I got a text on my phone. 'is your shift over yet, aghaashi??? im coming overrrrrrrrr'
I couldn't help a smile crawling onto my face. It was a few days ago we had begun dating, and Bokuto had been coming to visit me a lot during my break after we did. Sometimes, he would bring some food for me to eat.
So... am I gay?
Probably.
Am I slowly falling in love with some owl man?
Well, yeah.
"Akaashi!" A gruff voice snapped me out of my increasingly distracting thoughts. "Get your head out of the clouds, you have customers!"
My head immediately shot up after hearing Iwaizumi's voice, and I nodded slowly by instinct. "Oh, yeah, sorry," I mumbled, straightening my posture before locking eyes with the young lady in front of me and flashing a small smile. She delicately placed the box of dog treats and pet toys she was buying onto the black conveyor-belt, beaming back at me.
"I'm sorry about that, ma'am," I apologized, adding a light laugh. "I was zoning out... so, is this all you're buying?" I recited the customary lines I spoke every day, a polite tone lacing the words. Any of these customers could screw me up right now and get me fired. I swear to God, Karens are so fucking common now.
"Yes, these are all I'm buying~" the lady gave an overly-sweet smile as I began to scan the items repeatedly. "So," she glanced at my name tag, "Akaashi, what was on your mind?"
I blinked. Was she asking me that? "Oh, nothing much," I shrugged, punching in numbers on the cashier register. "That would be $16.75. Would you like a bag with that?"
"Sure," she nodded, the smile not leaving her face as she handed me her card. She tucked a strand of bleached hair behind her ear. "You know if anything's on your mind, you should talk to someone about it~ My friends do that all the time with me, and I always listen to them~~~" Her voice was drowned in a sugary insincerity.
ok what is your point
"You must be a nice friend," I said, scanning her credit card.
"Well, I am a better friend than most people." what is that supposed to mean you pretentious bitch "Actually, one of my friends is hosting a party this Saturday... if you want to come and talk for a while, we can get closer." She gave an obviously affected giggle. "Usually only close friends are invited, but I can let you be an exception~ I already feel like we have a connection. You look really good too."
what the hell i haven't even talked to you for more than 2 minutes ????
"Oh," I smiled wearily. "Thank you but I'm really sorry, I don't think I can make it. I have some things to do that day, and I don't want to intrude on your time with friends." I was lying haha
"No, don't worry. They won't mind! And my husband's gone for the weekend so you don't have to be concerned about him either!"
can you leave plz
"I have plans that day, ma'am, I really don't think I can make it," I insisted, getting irritated at her. She had a husband so why was she trying to drag me to a fucking party? There was an oddly sexual vibe to her words and I really didn't like it. It made my stomach sick. I hastily shoved her items in the bag, praying that she leaves soon.
"Akaashi!" her artificial voice was loud as she aggressively stuck her hand on top of mine, her acrylic nails scraping over my thumb dryly.
I nearly threw up.
The lady leaned her face closer to me and stared at me dramatically with brown soap-opera eyes, glistening with a cartoonish determination as I deadpanned back at her. "Akaashi, I know that you're interested in me. You've been staring at me this whole time with a smile on your face. You don't have to be ashamed."
woah what, do u not like understand customer service are you dumb?? listen bitch i have a boyfriend
Her voice cracked as she attempted to sound motivational, and she emphasized on each of her syllables in a way that sounded like a 10-year old try-hard practicing lines in hopes of scoring a spot as the main actor of a movie for adults. I saw her shoulders heave as she panted, but it was clearly intentional since I'm sure it was much too dramatic to have been a result of the two sentences she just said.
This definitely looked better in her mind than how it played out.
Awkwardly, I scratched my neck and stepped away slowly, my gaze dropping to the ground. I handed her the bag of her items with a monotone expression. "Ma'am, I'm sorry, but I'm in a relationship right now. I apologize for anything I might have done wrong... have a nice day-"
"KEIGHHHJIIEIEII I MISSED YOU BABYYY"
It was the fucking owl.
He sprinted through the door of the shop, screaming as he hurdled towards me and basically brutally attacked my body. He began to shower my face with kisses and I stumbled backward, bumping into the cashier register as I tried to regain my balance.
"Oh my God- okay uh, hello Kotaro," I looked around awkwardly, forcing a flat smile to the customers staring at us. The lady I was helping was gaping at me in an offended astonishment, her features furrowing into an overdramatic expression. Hastily, I pushed the well-toned and striped-hair man off my chest. "Why are you here..? I'm not done yet, wait a bit."
"o(TヘTo) but... but Keiihighi... i wanted to tell you i brought you bento...?"
i-
My face was weary and tight-lipped as I tried to find the words to express my annoyance, yet I couldn't. I let out a taut sigh and rubbed my temples curtly before giving him a small peck on the lips. "Bokuto-san," I hissed quietly, glancing around the room as I played with my fingers. His golden eyes widened as I refrained from using our first-name basis. "I'm working, I'll eat the bento during my break, okay? Can you wait for a few minutes, Kotaro?"
"mmm... okay..."
"Thank you for the bento. You can hang out outside the employee's lounge. I love you, okay?"
My frantic attempts of getting Bokuto out of my face at the moment while trying to keep his good mood seemed to work, and he grinned down at me as his posture immediately straightened. "M'kay Keiji, I love you too!! Finish soon, please!!"
I nodded, a smile seeping onto my expression as he exited the counter. Sighing, I turned back to the snobby lady I was helping. "I'm really sorry, ma'am," I apologized, handing her her credit card. "Would you like a receipt?"
She was slack-jawed as she glared at me through glowering eyes. She was now panting even more than before, and I simply could not understand why. "n O," she fumed, turning on her heel and beginning to walk away angrily, her shoes smashing against the floors. I stared at her wryly as she turned back and yelled, "You h u r t me, Akaashi. I'll never forget what you've done to me!" With that, she began full-on sprinting out the door, trying to slam it behind her even though it was an automatic sliding door.
I was pretty fucking confused, but I mean, she didn't call for the manager and I didn't get fired, so it's technically a win for me. But I had to be a little concerned: if she was panting so much from her two sentences and watching a few homosexuals, after running, she might be hyperventilating by now.
A vibration in my pocket snapped me back into reality. My phone sang a tune as the alarm for my break began to play.
"Akaashi, it's break," Iwaizumi suddenly pulled me out of my stall, tugging at my wrist. "Who was that woman? You know her?"
"I have no idea who she is," I shook my head, my tone apathetic. "I don't think I even know her name."
"Oh. What was she talking about then?"
I bit my lip impatiently. Somehow, talking to the woman had taken a huge toll on my stamina, and it really wasn't necessary answering these useless questions.
"I don't know," I shrugged, starting to walk towards the lounge. "Okay, bye, I'm leaving now."
"Wait- Akaashi, you didn't offend her or anything, right? Kept customer service?"
"Iwaizumi," I said, taking a deep breath. I paused in my step and stared at the tanner male, locking eyes with him as I held up a hand that motioned for him to back away.
"Please. it's time for my fucking bento."
heyy sorry for a pretty late chapterrrr
i was planning for more things to happen here, but i ended up writing about some bitchy customer the entire time, making this chapter pretty much a filler. sorry about that :/ i've been a little busy lately with summer work, but i promise i'll make time for writing! the next chapter i'm hoping i'll release soon :)
thanks so much for reading! all of your votes and comments really brighten my day <3 there's a lot of chaos going on in the world rn, so please stay safe!
- lexi