A NEW DAY HAD BEGUN, AND EDEN NEEDED SOME MONEY—FAST.
Since none of her typical sugar daddies had replied, and the haunted house had plenty workers for the next week, she decided the book store below her apartment would have to do. So, she grabbed a sweater, some mom jeans, and headed downstairs.
The elderly lady, Miss Jenson, who had worked there for at least thirty years sat in the same chair she always did.
"Morning, miss! Care for some extra hands?" Eden asked politely, a smile on her face.
From a light dose, the older woman awoke. "Of course, friend. You know I always have some extra cash for your jobs."
Eden giggled and went to the back room where Miss Jenson always kept her list of jobs she had to complete, only today, it would be Eden.
First, she took out the trash, then began reorganizing the books. It was a common shop for local book nerds, meaning there was always things being misplaced. With music encouraging Eden forward through headphones, she swayed around the shop, alphabetically handling each tiny section.
It was a habit of hers to read the summary of books as she put them up—only if they caught her attention, though. In a matter of about thirty minutes, she had finished one section. Then another, and one after that.
Two hours passed, earning her about fifty bucks ( miss jenson was a generous lady, to say the least ). She ran upstairs to grab a snack from her kitchen, then came back down. A familiar face entered the store.
"Corpse?" Eden asked, making his body swirl around. His eyes met hers, his body loosening up. The store was practically empty besides them and the petite owner.
It was crowded with shelves, like a maze for those curious for knowledge. The air was warm compared to the frigid outdoors, and it was comforting to anyone who walked in, a musty smell surrounding the pieces of literature.
"Had a feeling I'd see you here, I wonder why." The sheepish tone in his voice caused Eden to scoff. She tip toed over to him and lowered both of their masks for a quick moment, tasting his lips like she hadn't in decades.
Immediately, Corpse's cheeks were crimson, a smile splitting from ear to ear.
"Missed me that much, hm?" she teased, poking his bicep and grabbing another book to shelf. He watched her actions, and rather than replying, he questioned her.
"Whatcha doing? Working? I didn't think you did that."
"Haha, very funny," she deadpanned, flipping him off. "No, I just wanted some money. My day was free, so here I am."
A hum left his mouth to show he understood, and he studied in detail the way she sorted them. Without being asked, he removed one of the AirPods from her ears and put it in his own, letting her music fill his brain. Currently, it was "Fly Me To The Moon" by Frank Sinatra.
She grinned at him, watching his feet tap along to the beat. The song had only just begun. Corpse snagged a book from the cart and observed its information, shelving it in the proper place.
"You're working too?" she asked, eyebrow furrowed with a gleeful look in her eyes.
Copying her words from seconds ago, he answered, "My day was free, so here I am."
Together, they waltzed around the shop, getting work done twice as faster. Occasionally, she would even stop and force him to dance with her. Miss Jenson watched from behind the counter, eyes joyful at the sight of the young romance. It was a bittersweet gaze, remembering the simple days she once had with her late husband.
After an hour of time had passed, Eden and Corpse had completed the task. It was the most tedious one, but another pair of hands plus good music made it whiz by. He followed her to the back room, nodding to the meek old lady. She waved back, and saw that he planned on helping for another few hours.
There was always an additional list of tasks, ones that Miss Jenson's older body couldn't handle. Those were the ones Eden took the most pride in doing. Corpse noticed this, and agreed with her that he would do his part as well.
So, with one person on dusting the tops of shelves and the other on sweeping duty, they continued the silent process of tidying up the minuscule shop, tunes connecting them. A few times, Corpse even caught the brunette girl singing. She wasn't the best, but it was calming to him, like the smell of wet concrete after a terrible thunderstorm.
Accidentally, of course, they stumbled into one another. Back to back, they began chuckling, and she turned around. This time, he caught her by surprise by lowering the masks and kissing her nose.
Eden wasn't one for blushing, but he really had a hold of her emotions. She didn't mind it much, though. In fact, she agreed with herself it was safe to say that he brought a type of happiness into her life she hadn't felt in a long, long time.
By the time they had finished all the cleaning, their hands ached and her playlist had run out of songs to play. She had been in the shop for five hours, earning her somewhere between 125 dollars or 200. Miss Jenson typically liked giving her "fun surprises."
"You two lovebirds need a break. You're done for the day. Son, your payment is in the back. Just have Eden grab it for you," Miss Jenson demanded, standing up and walking over to them.
"Oh, no, it's fine. Eden can take the money I made today, I'm good," he excused himself. Despite risking her safety, she grabbed his hand and held it between her own.
"You better keep her safe. You two got something real, and she's got a good soul. An old soul. It's the only reason I let her work here."
Her voice was at a whisper, knowing Eden was only a room away, collecting the money she had earned.
Corpse gulped. "If-if we get serious, ma'am, I assure you I have no intentions of hurting her in any way, shape, or form. But thank you. Means a lot."
Through her mask, he could tell she was smiling, and such an act of genuine kindness caused his heart to warm.
"Here you go," Eden said, handing the boy cash while she walked out. She looked adorable in the oversized checkered sweater.
"Take it, I don't need it. I just like hanging out here. With you, and all." Once again, he caught her blushing, and Miss Jenson nudged her elbow, winking at the young woman.
"Thanks, love. And thank you, Miss Jen. I'll be back soon," the brunette said graciously.
The elderly woman grabbed her face, kissing both of her cheeks through the mask as a motion of adoration. She waved to them and returned to her office while the youthful duo left the shop.
"Where we going?" Corpse said, knowing Eden had a plan cooking up.
"IKEA. You down for a roadtrip?" she said smugly, smirking and ruffling his curls.
"Always, princess."
. . .
Eden's slick vehicle soared down the small road, passing lakes and small neighborhoods. Music blared on the radio, and while one of her hands drove, the other rested on Corpse's knee, drawing shapes freely.
"...as a kite by then," Corpse uttered, the classic lyrics of "Rocket Man" filling the atmosphere.
It was a calming moment, the car approaching the town through off roads, observing communities they lived decently close to yet had never truly seen. They even stopped at a farmer's market once, grabbing some fresh caramel apples and a pumpkin for shits and giggles.
They eventually reached the giant Swedish store, with a very minimized capacity thanks to the pandemic. It was no rush though. Neither of them were looking for anything specific; it was just a fun place to go for an adventure.
So, they strolled in, playfully bumping into one another as they did so.
"I think I wanna get more plants for my apartment. Maybe get a rack to hang my clothes on. I don't know, I just like looking around. I always forget how fucking huge this store is," she said, feet tapping on the floor.
"I might get a new office chair, or something. My apartment kind of lacks decoration."
"I kind of like the sleek, modern look you have. Maybe add some more black decorations, as well a few copper items or something. I think you're good to go," she proposed.
And so, that's just what they did. Isle after isle, floor after floor, section after section, they sorted out their needs. Eden never found the rack she was looking for, though she did find some new hanging plants. She also helped Corpse select new lighting sources, a giant copper clock, and lastly, new shelving for his bland living room.
"I am all pooped out of shopping, dude. If I see one more piece of furniture I genuinely think I will turn into one myself," he warned her, walking out of the store. All of his stuff was supposed to be delivered to his house within a month.
"I hear you. There's a Tom + Chee nearby, wanna grab some good old fashioned tomato soup?" she suggested, his hand locked with hers.
Pretending to think for a few seconds, he turned to her.
"Sounds nice, sure."
Her car engined roared on the way to the restaurant, and their stomachs did the same, aching with hunger. Compared to the cold, rainy temperature outside, the warm air within the destination felt like heaven. After they ordered, they grabbed a booth in the back.
Her feet rested on his seat under the table, and he tapped on her shoes to pass time.
"You know, it's kind of weird if you think about it. I literally only met you because of your voice, and now, you're like...really important to me," she muttered, looking up at him.
He nodded, grinning at her. Their masks were off so they could drink the soft drinks, as well as eat the food that was just being delivered by the waiter.
"I know, right? Pretty insane." The food in his mouth muffled his words, but she thought it was cute.
"Like, seriously. Theres stuff I told you that I've never told anyone. For some reason I just have this urge to tell you all my secrets. You better not end up being a murder or something," she joked, not knowing that her words were actually making him feel unbelievably guilty.
Here she was, happy to tell him about her life, and yet he had so much she didn't even know. Hell, she didn't even know his real name. Maybe it wasn't a big deal to her, but to him, it still felt so wrong. So, innocently, he listened to her talk on. Within himself, the ongoing battle continued on; should he tell her, or should he just wait until they were closer?
Well, they were already pretty close. He should tell her, he needs to.
But what if she reacts badly? What if she leaves me? Thoughts of doubt ran around his head left and right, like a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other.
It didn't do much to help his situation, so, like he had done for the past two weeks at least, he pushed it aside.
Two lives, he lived both of them. Two lives, and yet he was keeping them as separate as possible. Even from someone who meant so much to him.
. . .
hey dawgs!! updates will be slow
because i literally suck at doing school
so i've been procrastinating the
shit out of it lmfao so sorry about that
meanwhile, please drink some water!
go take a bath or sum! go on a walk and
listen to some music to feel like the bad
bitch you are! i love you <3