
i fell asleep late the other night, and came in 25 minutes late.
"hey," roy says, snapping me out of my trance. "a kid came in here yesterday. forgot to tell you. he was lookin' for you."
"who?" i ask, skeptical that someone would go out of their way to show up at my shift looking for me.
roy closes his eyes and looks up, as if he's searching for something in his brain. "don't remember," he sighs.
"that's helpful," i snort sarcastically.
"watch it!" he yells back, holding up his clipboard as he retreats to the stock room. "you're already on thin ice."
i blow air through my mouth directed at a strand of hair in my eyes and look up right as the bell rings for the door to open.
it's ethan.
again.
"welcome to aussies finest açaí joint. how can i help you?" i struggle to keep my composure and voice even, but he just smiles at me.
"i was in here the other day," he says, and i nod. "and i was wondering if you'd maybe want to hang out sometime?"
awkward.
he doesn't know it's me. grayson must not have shown him the photo of us, or even told him who i was.
"um," i stutter for the right words, "i—"
"look," he laughs lightly, "i know i've shown up to this place three days in a row, but i think you're cool."
"you don't even know me," i blurt.
he leans forward on the counter, chewing his gum near the front of his mouth with a smirk. "how am i supposed to get to know you if you won't give me the chance?"
i almost laugh at his confidence and decide that grayson was right. ethan is the brother that isn't used to rejection.
i lean in. "look bud," i say, voice low, "i don't like people like you showing up to my professional place of work for the majority of the week like a complete weirdo stalker. order something or leave, alright?"
he looks surprised for a moment, then pulls back with another devilish smirk. "sassy, okay."
my face is set to stone. imagine if grayson ever found out his brother was hitting on me.
ethan scans the menu above my head and clucks his tongue. "i think i'll have the mixed berry bowl with a side of your number?"
i can't help but laugh at that one. c'mon. it was horrible.
he ducks his head with a smile and looks back up at me. "don't like my lines?"
"they could use a bit of work," i tease and grab a mixed berry bowl from the freezer in the back.
the one thing ethan and grayson have in common besides each other is their incredible easiness to talk to. i swear you could strike up a conversation about anything to either one of them and you could discuss it for hours.
"so no on the number?" he asks as i ring up his total.
"not gonna happen."
he grabs his bowl and slips another bill into the tip jar and says, "too bad i have a hard time taking no for an answer."
i gawk as i watch him walk out, popping his gum between his teeth.
he left me another 20. he really did.
doesn't he have rent to pay??
sighing, i go back to work, but my mind wanders.
what's the worst that could happen if i gave him
my number?