harper
ethan walks quickly behind me, reading off a list of things that we still need to pick up before lunch break ends.
my feet are determined to get to where they need to be, causing everyone on the streets of central chicago to move out of my way.
the sun is shining brightly today, but i forgot my sunglasses. ethan offered me his, so it's either blurry vision and protected eyes, or clear vision and non protected eyes.
considering i almost fall off a curb and can't read the street signs in front of me, it's obvious which one i chose.
one of my biggest pet peeves is the sun in my eyes, so i'm willing to take the risk of falling into moving traffic.
"why do you wait so long to get gifts?" ethan mumbles, trying to catch up with me. "you did this last year too, harper."
i glance over my shoulder at him for a split second, and slow my pace down slightly. "i'm busy, ethan. christmas gifts are the least of my worries during this holiday season. what is on my mind is red and green cover art, articles, and our devoted readers."
"you have people to do that for you. when you put off stuff like this, it gets hard to manage."
"that's exactly why i have you," i state before swinging in to the large vans store on state street.
i hear him sigh, but follow me in anyway.
ethan's sunglasses come off, and my regular glasses get slipped back on as a store employee approaches us.
i look slightly out of place compared to his jeans and t shirt, but i simply give my best smile and tell him that i don't need assistance right now.
the back of the store is where all the shoes are lined up, and i immediately begin my search for the ones they didn't have online.
"who are these shoes for again?" i ask out loud to ethan.
he scrambles to look on his phone. "for your 13 year old cousin, addison."
"got it. was she the person i got in the gift exchange?"
"ummm..." he mumbles, furrows his eyes at his phone again. "no. you got brady."
i cringe. "who's brady again?"
it is not my fault. i have a huge family, and it seems like babies are just being popped out every month. i seriously can't keep up.
"born in november, your second cousin."
i hate that he knows this and i don't.
"got it, got it. what do i even get a baby for a gift exchange? that seems bizarre."
"i don't think the gift is for him, more like his parents. honestly i think they'd probably want a couple bottles of tequila to save up for a rainy day during his toddler years."
i shoot a disapproving glance. "very funny. no, seriously. what do i get them?"
"you're the one good with kids! ask yourself."
"i'm good at interacting with kids, not buying them gifts."
i spot the shoes in the corner of the store and let out a breath of relief. we both rush over to them and look around for a worker to get a different size from the back.
the same one at the door approaches us again, the same smile directed towards me. "can i help you now?"
"yes, actually. do you have this shoe in a women's 7?" i ask.
he ducks his head, then looks back up at me. his eyes look teasing and flirtatious. "i might."
"well... can you check?" ethan cuts in.
the worker's name tag reads daniel.
daniel turns to ethan, as if just seeing him for the first time. his smile falters. "yeah, of course. sorry about that. wait here for a moment."
after he disappears into the back, i turn to ethan.
"he was weird," i whisper.
he widens his eyes with raised brows— a teasing look. "and also hitting on you. did you not see it?"
i almost laugh. "what? no he wasn't. he was just being friendly."
"so be friendly back! have you even been on a date since that other guy? what was his name— mitchell?"
ethan only knew about michael because he would call my office frequently, and each time ethan would roll his eyes and put the call through. i thought it was hilarious.
"don't mention michael," i say. "but... no. and it's fine that way."
i don't even believe myself, let alone ethan.
"listen, i'm going to pretend to look around, and you engage in conversation with him, got it? flirt back."
before i can argue, daniel comes back with a box of shoes and ethan is quietly whistling, busying himself in the shirt racks.
before he reaches me, i take a deep breath and mentally prepare myself.
i have no interest in going on a date with daniel from the vans store, but it'll be nice to practice conversation for when i actually meet someone i'm interested in.
"thank you very much," i say, taking the box from his hands and trying to make my voice sound slightly sultry and smooth.
he grins. "no problem. are you ready to check out, or are you going to look around for a bit more?"
i debate the idea in my head. ethan seems to have found actual interest in a pair of shoes, and i don't want to rush him out of here.
"i'll look around some more."
"what are you shopping for specifically?" he asks.
"christmas gifts for my little cousins," i reply, rolling my eyes with a smile. "they love this brand."
"can i offer you any more help?"
from the back of the store, ethan sends me a discreet thumbs up.
"yes," i turn back to daniel. "actually you could. do you know what else might interest a 13 year old?"
he nods, smirking. "i do. what are we looking for?"
"anything," i breathe out.
so i let daniel take me around the store, offering input on what else my cousin would like. we laugh a little and engage in polite conversation as i pick out a couple shirts and a sweatshirt for addison, along with the shoes.
"well," i say after a bit, looking at the stuff in my hands. "i should really be getting back to the office now."
"oh, where do you work?"
"windy city online publishing," i reply.
he smiles. "that's my favorite news outlet."
i laugh. "thank you, i guess."
daniel rings up all my items, and hands me a bag and my receipt. on the bottom, i see 10 scribbled digits.
okay, so it worked. now i know i can get someone.
"thank you!" i call out and ethan approaches the counter, holding a box and a sweatshirt.
i wait until he's done checking out, and try to ignore daniel's curious looks between the both of us as we walk out together.
"so?" ethan asks as soon as we're out of the store.
the cold wind whips my face immediately. "it was fine. he's nice, but i don't have any interest."
"that's fine. get his number?"
i hold up the receipt triumphantly. "not gonna call it, but yeah, i did."
ethan laughs and checks his watch. "we have two options. one, we get the rest of the gifts and go back to the office starving and possibly risk passing out due to lack of food in our bodies," he lists off, and i roll my eyes. "or two, we eat and i'll pick up the rest of the gifts tonight."
i give him a side eye. "you'd do that on your free time?"
"please, when i'm your assistant, i never really get 'free time.' yes, it's fine. i have nothing else going on anyway, and it gives me an excuse to stop by your place to drop of the gifts and see ruby."
"fair trade. wanna eat at the deli a couple blocks down?"
"whatever you want is fine with me."